31 December 2003 1—First View of Xiamen University
I traveled from Beijing to Xiamen on the 31st of December—New Year's Eve. I got my first view of Xiamen University when we arrived at the hotel on campus where I was going to stay. From my seventh-floor room I could see the lake and the square adjoining it where the concert was going to be that evening.
All the buildings in the next three photos are part of Xiamen University. The hotel is one of the three parts of a conference center. The building below has the dining facilities and some rooms. My building was the main hotel plus conference facilities. A third builidng, in the next block, had additional rooms, restaurants, and shops.
This is the biggest building at the university. You can see the little square in front of it being set u for that night's concert.
A closer view of the square with the stage being assembled. Later that night it would be unrecognizable.
This is a map of the campus. The lake, the square and buildings, and my hotel are right in the center, with the hotel above (north of) the lake. Those of you with sharp eyes and enquiring minds have have noticed the bird-like thing underneath the N for north. That is a "wind rose," which shows the relative frequency of the winds from the 16 compass points. It reveals that Xiamen gets nearly all of its wind from NE down through SE.