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The Jimei School Village gate and Haitong Building of Jimei University in 2025

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Jimei School Village

集美学村 Jimei School Village · Jimei District, Xiamen, Fujian, China

Photo: 水餃喵 · CC BY-SA 4.0

By Dragon Boat Pond, see the Jiageng-style buildings that combine red brick with "swallowtail ridge" roofs, and learn how Tan Kah Kee spent his fortune founding schools.

Know before you go

  • Do not enter school campuses or dormitory areas while classes are in session
  • do not climb the tomb and stone carvings in Aoyuan Garden
  • do not fly drones or make loud noise on campus

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

Jimei School Village is the collective name for the schools at every level and supporting institutions that overseas Chinese leader Tan Kah Kee founded in his hometown of Jimei from 1913 onward: from a primary school and normal school to fisheries and navigation schools and later a university, plus a library, a hospital and more, gradually forming a small seaside town built around its schools. Tan Kah Kee took part in the planning himself; the buildings use red brick and granite, often with Western-style bodies under Chinese roofs, a style known as "Kah Kee architecture." In 2006 "Jimei School Village and the Early Buildings of Xiamen University" were designated a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, and in 2016 they were included in the first list of China's 20th-century architectural heritage. The Dragon Boat Pond, Nanxun Building, Aoyuan Garden and Tan Kah Kee's Former Residence form the core of a visit.

Local customs

  • Many buildings in the school village are still school buildings in use, and access varies by school
  • campus buildings can usually only be viewed from outside. The Dragon Boat Pond area is public space, with dragon boat events around the Dragon Boat Festival. Venues such as Aoyuan and the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum have their own opening rules, so check notices before visiting.

Religion & beliefs

  • Aoyuan Garden is Tan Kah Kee's mausoleum, with his tomb and a large number of bluestone carvings
  • please be quiet during your visit, do not climb on the tomb and do not sit on the carved steles. There are also local temples around the school village
  • when passing, please respect local worship.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: At Qingming tomb-sweeping, no burning paper or open flames in wooded areas

Do

  • Check whether the cemetery requires a reservation before you go
  • Stay quiet while laying flowers, bowing and observing silence
  • Consider flowers, tree planting or online memorials instead of burning paper
  • Dress soberly for tomb-sweeping
  • Take offering wrappers and rubbish with you when you leave

Don’t

  • Don't burn paper, incense or candles, or set off firecrackers, in woods or grassland
  • Don't talk loudly or joke around in the cemetery
  • Don't block cemetery paths for long to take photos

During fire-prevention periods, burning paper, incense and candles is strictly banned in forest and grassland fire zones, and anyone who starts a wildfire may be held legally liable. Whether and where a cemetery allows burning is set by its own rules on site.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Xinhua: Two departments deploy safety measures for the Qingming holiday

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Go through security before the metro, and park shared bikes in marked zones

Do

  • Cooperate with the security check at the entrance and put bags through the scanner
  • On the platform, wait beside the doors and let passengers off first
  • Register with your real name in the app before riding a shared bike
  • Park in a marked bay or an app-designated spot, and make sure the lock clicks shut
  • If the brakes or lock don't work, switch bikes and report it in the app

Don’t

  • Don't linger in the doorway or force your way through closing doors
  • Don't leave bikes in traffic lanes, fire lanes or on tactile paving
  • Don't let children under 12 ride shared bikes

If you refuse the security check you will not be let into the station. Badly parked bikes are removed, and riders may face action under local rules and the operator's terms.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: People's Daily Online: Beijing issues standards for shared bike technology, services, parking

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: No smoking anywhere on high-speed trains, and no phone calls in quiet carriages

Do

  • Sit in the carriage and seat shown on your ticket
  • Put large luggage in the racks at the carriage ends or overhead
  • Use headphones for videos and music
  • In a quiet carriage, step outside to make or take calls
  • Before getting off, check around your seat and take your rubbish and belongings

Don’t

  • Don't smoke anywhere on the train, including toilets and vestibules
  • Don't take someone else's seat
  • Don't choose a quiet carriage when travelling with babies or toddlers (12306 advises against it)

Smoking on a bullet train can set off smoke alarms and slow or even stop the train. Smokers are fined by the police and, according to reports, may also be barred from buying bullet-train tickets; official rules prevail. If someone breaks the quiet-carriage rules, tell the train staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Travel China Guide: Smoking on Chinese trains

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Stay on open sections of the Great Wall and never carve the bricks

Do

  • Walk only on open sections and marked routes
  • On steep stretches, stop and steady yourself before taking photos, and watch your step
  • Wear non-slip shoes, carry enough water, and turn back if you are tired
  • Carry your rubbish down or put it in a bin
  • Check opening arrangements before you go; official announcements prevail

Don’t

  • Don't carve, write on or prise loose the bricks
  • Don't climb over fences or onto closed, crumbling walls and watchtowers
  • Don't run or push on steep sections

Carving the Great Wall counts as damaging a cultural relic: one visitor who carved his name at Badaling was given administrative detention and a fine by the police and was blacklisted by the scenic area. Closed sections are not maintained and can be dangerous.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China News Service: Man detained for five days and fined 200 yuan for carving on the Badaling Great Wall

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: book popular sights in advance, under your real name, through official channels

Do

  • Check the booking rules on the site's official website, mini program or account before you go
  • Enter every companion's ID details in advance and pick an entry time slot
  • Children, seniors and others with free or reduced tickets also book as required and show ID
  • Book early for holidays and summer; popular dates often fill quickly

Don’t

  • Don't trust third parties offering to grab tickets or sell 'insider' tickets
  • Don't assume a free ticket means no booking is needed
  • Don't count on buying tickets at the gate on peak days

Once a popular date is fully booked, you may be turned away. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires sites to keep in-person ticket windows and to accommodate seniors and others, but on-site quotas are limited; booking windows, release times and visitor caps are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China Daily: Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires all scenic areas to keep ticket windows

Essential restrictionsEntryCountry-wide guidance · China

China: set up mobile payment before you go; hotels and tickets are booked under your passport

Do

  • Link a foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before departure
  • Carry some cash in yuan for small stalls, remote areas or payment glitches
  • Expect real-name checks at hotels, for train tickets and popular sights; use your passport
  • Make sure the name and number on bookings match your passport exactly
  • If a station gate cannot read your passport, use the staffed lane

Don’t

  • Don't wait until you arrive to set up payment; verification can take time
  • Don't assume cash alone or a bank card alone will work everywhere
  • Don't book with details that differ from your passport

Without a working payment method, or with mismatched ID details, you may be unable to check in, buy tickets or enter sights. Payment limits, fees and platform rules are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Gov.cn: Payment services for foreign visitors to China

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Queue, don't smoke where banned, and never carve on heritage sites

Do

  • Wait your turn in line, and follow staff directions when it's crowded
  • On buses and the metro, let passengers off first and offer seats to those in need
  • Book popular sights and museums in advance, under your real name, through official channels
  • Sort your rubbish into the right bins
  • Use serving chopsticks and spoons, and order only what you can eat

Don’t

  • Don't cut in line or walk side by side blocking the way
  • Don't smoke where it is banned; many cities ban smoking in indoor public places and on public transport
  • Don't carve or write on historic buildings or ancient trees, or climb on or touch relics
  • Don't use flash or tripods in exhibition halls
  • Don't talk loudly or play music out loud in public places

Staff will stop you from queue-jumping, smoking where banned or marking relics, and smoking in no-smoking areas or damaging relics can also lead to fines under the law. Fine amounts, booking methods and opening hours are as officially announced.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Palace Museum official site: Visit

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not enter school campuses or dormitory areas while classes are in session
  • do not climb the tomb and stone carvings in Aoyuan Garden
  • do not fly drones or make loud noise on campus
  • do not park in front of school entrances or fire lanes
  • do not chase or roughhouse at the unrailed edges of the Dragon Boat Pond

Locals appreciate DO

  • Stroll along the Dragon Boat Pond to see the combinations of roofs on the Tan Kah Kee-style buildings
  • visit the stone-carving corridor at Ao Garden
  • learn about the history of school-building at the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum
  • watch the buildings' reflections by the pond at dusk
  • eat a bowl of Minnan snacks in Jiageng Park and on Dashe Old Street

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Allow half a day: about 1.5 hours for the Dragon Boat Pond and the exteriors of the Kah Kee-style buildings, and about 1.5 hours for Aoyuan Garden and the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum. From Xiamen Island, take Metro Line 1 to Jimei Xuecun Station, and the Dragon Boat Pond area is a short walk from the exit
  • you can also take a bus over Xiamen Bridge or Jimei Bridge. Whether each campus is open to the public and whether registration is required, and the opening hours and closing days of Aoyuan Garden and the memorial museum, are subject to on-site and official notices from each institution
  • campuses often restrict entry during holidays and exam periods. Combine with Jimei Dashe Old Street and Jiageng Park
  • on the way back, stop at the Garden Expo Park or return to the island to see Xiamen University's early buildings and compare the two groups of Kah Kee-style architecture. The afternoon sun is strong in summer, so go early or late.
Sources & verification notes

Wikipedia: Jimei School Village

The Paper: Introduction to Jimei School Village

Xiamen University conference page: Visiting Xiamen – Jimei School Village

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