With sprawling views of lush green gardens and the distant glistening of sunlight dancing on the harbor’s deep waters, Xiamen University, located in the eponymous city in the southeastern province of Fujian, possesses what is arguably one of the most beautiful college campuses in all of China. Crisscrossing the site, if you squint—and give your imagination full rein—you just might be able to envisage yourself sauntering along Hollywood’s Sunset Boulevard.
Marnix Groot, a Dutch airport development expert, who spent almost a decade living and working in China—and who is also a dear friend of this author—studied at the renowned institution in 2003 and reminisces fondly of his time spent there.
“Mind you, this was 2003. China wasn’t exactly ‘in the picture’ the way. “Till then, my travels had always taken me across the Atlantic; I had not yet set foot in Asia. So when I got the opportunity to go study in China, my first choice was to go to Beijing. But as that spot had already been scooped up, I opted for the next (and only) one on offer: Xiamen University—or . Foreigners were, as was to be expected, few and far between there. When I first landed, I couldn’t even pronounce the word ‘Xiamen’,” Groot added, laughing.
