Investment boom sees port bloom as eastern business hub

Xiamen, a modern international port city on the southern coastline of Fujian, is renowned throughout China for its high living standards and thriving business environment.

The city and its surrounding countryside are also famous as the ancestral home for many overseas Chinese. Back in the 1980s, the region was also one of China's earliest special economic zones. It covers an area of more than 1,500 sq km and has a population of 2.5 million.

With its mellow climate, enchanting scenery and excellent environment, Xiamen has established itself as an ideal place to live. Its success in this sphere has seen it win a number of plaudits, most notably a UN habitat award.