Jimei School Village is located in Jimei Subdistrict, Jimei District, Xiamen City, Fujian Province. It was funded and built by the renowned patriotic overseas Chinese leader Mr. Tan Kah Kee starting in 1913. It is a comprehensive scenic area integrating culture, education, sightseeing, tourism and folk customs. Centered on unique Kah Kee-style architecture that blends Chinese and Western design, it features a distinctive architectural style known as "Western-style body with traditional Chinese roof". The scenic area houses more than a hundred school buildings, venues and garden buildings, covering a total area of over 2.5 square kilometers. It is one of Xiamen’s most culturally profound scenic spots with outstanding architectural aesthetics, as well as an important cultural and educational tourism landmark in Fujian Province.
History and Culture
The construction of Jimei School Village began in 1913. Holding the ideal of saving the nation through education, Mr. Tan Kah Kee founded Jimei Primary School first, and later established a series of schools including middle schools, normal schools, fisheries schools, navigation schools, business schools and agriculture and forestry schools, gradually forming a large-scale school cluster and pioneering private education in modern China. Over nearly a century of development, Jimei School Village has always adhered to education-oriented development, grown into a well-known cultural and educational base in Fujian and even across the country, and cultivated a large number of professionals for the society.
Jimei School Village carries profound overseas Chinese culture and patriotic spirit. Mr. Tan Kah Kee’s dedication to running schools and selfless devotion constitute the core cultural connotation of the scenic area. Buildings, venues and monuments here all take patriotism, education and self-improvement as themes, serving as important physical witnesses to the overseas Chinese people’s love for their motherland and hometown.
The local architectural culture is distinctive. Based on traditional Minnan folk houses, Kah Kee-style buildings adopt modern Western architectural structures with swallow-tail ridges and glazed tile roofs as well as Western-style colonnades and walls. They are typical examples of the integration of Chinese and Western architecture in modern Chinese history, boasting high artistic and historical value.
Major Scenic Spots
Ao Garden
Situated on the seashore in the southeast of Jimei School Village, Ao Garden was personally designed by Mr. Tan Kah Kee and completed in 1961. It covers an area of 8990 square meters and consists of four parts: corridor, Mausoleum of Mr. Tan Kah Kee, worship pavilion and stone carving group. There are more than 500 stone carvings including bluestone reliefs, line carvings and sunken carvings, depicting historical stories, natural scenery and daily production and life. It represents the pinnacle of Minnan stone carving art.
Former Residence of Mr. Tan Kah Kee
The Former Residence of Mr. Tan Kah Kee is located in the central area of Jimei School Village. Built in 1918, it is a two-story brick-wood Western-style building, which was the main place where Mr. Tan Kah Kee lived and worked in Jimei. A hundred pieces of cultural relics including furniture, books and office supplies used by him are well preserved here, fully showing his life experience and career of running schools.
Jimei Middle School
As one of the earliest schools built in Jimei School Village, Jimei Middle School was founded in 1918. There are landmark Kah Kee-style buildings on campus such as Nanxun Building, Liming Building and Daonan Building. Among them, the 15-storey Nanxun Building was once the tallest building in Xiamen and a landmark of Jimei School Village, featuring magnificent appearance and obvious combination of Chinese and Western architectural styles.
Jimei University Architectural Complex
The architectural complex of Jimei University is composed of Kah Kee-style teaching buildings, libraries and gymnasiums. It inherits the classic architectural feature of Western-style structure with traditional Chinese roof, with red tile eaves matching Western colonnades harmoniously. Its total construction area exceeds 300,000 square meters, serving as the core representative of cultural and educational buildings in Jimei School Village.
Tan Kah Kee Park
Adjacent to Ao Garden, Tan Kah Kee Park covers an area of 30,000 square meters and was officially opened to the public in 1994. Inside the park stand pavilions, terraces, towers, rockeries, ponds and commemorative sculptures, together with leisure paths and sea viewing platforms. It is a scenic area integrating commemoration, sightseeing and leisure, and also an ideal spot to overlook the sea view and building clusters of Jimei School Village.
Jimei Dragon Boat Pond
Located in the core area of Jimei School Village, Jimei Dragon Boat Pond was excavated under the supervision of Mr. Tan Kah Kee, covering a total area of 24,000 square meters. Seven elegant pavilions including Nanhui Pavilion, Pan Pavilion and Qixing Pavilion stand along the bank. Traditional dragon boat races are held here every Dragon Boat Festival, making it an important carrier of folk culture and leisure scenery in Jimei School Village.
Tour Route
Tan Kah Kee Park → Ao Garden → Jimei Dragon Boat Pond → Jimei Middle School → Former Residence of Mr. Tan Kah Kee → Jimei University Architectural Complex
Travel Suggestions
- It is recommended to spend 3 to 4 hours visiting to fully explore core scenic spots and architectural landscapes.
- It is better to visit on sunny days for better shooting views of Kah Kee-style buildings and coastal scenery.
- Tourists can visit core attractions on foot with complete pedestrian paths for a comfortable experience.
- Visiting in the evening allows you to enjoy both daytime architectural scenery and night light views.
- Combine the trip with Jimei Coastal Ecological Landscape Corridor to enrich your travel experience.
Notes
- Campus areas are teaching places, please keep quiet and do not enter teaching and office areas.
- Do not touch stone carvings, cultural relics and exhibits inside Ao Garden and the former residence.
- It is forbidden to climb or enter the water near the dragon boat pond and seaside areas for safety.
- No carving, graffiti or littering is allowed to protect cultural relics and scenic environment.
- There will be large crowds during holidays, please follow the rules and visit in order.
Transportation
- Bus: Take bus No.901, 903, 905, 921, 922, 923, 959 or 961 and get off at Jimei School Village Stop.
- Metro: Take Xiamen Metro Line 1 and exit at Jimei School Village Station to reach the core scenic area directly.
- Self-driving: Navigate to the parking lot of Jimei School Village, where public paid parking spaces are available.
- Ferry: Take a ferry from Xiamen Island to Jimei Ferry Terminal and walk 5 minutes to arrive.
Opening Hours
The whole area of Jimei School Village is open all day long. Ao Garden opens from 8:00 to 17:30 every day. The Former Residence of Mr. Tan Kah Kee is open from 8:30 to 17:00 daily. Tan Kah Kee Park opens from 7:00 to 22:00 every day. All venues are open normally every Monday with no regular closing days.
Ticket Information
The scenic area is free of admission fee, while paid professional tour guide service is available. You can follow the official WeChat official account named “集美学村” to get the latest news and information.
Online Booking
Click here to jump to the Trip.com ticketing platform for ticket purchase.