Huli District 湖里区

History

Historically the area belonged to Tong'an County (同安县); when Siming County (思明县) was split off in the early Republican years, Huli went with it. The district is named after the Huli (湖里) brigade, which took its name from Huli village and street; one explanation traces the name to a low-lying shore thick with water bamboo, called Zhukeng Lake (竹坑湖), with the village on its inner side.

On 7 October 1980 the State Council approved a special economic zone on 2.5 km² at Huli, and building began on 15 October 1981. After Deng Xiaoping visited in February 1984 and wrote an inscription here urging that the zone be run "faster and better", it was extended to the whole island, and in 2010 to all of Xiamen.

What to see

The Xiamen Special Economic Zone Memorial Hall (厦门经济特区纪念馆), at the junction of Xinglong Road (兴隆路) and Huachang Road (华昌路), is described by the district as China's first museum devoted to the history of a special economic zone. Its second-floor room on the west side is the place where Deng wrote the inscription, and the collection includes the Lujiang (鹭江号) launch that received visiting national leaders.

Wuyuan Bay (五缘湾) in the island's north-east is named after the five arched bridges built across it. Its 85-hectare Wuyuan Bay Wetland Park (五缘湾湿地公园) has a mangrove zone, a bird-watching island and several hundred black swans on its waters, and the yacht harbour behind the "Setting Sail" (启航) bronze has 351 berths.

Xiamen Seawall Memorial Park (厦门海堤纪念公园) stands where the Gaoji Seawall (高集海堤) meets the coast road. The seawalls built in 1955–1956 turned Xiamen Island into a peninsula; the Gaoji section is 2,312 m long, and the park's memorial square is laid with 1,953 of its stones. Huihe Stone Culture Park (惠和石文化园), a 42,000 m² park built around southern Fujian stonework and stone-engraving crafts, was rated a national 4A scenic area in December 2023.

Getting oriented

Gaoqi International Airport (高崎国际机场) and Dongdu Port (东渡港) are both in Huli, and the district describes its Wutong (五通) ferry terminal as the largest passenger port on the mainland for Taiwan traffic. The Gaoji Seawall, the Xiamen, Haicang, Jimei and Xinglin bridges and the Xiang'an Tunnel, which tie the island to the mainland, all lie in Huli.

Highlights

• Xiamen Special Economic Zone Memorial Hall 厦门经济特区纪念馆: Museum of the zone's history, including the room where Deng Xiaoping wrote his 1984 inscription.
• Wuyuan Bay Wetland Park 五缘湾湿地公园: 85-hectare wetland park with mangroves, a bird island and black swans.
• Xiamen Seawall Memorial Park 厦门海堤纪念公园: Park at the head of the 1950s Gaoji Seawall, its square laid with 1,953 seawall stones.
• Huihe Stone Culture Park 惠和石文化园: Stone-culture theme park rated national 4A in December 2023.