Relaxed lifestyle amid a mix of cultures

[Photo/China Daily]

Siming district in Xiamen is the epitome of internationalization with its safe environment and inclusive culture, which attracts people from around the world.

On Coffee Street, bristling with bilingual signs, there stands the Guanren community, which is home to more than 1,400 residents from 46 countries and regions.

Loic Leclercq, 36, who has run three stores in the community for more than seven years, said he came from France to China 15 years ago. Xiamen was where he realized his dream to become a chef after working as a designer for eight years in Shanghai.

Leclercq said he worked for several companies as a designer and founded his own design company in Shanghai. But things changed when he traveled to Xiamen in 2011 with his wife Li Sin-ying, a Hong Kong resident who was born and grew up in Xiamen.

"When I arrived in Xiamen, I was walking along Coffee Street and the slow and nice ambiance made me think that it was right to do something here," he said.

His wife Li said: "We just came back for a family visit, but my husband was attracted by Xiamen's environment, which is similar to France, so he decided to open a restaurant here."

At the end of 2011, Leclercq quit his job in Shanghai and moved to Xiamen to open his first French restaurant.

"It was a great success because there were a lot of customers and I didn't have enough space to receive them," he said. After that, he opened another two stores - a bakery and a wine bar - in the community in 2014.

In 2012, the Xiamen city government opened an administrative service center to combine economic services, public affairs and construction service departments.

Leclercq said he is one of the beneficiaries of the city's improved administrative services.

The district government and the community also help his restaurant to communicate with local residents and make contact with businesspeople, he added.

With a growing number of people drawn to cosmopolitan Xiamen, its local market has great potential, he noted.

Angelo Ng, a 50-year-old from Taiwan, moved to Xiamen in 2014 and has been engaged in the environmental protection industry for five years.

In 2016, Ng was appointed secretary-general of the Xiamen Environmental Protection Volunteers Union, which was set up by Siming district's environmental protection bureau.

"Xiamen is a livable and green city full of opportunities and vitality. It has forged ahead with its international development," Ng said, adding that the city's efforts in green development has made room for environmental protection.

In cooperation with the bureau, the union has launched several projects in the city, ranging from garbage classification and recycling to environmental training over the past two years, as part of its efforts to push forward the city's environmental campaign.

"Taiwan residents have the same roots in culture with Xiamen," he said.

The city's convenient facilities, pleasant environment and fast development give people a sense of happiness and belonging, he added.

Zuzana Pavlonova, 27, is a translator from the Czech Republic. She graduated from Xiamen University last year, with a master's degree in English language and literature.

Pavlonova said that Xiamen is a city that exceeds her expectations. She came to Xiamen because of a friend's recommendation.

"I had never been here before, but it turned out lucky for me - the university is really good and the city is amazing."

"There are a lot of opportunities for job seekers and volunteers in the city," she said. Pavlonova has been giving courses for children and organizing different activities as a volunteer in the Guanren community for more than three years.

She lives in Shapowei, an area in Siming district, home to a large number of locals and native Minnan (southern Fujian) culture. Pavlonova said she learns the Minnan dialect and the traditional culture from her landlord and neighbors.

"Whatever you need in the city, it is already here and it is not hard to get used to something," she said, adding that people can have their own lifestyle in Xiamen and everyone respects that.

"Xiamen is a flexible city, it is very open to new ideas and new ways of life," she said.

Niren Kumar Anand, an Indian footwear designer, came to China with his family in 2007 and has been living in Xiamen for almost eight years.

"Xiamen is a multicultural city; we have found many nationalities here and it is easier to communicate with them," he said.

As a port city, it is fantastic for business growth, he added.

In 2015, Anand set up his footwear company in Xiamen. He said the company has received a lot of support from local authorities.

"Xiamen strikes a perfect balance between nature and development. It is worth staying here," he said.

His wife Smita said she enjoys taking care of her family and being a part-time volunteer in the Guanren community.

"We have a mixed culture here. This is one place where you can see so many international cultures together, adding that her children have benefited from quality education in Siming.

"We are very happy to live in Xiamen and we appreciate the pace of life here."

liangkaiyan@chinadaily.com.cn