Located in the triangle zone of Minnan, Taiwan and Southeast Asia where overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese gather, Xiamen is blessed with a unique geographical location that integrates marine civilization and mainland culture. Xiamen is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese and the cradle of Minnan culture, where Chinese and foreign cultures blend with and embrace each other, contributing to its open character and tolerance to diversity. The penetration of traditional culture can be found from the daily life of Xiamen people. There is a popular saying here in southern Fujian, "Dedicate yourself and you will win," which embodies an enterprising spirit.
Dialect
The dialect of Xiamen is Hokkien. Minnan language is mainly distributed in Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou. Hokkien dialect is one of the eight major dialects in China. Nowadays in southeast Asian area, there are still a considerable number of overseas Chinese speaking Hokkien dialect.
Ethnic Minorities
By 2016, there were 48 ethnic minorities (permanent) in Xiamen, with a total population of more than 80,000 people, including more than 20,000 permanent residents and more than 50,000 floating ethnic minorities. At present, there are mainly She, Hui, Manchu, Tujia, Zhuang and other ethnic minorities in the city.
Religion
In Xiamen, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam together form the basis of the city's religious practices and beliefs, among which Buddhism is the main religion with tens of thousands of believers. In Xiamen, the South Putuo Temple and the Buddhist Institute of South Fujian are well-known at home and abroad. The Xinjie Church Christian is regarded as the first church of China and the Xiamen Catholic Church lying at Gulang Island presents a desirable worship place for the Catholics.
Xiamen also houses Taoism, Islam, etc. Xiamen Mosque is located on the South Park Road of Siming District. It is the only place for Islamic religious activities in Xiamen.
Mid-Autumn Bobing Game
A game in which six dice are thrown into a bowl and the different combinations of numbers result in different scores and prize is a unique festive activity in Xiamen during the Mid-Autumn Festival. It has been kept as a Mid-Autumn tradition by the locals for hundreds of years, forming part of the city's particular festival culture. The locals believe that someone who rolls a Zhuangyuan (means the top prize) will enjoy a year of good fortune.
Traditional Opera
Gaojia Opera is one of local operas with the widest spread area and the most audiences among various kinds of operas in Southern Fujian. Its singing method includes "Southern Music", "Puppet Tune" and folk ditty.
Puppet Show was flourished in the Ming Dynasty and became an important type of puppetry in the Qing Dynasty. The performers use their hands to control the movements of puppet while singing accompanied with music.
