Amoy Magic and The Fujian Adventure

[wix]

I'd like to recommend two new books about Xiamen and Fujian. Amoy Magic and The Fujian Adventure are by Bill Brown, a professor at Xiamen University who has lived in Xiamen for 15 years. He is a man with an obvious love and passion for his adopted home (he is originally from the US).

Amoy Magic is a guide to Xiamen. It was originally published in 2000 but the new edition has been extensively updated. It includes comprehensive information about places to visit, shop and eat in Xiamen as well as numerous interesting anecdotes about the history and daily life in Xiamen. It also includes a section on other interesting places to visit in Fujian.

The Fujian Adventure is an all new publication. It details Bill's travels and adventures in almost every corner of Fujian Province. There is a great amount of detail and this book would enable you to discover many interesting places that very few foreigners have ever visited.

It is a pity that most guidebooks to China have so little information about Fujian, because after reading these two books you will find that there are many interesting places to visit and explore. Both books are full of photos and all the photos in The Fujian Adventure are in color.

Bill's wife Sue has created a website about Xiamen which is also worth a look. The url is http://www.amoymagic.com You can also find some more information about the books there. I am not sure how widely available the books are but in Xiamen I bought them at the book store on the third floor of the SM Shopping Centre.

[Guest Amoybill]

Thanks for your kind comments on the books, Fujian Adventure and Amoy Magic (both of which are now out in Chinese as well). I also just put out a 270 page book, Mystic Quanzhou--City of Light, which I hope will help those interested in visiting this ancient city which was the start of the Maritime Silk Route, and a great commercial and cultural crossroads (with representatives of virtually every major religion on the planet, from Nestorian Christianity and Islam to Franciscan Catholicism, Judaism, Jainism, Tibetan Buddhism, and even today has the last Manichaean Temple on the planet).

The books Fujian Adventure, Amoy Magic and Mystic Quanzhou (49.80 Yuan, 30 Yuan and 20 Yuan respectively) are not sold outside of China, and are not easy to find inside China either. If necessary, I can mail them (for up to 1/4 off the cover price). Check my wife's site www.amoymagic.com, e-mail me, or write to Box 1288, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian, PRC 361005). Any suggestions for new content are welcome!

Thanks! Dr. Bill