Xiamen University (厦门大学) is widely considered the most beautiful university campus in China, and the setting delivers on the reputation: traditional swooping green-tiled roofs on stone academic buildings set against tropical gardens and a waterfront location on the south shore of Xiamen Island. The campus is open to visitors and walking it is one of the more pleasant hours available in Xiamen — the buildings, the trees, and the stretch of beach along the southern perimeter combine well.
The main buildings face the Pearl Beach (珍珠湾) just inside the campus boundary, with Nanputuo Temple visible to the east. The architecture is the eclectic Nanyang colonial style that also dominates Gulangyu — a blend of Chinese rooflines on Western masonry buildings, brought here by the overseas Chinese diaspora of Tan Kah Kee's generation. The university museum houses a collection that includes Shang and Zhou Dynasty bronzes and a Fujianese boat-coffin collection.