Flame tree flowers in full bloom

Representatives from Xiamen's bureau of parks and forests announced recently that the area's flame tree flowers are now in full bloom. The flame tree is the city tree of Xiamen.

Flame trees can be as tall as 20 meters high. The trees blossom in summer with large red flowers set off by verdat leaves. Popular stretches of roadway flanked by flame trees include Binlang, Bailuzhou, Central Hubin, Dongming East, Gongyuan and Zhenhai roads. The blooming season is expected to run through early June.

厦门日报拍客 君牧 摄

China Opera Festival officials announced during its Jiaxing edition last week that the city of Xiamen will host the festival in 2026. Initiated by China's Ministry of Culture in 2011, the triennial festival is regarded as one of the country's most prestigious opera events.

City officials last week announced that Xiamen ranked first in the completion rate of provincial key projects in Fujian in the year through April. Actual investment for 130 provincial key projects in Xiamen hit 34.7 billion yuan, accounting for more than 42 percent of the city's annual plan.

The annual Cross-Strait (Jimei) Dragon Boat Cultural Festival launches this Saturday. The two-day festival includes a number of activities, headlined by the Jiageng Cup and Jingxian Cup cross-Strait dragon boat races and the annual China Dragon Boat Tug of War.

The opening ceremony of the debut edition of the Fujian Internet Culture Festival kicked off in Xiamen recently alongside the twelfth edition of the Xiamen Internet Culture Festival. The events featured an award ceremony that included categories honoring cultural brands, public welfare activities and notable online local residents. Festival representatives said that the events demonstrated the online influence of Xiamen residents and businesses on the provincial stage.

Xiamen University of Technology announced recently that Liu Wanting, a first-year student majoring in performing arts, recently won the title of Miss World China at the beauty contest's finale last week in Dali, Yunnan. Liu Wanting also earned the second prize in the finale's popularity contest. Ms. Liu will represent China next year in the Miss World competition.

Liu Wanting（right）

City officials last week announced that Xiamen will gain a total of 28 public kindergartens this fall. The new sites include five in Huli, seven in Jimei, six in Siming, six in Tongan District and eight in Xiangan. Haicang will also open three kindergartens operated by district-owned enterprises.

The ninth Fujian Provincial Paralympic Games and the seventh Special Olympics wrapped up earlier this month in Fuzhou. The Xiamen delegation took home 45 gold medals, 27 silver medals and 17 bronze medals. The delegation tied for third for its gold medal tally. A total of 61 disabled athletes from Xiamen participated in competitions across 14 events. The local team and its members established multiple provincial records during the games.

Representatives of the Yizhuang Bayberry Garden in Jimei's Donghui village announced a major spike in attendance during the recent ripening season for bayberries. The garden spans several hundred acres and is the largest of its kind in Xiamen. The garden's trees have been cultivated to grow no larger than two meters in height, allowing for their berries to be easily picked. Guests can select from a range of bayberry varieties, included rare white bayberries.

The debut edition of the National Urban Household Garbage Classification Promotion Week kicked off on May 22. Representatives of China's Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said that the weeklong campaign is intended to strengthen the promotion and popularization of garbage classification.The ministry selected 100 individuals from across China as recipients of its Garbage Classification Expert title. The honorees included three individuals from Xiamen.

National authority announced recently that China has hosted more than 400 concerts in the year to date. Analysts noted that April and May are peak season for concerts.

The two months each contained nearly 150 concerts, topping their 2019 totals. Industry analysts estimate that there will be more than 1,000 large-scale concerts this year, drawing six to eight million spectators.

Local officials last week announced that the main structure of the fifth phase of the Xiamen International Convention and Exhibition Center has topped out. Work on interior appointments and the installation of mechanical and electrical systems are now underway.

The project is slated to be ready for final inspection by the end of June. The expansion will increase the center's total floor space to more than 200,000 square meters. City officials said that the expansion will help to ensure that the center remains a magnet for exhibitions and cultural entertainment in Xiamen.