Jimei School Village and Tan Kah Kee Turtle Garden (集美学村 / 鳖园)

Jimei School Village is a hilltop education complex in Jimei District, Fujian province, China, founded by the philanthropist Tan Kah Kee from 1913 and developed over several decades into a group of primary, secondary, vocational and teacher-training schools. The buildings, in Minnan style with red-tiled roofs, upturned eaves and arched Western-style corridors, are arranged around Aoyuan Park and the headland above Jimei's waterfront, and the architecture combines traditional ridge decoration with modern materials. Visitors can walk the lanes between the school halls, see the Nanyang-style colonnades, visit the Tan Kah Kee Memorial Museum, and climb to the Turtle Garden (Bieyuan), a tomb garden on a rocky islet-like headland where Tan Kah Kee is buried, shaped like a turtle and linked by a causeway. Stone inscriptions, a memorial hall, pavilions and sea views surround the tomb, and the Jimei Dragon Boat pond and the sea wall are visible nearby. Because the sights are spread across the district, a full visit takes three to four hours. Photographers favour the symmetrical rows of red roofs seen from the park, the arcaded corridors, and the view from the Turtle Garden across the water to the Jimei shore. Visitors should dress modestly and keep quiet at the tomb. The Turtle Garden costs about ¥30 (~$4.40) and opens about 08:00 to 18:30 from April to October, and 08:00 to 17:30 from October to March, while the Memorial Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 09:00 to 17:00 with low or free admission, and Aoyuan Park costs about ¥0-30, so visitors should confirm prices locally. The area is quieter than central Xiamen on weekday mornings, and crowds build at weekends and holidays. It can be reached by Metro Line 1 to Jimei School Village station, followed by a walk or a 10-minute taxi, and the Turtle Garden can be reached on +86 592 6687362.