Amoy

Amoy, conventional name of Xiamen, city in southern China, in Fujian Province, on Amoy Island, a port at the mouth of the Jiulong River. Strategically situated near the Quemoy Islands and Taiwan, Amoy is a fishing and manufacturing centre. Products include ships, processed food, and chemicals.

Portuguese traders arrived in Amoy in the 1540s; they were followed by British merchants in the 17th century and by French and Dutch traders in the 18th century. The port was closed to foreigners in the 1750s and was not reopened until 1842, when it was captured by the British in the Opium War and became one of the first treaty ports. Amoy was an important tea-exporting centre in the late 19th century, and a large foreign population lived on the island of Gulang Yu, which is located in Amoy's harbour. Amoy was also a gateway for trade with Taiwan. Japanese forces occupied the port from 1938 to 1945. The city was developed as an industrial centre, with improved rail and road links with inland China, after trade with Taiwan ended in 1949. Population (1988 estimate) 579,500.