Huandao Road and Zengcuo'an: cycling Xiamen's seafront

The lie of the land

Huandao Road means “island ring road”, and the full circuit is about 4
 km. Nobody cycles all of that for pleasure. The part that matters runs along the south-east shore, facing the open strait and, on a clear day, the Kinmen islands offshore.

Along this shore a wooden boardwalk for walkers and a separate cycle lane run side by side between the road and the sand. The boardwalk covers about
 km from Baicheng beach to Huangcuo. The cycle lane continues beyond it.

Distances along the coast

These figures come from a cyclist's account in 2026, measured from the western end. Treat them as approximate.

Renting a bike

You will not need to look for a shop. They line the road at Zengcuo'an and appear at intervals along the path.

Prices reported in spring and summer 2026: an electric bike for about ¥10 an hour with a ¥200 deposit returned when you bring it back, or ¥60 to ¥80 for the day during the May holiday. Pedal bikes cost less. Check the brakes and the battery level before you leave, and photograph any scratches.

The dockless shared bikes you unlock with Alipay are fine for hopping between two points. For the whole coast they are a poor choice. One group who took them from Zengcuo'an towards the far eastern beaches reported that part of the party gave up halfway.

Where electric bikes cannot go

This catches visitors every week. The western end of the coast, from about Pearl Bay through Hulishan and Baicheng to Shapowei and the university, is restricted for electric bikes during the day. A rental shop's printed warning, passed on by one customer, put it this way: after 8 in the morning do not ride west; ride east, towards Huangcuo, Yefengzhai and the exhibition centre.

The simple rule is to rent at Zengcuo'an and go east. If you want the western section, with the fortress and the view of Gulangyu, walk it or use a pedal bike.

Two ways to do it

The sunset ride

Arrive at Zengcuo'an at about 4:30 pm. Ride east for twenty minutes to Huangcuo, carry on to Yefengzhai, and stop wherever the light is good. Sunset is around 6:30 in early autumn and earlier in winter. Ride back as the lamps come on, return the bike and eat.

The afternoon walk

Start at Baicheng after visiting Nanputuo Temple, which is ten minutes away. Walk the boardwalk east. Hulishan Fortress is the natural pause at a mile in. Its Krupp gun, about 87 tonnes, is one of the largest coastal guns of its era still in place. Carry on to Calligraphy Square or Music Square and call a car from there. This is 3 to
 km on a level surface, with benches and sea the whole way.

Zengcuo'an

Zengcuo'an was a fishing village for some eight hundred years. In recent years it has become a grid of lanes packed with snack stalls, guesthouses and souvenir shops, known locally as “five streets and eighteen lanes”. Entry is free and it is open all hours.

Go hungry and go after dark. Things to try:

• Oyster omelette, fried to order
• Grilled squid and scallops on skewers
• Shacha noodles
• Peanut soup, or shaoxiancao, a herbal jelly dessert
• Fresh mango and wax apple from the fruit stalls

Ask the price before anything is cooked, especially seafood sold by weight. Several visitors mention being surprised at the bill.

It is fair to say what Zengcuo'an is not. It is not a preserved old village, and there is little left to see of the fishing settlement. On a holiday evening the main lane is shoulder to shoulder. If you are not in the mood, cross the road and you are on a wide beach with the same sea breeze and a tenth of the people.

Swimming

The beaches at Huangcuo and Zengcuo'an are in the national bathing-water monitoring programme and were rated “excellent” in June 2026. That does not make them safe to swim from. Xiamen police advise visitors to stay out of water they do not know, and Baicheng, at the western end, records more emergency calls than any other beach in the city because of currents around its rocks. Paddle, by all means. Leave the swimming for a pool.

When to come

October to December is ideal: dry, clear and warm enough for short sleeves. In summer the path has very little shade and the midday sun is fierce, so keep to the first and last two hours of daylight. In early January the Xiamen Marathon is run along this road, and it is closed for the morning.

Getting there

Zengcuo'an is a short ride by car from the Zhongshan Road area. There is no metro along the coast. Buses run the length of Huandao Road. On holiday evenings the road itself jams near the village, and it can be quicker to get out a few hundred metres short and walk.

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Keep planning

• Nanputuo Temple
• Xiamen University
• Getting around Xiamen
• Xiamen with kids
• Things to do in Xiamen
• Best time to visit Xiamen