Xiamen's older streets, campus roads and waterfront appear in a number of Chinese films. The locations below work as a way to read the city rather than a frame-by-frame checklist. Streets and businesses change, so treat the films as prompts.
Old-town lanes and the harbour bridge
Crazy Racer is the most direct primer. Ning Hao's chase comedy sends its cyclist through Zhenbang Road, Siming East Road, Baijiacun and Yanwu Bridge. Zhenbang Road sits a short step from Zhongshan Road and Lujiang Road but feels like another city: narrow pavements, shophouses, snack stalls and a working neighbourhood rhythm. Walk it without trying to match every shot.
Siming Cinema appears in a night scene. It remains one of Xiamen's older picture houses and a landmark on the old-town circuit. Yanwu Bridge, built over the sea, also features in The Dead End, where night shots make more of its setting. The race route in Crazy Racer began near Xiamen Sports Center. Sections can be traced by public transport, but the old lanes are best explored on foot.
Gulangyu, Huaxin Road and the film corner
The First Time used Gulangyu's lanes, Jimei Middle School's banyan trees, Nanhu Park, Huaxin Road cafes and the coast. Gulangyu's appeal in the film is not a single sight but the sequence of turns, walls, stairs and sea views. The island is busy. Early morning and the quieter inland lanes give a better sense of it.
Huaxin Road appears in both The First Time and The Left Ear. The latter opens at the heroine's home on Huaxin Road. The street is known for converted villas, small cafes, bookshops and guesthouses. It has become more visited, but the side lanes retain a residential calm. A cafe associated with The First Time is often identified as 32HOW. Huaxin Road's coffee culture is reason enough to slow down, but check current arrangements before planning around a specific business.
Jimei School Village and campus backdrops
Jimei School Village appears in several films. The First Time used Jimei Middle School. The Left Ear used Jimei University's Finance and Economics College, where older buildings and teaching blocks give campus scenes a period feel. Yesterday Once More used several college settings, including bicycle sheds, rooftops, sports fields and a tuck shop. The architecture associated with Tan Kah Kee, with red roofs, colonnades and symmetrical facades, makes the area visually distinct.
These are working schools and universities. Visitors should check which areas are open to the public and avoid disrupting term-time routines. The campus scenes are best appreciated as part of a wider walk through the school village rather than as a quick photo stop.
Lakes, parks and everyday city
My Early Menopause links Xiamen University's exterior, Jimei, Bailuzhou and Shapowei. The running and turtle-release scenes were set around Yundang Lake and Bailuzhou, a lake island connected by bridges. The lake works as a civic back garden: morning joggers, egrets and a skyline that changes with the light.
Shapowei, where the film's rainy-night scene was shot, was then still a working fishing harbour. It has since become a cluster of small shops and studios, with traces of the old waterfront still visible at low tide. The Dead End used the Botanical Garden for several locations, including a house and driveways, and a red-and-white building opposite Zhongshan Park as a police station. The garden is a large hillside site. Treat it as a half-day walk rather than a quick film tour. Zhongshan Road near the Cultural Palace and Huwei Mountain also appear.
Baihe Road, the stadium and the coastal road
Yesterday Once More includes a scene on Baihe Road, a short sloping street between Gongyuan East Road and Baijiacun, lined with mature trees. It is a good example of how Xiamen's film locations are often ordinary streets rather than monuments.
Hello Mr. Billionaire uses the People's Stadium on Xingfu Road for its opening football scenes. In the evening the track and pitches are used by local residents. The film also takes in driving shots on a bridge and along Huandao Road, plus Bailuzhou and Xinglin Bay. Huandao Road is best experienced by bus or bicycle in sections, with stops at beaches and headlands rather than as a continuous race.
A workable way to group the locations
Group the locations by neighbourhood: the old town for Zhenbang Road, Siming East Road, Zhongshan Road, Siming Cinema and Zhongshan Park; Gulangyu and Huaxin Road; Jimei School Village; Yundang Lake, Bailuzhou and Shapowei; the Botanical Garden and Huwei Mountain; Huandao Road and the stadium. This reduces travel and shows how the city moves between old arcades, campuses, lakeside parks and the coast.
Many locations are residential or working institutions. Keep voices low, do not block doorways, and ask before photographing people. Film routes are prompts, not precise maps. Streets change, businesses move and some interiors are private. Confirm current access, transport and opening details with official sources before setting out.
How this guide was made
This guide combines structured research and automation with source and duplication review. Dates change; verify time-sensitive details before travelling.