Gulangyu

Overview

Gulangyu

Gulangyu is a small island about 700 m off the south of Xiamen, Fujian, 1.78 km² with over 20,000 people, part of Xiamen municipality. It is named for a sea cave on the shore that booms like a drum (gu) when the waves (lang) strike it. The strait between the island and Xiamen is the Lu River. Sights include Sunlight Rock, the Shuzhuang Garden, the Haoyue Garden, the Yu Garden, the ring road, the Gulang Rock, museums, the Zheng Chenggong memorial hall, an aquarium and a natural bathing beach.

Sunlight Rock in the centre of the island rises to Camel Peak, 92.7 m. The Shuzhuang Garden lies below it on the Gangzaihou shore.

Gulangyu is called the “garden on the sea” and the “island of music”, home of many musicians.

In 1902 Gulangyu became an international settlement. Consulates, churches, schools and hospitals followed, and overseas Chinese and merchants from southern Fujian built houses here, creating a blend of Chinese and Western architecture. It is inscribed on the World Heritage List as “Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement”.

It is in the second batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 1988.

Main sights

Sunlight Rock (Riguangyan): the granite hill in the middle of the island, with views over the island and Xiamen; on it is the site of the drill platform used by Zheng Chenggong (Koxinga) to train his navy.

Shuzhuang Garden: on the south shore, built in 1913 by Lin Erjia of the Lin family of Banqiao, Taiwan, after his family garden there; its Forty-Four Bridge runs out over the sea, and it houses a piano museum.

Haoyue Garden: a memorial park to Zheng Chenggong on the south-east shore, with his granite statue on the rocks by the sea.

Bagua Lou: a red-domed building begun in 1907, a landmark of the island, now an organ museum.

Travel tips

Getting there: visitors reach Gulangyu by ferry from the cruise terminal at Dongdu in Xiamen; the crossing takes about 20 minutes. There are no motor vehicles or bicycles on the island; you walk everywhere.

Booking: ferry tickets are sold under your real name and can be booked days ahead; book early for holidays and summer, and plan the return ferry too. The number of visitors on the island is capped.

Sights: Sunlight Rock (Riguangyan) gives a view over the island and Xiamen; Shuzhuang Garden is on the southern shore; there is also Haoyue Garden. Sunlight Rock, Shuzhuang Garden and a few others are ticketed separately.

Lanes: most of the island is old villas and narrow lanes, often up and down hill and easy to get lost in; walk slowly with a map.

Time: Gulangyu usually takes a day; staying one night lets you see it early and late when it is quiet.

Season: spring and autumn are best. Summer is hot with typhoons, and ferries stop during typhoons.

Caution: with no vehicles on the island, carrying large luggage is hard work.

Stamps

In 2003 China Post issued “Gulangyu”, three stamps: the Bagua Mansion, Sunlight Rock and the Shuzhuang Garden.

Map

Nearby

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