 TOURISM » Tourist Attractions » Discover Gulangyu |
Xiamen is China's "Garden Island" but her Crown Jewel is Gulangyu ( "Drum Wave Islet" ), the elegant 1.78 square kilometer haven just 700 meters from Xiamen Island. Settled during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1267), Gulangyu was named Yuan Shazhou ( "round sandy island" ) during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), but a geological mystery gave rise to its present name...
Ancient settlers were unsettled by eerie drum beats emanating from the clearly uninhabited island, but eventually discovered the ghostly drumming was caused by tides surging through a hollow rock on the island's southwest corner. Relieved that "Round Sandy Island " wasn't haunted, or a lair for cannibal tribes from across the Strait, they renamed their new home "Drum Wave Islet" (Gulangyu).
While Stone Drum is silent nowadays, the islet drums up plenty of tourism because of its lush tropical gardens, rich musical and cultural heritage, and its unparalleled panoply of international colonial-era architecture.
Gulangyu's serpentine lanes wind past high-walled gardens on lushly shaded hills, and hundreds of aged but elegant mansions built during the heyday of the early 20th century. As you savor the scenery and sleepy silence, youcan almost imagine the opulence of yesteryear, when this drowsy islet teemed with the International Settlement's turbaned Gurkha policemen, dignitaries of a dozen nations, and wealthy Chinese and Western businessmen borne upon ornate sedan chairs by attendants in uniforms emblazoned with pampered employers' monograms.
In 1920, Hutchinson wrote that Gulangyu had more wealthy people than anywhere on earth except Pasadena, California!The wealth is gone, but the rich international heritage remains.
Gulangyu at a Glance
1. Area: 1.87 km2
2. Population: 15, 000
3. Language: Mandarin, Minnan ( S.Fujian ) Dialect
4. Location: 118 degrees East, 24 degrees North, and just S.E. of Xiamen
5. Climate: sub-tropic maritime monsoon, warm year-round with 20.9 C average temperature, high of 35 C, low of 5 C.
6. Nicknames: Garden on the Sea, Piano Island, Isle of Music, Museum of International Architecture
7. Unique customs: Dragon Boat Festival duck catching, Mooncake Game, family music recitals, weekend philharmonic symphonies
8. Culinary Treats: Mooncakes ( China's best! ), prepared meats ( from a shop opened in 1842! ), Minnan cuisine, seafood, light soups, crispy friend dishes, fish balls, zongzis, green bean pie, coconut pie, etc.
9. Main Attractions:
Sunlight Rock ( Koxinga Memorial, Ancient Fort, Cable Car)
Historic International Architecture ( hundreds of elegant buildings )
Shuzhuang Garden ( and Piano Museum )
Hero Hill: Tingtao Bluff, Hero Garden, Gulangyu Aviary
Gulangyu Music Hall ( frequent concerts ), Xiamen Music Academy
Bright Moon Garden ( Koxinga Statue)
Xiamen Museum ( and Organ Museum )
Gangzihou Beach, Drum-Wave Rock, Yindou Rock
Xiamen Sea World ( behind the giant octopus sculpture by the ferry )
10. Shopping—stock up on local specialties like Gulangyu pearls, prepared foods and mooncakes, as well as Anxi tea, Zhangzhou hand puppets, Hui'an stone carvings, Fuzhou's Shoushan stone and Mr. Bai Hua's inimitable Gulangyu postcards.
Getting to Gulangyu Ferry Terminal (Xiagu Lundu 厦鼓轮渡)
Buses: 2, 3, 4, 8, 10, 12, 19, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 36, 44, 60, 51, 66, 67, 85
Ferries make the 10 minute crossing several times an hour.Specialty tour ferries include cruises around nearby Taiwan-controlled Jinmen Island.
Maps and Guides English and Chinese maps are available in local bookstores and hotels or from vendors at the Gulangyu Ferry Terminal.
Xiamen Tour Guides Hire only official guides.They wear light purple "China Xiamen Tourism" badges depicting a running horse (China's symbol of tourism) and a flying swallow.
Xiamen Gulangyu Visitor Center The center is responsible for tourist consulting, scenic spot ticket booking, tour guides, handling tourist complaints, luggage services, and so on.
Gulangyu Tour Themes
Historical Tour Koxinga made China's last stand for the Ming Dynasty, here on Gulangyu, and from here sailed off to rescue Taiwan from the Dutch.And a century ago this tiny islet's an international settlement was host to the planet's most powerful trading firms and consulates of 13 countries.Gulangyu and Xiamen were also the "Birthplace of Chinese Protestantism" with China’s oldest Protestant churches.
Pioneering Medicine and Education Tour Known as "The Cradle of Tropical Medicine", Gulangyu was pivotal in developing both Chinese and Western modern medicine.The islet was also home to many pioneer educators (especially in women's education), and boasted over 20 institutes of learning.
Music & Arts Tour The "Isle of Music," or "Piano Island," has more pianos per capita than any other city in China, Asia's largest piano museum, and has produced dozens of famous musicians, including world-renowned pianist Yin Chengzong, and acclaimed conductor Madame Zheng Xiaoying. The islet was also home to the famous writer Lin Yutang and artist Teng Hiok Chiu.
Architectural Tour In 2001 alone, Gulangyu spent 7.5 million USD protecting hundreds of historic buildings in this "World Museum of Architecture."
Garden Tour China's 1st ISO-authenticated administrative district, Gulangyu spent 120 million USD relocating enterprises off-island to preserve this botanical paradise.Key parks include:
Shuzhuang Garden (Shuzhuang Huayuan 菽庄花园), Gulangyu's largest garden
includes the Piano Museum.
Gulangyu Aviary (Bainiao Yuan百鸟园).
Bright Moon Garden (Haoyue Yuan 皓月园) & Koxinga Statue.
Yanping Park (Yanping Gongyuan 延平公园): miraculous Koxinga Well.
Subtropical Botanical Garden
Private Gardens—many historic private villas have delightful gardens.
Shopping & Entertainment Tour Gulangyu is a shopper's and dine's paradise, with value-priced Fujian handicrafts, specialties, antiques, fine foods and teas, etc.You'll shop till you drop—or until your wallet is empty. (The best shopping is straight ahead of the ferry on Longtou Rd.) Enjoy the Minnan Tea Ceremony, the famous Mid-Autumn Mooncake game, and attractions like Xiamen Underwater World, the Cable Cars, and the beaches.