Gulangyu Island
By admin on 2015-03-03

Attraction Type:

• Rivers, Lakes & Waterfalls in China

• Vernacular Dwelling in China

Xiamen Gulangyu Island covers an area of 1.87 square kilometers. Sunlight Rock, the highest peak on the islet, is the symbol of Xiamen. Because the holes in the southwestern reefs hit by the waves will make sounds like beating the drum, so this area got its name "Gulang Islet".

On the islet, tourists can find the winding coastal lines, natural and gentle seaside bathing grounds with the fine sands, and oddly shaped reefs. The whole islet offers a clean, tidy and tranquil environment. Besides, many building on the islet showing both the Chinese and foreign architectural styles have been well preserved. Hence Gulang Islet is known as the gallery of International architecture.

The residence on the islet love music very much. With a small population of 10,000 or so, Xiamen has over 600 pianos, ranking first in China in the density of pianos. Hence it is called the land of music and island of pianos.

Walking on the street, visitors can hear the melody of pianos everywhere. The winding and zigzag paths are another major characteristic of Gulang Islet. All the paths on the islet are linked with each other, with the delightful serenity of seclusion.
 

To protect tourism resources on the islet, motor driven vehicles are forbidden to run on the streets, except for a small number of sightseeing storage battery cars for carrying tourists. Therefore the islet is quiet without the noise of traffic, making tourist have fun to stroll on the streets. When all the neon lamps are lit in the evening, the whole islet is elegantly decorated, presenting beautiful scenes different from the daytime.

? Gallery of International Architecture

Gulang Islet gathers over 1,000 architectures, showing different styles and a good combination of Chinese and Western elements. They include traditional Chinese temples with upturned eaves and corners, one-story houses in the style of South Fujian Province, the eight-trigram building which now is Xiamen Museum, showing both the Chinese and foreign architectural features, and small and exquisite Japanese houses as well as the former consulates of Western countries with continental style of 19th century.