Xiamen/Gulangyu

Gulangyu (鼓浪屿 Kó͘-lōng-sū in Minnan, Gǔlàngyǔ in Mandarin) is an island in Xiamen, a few minutes by ferry from downtown. It has a population around 17,000 and an area of about 2 km² (500 acres). It was a foreign enclave from the 1840s until the 1930s, and is now a residential suburb, a major tourist area, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Cars, motorcycles and bicycles are banned, making the island both quieter and safer than almost anywhere else in China. The whole island is basically pedestrians-only, though golfcart-type electric vehicles serve as a sort of bus on a circular route around the island near the coast. The only vehicles powered by internal combustion are a few firetrucks. Ever

See: 18
Do: 1
Eat: 3
Drink: 1

23 places

See

Bright Moon Garden

皓月园

Bright Moon Garden (Haoyueyuan) is on the Covering Rock (Fudingyan) on the east (Xiamen side) coast of Gulangyu. It covers an area of 3 hectares (30,000 square meters, about 7.5 acres) spreading along the shore with a sandy beach, rocks, trees and pavilions. Its name is from two lines of a poem about a King of Yanping. In the park stands a bronze sculpture of Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) and some of his soldiers, 13.7 meters long and 4.7 meters high (about 45 by 15 feet).

07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer)¥15

Eat

Chu Family Coffee

褚家园咖啡馆

Quiet and lovely place. They offer coffee, western-style food and desserts. A bit overpriced, like many of the venues on Gulangyu.

Daily 11:00-21:00

See

Gulangyu 100 Years Museum

百年鼓浪屿博物馆

A museum focusing on the colonial-era foreign residents of Gulangyu, in a building that was once a villa belonging to the Singapore-based OCBC Bank.

Closed · opens 8 am¥70

See

Gulangyu Aviary

鼓浪屿百鸟园

Over 1000 birds from over 100 countries. Many peacocks, including a rare Albino, several types of cranes, lots of ducks/geese, and other large birds (e.g. emus). Watch for falling excrement. Aviary performances take place several times per day, including at 09:30, 10:30, 11:30, 14:00, 15:00 and 16:00.

Closed · opens 7 am¥60 (Sunlight Rock admission fee)

See

Gulangyu International Calligraphic Carving Art Gallery

鼓浪屿国际刻字艺术馆

A small gallery of carved calligraphy from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean artists. Entrance near the main gate of Shuzhuang Garden.

08:15-17:45 (winter), 08:15-18:15 (summer)Admission normally ¥10

See

Gulangyu Organ Museum

鼓浪屿风琴博物馆

The organ museum is in the Trigram House (八卦楼 Bagualou) in northwestern Gulangyu; it is the only and the largest organ museum in the world. Matched with the piano museum in southeastern Shuzhuang Garden, it attracts a lot of music lovers from around the world. There are many styles of organ collected in this museum.

08:15-17:45 (winter), 08:15-18:15 (summer)¥20

See

Gulangyu Piano Museum

鼓浪屿钢琴博物馆

A museum of pianos, including rare specimens from the 1700s. The entry fee to Shuzhuang Garden (normally ¥30) includes entrance to the museum. Guided tours several times a day include performances on a few of the instruments.

08:15-17:45 (winter), 08:15-18:15 (summer)

See

Koxinga Memorial Museum

郑成功纪念馆, Koxinga Memorial Hall

A rather small museum dedicted to Zheng Chenggong, or Koxinga as he is generally known in the West, who made his mark in history by driving the Dutch out of Taiwan in the 1660s. His headquarters were on Dragon Head Hill at the south end of Gulangyu; a watchtower and some other fortifications remain, and the statue is nearby (see listing below). Having defeated the foreign devils, Koxinga is one of the few people regarded as a hero by the current governments of both China and Taiwan. Things the museum's account (Chinese only) does not mention are that his father, a seafaring merchant from the Quanzhou area, dabbled in piracy and that his mother was Japanese. As the Manchu conquerors who became the Qing dynasty moved south, the father surrendered and became a Qing official, but the son remained loyal to the Ming and fought on; at one point, his armies got as far as menacing Nanjing. Eventually, he found himself defeated on the mainland so he went off, bringing most of his army, and took over Taiwan. Koxinga's arrival was the first major Chinese incursion into Taiwan; many of his troops stayed and settled. This was followed by a surge of other immigration, mainly from the Xiamen, Quanzhou and Zhangzhou areas. Modern Taiwanese is essentially the Minnan dialect of those cities.

Tue-Sun 08:30-16:45Free

See

Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artefacts from the Palace Museum Collection

故宫鼓浪屿外国文物馆

Occupies a heritage-listed 19th-century building, which used to be the site of the Hope Hospital and Nurses’ School. The museum was jointly founded by the Palace Museum in Beijing and the Xiamen government. As the name says, the museum displays foreign artefacts from the Palace Museum's collection.

Tue-Sun 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30¥50

Eat

Mr Lin Shachamian

林氏沙茶面(鼓浪屿店)

Local branch of the well regarded shacha (satay) noodle chain. Their specialty is the luxurious seafood version with abalone (鲍鱼海鲜沙茶面), but the meat version is quite tasty as well.

Closed · opens 10 am¥50

See

Oriental Fishbone Gallery

东方鱼骨艺术馆, Xiamen Eastern Fishbone Gallery

Includes personalized explanations of every art-piece and autograph of the artist.

Closed · opens 9 am¥60

See

Shell Dream World

贝壳梦幻世界

Part theme park, part museum. The museum is said to contain over 6800 varieties of seashells from over 60 different countries.

08:30-18:00 (summer), 08:30-17:20 (winter)¥78 (standard adult entry fee), ¥40 (persons aged between 60 and 69 as well as children between 1.2 and 1.5 metres in height). Children under 1.2 metres in height and persons over 70 years old are admitted for free. Tickets are cheaper if purchased online

See

Shuzhuang Garden

菽庄花园

Named after the original owner Lin Erjia (aka ShuZhuang), a wealthy Taiwanese businessman who fled here when Japan took Taiwan in the 1890s. Highlights include the 44 bridge, the Piano Museum (see below) and the rockery with hidden sculptures of all 12 zodiac animals. There is also a small private art museum to the right of the main entrance.

07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer)¥30

See

Statue of Koxinga

郑成功石雕像

A 24-metre-high statue of Koxinga stands on a cliff looking toward Xiamen Island.

07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer)¥15 (Bright Moon Garden entry fee)

See

Sunlight Rock

日光岩

This is the highest point on the island with great views as far as Xiamen. Entry included into Buddhist temple, the Aviary and a cable car ride to the aviary on Yingxiong Hill. Warning: climbing to the top involves a lot of stairs, so probably not good for young children or the elderly.

07:30-20:30 (winter), 07:30-21:00 (summer)¥60

See

Xiamen Academy of Arts and Design (Gulangyu Campus) - Fuzhou University

福州大学厦门工艺美术学院(鼓浪屿校区)

Has some beautiful granite sculptures. A very old Buddhist temple is nearby.

See

Xiamen Underwater World

厦门海底世界

Admission is a steep ¥90 for adults, ¥50 for children/seniors, but you can just stand outside and take photos of the Jules Verne-esque octopus statue.

08:00-21:00 (April to October), 08:00-18:30 (November to March), no entry or ticket sales during last hour of operations

Eat

Yuanxiangkou Fish Balls

原巷口鱼丸铺

An award-winning shop that is most famous for its fish balls, which are stuffed with pork and cooked in a savory soup. Try the fish balls alone (¥6) or with noodles (¥8). Unless you're an adventurous foodie and/or read Chinese well enough to understand exactly what you're getting, however, skip the other "snacks" (小吃) even though they're supposed to be famous Gulangyu specialties.

Drink Not mapped

Black Cat Coffee

Black Cat Cafe

You can come just for the coffee (~¥30-35) and a look at the restored home and gardens, but definitely consider their food menu. They offer à la carte options for seafood and mixed grill items for ¥100-140, and 4-course set menus for ¥160-190. The "Italian consulate menu" is good. It consists of a crisp roast duck caesar salad, a sweet and creamy pumpkin soup, choice of prime rib or salmon, and dessert. The front porch tables enjoy sun after 13:00, and American oldies play on speakers throughout the cafe.

¥30-200

See