Museums and galleries in Xiamen/Gulangyu

Museums and galleries in Xiamen/Gulangyu

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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)

5. 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 08:30-16:45·Free

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. See

    Celebrity World Wax Museum & 3D Art Museum

    世界名人蜡像·3D艺术馆

    Includes waxworks of famous people from around the world.

    Daily 08:30-18:30·¥60

11. See

    China Records Museum

    中国唱片博物馆

    32 Fujian Road (福建路32号)

    Closed · opens 9 am·¥78

12. See

    Red Carpet Wax Museum

    红地毯趣味蜡像馆

    2nd Floor, Bank of China building, 3 Longtou Road (龙头路3号中国银行2层)

    Closed · opens 9 am·¥60

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Xiamen/Gulangyu (CC BY-SA 4.0).