Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu is a small island of under two square kilometres off Xiamen that became an international settlement after 1903, with thirteen countries maintaining consulates and missionaries, merchants and returned overseas Chinese building villas in styles from neoclassical to Art Deco, often blended with southern Fujian elements. UNESCO inscribed it in 2017 for that architectural fusion. No cars or bicycles are allowed, so the lanes are walked. The island has a long musical tradition, with an unusual concentration of pianos in private hands and a piano museum holding historic instruments. Sunlight Rock, a granite outcrop, gives the view over the island and across to Xiamen.

History

After the Treaty of Nanking made Xiamen a treaty port in 1842, foreign residents on the island set up an informal organisation that became the formal International Settlement when its Land Regulations were approved by the Qing government in May 1902; thirteen countries, among them Britain, France, the Netherlands and Japan, took part in the Kulangsu Municipal Council, and for a time it was the only international settlement in China apart from Shanghai's. The consulates, churches, hospitals and schools built then account for the Victorian-era architecture still seen across the island. In 2003 the former Gulangyu District was merged into Xiamen's Siming District (Wikipedia, Gulangyu).

What to look for

• The villa architecture - the international settlement's houses in mixed styles.
• Sunlight Rock - the granite outcrop with views over island and city.
• The piano museum - historic instruments in a collection unique in China.
• The car-free lanes - the whole island walked rather than driven.

When to go

October to April for the mildest weather; summer is hot, humid and typhoon-prone. Daily visitor numbers are capped and ferry tickets must be booked online in advance, especially at weekends and holidays.

Good to know

Ferry tickets are capped and sell out; booking ahead is essential and same-day travel often impossible. The main lanes are extremely crowded with day trippers. Many villas are private or derelict and cannot be entered.

Nearby

Xiamen is across the strait; Nanputuo Temple is in the city.

Key facts