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 both a residential suburb and a major tourist area. In 2017 it was inscribed as a. 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. Everything from fruit to bricks to furniture gets moved about by handcart; you often see shirtless Chinese men hauling enormous loads of supplies up and down steep hills.

The island is extremely popular with Chinese tourists, who arrive in droves, often in large tour groups. You can spot the guides because they hold up brightly coloured flags for their flock to follow. Some reports claim it is the most-visited site on the UNESCO list. Although the island is quite scenic, the noisy crowds can be quite annoying at times. Gulangyu is probably best avoided during major Chinese holidays and may be more pleasant during the week than on a weekend.

Understand
After the British victory in the First Opium War, Xiamen (then known as Amoy) became one of five "treaty ports" established by the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842, and Gulangyu became the main residential area for foreigners. As in other International Settlements in China, the population was always predominantly Chinese but the police, the legal system, quite a few residents, and much of the architecture were foreign. All thirteen of the foreign consulates were on Gulangyu, along with houses, churches, schools, parks and a hospital. Both foreign traders and wealthy Chinese built mansions, often with large gardens, and many commercial buildings were built as well.

Today the island is a major tourist area; many of the old colonial-era buildings have become restaurants or guesthouses, and there are many shops geared towards tourists.

Gulangyu, also known as Kulangsu after its Minnan pronunciation, is sometimes called "Piano Island" and one of its attractions is music; there have been pianos on the island since the first foreign residents arrived in the 1840s. It is quite common to hear piano music (usually recorded and usually classical) in the streets as you walk about. There has been a Piano Museum for over a century, and later an Organ Museum was built as well. Both have many instruments, some dating back to the 19th century, and both have recitals for the tourists.

Read
Some readers may know the place from Neal Stephenson's novel ReamDe ISBN 9780062191496; much of the story takes place in Xiamen and one character, the female British spy, has an apartment on Gulangyu. Those who do not know the novel might consider picking up a copy for on-the-road reading when heading for Xiamen.

Get in


Ferries open to visitors arrive in Gulangyu at either of two harbors: the more popular (三丘田 Sānqiūtián) in the east and the slightly more out-of-the-way  (内厝澳 Nèicuò'ào) in the west.

Tourist tickets for the ferry are more expensive than the tickets available for locals (¥80 for a round trip, 2024 price), and tickets are limited daily. Due to limited ticket quantities, you should buy your ticket online in advance if travelling during busy holiday seasons or the weekend. For example, if you were to arrive mid morning at Youlun Matou (邮轮码头) without having already purchased a ticket, it's possible you'll have to wait a few hours for a boat that has tickets available. Also: the tickets are return tickets, so be sure to hold on to your ticket after reaching Gulangyu! Return tickets are valid up to 20 days from the date of ticket purchase and can be used to leave the island from either of the harbors regardless of which one you arrived at. You must have your passport with you when buying tickets, so do not forget it.

Tourists can travel from 3 docks to the island, depending on the time of day:

1. During daytime: Ferry from Youlun Matou (邮轮码头), also known as (厦鼓码头), located several kilometers from the center of Xiamen/main tourist area. To get there from downtown/Zhongshan area/Lundu Matou, you can take bus b1 or the special Lundu Matou tourist bus (邮轮码头旅游快线). Ferry operating times are 07:10 until 17:30 (winter) or 18:30 (summer) to Gulangyu, and 07:20 until 17:40 (winter) or 18:40 (summer) from Gulangyu back to Youlun Matou. Ferries leave multiple times per hour. 2. At night: tourists can take the ferry directly from Terminal 2 (轮渡码头2号厅). This is the quickest option, yet still requires you to purchase a tourist ticket to get to the island. This service is called the Gulangyu 'Nighttime' service, and departs Lundu Matou from 17:50 (winter) or 18:50 (summer) until 06:30. Travelling from Gulangyu to Xiamen, services start 18:00 (winter) or 19:00 (winter) until 07:00. After midnight, there is only one service per hour.

3. Anytime: From the other side of Xiamen, on the mainland at (海沧嵩鼓码头). This ticket is only useful for visitors who are not already on Xiamen island. Tickets from this port are slightly cheaper at ¥30 for a return trip. Operating times are 07:30 until 17:50 (winter) or 19:00 (summer).

Ferry times change depending on the season (summer or winter). Summer season is from 1st June - 30th September. Winter season is from 1st October until 31st May.

Ferries may be restricted or changed during the typhoon season (around September-November) or during windy weather, so check in advance for any typhoon warnings.

Get around
Cars, motorcycles and bicycles are banned, but the island is small enough to walk around as long as one is physically able. It is, however, quite hilly. Walking about, there is quite a bit of nice colonial architecture to see, much of it tucked away on back streets.

There are golfcart-type battery-powered vehicles that run on a fixed route circumnavigating the island. Riding one of those around to the back (west side) of the island can be a good escape when the main tourist areas are crowded. Fare starting from the ferry terminal is a flat ¥10 for any distance. If you board elsewhere, then ¥10 gets you anywhere before the ferry terminal; to go beyond it you would need to pay again.

One can also hire a boat &mdash; on the Xiamen side, on Gulangyu at the docks near where the ferry comes in, or at another dock a bit north of that &mdash; for a ride around the island. This takes about an hour.

Starting from the ferry stop, most travellers either jump on a golfcart-bus for a tour or turn left onto Dragon Head Road (Longtou Lu), which is one of the main shopping streets and leads to the sights around Dragon Head Hill. An alternative is to walk straight ahead, heading inland; this gets you to a large map of the island, then to the local tourist information office (which has a left luggage service), to one of the few banks on the island, and to another shopping area. Off to the left as you walk inland are a set of steps which lead up into a pleasant area with several guesthouses and a number of restaurants.

See
A combo ticket can be bought on the island for ¥110 (2019), which gives entry to Bright Moon Garden, Shuzhuang Garden, Sunlight Rock (including cable car ride), the Piano Museum, the Organ Museum and the International Calligraphic Carving Art Gallery.

Other sights


The south end of the island also has some lovely gardens with a lot of various types of eucalyptus.

There are over 50 registered heritage properties on the island. Photos and descriptions of each one can be found on the official Gulangyu World Heritage Site website.

Do
There is a beach just south of the ferry stop and others around on the other side of the island. Try walking all the way around the island. The distance is about 4 km (2.5 miles) and there are good paths. If you decide to give up, just jump on a golfcart taxi; they circle the island near the coast, and come along quite often. Alternately, just ride a golfcart taxi or a boat around the island.

Get lost. Get away from the tour groups by getting lost in the back streets of Gulangyu which have some fascinating architecture. It is fairly easy to get lost, usually by wandering into a residential district. This can be confusing, especially if one does not speak the local language, Minnan Hua. There are an awful lot of narrow winding streets. However the island is fairly small, walking downhill will always get you to the coast, and there are paths and golfcart-type transport all along the coast, so getting lost is annoying at worst.

Buy
Items aimed at the tourist trade abound on Gulangyu &mdash; some amazingly tacky, some amazingly lovely, and more-or-less everything between.

As in any tourist area in Asia, many things are much cheaper than in western countries but asking prices tend to be high and bargaining is usually necessary. Gulangyu merchants have some excuse for high prices; they have to cover costs of transporting goods to the island. In general, things are more expensive on Gulangyu than in downtown Xiamen; on the other hand Gulangyu has a much broader range of tourist merchandise and a better selection on some items.

The two main shopping streets are Dragon Head Road (Longtou Lu) &mdash; which runs south near the shore from the ferry stop, off to your left as you arrive, to Dragon Head Hill or Sunlight Rock &mdash; and Quanzhou Road which is roughly parallel to that but further inland and on higher ground. There are many smaller streets with shops, mostly running off those two.

Shops along these streets sell mainly art and handicrafts. Items on offer include: beads, lacquer work, sculptures, pictures carved on stone, Chinese antiques, reproductions of Chinese antiques, jade, fake jade, other jewelry, silk and other clothing, and ceramics. There are also T-shirts, hats and other tourist merchandise, plus artists offering portraits or cartoons.

Eat
The island caters to tourists so there are lots of places to eat but many are not particularly good because the proprietors are not worried about attracting repeat business. Some are excellent, though. Expect to pay more than in Xiamen (¥100/meal for 2). If you enjoy seafood, you may be pleasantly surprised, as Gulang Yu's local cuisine tends to emphasize seafood. The streets are lined with restaurants and food stalls that sell a variety of such dishes (look for red plastic tubs of fresh seafood). If you're more interested in a sweeter snack, there's a great ice cream place near the ferry's drop off point. Prices are higher than in Xiamen.

Not far inland of the ferry stop is a large building with some interesting upmarket tourist shops and several restaurants including a large KFC on ground level and a place on the second floor that has reasonable food, good beer, and a patio with a fine view. There is a central courtyard that sometimes has acrobats, jugglers or musicians.

Near that is the main market for Gulangyu residents, mainly selling fruits, vegetables and seafood. Nothing is cooked, nobody speaks English, and some prices are higher than downtown Xiamen, but the place can be an adventure and a pile of fruit here will be cheaper than lunch in a restaurant.

Sleep
There are numerous places to stay on Gulangyu, mostly at moderate prices. As of 2018, many hotels in the area do not accept foreigners— make sure you book ahead of time and confirm that the hotel accepts foreigners before showing up. Near the ferry wharf there are several places within a stone's throw of each other. When you get off the ferry, walk straight. Immediately on your left, you will see a stone stairway leading to the top of a small hill. At the top, turn right onto Lujiao Road and you will find a youth hostel and several hotels.



Go next
For most travellers, the only place you can go from Gulangyu is back to Xiamen.

If you own or charter a boat, there are other choices but some caution is required. The Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen is nearby and &mdash; while there has not been artillery fire across that strait since the 1970s, &mdash; both governments still consider the area sensitive and keep substantial military forces there.