Enchanting Xiamen: Must-dos when you are in Gulangyu

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So, you’ve just spent hours trudging up and down the cobbled laneways of Gulangyu, furiously snapping away at the visions of old architectural delights: majestic mansions where east and west ploughed into each other and erupted with anarchic, peculiar beauty. What next?

Although the UNESCO-listed island’s unique buildings may be its greatest drawing card, it lays claim to a plethora of must-dos during a Gulangyu getaway.

A musical paradise

One of Gulangyu’s handful of monikers is the “Piano Islet”. It is said that there are more pianos per capita there than anywhere else in China, and it has nurtured some of the country’s most celebrated pianists.

One of the several commercial streets named “Dragon Head Road”. /CGTN Photo

Nestled in a leafy outcrop of Shuzhuang Garden is supposedly Asia’s largest piano museum, parading over 100 uprights and grands collected from all around the world.

Rapture for the ravenous

Follow the wafting aromas of barbecued squid and bubbling fruit-flavored treacle down into the commercial area – a cluster of buzzing, boutique-lined streets all bafflingly named Dragon Head Road.

Don’t try to resist the free samples galore of cured meats, spiced nuts and dried fruits – just leave some space for the local specialty at Longtou Fish Ball shop. For 10 yuan you get one soupy bowl of authentic, handmade orbs of ground fish meat. Yum.

The main building of the Haitian Tanggou Villa Complex /CGTN Photo

A cultural sanctuary

Founded in 1921, the Haitian Tanggou Villa Complex is perhaps the crowning glory of “Amoy Deco,” the fusion architectural style that is exclusively Gulangyu’s.

The entry fee includes a traditional glove puppet performance where young hand wizards will wow you with their mastery.

Unwind in utopia

Many of the thousand splendid manor homes have been transformed into chill-out zones, like Chu Family Coffee and X-Readspace.

The former flaunts a leafy patio where you can sip the invigorating signature iced drink where passionfruit meets caffeine; the latter is a bookstore-cum-time-machine that explores both past and future in its design.

The view from Sunlight Rock, with Xiamen proper in the background /CGTN Photo‍

Look down from heaven

If your lower limbs allow, climb to the top of Sunlight Rock before sunset for an unforgettable, unobstructed panorama of Gulangyu, with central Xiamen in the backdrop – and maybe even Taiwan’s Jinmen Island in the distance.

The way it is, if you haven’t worn your soles down discovering the splendor of Gulangyu, you haven’t been to Xiamen. This wonderland is worth all your sweat and your every single step.

CGTN's Live broadcasts of a tour to Gulangyu Island

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1727km