View of Sunlight Rock
The finest beaches on Gulangyu
The fine sand, palm trees and an average temperature of 21 degrees Celsius combined together make up the charm of the beaches of Gulangyu. A winding pathway along the coast connects all the beaches. Those on the south side are more popular, while the northern ones are deserted. The trail around the island passes the 93-metre-high Sunlight Rock, which offers a beautiful view of Gulangyu and Xiamen.
Sleeping in colonial style
As there are not many hotels on Gulangyu, most visitors take the evening boat back to Xiamen. The hotels that do exist there are often housed in colonial mansions, such as the Lee Inn & Coffee House. Housed in a 100-year-old building with colonnades and 17 rooms, this boutique hotel stands in a walled garden and exudes history. Draped curtains adorn the windows of the rooms, some of which even feature a bathtub on curled legs.
The streets of Gulangyu
Wonderful silence and piano music
Criss-crossing the island are alleys where you may still encounter old pushcarts. Laundry and lanterns hang between the houses. Gulangyu is blessed with a silence known by few villages in China. Piano music, however, does occasionally sound through the streets. At the beginning of the last century, Europeans opened their first music schools here and hundreds of islanders have since learned to play piano. Gulangyu also features the only piano museum in China. All of this has earned the island the nickname ‘Piano Island’.
