While China is famous for its Great Wall, cute pandas and terracotta warriors, few foreigners know the magical small island of Gulangyu, just off the coast of Xiamen in Fujian province. With its colonial buildings, sandy beaches, Flamboyant trees, and lovely gardens, Gulangyu Island (鼓浪屿 ) is a place you don’t want to miss.
A 20-minute ferry ride drifts you nearly two hundred years back to a time when Gulangyu island was the only international settlement on Chinese soil other than Shanghai.
You’ll love this little island if you have a fetish for faded opulence, Art Deco architecture, subtropical vibes, colonial history in Asia or street cats.
You haven’t been to Xiamen if you haven’t been to Gulangyu Island.
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Quick Guide to Gulangyu Island
Visited: December
Suggested time: 1-2 days
Where to stay: Yuezhiyun
Famous for: Colonial-era buildings, sandy beaches, slow life
Transportation: A short ferry ride away from Xiamen International Cruise Terminal. The only way to see the island is on foot, as cars and bikes are banned.
Tip: Buy your ferry tickets in advance to avoid the long lines at the ferry terminal.
Unique experience: The view from Sunlight Rock is fantastic.
A Short History of Gulangyu / Kalungsu Island
After the First Opium War in 1842, Gulangyu Island became a treaty port allowing merchants and seafarers from thirteen countries (including Portugal, France, the UK, Denmark, The Netherlands and Japan) to establish a base here. The British were the leading player, and they even had Sikh policemen from British India enforcing the law.
As with other international settlements, the foreigners soon made the island home with the usual foreign trappings: schools, churches, hospitals, hotels, consulates, social clubs and residences.
The result of all these cultures settling on an island of just 2 km² is an astonishing collection of architecture. Architecture fanatics will spot buildings in the traditional Southern Fujian Style, Western Classical Revival Style, and Veranda Colonial Style. Over time, they all braided into a new type of architecture known as the Amoy Deco Style.
Gulangyu was granted UNESCO status in 2017 as an outstanding model of cultural fusion.
Gulangyu Island (or Kalungsu Island in the local Hokkien dialect) remained a treaty port until the Japanese invaded it in 1942. After World War II, Gulangyu was returned to Mainland China and absorbed into the Xiamen municipality. Today, the island is home to about 20,000 residents.
The foreigners left Kalungsu long ago, but the horde of grandiose historic buildings remains. Strolling along the tree-shaded streets, you can still catch a whiff of its past glory blowing in the warm sea breeze.
Visiting Gulangyu Island
The island is the most popular day trip from Xiamen, and Chinese tourists arrive in droves. Visitor numbers are limited to 30,000 per day, and only 30,000 ferry tickets are available per day. To ensure that you’re able to visit Gulangyu, buy your ferry tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.
While it is a great day trip from Xiamen, we strongly encourage you to spend at least one night on the island. The highlight of a visit to Gulangyu is staying at one of the historic guesthouses and enjoying the island’s charm without the crowds.
At the end of this post, you can find an interactive map with all the places (and more) mentioned in this Gulangyu blog.
How to Get to Gulangyu Island
Several ferry ports in Xiamen serve the island. However, foreigners are only allowed to board ferries at the Xiamen International Cruise Terminal (厦门国际游轮中心). All other ferry terminals in Xiamen are reserved for residents only.
Ferries run every 20 minutes between 07:10 and 17:30 every day and will take you to Sanqiutian Wharf (三丘田码头) on Gulangyu in about 20 minutes.
Where to Stay on Gulangyu Island
A highlight of visiting Gulangyu is spending a night (or more) in one of the historic colonial-era buildings. There is no better place to wake up in Xiamen than a colonial villa that oozes subtropical old-world charm.
We stayed at the fabulous Yuezhiyun on 47 Zhonghua Lu and just loved it. The beautifully refurbished mansion, with its arched brick facade, wooden floors, shutters and wrap-around balconies, dates from 1920. You’ll feel like a colonial nobleman from the time you arrive. The villa has seven spacious en-suite rooms across three floors.
We stayed in the Queen Room on the third floor, which comes with a four-poster bed and mosquito net, AC, a small lounge area, and a bathroom with a shower and wooden tub. The balcony overlooks the garden with a view of Sunlight Rock.
Your room includes a traditional Fujian-style breakfast of noodle soup, cake, youtiao (fried dough sticks), fruit and coffee/tea.
If you’re looking for an exceptional place to stay in Gulangyu, look no further than Yuezhiyun.
How to Spend One Day on Gulangyu
Morning
Your trip to Gulangyu starts at the Sanqiutian Wharf, where the ferry docks. A fifteen-minute walk will bring you to Yuezhiyun guesthouse, where you can check in and drop off your bags.
Then, hit the winding streets to explore at random. The best way to get your bearings is to wander without a plan where your gut takes you. You’ll get to orientate yourself while rubbernecking at the architecture and discovering unplanned attractions.
You might be tempted to try and see it all, but much of the island’s charisma lies in simply being there and wandering along the leafy streets. Grab a bubble tea from a cafe, find a shady bench and enjoy the moment.
The Zhangshan Feng Cat Milk Tea Shop (张三疯奶茶) in Longtou Square is famous for its silky smooth and sweet Hong Kong-style milk tea. The shop gets its name from Zhangshan Feng, a famous stray cat from the island. Merchandise with Zhangshan Feng’s caricature is also on sale and makes a unique souvenir.
Their milk teas are made with premium teas from Fujian province, evaporated milk, and milk powder. If you want to upgrade your drink, you can add extras like tapioca pearls, almonds, oats, raisins, and coconut milk. Regular tea and coffee are also available for the Plain-Janes.
Lunch
There are many restaurants and food vendors to choose from when you get hungry. Most of the eateries are in Longtou Square in the island’s centre.
Long lines mean that the restaurant is famous and does something right. Stroll until your intuition tells you you’ve found your lunch spot.
Local specialities you want to try are satay noodles, oyster omelettes or steamed dumplings. If you’re here in autumn and winter, you should get the xiao long bao (soup dumplings) stuffed with crabmeat!
Early Afternoon
Take the roads leading down to the sea in the direction of the ferry port. You can follow signs to Gulangyu Wharf or Undersea World to get to the promenade. You’ll see Xiamen just across the straight when you reach the sea. Take a right and walk along the pretty road with the sea on one side and colonial buildings on the other.
At the southern tip of the island, you’ll find Haoyue Park with a gigantic statue of Zheng Chenggong, a national hero, standing on a massive boulder at the water’s edge. The park also encompasses manicured gardens and one of the nicest beaches on the island.
The 15-metre-tall granite statue honours Zheng Chenggong (known in the West as Koxinga), who is most famous for defeating the Dutch in Taiwan in 1661.
It’s a good idea to head back to your guesthouse in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the ambience of your colonial villa. You can take a nap, sit on the balcony with a drink, or play the piano in one of the lounges.
Late Afternoon
A delicious snack from Gulangyu is just the thing to start your sightseeing again after your siesta.
At the cute 良店 (translates to Good Store), you’ll find Fujian’s sweet and plump mangoes, but with a twist. Here they wrap slices of the juicy fruit in a soft but chewy layer of mochi. While fleshy mango wrapped in glutinous rice might sound like a weird combination, it works! The contrast in tastes and textures is unusual but very delicious.
Sunlight Rock (日光岩) is the highest point on Gulangyu Islet and the absolute best place to be when the shadows are getting long. The panoramic views from the top of Sunlight Rock are incredible in all directions.
Colonial Gulangyu with modern Xiamen behind is the best view in Xiamen, in our opinion. When standing on top of Sunlight Rock, it takes little imagination to see why some call Gulangyu China’s own Mediterranean Island.
Without climbing Sunlight Rock, your Xiamen trip will be in vain.
local saying
Climbing the stairs to the top of Sunlight Rock should take about 20-30 minutes if it’s not too busy.
The pretty Sunlight Rock Temple at the bottom of the rock is worth a quick stop on the way down.
Evening & Dinner
The hostess at our guesthouse recommended we go for dinner at 林四喜·闽南传家菜, the best place to eat in Gulangyu. The restaurant serves tasty Minnan cuisine from Fujian province.
When we arrived there, the line was already long, and we had to wait about 30 minutes before getting a table. This is a good sign.
A dish you MUST try when in Xiamen is Ginger Duck, which the city is famous for. Ginger Duck is particularly popular in autumn and winter. Only female Muscovy ducks are used in preparing the dish.
The duck is braised in sesame oil, ginger, and rice wine and is fragrant, warm and aromatic when served.
Unlike Beijing duck, Ginger Duck is not greasy but tender and succulent, almost like Nanjing duck.
We also ordered the satay noodles, which were pretty damn good. These satay noodles have their roots in Indonesian satay sauce that returning overseas Chinese brought back with them.
Their fantastic bowl of satay noodles was nutty, spicy but not too much so, and filled with shrimp, shells, squid and other goodies from the sea.
Walk off your dinner by strolling along the streets or seafront. Without the day-trippers who have gone back to Xiamen on the last ferry, Gulangyu is even more charming.
Goodbye Gulangyu
Sleep in a bit, wallow in your lovely room’s colonial atmosphere and have a late breakfast. Then reluctantly zip up your bags and walk back to the ferry port before drifting back to a life with cars, traffic, and highrises.
Or extend your stay if you’re not ready yet for the real world.
You don’t even have to wonder whether to visit Gulangyu Island on your Fujian province itinerary. It is a must-see when you’re in this neck of the woods. Even though we’ve said so already – DON’T COME ON A DAY TRIP. STAY AT LEAST ONE NIGHT.
One Day on Gulangyu Island Map
