Situated five minutes by ferry from the coast of Xiamen City， Fujian Province in southern China， Gulangyu， or Kulangsu in Hokkien， is a magnet for domestic and overseas tourists with white sandy beaches， crystal-clear blue water， unique landscape and agreeable subtropical climate.

With an area of 1.87 square kilometers， Gulangyu is the largest satellite islet of Xiamen， harboring a population of over 20，000. The 600-metre-wide Egret River， which gets its name from egrets usually seen hovering over the river， separates Gulangyu from the main island of Xiamen. The only way to connect the islet to the main island of Xiamen is by ferry.

Gulangyu， is also the only traffic-free islet in the country， not allowing any sorts of vehicles on the roads except for electric sightseeing buses. As a place far away from the hustle and bustle of the city and free from noise and fumes of vehicles， the islet is a huge draw for tourists who want to enjoy an atmosphere of tranquility and a breath of fresh air blowing in from the East Sea.

Beside， rolling green hills， rugged rocks， winding seacoast， white clouds， green trees and bright flowers make the islet look like an enchanted fairyland. With so many attractions， it is no surprise that the islet is rated as one of national 5A scenic sites by the China National Tourism Administration.

In the widespread poem “Gulangyu” written by modern Chinese poet Cai Qijiao in 1956， the islet on the water is compared to “a chromatic pleasure-boat”.

Gulang Reef： Listening to the Sound of Sea Waves

The islet was explored in the period between the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty and originally named Yuanshazhou or Yuanshazai， literally meaning “round sandy islet”， as the islet was oval-shaped and ringed by white sandy beaches.

In the Ming Dynasty， the islet adopted its current name， which means “the islet of drum waves”. It is said that the name of the islet derives from an over-two-meter-high reef on the beach located in the southwest of the islet， which locals call “Gulang Reef”.

The reef， a must-see scenic spot in the islet， is featured with a hole in its middle， which is a result of long-term erosion caused by sea waves. Gulang Reef， literally meaning “the reef of drum waves”， gets its name from the drum-like roar generated when sea waves rush into the narrow hole in the reef.

The Islet of Music： Love with Piano

With a name easily associated with the music， the islet seems to have a strong bond with the emotional art. Locals love the music， especially the piano， with almost every household on the islet having a piano.

The islets love affairs with the piano can be traced back to the First Opium War， the war between China and Britain resulting from the Chinese governments refusal to allow the importation of opium from India in the late Qing Dynasty.

After the First Opium War， Xiamen became one of the five treaty ports open to the outside world， which made the city， especially the islet， become a colonial settlement. With the influx of Westerners and the spread of Christianity， the Western music made its way into the islet.

At first， the pianos were used for church hymns. At that time， Westerners built quite a lot of churches， chapels， and missionary hospitals， creating a huge demand for pianos and organs. As a result， a large number of organs and pianos were introduced to the islet. Later， with the establishment of Westerner-run schools on the islet， students began to learn to play the piano and more and more people fell in love with the Western music. Since then， the enthusiasm for the music has been on a rise and many musical families have come into being.

In the 1950s， the number of pianos on the islet added up to more than 500. Nowadays， as home to over 100 musical families， the islet has more than 5，000 pianos. Therefore， Gulangyu bills itself as “the Islet of Piano” with the highest number of pianos per capita in the country.

In addition， the islet is home to Chinas largest piano museum which showcases various pianos， especially over 40 ancient pianos collected from around the world， as well as the countrys largest organ museum.

The islets another claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of many famous musicians， including Zhou Shuan， Lin Junqing， Yin Chengzong， Wu Tianqiu， Xu Feixing， Xu Feiping， Cheng Zuohuang and Xu Xingai. To bump up the islets reputation， the Chinese Musicians Association named it “the Islet of Music” in 2002.

Given Gulangyus musical heritage， it is no wonder that the biennially Gulangyu Piano Festival， which has been held since 2002， is one of the most popular and most spectacular events on the islet.

The Museum of Ten-thousand Nations Buildings： A Fusion of East and West

Gulangyus colonial past not only makes the people here forge a strong bond with the Western music， but also leaves a wealth of stunning buildings with diverse architectural styles， including baroque and gothic buildings， as well as Fujian-style courtyards.

After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 that ended the First Opium War， Westerners flocked into the islet and carved up the most beautiful places to build their villas. In 1902， Gulangyu became an official international settlement and 13 foreign countries established consulates there in succession， which were well-kept in the past century.

In the 1920s and 1930s， a number of overseas Chinese returned home for career and built various villas on the islet. Thanks to their contributions， more than 1，000 beautiful villas were set up in just 15 years.

Today， a number of indigenous and exotic buildings stand on the islet， including the European-style consulate， the reddomed Bagua Building， or “Eight Trigrams Building”， and the a Shuzhuang Garden. The building cluster is called the World Architecture Museum， which presents the fusion of oriental and occidental cultures on the islet.

Riguang Rock： The Highest Peak of Gulangyu

Topping the must-see list on the islet is Riguang Rock， or Sunshine Rock， which dominates the skyline with a height of 92.7 meters above-sea level. As the highest place on the islet， the rock draws thousands of tourists every year.

Standing on the sightseeing platform at the top of Ri-guang Rock， tourists can have a birds-eye view of Xiamen City and the islet， smell the perfume of flowers growing around the rock， as well as enjoy the sea breeze.

The rock， originally called Huang Rock that means “dazzling bright rock”， was renamed to its current name in 1641 by Zheng Chenggong， a national hero of the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty， after he saw the landscape around the rock better than Japans Sunshine Mountain.

Better known in the West by the name Koxinga， literally meaning “the Lord of the Imperial Surname”， the national hero has a great influence on the islets culture. In 1962， the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall was built in the Riguang Rock Scenic Area to honor his achievement in recapturing Taiwan from Dutch occupation.

Shuzhuang Garden： Classic Fujianstyle Garden

Located in the south of Gulangyu and backed by Riguang Rock， Shuzhuang Garden was built in 1913 by local celebrity Lin Erjia as a private villa. In 1955， Lin donated the garden to the local government which was later open to the public.

The stunning seaside garden， known for its exquisite design， gets its name from its owner Lins courtesy name “Shuzhang”. Nowadays， the garden covers an area of 3，000 square meters with two parts， the Canghai Garden and the Bushan Garden， respectively meaning the garden of hiding the sea and the garden of making-up hills.

As the name indicates， the Canghai Garden is featured with hiding the sea. Strolling on the roads in the garden， tourists can not see the sea as a high wall blocks the sight. Once they step out the moon-shaped door of the garden and wall through the bamboo forest， they will find the sea burst into their sight.

In the Canghai Garden， there are five must-see spots， namely the Meishou Hall， the Renqiu Pavilion， Zhenshuai Pavilion， the Forty-Four Bridge and the Zhaoliang Pavilion. The Bushan Garden， whose name implies Lins wish to save country from being disintegrated， also boasts five scenic spots， namely the Twelve Cave Paradise， the Wanshi House， the Tingchao Tower， Yiaiwu House and Xianlan Pavilion.