The Beauty of Gulangyu Island

Have you ever dreamed of living in an island which is traffic-free & has a great view that you think you don’t wanna go back to the city you used to live in? Well, I never thought about it actually. And I don’t even know that this kind of island does exist. Not until I found this beautiful island during my last visit to Xiamen (also known as Amoy), China last September.

Gulangyu Island is located in the southwest of Xiamen City (厦门). People know it for its natural beauty, its varied architecture, and the ancient relics. Only electric-powered vehicles are permitted here so there will be no pollution or noise. But who needs a vehicle? This island is only 2 square kilometres in area! Quite small, but it is a home for some people & it’s the favorite tourist destination in Xiamen.

And as a place of residence for Westerners during Xiamen’s colonial past, Gulangyu Island is famous for its European-style architecture.

There are a lot of souvenir store which sell handy-craft, decorative objects, pearl, and many more! I don’t buy anything actually, but I took a picture in front of one of the korean-style shops there.

Among the scenic spots on the island, the most attractive one are Sunlight Rock and the Shuzhuang Garden. But I didn’t explore more about Shuzhuang Garden. I went to Sunlight Rock instead since it is the island’s highest point! (around 300 feet high)

Here’s a sneak peak into beautiful Sunlight Rock.

There’s a temple in the area of Sunlight Rock. People said it was dedicated to the worship of Guanyin, the goddess of mercy.

Hey, looks like someone’s busy with his new camera 😉

Now the most interesting part is… climbing the Sunlight Rock! Up there, you can see the panoramic view of the entire city of Gulangyu Island.

Since we still have a couple of hours, we took a leisurely walk on Gulangyu’s paved road & we found this beach. It’s quite small but still beautiful.

Now I feel like I wanna stay there like… forever.

How to get there?
Take a ferry from Xiamen Port. It only took 10 minutes to reach Gulangyu Island from there. The ferry ticket price is CNY 8 /person (including the way back). You’ve got to pay another CNY 1  if you want to sit on the upper deck of the boat.

Admission Fee
Sunlight Rock                            : CNY 60 / person
Shuzhuang Garden                     : CNY 30 / person
Bright Moon Garden                    : CNY 15 / person
Organ Museum                           : CNY 20 / person
International Lettering Art Gallery : CNY 10 / person

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