Gulangyu: China's loveliest island

Wed, 02/01/2012 - 04:57 — Anonymous by Gillian Bolsover"Two legs good, four
wheels bad," might be the unofficial motto of Gulangyu Island, which lies a
short way offshore from the city of Xiamen. With the warm climate, good air
quality, abundant beaches and laid-back lifestyle, Xiamen (厦门) is one of
the most pleasant places to visit and live in China: but a lot of the credit
goes to its tourism magnet, Gulangyu (鼓浪屿). The island, which is just
under two kilometers square, is a five-minute ferry ride from Xiamen's
urbanized city center and is most famous for its beaches, seafood and a
refreshing lack of automobiles, which are banned. Gulangyu is nicknamed
"Piano Island." With a population of around 25,000, the subtropical
town contains more than 5,000 pianos and a 450-square-meter piano museum,
showcasing more than 40 ancient pianos from around the world. The other main
draw of Gulangyu is the large number of colonial houses -- a legacy of having
been an international settlement of 14 different countries in the 19th and
early 20th century.read more