Covering a total area of 1.78 square kilometers, Gulangyu Island is located off the coast of Xiamen City in Fujian Province. "Gulang" in Chinese means "drum waves", because the southwestern reefs when hit by the waves make sounds like drum beats. The sound made me decide to take a one-day trip to the island although local friends told me that the only transportation on the island would be my legs. There were no vehicles on the island apart from one fire engine, one police car and one ambulance.

Gulangyu Island is known as the piano island because people here love the piano. As early as 1913, students in schools run by foreigners started learning the piano. The enthusiasm for music later spread to more ordinary people on the island. Many piano families have since then come into being and produced accomplished musicians.

Located five minutes by boat from Xiamen, Gulangyu is really a Shangri-la-like tourist attraction. No road vehicles are allowed here, bicycles are the only means of transportation. In recent years, some battery-powered sightseeing vehicles commute from the beach to the port, as more and more people come to Gulangyu sanatorium to recuperate.

No tourist can afford to miss one attraction located on the island -- the nation's largest piano museum.

Divided into two exhibition halls, the museum guides visitors through a vivid history of the instrument with displays and illustrations. All different types of pianos such as miniature pianos, automatic pianos, accordion pianos and round-shaped pianos, are on display. It is difficult not to start playing the instrument when faced with such an amazing variety of instruments. But be careful. It is forbidden to touch them, as these pianos are cherished collections of overseas Chinese, who hope to allow more people to see and be inspired by these displays.

Riguang Rock is a scenic spot on the island where you can get a bird's-eye view of the whole of Xiamen City. Hundreds of flowers grow on Riguang Rock, which is a 90-meter-high peak on Gulangyu Island. With a gentle sea breeze, it's a quite cool place during the hot summer. On the hillside nestles Riguang Monastery, where the early rising sunlight penetrates. Ascending to the top of the rock, one can see the sea.

At the foot of the rock, there's the Memorial Hall to honor national naval hero general Zheng Chenggong of the late Ming Dynasty. In the vicinity, one can find the site where general Zheng directed his fleet.

From the baroque building to the Gothic cathedral, from the Shanghai-style alley to the Fujian-style courtyard, Gulangyu is filled with different architectural styles. That's why it is often described as a showcase island of architecture, attracting architecture students from across the nation and the world every year to find their source of inspiration.

For people living in the hustle and bustle of today's metropolis, citizens on this island seem to live in a paradise with a relaxing, healthy and placid lifestyle. Unfortunately, more and more youngsters leave the island to work in Xiamen, but they still prefer to return every day because of the sound of nature on the island.

 I would suggest visitors spend a night on the now tranquil island, walk along the seaside, enjoy the moonlight and listen to the sound of waves on the beach with a loved one. That would be a very wonderful and comfortable experience.

Edited by Xiamen Romandy Art Limited.
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China Xiamen Gulangyu Island----A Charming Garden on the Sea!