Beautiful China - Xiamen 厦门 (Gulangyu 鼓浪屿)

The highest peak of Gulangyu.
A visit to Xiamen would not complete without setting foot into Gulangyu (鼓浪屿).  Gulangyu is an island in Xiamen, about 10 minutes by ferry from downtown or if you are more adventurous, try the speedboat at a slightly higher fee, which would take less than 2 minutes.  From Swiss International Hotel, the speedboat terminal, is just across the road, life jackets are provided.  The old ferry terminal used to be within 10 minutes walking distance from the Swiss International Hotel as advertised in the hotel's website, but the terminal had ceased its operation since months ago, so you would need to hire a cab to get to the terminal.  The concierge will write you the address of the port to pass to the taxi driver.  

The sisters were hugging each other to keep warm.  It was very windy at the ferry terminal. 
One of the ferry terminals.  There are 2 ferry terminals which transfer tourists to and fro Xiamen downtown and Gulangyu.  

Gulangyu has a population around 20,000 and an area of about 500 acres.  It was a foreign enclave from the 1840s until the 1930s, and is now both a residential suburb and a MAJOR tourist area.   It's a car free island, that cars, motorcycles and bicycles are banned, making the island both quieter, safer and more peaceful.   Golf buggy is available for rental for a fee, for families with old folks or special needs.  

Rememmber to wear a comfortable walking shoes, lots of walking since it's a car free island.  

The island is extremely popular with the local and international tourists and it was quite hard to move around even when we were there on a mid week.  It's hard to take pictures with no one else in the background.  Haha...  But as mentioned earlier, it's a must do attraction in Xiamen, so how could we miss it?  :)

More pictures as below, enjoy the virtual tour of Gulangyu with us! 

Sand play on the manmade beach. 
We enjoyed walking through the 'coastal' path to reach the other side of the island.  

There were quite a variety of eateries in Gulangyu, from Western to Chinese.
This is the Suzhou Garden.  You need to buy entrance tickets to visit this beautiful Chinese garden.   
The very popular piano museum which exhibits lots of antique pianos.
The view from one of the look-out point. 
The stone sentinel maze.   
Phew, we were out from the maze finally!  :D
He was actually a Ukelele seller.  :)
I love the picture.  It shows 2 different stages of life - newly wed and fatherhood.  :)
There were at least one hundred couples, who were there for pre-wedding photo shoot!  It was a very popular place for the locals.  

Areas around the church were full with bride and brides to be!  It was a beautiful scene!  :)

Good bye Gulangyu!  :)


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