Gulangyu

Gulangyu is a small, car-free island off the coast of Xiamen, China, known for its beaches, winding lanes, and colonial-era architecture. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, it attracts over 10 million visitors each year. The only vehicles allowed are small electric buggies and government service vehicles.

Don't miss

• Piano Museum – China's only piano museum, with over 200 pianos on the island, earning Gulangyu the nickname 'Piano Island'.
• Kulangsu Organ Museum (Eight Diagrams Mansion) – A 1907 building designed by John Abraham Otte, now an organ museum.
• United States Consulate Building – Designed by architect Elliott Hazzard.
• Kulangsu Catholic Church (Tian Zhu Tang) – Built around 1917.
• Former Office of Great Northern Telegraph Company (Denmark) – Dating from around 1871.
• Foreigners' Football Field – Established around 1878.

Tickets & tours

Ways to visit Gulangyu

Cheapest way inXiamen Half-Day Private Tour include Gulang Yu Island and Garden4.9★ · 13 travelers4-5 hoursFrom$135 per personSee dates →Best full dayPrivate Day Tour To Tianluokeng Tulou from Xiamen Including Lunch5★ · 24 travelers~9 hoursFree cancellationFrom$229 per personSee dates →Private & flexiblePrivate One Day Xiamen And Gulangyu Highlight Tour Including Lunch4.8★ · 18 travelers~8 hoursFree cancellationFrom$199 per personSee dates →

Know before you go

• Reachable by ferry from downtown Xiamen.
• The island is pedestrian-only; cars and bicycles are banned. Only small electric buggies and government service vehicles are allowed.
• Gulangyu is known as 'Piano Island' or 'The Island of Music' due to its piano museum and classical music heritage.

A bit of history

After the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, Xiamen became a treaty port. Foreign residents on Gulangyu established an informal organization that became formal in 1902 when its Land Regulations were approved by the Qing dynasty. Thirteen countries, including Great Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Japan, had extraterritorial privileges and took part in the Kulangsu Municipal Council. The British played a predominant role, and Sikh policemen from British India policed the settlement. Japanese occupation began in 1942 and lasted until the end of World War II, when the island was returned to China.