Gulangyu or Gulangyu Island is a beautiful island in the Fujian Province near to Taiwan. In fact on a clear day you can even see across the water to Taiwan.

Shifu very kindly offered to take us so we flew into Xiamen, the nearest big city on this short break. Then a ferry ride full of diesel fumes was i

over the water to this enigmatic island.

Once a haven for colonialists this small island is now a popular tourist destination. Many wealthy Europeans settled here in the early 1800s bringing westerns musical and artistic talent as well as a penchant for eclectic architecture.

Narrow winding alleyways snake up the central hillside revealing hidden gems of colonial beauty at every turn.

Gulangyu literally means islet of the drumming waves because the sound of the ocean waves hitting the reefs sounds like the thundering of mighty drums. We didn’t actually get to hear that.

Now a UNESCO world heritage site this charming 2 square km island is also a traffic free zone meaning no cars, scooters or even bicycles are allowed. Goods are moved from place to place by handcart and the overall effect is one of historic nostalgia but with extremely clean air!

For a while Gulangyu was the only international settlement outside of Shanghai. Its southern location, tropical climate and sandy beaches made it very attractive to Europeans.

This is the 44 Bridge, called so because there are 44 corners on it! It must be the wonkiest bridge I have ever crossed!

The British played a major role in setting up and running the settlement. Much of the architecture has Victorian influences. Missionaries set up churches schools and colleges. Unlike Shanghai though this was not a location for trade. Instead cultural activities flourished, in particular music. Many of China’s most famous musicians were born or trained here.

The island has a local population of approx 20,000 but copes with over 10 million visitors every year. Most people are day trippers but staying overnight gave us the opportunity to wander the quaint streets and narrow alleyways enjoying the soft evening air. Even though it was January it felt like a British summer’s evening.

With the invasion by the Japanese in 1942 the international contingent on the island departed leaving many of their houses unoccupied. This has led to a growing number of stories among the locals about ghosts and the island now has a reputation for being haunted (we didn’t see any though)

A highlight of the day was a visit to the Piano Museum. I mentioned before the musical talent that emerged from the fusing of western and Chinese culture in this place. I was surprised to see how many pianos there were on display, mostly of European origin.

Apparently there are 5000 pianos on the island itself, which is one for every 4 people. Quite a surprising ratio.

Finally, we saw this which is a public clothes line. I have never come across anything like this before. I guess it’s great when you have a small apartment and no garden. It reminded me of the village common with communal grazing rights back in medieval England.