Gulangyu Islet

A mere 500 meters as the fly flies across the harbor from downtown Xiamen lies the famous 1.77 square kilometer island of G(or "Drum Waves," because the breakers pound the rocks like drums).

The 10 minute ferry ride to Gulangyu costs nothing unless you sit upstairs, where a ticket lady will collect about twice nothing (one Yuan or so). But unless you can swim, you have to pay the piper for the return trip-which at about 1.5 Yuan is still a better deal than Hong Kong¡¯s Star Ferry, New York State¡¯s Island Ferry, or Disney Land¡¯s "Pirates of the Caribbean,"

It won¡¯t take you long to understand why Laowai chose this tiny island for their International Settlement. And even today Gulangyu possesses one asset almost unheard of elsewhere in China: quiet! Vehicles and bicycles are forbidden on the tiny island. The one sound you will hear on Gulangyu is pianos. This tiny community of 20,000 has more pianos per capita than anywhere else on the planet-hence Gulangyu¡¯s nickname "Piano Isle."

Preachers & Pianos Early on, Protestants started several churches on Amoy and Gulangyu Islands. Catholics were busy too. The Vicariate Apostolic of Amoy (created in 1883 under the Dominicans) oversaw 11 European and 8 Chinese priests, 32 churches or chapels, 3 orphanages, and 13 schools (and included Taiwan in its domain). The piano played an integral part in all religious services-and Gulangyu folk have been hooked on them ever since.

It is no surprise that an inordinate number of famous pianists have come from tiny Gulangyu island. Gulangyu has more pianos per capita than any other city in china (perhaps even in the world)-over 350 pianos, or one in every five homes.

Virtually every evening some family is holding a recital for their to play in London, New York, Pairs-or the local churches from whence the pianos came in the first place.

While savoring Gulangyu¡¯s silence (punctuated by a few hundred preschoolers practicing scales or "Chopsticks"), steal a glimpse of the magnificent harbor and skyline by climbing Gulangyu¡¯s Sunlight Rock. (You¡¯ll really wish you had 'stolen' that glimpse when you fork out 40 Yuan for the entrance ticket).

Descend Sunlight Rock¡¯s sweaty heights and cool off by windsurfing in the harbor, or taking a bumpy speedboat tour around the island. Then visit Dragon Hill, Hoisting Flag Hill, or the many parks and gardens where Chinese colleagues eagerly point out the ancient engraved inscriptions that immortalize every rock and boulder (for after 5,012 years, Chinese have analyzed and written poems about every mountain, rock, river and lake in China).

If you have a couple of hours, take a leisurely walk on Gulangyu¡¯s paved, 4 kilometer ring road. Savor the beach on one side and the eclectic architecture on the other-bungalows built in English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish and Chinese styles. You can even walk on water on the Nine-Bend Forty-Four bridge, which snakes across the water at Shuzhuang (Bean Plantation) Garden. Shuzhuang garden was built by a Taiwanese businessman who moved here with his family during the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895.

War of 1894-1895. If two-hour hikes aren¡¯t your cup of coffee, you do have alternatives, You can be hauled around on a bamboo litter by bearers wearing unique numbered uniforms, just like the Good Ole Days when their ancestors hauled our forebears to public parks and private clubs that even in Xiamen bore signs, "No Chinese or Dogs Allowed."

At least nowadays the litter bearers are well paid for their services. And they give camers-loving Laowai some good photo opportunities.

If bamboo litters aren¡¯t your style either, take a boat. The kilometer cruise around Gulangyu offers tantalizing glimpses of Monkey Isle, Baozhuyu (pearl) Island, and Huoshaoyu Isle (or 'Burning Isle," because it is an extinct volcano).

Many cities in China have put out glossy tourist brochures with such boasts as "1,043 Scenic Sights famous at both home and abroad." (Quanzhou City, to our north, boasts over 2c000!). But with Gulangyu, it1s no brag, just fact. Gulangyu has dozens of sites worth a looksee, like The Overseas Chinese Garden for the Introduction of Subtropical plants, which has over 1,000 species of plants, one experimental horticulture nursery, and a refrigerated room. You might also enjoy touring some of the 1,000+Western style buildings put up by Laowai during the heydey of the opium trade.

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