Friday, February 3, 2012

Gulangyu: China's loveliest island

by Gillian Bolsover

"Two legs good, four wheels bad," might be the unofficial motto of Gulangyu Island, which lies a short way offshore from the city of Xiamen.

With the warm climate, good air quality, abundant beaches and laid-back lifestyle, Xiamen (??) is one of the most pleasant places to visit and live in China: but a lot of the credit goes to its tourism magnet, Gulangyu (???).

The island, which is just under two kilometers square, is a five-minute ferry ride from Xiamen?s urbanized city center and is most famous for its beaches, seafood and a refreshing lack of automobiles, which are banned.

Gulangyu is nicknamed "Piano Island." With a population of around 25,000, the subtropical town contains more than 5,000 pianos and a 450-square-meter piano museum, showcasing more than 40 ancient pianos from around the world.

The other main draw of Gulangyu is the large number of colonial houses -- a legacy of having been an international settlement of 14 different countries in the 19th and early 20th century.

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