X-Readspace (Xiao Xue Tang Chong Dong Shu Dian 晓学堂虫洞书店)
The Chinese name of this masterfully renovated two-story brick mansion, adjacent to Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion, literally translates to “Worm Hole Bookstore.” But this business is hardly just a bookstore: the core belief of the founders is that globally disparate civilizations can interact with each other across time & space…beginning right here. The Worm Hole Bookstore claims inspiration […]
Long Tou Public Food Market (Long Tou Cai Shi Chang 龙头菜市场)
This colorful food bazaar, which takes up a town block, is bursting with energy and speed. It’s paradise for the home cook who has a fetish for the kind of traditional local produce, dairy, meat, and fish you can only get at a farmer’s market like this. Group tourists rarely wander through this market, but for the […]
Grandma Lu’s (Lu Ama 卢阿嬷)
My 89-year-old grandmother’s name is Lu, and so is the mastermind behind this very local Minnan sweets and pastry shop, Lu Nai Nai (Lu Ama 卢阿嬷, in Minnan dialect). In our own family dialect, I call my Italian grandmother Nonnie, which is close enough to Nai Nai to complete the sweep. There are two Grandma […]
Chu Family Garden (Chu Jia Yuan 褚家园）
This well-known romantic garden café is one more piece of proof that Kulangsu is paradise. Leaves blow in the sunny breeze, flowers bloom, and birds serenade you with a symphony while you sit at wooden tables under umbrellas in the shade of an old brick mansion. It’s an alluring respite for weary feet and jack of […]