Yang Tao Hotel, Fu Xing Castle (Yang Tao Yuan Zi, Fu Xing Gu Bao Dian 杨桃院子, 复兴古堡店)
Surpassingly beautiful, unexpectedly artful, and deeply reminiscent of Kulangsu’s golden era, the Yang Tao Hotel in Fuxing Castle is an island paradise, an oasis of serenity at the intersection of past and future. The outdoor bar is gorgeous, and the restaurant, warmly lit and framed by graceful archways, is both cozy and elegant. It’s worth […]
Anxian Hall (An Xian Lou 安献楼)
The American Seventh-day Adventist missionary B.L.Anderson came to Kulangsu in 1906. He bought a large tract of land in “Wugepai” to build a school and set up farms and dairies to provide work-study programs for students. Anderson used the profits from farms and dairies, and funds donated by Americans in the late 1920s, to buy […]
Foreign bookstore (Wai Tu Shu Dian 外图书店）
The best resource for English-language books on Kulangsu is this lovely, centrally located bookstore, where you can find a surprisingly diverse selection of Western reading material in English, as well as a vast array of beautifully designed Chinese-language printed matter. But the highlight of the store is the space itself: a spectacularly restored early-20th-century mansion […]
Blessed Paradise Restaurant, Bar and B&B (Xing Fu Tian Kong Hua Yuan Lü Guan 幸福天空花园旅馆)
One of the most charming Western-Chinese fusion spots on Kulangsu, this garden restaurant, bar, and simple bed-and-breakfast draws inspiration from the friendly owner Roger’s time spent in New Zealand. First and foremost on the menu–and totally unique on the island–is Kulangsu’s best version of fish and chips, crunchy and delicious, with a crunchy and well-seasoned […]
Sunlight Rock (Ri Guang Yan 日光岩)
Kulangsu (Gulangyu)’s top tourist attraction and highlight, lording over the beautiful island. From atop Sunlight Rock, you can see the entire coastline and hilly landscape of the island as well as sweeping views of downtown Xiamen–and, on a clear day, even Taiwan’s Jinmen Island. An inexpensive ticket gets you into the park, where you can […]