Wedding beach (Guan Hai Yuan Hai Tan 观海园海滩）
When you’re on the most romantic island in China, some spots can be overwhelmed with romance. This small, pretty beach at the end of Tianwei Road is a classic perch on the Kulangsu coast, in part because of the incredible number of couples posing for wedding pictures on the beach every day. On an average […]
Pianist Yin Chengzong’s house (Yin Cheng Zong Zhai 殷承宗宅)
Kulangsu’s most famous pianist, Yin Chengzong, still owns and periodically visits this hilltop house. It is one of the island’s most beautiful private homes, now inhabited by the pianist’s brother, Yin Chengdian, who is a first-rate musician in his own right and the former dean of the Xiamen Music School. In 1924, Yin’s father bought the […]
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 […]
Sunlight Rock Temple (Ri Guang Yan Si 日光岩寺)
Sunlight Rock Temple, originally named “Lotus Nunnery”, was rebuilt in the 14th Year of the Wanli Reign of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1586). The main hall, General Funds Hall (Yuan Tong Bao Dian), is a huge cave carved into a rock at the hill’s peak and supported by stone columns and crosspieces, hence the nickname […]
Miryam Hotel (Lao Bie Shu Lu Guan 老别墅旅馆)
One of the most gracious properties on the island, overlooking gardens and the sea beyond, houses the Miryam, which is advertised as “boutique” but feels more like a grand dame clinging to the cliffs of Italy’s Amalfi Coast. The Continental feel extends to the furnishing of the clean, airy, well-lit rooms, some with claw-foot tubs. Ask for […]