Gulang Island (aka Gulangyu Island) covers an area of 1.87 square kilometers. Sunlight Rock, the highest peak on the islet, is the symbol of Xiamen. Because the holes in the southwestern reefs hit by the waves will make sounds like beating the drum, it got its name Gulang Island, meaning "drum waves". On the island, tourists can find winding coastal lines, natural and gentle seaside bathing grounds with fine sands, and oddly shaped reefs showing superlative craftsmanship, which will make every visitor think a lot. The undulating hills, blue waves, white clouds, green trees and red tiles add beauty and radiance to each other, offering a clean, tidy and tranquil environment. Many buildings on the island showing both the Chinese and foreign architectural styles have been well preserved. Hence Gulang Island is known as the "Gallery of International Architecture."

The residents on Gulang Island love music very much. With a small population of over 10,000, Xiamen has over 600 pianos, ranking first in China in the density of pianos. Hence it is called the "Island of Pianos" and the "Land of Music." Walking on the street, visitors can hear the melody of piano everywhere. The winding and zigzag paths are another major characteristic of Gulang Island. All the paths on the island are linked with each other, with the delightful serenity of seclusion. To protect tourism resources on the island, motor-driven vehicles are forbidden to run on the streets, except for a small number of sightseeing storage battery cars for carrying tourists. Therefore the islet is quiet without the noise of traffic, making tourists have fun to stroll on the streets. At nightfall, when all neon lamps are lit, the whole islet is elegantly decorated, presenting beautiful scenes different from those in the daytime. When viewing Xiamen at night across the Egret River between Gulang Island and Xiamen Island, tourists will see colorful lam plights and water surface set each other off beautifully along the long coastal line.

Transport: Tourists may get on a ferryboat at the wharf to go to Gulang Island.

Ferryboat: 07:00-19:00, once every 10 minutes; and once every 15 minutes for the other periods of time. A round-trip ticket costs eight yuan; and charged on the back way. Tourists can go to the ferry by public bus Nos.2,3,4,8,10,11,12,14, 23, 25, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 44, 50, 66, 67, and 85.

Opening hours: whole day