Gulangyu Old Town
Xia Men, Fujian
A car-free, UNESCO-listed island of colonial consulates, church spires, and red-brick Fujianese courtyard houses, reachable by a five-minute ferry from downtown Xiamen.
Pourquoi visiter Gulangyu Old Town ?
Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017 after a near-decade-long application, Gulangyu is one of the only places in China where 19th-century Western, Southeast Asian, and Minnan architecture sit side by side in a single settlement — a byproduct of the international consulates and returning overseas-Chinese merchants who built it up between the 1840s and 1930s.
Comment en profiter
Ferries run from the Lundu terminal on Xiamen Island; go early to beat the day-trip crowds and allow at least half a day to walk the lanes without a fixed itinerary.
Astuce
Only electric patrol carts are allowed on the island — everything else is on foot, so wear comfortable shoes for the hilly lanes.