ON a list of the five most beautiful cities in China recommended earlier this year by Chinese National Geography, Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Fujian Province, ranks first. The island, a 50-minute flight from Shenzhen, is a good choice for a brief vacation.

The city of Xiamen is a microcosm of China -- rich and poor, old sections and new construction, quaint little alley restaurants and MacDonald's. The city is rapidly developing while preserving remnants of its colonial past. In short, Xiamen is the embodiment of all the promise and contradictions of modern Chinese cities.

Gulangyu Island is located just southwest of the city, a five-minute ferry ride across the mouth of Xiamen Harbor. The island is on China's list of National Scenic Spots and also ranks at the top of the list of the 10 most-scenic areas in Fujian Province.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the island was called "Yuanshazhou Island." Its present name comes from the huge reef surrounding it. When the tide comes in, the waves pound the reef, sounding like the beating of a drum. "Gu" in Chinese Mandarin means "drum," and "lang," "waves."

During the later Ming Dynasty, the troops of the 17th-century warrior-king Zheng Chenggong were stationed here. After the Opium War in 1842, the island was part of the trading concession granted to countries including Great Britain, France and the Netherlands, which established consulates, trading houses, churches and hospitals. In 1942, Japan occupied the island until the end of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in 1945.

Part of its charm, Gulangyu is car-free, with only electric-powered vehicles permitted. So the 20,000 residents and the tourists, mostly from the mainland, enjoy life free from the noise and pollution of combustion engines.

With its European-style stone buildings crammed together on narrow streets, Gulangyu lives up to its name of China's "architecture museum." It is also known as the "cradle of musicians" and "island of music" because of its reputation for music appreciation. The island has made a name in China in the 1950s for having over 500 pianos on the small island. The long list of musicians and pianists grew up on the island include the first female conductor in China Zhou Shu'an in the 1920s, Lin Junqin in the 1930s, Yin Chengzong and Wu Tianqiu in the 1950s, Xu Peixing in the 1960s, Xu Peiping in the 1980s and Chen Zuohuang, Xu Xing'ai in the 1990s.

Among the many scenic spots on the island, two of the outstanding natural and man-made wonders are Sunlight Rock and Shuzhuang Garden.

Sunlight Rock

Located in the south-central part of the island, Sunlight Rock is the island's highest point. Named for a sun-shaped formation in the granite, when the morning light illuminates the rock, Sunlight Temple and the surrounding rocks are bathed in sunlight.

At the foot of Sunlight Rock stands the Memorial Hall of Zheng Chenggong, built in honor of the national hero's expulsion of the Dutch from Taiwan. Wandering up the steep rock path, visitors will see inscriptions left by poets, dating back more than 400 years. Farther up are the preserved training grounds of Zheng Chenggong's troops. Nearby a huge rock bridging two cliffs forms a natural entrance to "Old Summer Cave" (Gu Bishu Dong). With its pleasantly cooling breeze, this makes a perfect spot to view Gulangyu Island and the panorama of Xiamen City, including Nanputuo Temple, Xiamen University and Hulishan Battery.

Shuzhuang Garden

Built on the south of the island as a private villa in 1931, the garden was opened to the public in 1955. It is divided into two parts, the Garden of Hiding the Sea (Canghaiyuan) and the Garden of Making-Up Hills (Bushanyuan). Shuzhuang Garden was exquisitely designed to embody three principles of garden design -- hiding elements, borrowing from one's surroundings and combining movements.

The principle of hiding elements is embodied in the way the ocean remains hidden from view right up to the garden gate. Once you emerge from the bamboo forest, the seascape leaps into view. A climb up the Tower of Tide-Viewing reveals the sea.

Borrowing from one's surroundings refers to cleverly using naturally available scenery. Using the sloping terrain facing the sea, the reefs in the bay, and the shape of the shoreline, the original garden owner built bridges and pavilions at various levels. The panorama changes from a small bay to a vast ocean at different heights. Here, visitors can taste the spray of the surging waves and get a bird's-eye view of other charming islands. Both Sunlight Rock and Hero Hill (Yingxiongshan) are visible.

The garden also possesses another characteristic, the combining of movements. Its unique arrangement joins a rockwork that includes a maze of connected caves with fine pavilions on the side of the slope. Children chasing each other through the caves represent movement and activity, while people resting in the pavilions give a feeling of tranquility.

Gulangyu Island's other attractions include Bright Moon Garden, Seasight Watch Garden, Yu Park and Xiamen Museum. Bright Moon Garden is located in the southeast of the island with an area of over 20,000 square meters. In the midst of the garden, a giant bronze statue of Zheng Chenggong with his warriors looks straight out toward Taiwan. The attraction of Seasight Watch Garden is the villas in both Chinese and Western styles.

Getting there

By plane

Six flights depart daily from Shenzhen to Xiamen.

Time: 50 minutes

Ticket: Full price 790 yuan from Shenzhen to Xiamen, with different discounts at different times

By bus

Buses leave daily from Futian Bus Station at 8 a.m., 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Time: around nine hours

Ticket: 160-185 yuan

Travel on Gulangyu Island

Fees: 85 yuan (including round-trip boat, Sunlight Rock and Shuzhuang Garden)

Hours: 6 a.m.-5:50 p.m. for ferry

Recommended time for a visit: three hours to half a day

Xiamen buses: 2, 3, 4, 10, 11, 12, 25 to ferry, then transfer to ferryboat

Hotels: A number of hotels and family hotels on the island offer visitors plenty choice to stay overnight. The prices range from 100 to 300 yuan per double room in hotels.

(Photo source: xinhuanet.com)

Editor: Wing