Gulangyu Island (鼓浪屿; pinyin: Gŭlàng Yŭ) is a 1.78-km² carfree island off the coast of Xiamen, southern China. Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme of the Chinese phonetic alphabet (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音方案; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音方案; Pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n fāngàn), while pin means spell(ing) and yin means sound(s)), is a system of romanization (phonemic notation... Square kilometre (US spelling: Square kilometer), symbol km², is an SI unit of surface area. ... It has been suggested that Pedestrian street be merged into this article or section. ... Xiamen (Simplified: 厦门; Traditional: 廈門; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Hsiamen) is a coastal sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian province, Peoples Republic of China. ...

Administration

In October 1945, Gulangyu became one of the first four districts of Xiamen City. However, in May 2003, Gulangyu District was absorbed into the larger Siming District (based on main Xiamen island). 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Local government areas called districts are used, or have been used, in several countries. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Siming (思明) is on southeastern Xiamen Island and the capital district of Xiamen Municipality, Fujian Province, the Peoples Republic of China History The place was made Zhongxin District (中心区) in October 1945. ...

History

The island became a foreign enclave following the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Nanking, August 29, 1842, Peace Treaty between the Queen of Great Britain and the Emperor of China The Treaty of Nanking (Chinese: 南京條約, Nánjīng Tiáoyuē) is the agreement which marked the end of the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Sights

Street scene on Gulangyu

As a place of residence for Westerners during Xiamen's colonial past, Gulangyu is famous for its architecture and for hosting China's only piano museum, giving it the nickname of "Piano Island" or "The Town of Pianos" (鋼琴之鄉) or "The Island of Music" (音樂之島). There are over 200 pianos on this island. Image File history File linksMetadata Guland_island,_Fujian,_China. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Guland_island,_Fujian,_China. ... A baby grand piano, with the lid up. ...

The Chinese name also has musical roots, as gu lang means drum waves so-called because of the sound generated by the ocean waves hitting the reefs. Yu means "islet". A reef surrounding an islet. ... Mōkōlea Rock in Kailua Bay, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, 2. ...

In addition, there is a museum dedicated to Koxinga, Haidishi Jie (海底世界) Marine World, a subtropical garden containing plants introduced by overseas Chinese, as well as Xiamen Museum, formerly the Eight Diagrams Tower (八卦樓). Koxinga (Traditional Chinese: 國姓爺; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Taiwanese: Kok-sèng-iâ/Kok-sìⁿ-iâ) is the popular name of Zheng Chenggong (Traditional Chinese: 鄭成功; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Cheng Cheng-kung; Pe̍h-oÄ“-jÄ«: Tēⁿ Sêng-kong) (1624 - 1662), who was a military leader at the end of the... Subtropical (or semitropical) areas are those adjacent to the tropics, usually roughly defined as the ranges 23. ... Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Marchantiophyta - liverworts Anthocerotophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern... Overseas Chinese (華僑 in pinyin: huáqiáo, or 華胞 huábāo, or 僑胞 qiáobāo, or 華裔 huáyì) are either ethnic Chinese or people of the Chinese nation (zhonghua minzu) who live outside of China. ...

The island of Gulangyu is a pedestrian only destination, where the only vehicles on the islands are several fire trucks. The narrow streets on the island, together with the architecture of various styles around the world, gives the island a unique appearance.

Transportation

Gulangyu is connected to the main Xiamen island by a ferry. The Pride of Rotterdam, One of the P&O Ferriess Flagships operating the Hull-Rotterdam Route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ...

See also

• Shamian Island, in Guangzhou

Shamian Island (Chinese: 沙面岛, pinyin: sha mian dao) in the city of Guangzhou in the Guangdong province of China, was a concession given to European and American traders operating in Guangzhou area by the Manchu government in the 18th century. ... Location within China Canton, China redirects here. ...

External links

• Webpage about the island, with map
• Shanghai Star article: "Gulangyu Island - Garden on the sea"
• Shenzhen Daily article: "Gulangyu - A Piano Island"
• Article on newcolonist.com: "China's Carfree Town: Gulangyu"
• Xiamen-Gulangyu ferry times