For this trip to Xiamen, I basically spent one afternoon plus one full day on Gulangyu Island. Essentially, the theme of the trip can be summed up by the word in the picture below~~~~~
I basically tried all the highly-rated shops from the review sites… to the point where I ended up having three afternoon teas in a single day…
Since there are no motor vehicles on the island, there are no bridges connecting it to the outside world; you can only get there by boat. The round-trip ticket costs 8 yuan.
Ferries run very frequently, about every 5-10 minutes, so there’s generally not much waiting involved.
Gulangyu Island has a total area of 1 square kilometer, which is much larger than I imagined. I also didn’t expect to find KFC, McDonald’s, and Master Kong inside. For a place mostly filled with small shops and hardly any proper restaurants, these are actually pretty decent options… Walking around in such hot weather was quite tough, but feeling the sea breeze by the ocean was truly refreshing.
I’ve heard of Gulangyu since I was little, especially famous for its incredibly high density of pianos. But once I actually got to the island, aside from the Piano Museum, I hardly saw any trace of pianos… Commercially speaking, it feels a bit like a giant Tianzifang, with various artsy little shops selling postcards, milk tea, coffee, and tea leaves, intermingled with local specialty stores selling seafood, pearls, fish balls, pastries, etc. If it weren’t for the swarming crowds, I would have really loved to stroll through slowly and explore carefully.
Quiet streets
Historic architecture
Island residents
Cute little shops
Mango Mango Nutcracker
I originally planned to mail some postcards and walked in when I saw this shop. Surprisingly, their signature product is mango-based, so I had to give it a try. It was indeed delicious, and eating the mango was very satisfying. However, there were too many people, and the staff couldn’t keep up, though their attitude was still quite good~~~~~
Ye’s Mochi
I heard this is a very, very old shop. Personally, I feel that coming all the way to the island just to eat this isn’t really worth it… This kind of Chinese pastry… because it’s stuffed with peanuts, sesame seeds, and sugar, easily leads to one problem… dry mouth… By the third piece, I felt them all sticking in my mouth and refusing to go down… Sweat… ~~~ But the taste was okay.
Longtou Fish Balls
This is also an old shop. The shark fish balls are stuffed with meat filling. Honestly, they tasted average—not very bouncy, and they didn’t feel like they were made from pure fish paste. Quite different from what I’ve had in Hong Kong… The soup was mostly peppery with no real umami, so I skipped drinking it~~~~
Zhang San Feng Milk Tea
It has quite a reputation! They add raisins and almond slices at the bottom of the milk tea, so they provide a spoon so you can eat the toppings after finishing your drink. The almond slices definitely enhance the texture of the milk tea, though the raisins don’t add much. The price of 20 yuan is acceptable if you’re sitting in the shop, but a bit steep for takeout. The shop is tiny with only a few tables, covered with paintings of cats… ~~~
Banshake
It’s more of a bar than a milk tea shop. Their signature Ban-style milk tea is mixed with four different kinds of alcohol. You can’t use a straw; you have to take big gulps. It has the smooth refreshment of iced milk tea combined with the warmth of alcohol. No wonder reviewers say it tastes better than Zhang San Feng~~~ Because it’s not just milk tea. There’s only the owner in the entire shop. It’s very small and often fully seated. All the drinks are invented by the owner himself, who stays in high spirits mixing various beverages for everyone. The hand-drawn menu and several thick guestbooks give it a sense of history.
Chujiayuan Coffee Shop
This was my favorite shop on the island. A huge garden, an old colonial house, powerful air conditioning, delicious cakes, and Wi-Fi. Since the owner loves cats, there are over ten cats roaming around the garden~~~~~ Also, this shop isn’t located in a busy area, so there aren’t many passersby, and the “No Sightseeing” sign stops many tourists in their tracks, making the inside even more peaceful.
You have to walk through the garden and down this path to find the entrance~~~
Sitting in the corner, with a cat sleeping outside the window~~~~
Delicious Cheesecake
There’s even a group photo of all the cats on the table~~~~
When the weather is nice, sitting outside feels great~~~~~
However, the minimum spend of 40 yuan per person is pretty ridiculous, because ordering just one drink won’t reach it, but adding a dessert will far exceed it. Plus, the service staff seems insufficient~~~
I love this little island. When the weather isn’t so hot, staying here for two days would be quite comfortable… But during holidays, forget about it~~~~
All photos taken with Canon 500D + 18-55mm lens, post-processed in Lightroom 4.
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