Xià Mén 厦门

Xia Men is a big city along the coast of South China in Fu Jian Province. It is also the closest point on the mainland to Taiwan. Xia Men (and all of Fu Jian for that matter) have a culture that is unique in and of its own. This is a very historic city with several sights to see.

Gu Lang Yu 鼓浪屿

Gu Lang Yu is a small island in between the mainland and where Xia Men branches of the coast (which is connected by bridges, similar to how Miami, FL is set up). Gu Lang Yu is undoubtably the biggest attraction for people to go to Xia Men. People from all over will come to Xia Men just to go to Gu Lang Yu. It is a very popular place for couples to have their wedding pictures taken. Don’t be surprised at the amount of wedding photoshoots you see on the street while visiting Gu Lang Yu. The architecture of Gu Lang Yu is another very distinct feature. You’ll find old buildings and churches that appear to have a European influence. Not to mention there are places to snack all over. While in the city section of Gu Lang Yu, a good way to pass explore the island is to wander through the streets by foot. Grab a bite to eat from one of the many grab and go food shops and explore the unique architecture of the churches and old style building.

Ri Guang Yan Park 日光岩公园 (on Gu Lang Yu island)

Roughly translated to the Sunlight Cliff Park, is personally my favorite place on Gu Lang Yu. Those who enjoy hiking might find the short hike up to the peak of Ri Guang Yan Park to be very pleasant. This section of Gu Lang Yu is very different from the above-mentioned city section. In Ri Guang Yan Park, you’ll find a small beach area, a bit more greenery and small mountains to hike. It is a much more natural setting than the city section of the island.

For me personally, my main grievance with Ri Guang Yan Park is the volume of people that visit the park. It seems that the park is not big enough for the amount of people that visit it on a daily basis. During the hike it might seem like the only sights you’re seeing on the way up is the back of the head of the person in front of you. On the other hand, while traveling through any part of China you will have to accept and be comfortable with the idea of having a certain amount of people around you. There are some places and sights that it is impossible to avoid the crowds completely and Gu Lang Yu is one of those places.

Side note: The hike to the peak of Ri Guang Yan Park is not difficult at all. It will take any where from 45 minutes to an hour to reach the peak. The peak offers some of the best views of the island and makes the hike well worth doing, as long as the weather is permitting (if there is a thick fog over the island it will make it difficult to see down to the other sections of the island.

How to get to Gu Lang Yu?

Since Gu Lang Yu is an island and doesn’t have any bridges or underwater tunnels connecting it to either side of Xia Men you will need to take a boat to get to Gu Lang Yu.

Here’s the tricky part… There are several ports that have ferry services from Xia Men. However, many of these ports do not have ferries that go to Gu Lang Yu. This can become extremely frustrating because unless you first consult your hostel owner and inquire as to which ports have ferries to Gu Lang Yu, you may very well be wasting time, daylight, money and effort walking (or taking a cab) from one port to another only to find all of the ports that don’t have ferries to Gu Lang Yu.

Let me save you the trouble of going to the wrong ports and only succeeding is aggravating yourself. There is a very big port that has ferries headed towards Gu Lang Yu and the ferries leave every thirty minutes. That port is called Xia Men Cruise Liner Center Xia Gu Port (this is my translation of the port to make it easier for the reader, the actual name is Xia Men You Lun Zhong Xin Xia Gu Ma Tou or just show the characters below to whatever cab or Uber you’re in and they’ll take you to the right place

厦门邮轮中心厦鼓马头

There are no two ports so like that one it is the the biggest cruise liner port in all of Xia Men, so showing that to your cab driver should be a pretty safe bet.

Very important: There are not ferries to and from Gu Lang Yu all night. I’m not 100 percent sure what time the last ferry takes off from Gu Lang Yu to Xia Men (the times may change base on the time of year that you go and the hour that the sunsets), but if you miss the last ferry, then you will need to stay the night at Gu Lang Yu and leave the following day. Be sure to look at the timetables for the last ferry to Xia Men or ask someone who works there (that can speak English) when the last ferry to Gu Lang Yu.

How much time should you allot to spend in Gu Lang Yu?

I would say that you could spend an entire day in Gu Lang Yu from morning until evening and it wouldn’t be a wasted day. For those that really enjoyed Gu Lang Yu and wish to spend more time there another half day on the island would be sufficient. The island isn’t that big and after a day (or a day and a half) its like Disney World in that the noise of the crowds, lack of space and heat start to get a bit old.

Taiwan Anyone?

It is worth noting that at the above-mentioned port you can also board a cruise to Taiwan. This is the closest point from the mainland to Taiwan. So, if any travelers wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to visit Taiwan all you would need is your passport. This may not be the most common way to go to Taiwan but it is one a distinct travel path that you could make, provided you have enough time.