Sunday, April 27, 2008

On the Isle of Gulangyu

Gulangyu is a small 2 sq km island that lies 500 km off the southwest end of Xiamen - a 5-minute ferry ride from the city.

A once thriving community of rich foreigners and consulates in the early 1900s, most homes today are sadly derelict. The island is a pedestrian-only tourist favourite for visitors wishing to escape the hustle and bustle of Xiamen.

Cobble footpaths snake along the hillsides.Grand and elegant mansions are shielded from inquisitive eyes by high walls.

Motorised vehicles are prohibited on Gulangyu. Raw manpower hauls everything, including construction material, up the hilly island.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This place must look beautiful at sunset!

sinlady said...

jm - possibly. but the place is really not all that photogenic like, say, istanbul.

Anonymous said...

wow.. the mansions are grand alright. pity singapore only has mini 'mansions' with long columns on small plot of land.

Suzie Wong said...

the people there must be super fit!

sinlady said...

edpjunkie - pardon my french but "mansions" in singapore look "cock" to me.

suziewong - something like that :)but seriously, the walking here not as jia lak as istanbul.

wildgoose said...

Hahaha... I must agree. The mansions in Singapore generally looks terrible.

sinlady said...

wg - haha