Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Fujian is a place that people will never forget to leave. The reporter visited this famous "Music Island" on the sea three times on May 17, 1999, November 5, 2006 and May 26, 2012. In contrast, the trip to Gulangyu in 2006 was the most comprehensive, in-depth and memorable because it was accompanied by the China Railway Special Train Tour Group.

Gulangyu is filled with flowers (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

I remember after lunch on November 5, 2006, the reporter followed the team to the dock and took a ferry across the sea to Gulangyu Island. Gulangyu Island, surrounded by blue seas, is located in the southwest corner of Xiamen Island. Although it faces Xiamen City across the sea, it is actually only separated from Xiamen Island by a 600-meter-wide Lujiang River. It takes only 5 minutes to reach Gulangyu Island by ferry. The island covers an area of 1.91 square kilometers and has more than 20,000 people. It is the jurisdiction of Xiamen City. Gulangyu Island was originally named Yuanshazhou and Yuanzhouzai. Because there were sea erosion caves in the southwest of the sea that were hit by the waves, the sound was like a beating drum. It became its current name after refinement in the Ming Dynasty.

Sprinkler door landscape (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Due to historical reasons, buildings of different Chinese and foreign styles have been well collected and preserved here. It is known as the "International Architecture Expo". The island is also fertile ground for music, with talents coming forth in large numbers, and the density of pianos ranks highest in the country. Therefore, it is named "Island of Piano" and "Hometown of Music".

European architecture (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Gulangyu Island has a pleasant climate all year round. There are no noisy horses and horses, but there are birds singing and fragrant flowers. It is known as the "Garden on the Sea". The main tourist attractions include Riguang Rock, Shuzhuang Garden, Haoyue Garden, Yuyuan, Huandao Road, Gulangshi, Museum, Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall, Underwater World and Natural Beach, etc., integrating historical, cultural and natural landscapes, it is a national-level scenic spot, the first of Fujian's "Top Ten" scenic spots, and one of the 35 trump scenic spots in the country.

People's Stadium (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

With the development of the Xiamen Special Economic Zone, Gulangyu is now improving various tourism supporting service facilities, and has become a comprehensive island scenic and cultural tourist area integrating sightseeing, vacation, tourism, shopping, leisure and entertainment.

With the national sports camera crew, they visited Gulangyu for the first time

On May 7, 1999, in the last century, the reporter came here specially for sightseeing while returning from Shanghang, Fujian, from filming the TV feature film "Chinese National Sports-She Nationality". Visiting the island again seven years later feels a lot changed. I saw that after landing on the island, it was crowded with tourists, and it was extremely lively. The passenger flow has significantly increased a lot compared with that year. But then the reporter's eyes lit up. The colorful flower landscape near the dock caught people's eyes, which was not only eye-catching, but also gave people a vibrant beauty. In the reporter's memory, this sight seems to have not existed when he came to the island.

Gulangyu Landscape (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The tour guide Gong Ping led tourists on this route seemed to have never been visited by reporters back then. This is a tour route mainly to view the architectural style of Gulangyu Island. Under the vivid introduction of the tour guide, those buildings with strong European style seem to have a little vitality and make people think about it.

Riguang Rock Temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In people's eyes, the three major columns of ancient Greece, Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian, each show its own appearance. Romanesque columns, Gothic spires, Islamic domes, Baroque embossed, gatehouses, fireplaces, balconies, hook railings, arched windows and many other architectural styles compete with each other, and are full of strong classicism and romanticism.

Courtyard inside the temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Regarding the history of Gulangyu Island, relevant information introduces: Before the Song Dynasty, Gulangyu Island was still a small island with lush water and grass and no one was inhabited. In the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasties, the Li people went to the island to develop, fishing and drying nets, and farming. Later, they flourished and gradually formed a settlement.

Second tour of Gulangyu (Photo: Huang Zhiguo)

At the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, national hero Zheng Chenggong stationed troops on Gulangyu Island to train his navy. In 1662, he launched an expedition to recover Taiwan Island, which had been occupied by Dutch colonists for 38 years. After the Opium War, Xiamen was turned into a "five-port trading" port. In 1902, Gulangyu Island was reduced to a public concession, and 13 countries including Britain, the United States, France, Germany, and Japan successively established consulates on the island.

Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Since the mid-19th century, with the spread of Christianity, Western music began to pour into Gulangyu, integrating with the elegant living environment of Gulangyu, creating Gulangyu's music tradition today and cultivating a large number of outstanding musicians such as Zhou Shu 'an, Lin Junqing, Yin Chengzong, Chen Zuohuang, Xu Feiping.

Lin Qiaozhi Memorial Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Gulangyu has many famous historical sites. It is one of the areas with the most completely preserved historical sites of national hero Zheng Chenggong. A large number of precious cliff stone carvings on the island are still well preserved despite years of wind and rain. More than 60 former residences and tombs of Gulangyu celebrities, including Lin Qiaozhi, founder of modern Chinese obstetrics and gynecology, Lu Ganzhang, pioneer of Chinese language modernization, and Ma Johan, an enlightenment of modern Chinese sports, are all on Gulangyu Island.

Three tours of Gulangyu (Photo: Sun Minghe)

Gulangyu Island has towering rocks and tall and beautiful scenery. Due to being beaten by waves for many years, many secluded valleys and cliffs have been formed. Beach, reefs, cliffs, and mountain peaks complement each other.

Gulangyu Streets and Streets (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The streets of Gulangyu Island are short, criss-crossing, clean and quiet, with fresh air. The trees on the island are green and flowers are blooming. Especially the red tiles of the small building and the green trees complement each other, which makes it particularly beautiful.

Cliff stone carvings (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Gulangyu Island is lined with rows of buildings, hidden in tropical and subtropical forests, the extraordinary peaks of Riguang Rock stand out, and the flocks of gulls take off... forming a beautiful picture.

Statue in the temple (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Gulangyu Island can be called the "Hometown of Music". Tourists wandering in the streets and alleys of Gulangyu Island will hear the pleasant sound of piano, melodious violin, lively guitar, touching and beautiful singing from time to time. Coupled with the beat of the waves, the environment is particularly charming. Tourists on the island can also see some street folk artists performing from time to time. Music has become a unique and gorgeous scenery on Gulangyu Island.

Folk artist (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After visiting the buildings on Gulangyu Island, the reporter first boarded the famous landscape on the island-Sunguang Rock. The Riguang Rock, located at the top of Longtou Mountain in the south of the middle of Gulangyu Island, was originally named "Huangyan". Later, people separated the word "Huangyan" and called it Riguang Rock.

Overlooking Riguang Rock (Photo: Zhu Xinmin)

Riguang Rock is 92.68 meters above sea level and is the highest peak in Gulangyu Island. There is a round platform built on the top of the rock. Standing on the top of the peak and looking into the distance, you can have a panoramic view of the scenery of Ludao.

Overlooking the sea (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

I remember when I climbed Riguang Rock, there were too many tourists to squeeze in. Although there are many tourists on the island now, on the contrary, there are not many people here. On the Riguang Rock, the reporter used the camera in his hand to capture the many beautiful scenery overlooking and overlooking from all angles. The layers of well-organized architectural communities connected by the sea scenery complement each other, making people beautiful.

Overlooking Gulangyu (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

After getting off Riguangyan, an aerial cableway has now been built on the west side of the island. The slowly moving colorful cableway carriages add a beautiful scenery to Gulangyu Island. The cableway used to be Hero Mountain, and the best location to shoot Riguang Rock on Hero Mountain is. There are two landscapes on Hero Mountain: Hundred Bird Garden and Hero Garden.

Gulangyu Cableway (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The Hero Park was built to commemorate the martyrs who liberated Xiamen and attacked Gulangyu Island. It includes three parts: a small memorial square, a memorial sculpture and a memorial room. At the end of September 1949, the 10th Corps of the People's Liberation Army liberated the southern Fujian mainland, forming a three-sided siege of Kinmen and Xiamen Kuomintang troops.

Gulangyu Hero Rock (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

On October 15, the 31st and 29th Armies of the regiment began to launch cross-sea operations against Xiamen. At 18:00 that day, the fleets of the two battalions took the lead in dividing into two routes from Haicang and other places to the southwest of Gulangyu.

Overlooking the scenery of Lu Island (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

Braving the wind and waves, brave the fierce artillery fire of the enemy, the heroic officers and soldiers of the People's Liberation Army landed at the foot of this mountain. After two days and nights of bloody fighting, our army finally liberated the islands of Xiamen and Drum and achieved the final victory.

Tishan Xiaozhu (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

The green mountains bury loyal bones, and the history of history shines brightly on the hearts. After the liberation of Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, the people changed the name originally called "Qizaiwei Mountain" to "Hero Mountain". Thus expressing people's infinite memory of the revolutionary martyrs!

Gulangyu Concert Hall (Photo: Feng Ganyong)

In 2000 AD, the Gulangyu People's Government built a "Hero Garden" on the mountain to blend this glorious revolutionary historical site with the beautiful scenery of the south, so that people will never forget the baptism of blood and fire in the shower of strong winds and waves. (Photo and text: Feng Ganyong)