Gulangyu (鼓浪屿) is a small island a ten-minute ferry ride from Xiamen's waterfront, and it is the most distinctive place in Fujian. Cars are banned — the only motor vehicles are small electric carts for residents — which gives the island an unusual quiet that makes it feel nothing like mainland China. The streets are narrow residential lanes with colonial mansions built by foreign merchants, returned overseas Chinese, and missionary institutions over the 19th and early 20th centuries. Bougainvillea covers the walls, the architecture ranges from Baroque to Dutch colonial to the eclectic Nanyang style of the Hokkien diaspora.
The island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017 for its mix of architectural heritage and cultural exchange. The main tourist drag along the ferry pier is busy and souvenir-heavy; five minutes' walk into the residential interior and the crowds thin to almost nothing. Sunmengling Hill gives the best view over the island rooftops and back across the water to Xiamen. The best time to visit is a weekday morning, before the day-trippers arrive from the mainland.