4 Best Sights in Gulangyu, Eastern China

This sculpture garden on the southeastern tip of Gulangyu Island is a fitting seaside memorial to Zhen Chenggong, also known as Koxinga, a famous Ming general who fought to protect China from the invading Manchus. A massive stone statue of him stares eastward from a perch hanging over the sea.

Throughout its various exhibition spaces, the truly unique Gulangyu Nostalgia Museum highlights the history of Fujian and Taiwan and showcases furnishings, decorative arts, curios, and curiosities.

Gulangyu holds a special place in the country's musical history, thanks to the large number of Christian missionaries who called the island home in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gulangyu has more pianos per capita than anyplace else in China, and the Piano Museum houses more than 70 beautifully preserved instruments that were once owned by famous pianists. Tucked away up a steep hill in the Shuzhuang Garden, this charming collection is a must for any music lover.

This lovely, peaceful garden on Gulangyu is immaculately kept and dotted with pavilions and bridges, some extending out to rocks just offshore. Built in 1913 by a wealthy Taiwanese merchant, the garden is home to several key sights, including the Piano Museum and the Twelve Cave Paradise, which comprises 12 caves formed from multicolor sandstone.