Blogs from Gulangyu, Xiamen, Fujian, China, Asia - page 2

Gulangyu, Xiamen... read more

On the hard sleeper train to Xiamen we met an extremely friendly Chinese student called Jing Jing. Jing Jing was returning home from Hangzhou after visiting here brother. Even before the train had set off Jing Jing had greeted us and immediately offered us a vacum packed chicken's foot with an oreo biscuit to wash it down. Up until this point we were more than aware of the ready to eat delicacies that were to be found in Chinese mini markets and although we were keen to try new things we hadn't been particularly forthcoming in trying chicken's feet. The particular feet in question were small by comparison but no more appetising to our western palet. We didn't want to be rude by refusing and so did our best to niddle and swallow a few morcels. ... read more

Dinsdag 15 juli. We startten met Chinees ontbijt met gestoomde broodjes, groenten, zoete broodjes, maar wel met Nescafé in plaats van rijstwater en wat Westerse broodjes, kaas en speculoos. Voor 1 kuai reden we met de bus naar de vertrekplaats van de ferry, bestemming het eiland Gulangyu. We vaarden rond het eiland zodat we een beeld kregen van de Sunlight Rock en het standbeeld van Koxinga (die de Nederlanders van Taiwan veegde), mooie Europese huizen (daar kom je toch voor naar China), palmbomen en strand. Het eiland ademt een Zuid-Europese sfeer uit met zijn smalle straatjes, elegante huizen en mooie tuinen. In de Burga Tower bezochten we het orgelmuseum opgericht door Mr. Hu Yonyi, een Chinees die in Australië woont. Hij wou dat dit museum het grootste orgelmuseum van de wereld wordt. Het bezit een collectie ... read more

It's now day 5 on the road and the time is nearing for me to leave Xiamen. Unfortunately the train for Guangzhou leaves in the evening so I have pretty much most of the day to spend waiting for this train. Yesterday was a great day, another early start and very productive day! I seem to be waking up early and hitting the sack early. I headed off to "Gulang Yu" which is only a ten minute ferry ride from Xiamen. Gulang Yu used to have a well established foreign community in the 1880's. I'd heard lots about it before arriving but it was even better than I had expected. One of the islands claims to fame is that many of China's famous musicians hail from here. I had been told some people call it the ... read more

A five minute ferry ride from the city of Xiamen, Gulangyu is an island still transitioning from its colonial past. Its a fine example of China's cultural resilience. The look is still European, but the vibe is entirely Chinese. A Brief Overview of the History of the Concessions The Opium Wars were a terrible loss for China, not only because it legalized a terrible drug addiction and cemented a bankrupting trade imbalance but it opened China to European concessions. These concessions reflected the social darwinism of the time, as Chinese citizens were not allowed entry. The European architecture stamps the Chinese cities with a near permanent reminder of their brutal loss. Gulangyu was foreign occupied after the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842 and remained so until 1949 with the Chinese Communist victory. The island was abandoned ... read more