Kulangsu, or Gulangyu, is a small island across a narrow strait from the city of Xiamen, and the first thing to know is that you will have to leave your motorcycle behind: no motor vehicles are allowed on the island apart from a few electric service carts. You get there by ferry, and that is part of the charm. Once on the island, the noise of the city disappears, replaced by the sound of footsteps on narrow lanes, birdsong and, quite often, piano music drifting from an open window. Kulangsu is known as the island of pianos, with a long tradition of music and a piano museum.
After the Opium Wars, Xiamen was opened to foreign trade, and in 1903 Kulangsu became an international settlement, where consulates, churches, schools and the mansions of foreign merchants and wealthy Chinese returning from Southeast Asia were built. The result is a remarkable mixture of styles: colonial verandas, Art Deco villas, Chinese courtyards and buildings that blend all of them together, set among banyan trees, bougainvillea and gardens. The island was added to the World Heritage list in 2017. Sunlight Rock, the highest point, offers views over the island, the strait and the skyline of Xiamen.
Xiamen itself is a pleasant coastal city with a relaxed atmosphere, a university campus by the sea and the Nanputuo temple at the foot of the hills. Riding in the city, however, is complicated: like many Chinese cities, Xiamen restricts motorcycles in much of the urban area, and foreign riders need a Chinese licence and properly registered vehicle. The better riding lies inland, in the mountains of southern Fujian, where roads wind through tea plantations and forests towards the earthen tulou, the great round communal houses of the Hakka and other communities, which are also a World Heritage site and make a fine destination for a day or two.
Fuel, food and accommodation are plentiful in Xiamen. On Kulangsu itself, the lanes are full of small cafés, guesthouses, shops selling dried seafood and pastries, and stalls offering fish balls and oyster omelettes, a local speciality. Go early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the crowds of day visitors, who can make the main lanes very busy at weekends and holidays.