Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement

When Xiamen opened to foreign commerce in 1843, the islet of Kulangsu across the harbour became a meeting ground of worlds, formalized as an international settlement in 1903. Its lanes mix southern Fujian tradition with Classical Revival and veranda colonial building — and produced the Amoy Deco Style, a local synthesis of early modernism and Art Deco. UNESCO inscribed Kulangsu, a Historic International Settlement, in 2017.