Gulangyu

A small island off the coast of Xiamen, Gulangyu was the site of an international settlement in the late nineteenth century and retains an extraordinary density of colonial-era villas in European, American, and hybrid Sino-European styles. The island is entirely car-free and its tiled-roofed alleys are flanked by bougainvillea-draped mansions. The Sunlight Rock viewpoint above the harbor overlooks both the island roofscape and the Xiamen city skyline.