GulangIslandislocatedinthesouthwesttotheXiamenIsland.AttheendofYuanDynasty,itwascalled"CircularShoal"and"Ro[FrontPageImageMapComponent]undSandbar".InMingDynasty,thenameswerechangedinto"GulangIsland".Theislandcoversanareaof1.78kilometers,withabout23,000permanentresidents.Itisabut1,800meterslongand1,000meterswide,justlikeanellipse.Togetherwithawindingcostallineandfallingandrisingrocks,greentrees,redtilesandgoldensandenhancetooneanother'sbeauty.Bays,rocks,cliffsandhillsformapleasingscene.Buildingsofvariousstyles,thehigh-standingSunlightRock,andgroupsofflutteringseagullsconstituteashiningpictureofseaisland.GulangIslandisalsonamed"PearlontheEastSea"and"GardenontheSea",foritsuniquebeauty.In1988,itwasrankedasanationallyimportantsceniczone.

　　Inthesouthwestcorneroftheisland,therearetwooverlappingcrags,erodedbyseawaterovertheyears.Later,averticalholewasformedinthem.Wheneverthetideflewin,wavesrushedontothecrags,witharumblingsoundlikeanechoofthebeatingofadrum.Sopeoplecalledthecrags"CleavingWaveCrags".AndthenameofGulangIslandwasderived.

　　GulangIslandhasalwaysenjoyedthereputationofbeing"LandofMusic"and"LandofPiano".Ithadmorethan500pianosin1950'sand1960's.Manyworld-famousmusicianswereoncebornandgrewuphere.Theferrydockontheislandlookslikeapianowithitsopenlid,whichmayremindpeopleofitsuniqueappealassoonastheystepontothedock.

　　AftertheOpiumWar,Xiamenwasopenedupasoneofthefivetradingports.ThewesternPowerskeptpouringinandtookafancytoGulangIsland.In1902,theislandwasoccupiedasapublicconcession.Britain,America,France,Germany,Japan,Spain,Portugal,theNetherland,Austria,Norway,Swede,thePhillipinesandothercountriesonceestablishedtheirownconsulatesontheislandandsetupforeignfirms,hospitals,schoolsandchurches.SomerichoverseasChinesealsocomeheretobuildhousesandvillas,toinvestinrealestate.Whenthe

　　PacificWarbrokeoutin1941,GulangIslandwasoccupiedbyJapanalone.Morethan100yearsofcolonialruledidnotenduntilthesuccessoftheAnti-JapaneseWarwasachieved.

　　Becauseofthatspecialperiodofhistory,thebuildingsontheislandareofagreatvariety.TherearesouthFujianhouseswithupturnedeaves,theEightTrigramsTowercalled"LittleWhiteHouse",grandandtoweringcatholicchurches,Europeanbuildingswithredtilesandlargeroofs,andvillasofbothChineseandwesternstyles.TheislandmayberatedasMuseumof"Ten-thousandNations'Buildings".

　　ThestreetsandbuildingsonGulangIslandarebuiltatbothsidesofthemountain.Somearespiralinghighup,andsomearelowlyzigzagging,accordingtothegeographicallocation.Beautifulflowersareinbloomeverywhereindeeplanes,andgreenvinesareclimblingonthehousewalls.Thisisapeacefulplace,withdowntownareas,butwithoutvehiclescomingandgoing,andwithoutthenoisesofvehicles.

　　Mountainrangesriseandfallontheisland,withDragonHeadMountainbeingthehighestpeak,whichstandsagainstTigerHeadMountainofXiamenontheoppositeshore.SothereisafolkstorythatadragonandatigerguardtheXiamenport.IntheeastoftheislandisFlag-raisingMountain.InitswestisBijia(Penholder)Mountain.Theobtrudingpartoppositet