Nan Putuo Temple is Xiamen's greatest place of worship. It is an active Buddhist complex of grand halls, bell towers, inscribed rocks and pavilions built into a rocky hillside. The temple dates from the Tang Dynasty, but it has been extensively rebuilt in the thousand years since. This is a fine place to watch locals pray for riches and burn incense.

At the highest hall, a gigantic character meaning Buddha was carved into a massive boulder. Most people think of this character when Nan Putuo Temple comes to their minds.

Gulang Island is the most engrossing attraction in Xiamen. It enjoys laudatory titles as Garden on the Sea, or an Island of Music, or Piano Island etc.

rate in China. When walking along the twisting lanes in the evening, one can easily hear soothing sounds emitting from garden villas, of a pianist in rehearsal or a private concert. Placed on the southeast cusp of Gulangyu like a beacon is the statue of the robed warrior Koxinga (Zhen Ghenggong), who, regarded as a national hero, expelled the Dutch from Taiwan in 1661.

Overlooking the beach is one of the island's best-known gardens, Shuzhuang Garden. It is a small seaside garden with a zigzag bridge, a large goldfish pond, and a massive honeycombed wall of lake rock. The Piano Museum, with a collection of over 40 ancient and precious pianos donated by Mr. Hu Youyi, an Austrian Chinese born in the Gulangyu Island, stands on the green slope embraced by the sea.

Gulangyu's finest overlook is Sunlight Rock, the highest of the island's peaks. The summit of Sunlight Rock is a short, steep climb along rock paths dotted with flower gardens, old cannon, small cafes, and a number of amusement arcades, yurts, and contemporary metal sculptures. From the top the outlines of Gulangyu, the harbor, and downtown Xiamen to the east are in full view.