Island of Music: Gulangyu's melodies resonate with world

Gulangyu Island in Xiamen. [Photo by Lin Yuyang for chinadaily.com.cn] 

Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, long renowned as the "Island of Music", truly lives up to its reputation with the annual Gulangyu Music Festival. After six years of refinement, the festival has evolved into a globally recognized cultural tourism attraction.

This year's edition featured nearly 100 performances spanning opera, string music, pipe organ, and pop music across the island. The festival attracted 26 international musicians from nine countries including Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, alongside over 320,000 music enthusiasts from around the world. 

Musical performances on Gulangyu Island. [Photo by Lin Yuyang for chinadaily.com.cn] 

Together, they immersed themselves in the vibrant musical energy of this UNESCO World Heritage site affectionately known as the "Island of Piano".

Artists from Germany, the UK and other countries unanimously praised the event, saying "music is everywhere here," while internationally renowned organ master Ludger Lohmann acclaimed Gulangyu as "truly one of a kind".

Renowned organ master Ludger Lohmann provides on-site guidance. [Photo by Lin Yuyang for chinadaily.com.cn] 

In preparation for hosting over 320,000 visitors (including 6,000 international guests), the organizers enhanced services by establishing multilingual assistance stations and providing maps in six languages. These improvements encouraged more tourists to extend their stays and engage in deeper cultural experiences on the island.