Want a taste of Europe in China? Gulang Island has just the thing. Though the island has suffered from the ongoing rampage of China’s 20th century political turmoil it still maintains what I believe is among the best selection of European architecture in China. Though houses are old, some of them crumbling down, many have been renovated and turned into luxury boutique hotels or private retreats of the wealthier locals and west-born Chinese.
A walk across the island is an architectural treat. I’ve walked into a few of those buildings and spoke to some of the owners. At some parts of the island it truly feels European…
Here, walk with me…
To complement some of the western looking buildings are also some very old Chinese teahouses and temples, some of them still very much in operation and very happy to have visitors…
But, as I pointed out, not all is so presentable. Some of the old buildings are deserted and falling apart.
A good business opportunity, perhaps, if you understand about these sorts of things.
A lovely retreat from modern over-developed China with a historical colonial European touch. A place to linger, one of my favorite spots so far in China.
Other previous posts on Gulang Island :