Gulangyu called home by famed intellectuals

Diversity on the 2-square-kilometer island has produced multitudes of renowned celebrities and leaders in many fields, Yang Cheng reports.

Gulangyu Island, of the coast of Xiamen in Fujian province, is smaller than 2 square kilometers and yet is known as the "magic celebrity islet" home to many of China's leading scholars and celebrities.

A view over Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, a coastal city of East China's Fujian province. The islet is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list. [Photo by Hu Meidong/China Daily]

Zhan Zhaoxia, executive editor of the Journal of Gulangyu Studies, said cultural diversity is key to the unparalleled number of renowned national contributors that emerged from the island.  

"Since the 1920s, 'International Settlement' was carved on tablets on the island and people from Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia came here, indicating the island is an international community with residents from around the world," Zhan said.

Gulangyu has a strong blend of three cultures: Christianity, Southeast Asian and Minnan from southern Fujian province.