Gulangyu, a beautiful islet, separated from the main island by the 500-metre-wide Egret River, with an area of 177 square kilometers, enjoys the laudatory title "Garden on the Sea.". The original name of the islet was Yuan Zhou Zi. In the Ming Dynasty it was renamed Gulang, meaning ''drum waves" because the holes in the southwestern reefs hit by the waves make sounds like a drum. The Dragon Head Hill, Hoisting Flag Hill and Hen Hill stand in a line in the islet. Overlapping peaks foil the blue water, white clouds, green trees and bright flowers. The air in the islet is fresh. The entire place is free from any sort of vehicles and is particularly quiet. All these render an atmosphere of a fairyland. The architecture on the islet varies greatly in style, Chinese and foreign. Thus the islet has a laudatory title "the World Architecture Museum". The residents here love music and possess more pianos than anywhere in the nation, though there is only a population of 20,000 people. Thus the islet is praised as the "Piano Islet".

Today, Gulangyu is listed as one of the nation's major scenic spots. The main sites of interest here include the Sunlit Rock, Shuzhuang Park, Gangzihou Bathing Beach and Memorial Hall to Zheng Chenggong, which are visited annually by millions from all parts of the country and the world.