Kulangsu Blends East and West

Thanks to its unique style of architecture， the Fujian Province island is named World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO

Forty-nine-year-old Wu Yongqi， who is a well-known self-taught historian and expert on Chinese folklore， has lived in Kulangsu （Gulangyu）， a small island in southeast China’s Fujian Province， for 17 years. As the producer of a Kulangsu promotional film for the island’s application for UNESCO World Heritage recognition， he believes that his participation in this process marks the most significant accomplishment that he has ever made.

At the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee held on July 8， 2017， Kulangsu， crowned as the Garden on the Sea， was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List as a cultural site. It is China’s 52nd property on the list， making China the country with the largest number of World Heritage Site.

In its application， 51 representative historical buildings， four historical roads， seven natural landscapes and two cultural relics were selected in the composition of Kulangsu’s heritage attributes. Alongside more than 900 well-preserved historical buildings， gardens and a network of historical roads， they compose a unique architectural view of the small island.

The nomination text examined at the 41st session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee reads that Kulangsu is “a model for exchanges of diverse cultures at the early globalization stage” that “witnessed China’s twists and turns to modernization in the early waves of globalization. Under the special Sino-foreign joint management mode， and through the construction efforts of local Chinese， returned overseas Chinese and foreign residents from many other countries， Kulangsu developed into an international settlement with outstanding cultural diversity and modern living quality”.

Frontier for Multicultural Exchanges

Kulangsu， located at the estuary of the Chiu-lung River， is a tiny island with an area of less than two square kilometers. It faces the city of Xiamen across the Lujiang Strait. It is said that in the past there was a two-meter-tall rock with a hole in it on the southwestern coast of the island， and every time the rock was lashed by waves， it would make a sound similar to that of a drum. Therefore， the rock was called Kulang Stone （Drum Wave Stone） and the island was named Kulangsu — after the rock — in the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）.

With the opening of Xiamen as a commercial port after the First Opium War （1840-42） during the Qing Dynasty （1644-1911）， Kulangsu became an important shipping and trading hub on the southeast coast of China， and established close ties with Japan and Southeast Asian countries. The island was approved as an international settlement in the wake of the Land Regulations for the Settlement of Kulangsu， Amoy finalized in 1902. Following that approval， 13 countries， including Britain， the United States， France， Germany and Japan， established consulates on the island.

In 1903， the Kulangsu Municipal Council was established， marking the start of multicultural exchanges and integration on the island. Kulangsu gradually developed from a traditional settlement into a community with foreign residents from many different Western countries.

During this period， dissemination of foreign culture produced an extensive and far-reaching influence on the island in aspects including religion， health care， cultural life， education and sports. At the same time， as a great number of large， new homes were built by its foreign residents， the veranda colonial style was brought to Kulangsu， a typical architectural style for foreigners’ homes in colonized areas of Southeast Asia.

After the establishment of the Municipal Council in the early 20th Century， Kulangsu not only witnessed the influx of an increasing number of Western residents， but also attracted a large number of wealthy Chinese merchants from Fujian and Taiwan， as well as overseas Chinese and various elites， to settle down， making the island a modern community with both international and local characteristics. The returned overseas Chinese gradually became the leading force promoting the development of Kulangsu. In the construction of new homes and public facilities， they created new and unique modern architectural styles， representing a blend of Chinese and Western styles. Combining both local and exotic cultural elements， architectural techniques as well as decorative themes， buildings in these styles contribute much to the island’s cultural heritage.

A total of more than 1，200 historical residences， large and small， are scattered across the island. The most significant ones include Bagua Mansion， Huang Family Villa， Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion， Yang Family Mansion， Kanqing Villa， Huang Cimin Villa and the Former Staff Residence of HSBC Bank. These buildings are tangible evidence of the fusion of diverse Eastern and Western cultures.

Storytelling Buildings

“Compared to the historical villas in Qingdao and Tianjin， those of Kulangsu are more diverse in style and more independent in layout，” explained architect Mr. Lin. In addition to single structures， the island is also home to a number of villa complexes such as Huang Family Villa， Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion and Yang Family Mansion.

Indonesian overseas Chinese Huang Yizhu was an important figure in the development of Kulangsu’s architecture. In 1921， he founded the China South Sea Bank Limited， the name of which reflects the connection between China and Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Shanghai， the bank played an important role in modern China. It was the only private bank that was allowed to issue banknotes in the country during the early years of the Republic of China （1912-1949）， as well as the largest bank invested by overseas Chinese during the same period.

In 1922， the China South Sea Bank set up a branch in Kulangsu and established its business office at the corner of Longtou Road. According to Wu Yongqi， the greatest contribution of the China South Sea Bank was its effort to facilitate investment from overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia in the development of China’s national industry.

Situated at today’s No. 27， 29 and 31 Huangyan Road， the Huang Family Villa was originally built by Huang Yizhu when he returned from Indonesia to China and settled down in Kulangsu in 1920. Covering a total area of 4，500 square meters， the building cluster is a reconstruction of former residences of foreigners by integrating traditional Chinese architectural elements into the overall layout of the complex， reflecting Kulangsu’s inclusiveness of diverse cultures and the pursuit of popular architectural styles of the time.

Regarded as a perfect marriage of Eastern and Western styles， Hai Tian Tang Gou Mansion was built by Philippine Chinese Huang Xiuliang and Huang Nianyi between 1920 and 1930. Located on Fujian Road， it is a large-scale building complex consisting of five villas occupying a total land area of 6，500 square meters.

The island’s successful inscription on the World Heritage List will provide the historical buildings and cultural relics of Kulangsu further protection and better recognition， bringing the island to greater prominence than ever before.

“Among all cities which could provide such representation， Kulangsu is shown to be unique in that it has witnessed mutual reference and a cultural fusion between diverse cultures that have materialized in an organic urban fabric and a slow self-transformation，” concluded the International Council on Monuments and Sites in its report on Kulangsu.