The Hong Kong media delegation continued its Fujian tour on August 4, spending the afternoon on Gulangyu Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where they explored its century‑old international community through a rich tapestry of architectural styles. In the evening, the delegation strolled along Zhongshan Street and visited the Qiaopi Exhibition Hall, discovering the enduring nostalgia of Minnan culture.
The Gulangyu Piano Pier, Photo by Bastille Post
Arriving by ferry at the Gulangyu Piano Pier, the delegation stepped into a tranquil “garden on the sea," an island where red‑brick villas, consulates, and arched colonnades stand alongside swaying banyan trees, weaving a living tapestry of East and West.
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The Gulangyu Piano Pier, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu Piano Museum, Photo by Bastille Post
The impromptu piano performance by museum staff, Photo by Bastille Post
The former British Consulate, Photo by Bastille Post
Picasso pieces in the collection of the Art Space, Photo by Bastille Post
The Bagua Building, Photo by Bastille Post
The entrance of the Gulangyu Pipe Organ Art Center, Photo by Bastille Post
The Norman‑Beard pipe organ, Photo by Bastille Post
The director performed different styles of music on the spot, from ethereal and melodious to majestic and powerful, fully demonstrating the pipe organ’s rich expressiveness. Photo by Bastille Post
The Zhongshan Street, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi Exhibition Hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The display item at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The sailing ship model in the exhibition, Photo by Bastille Post
Su Xiaodong, chief curator of the Qiaopi Exhibition Hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
Covering just 1.88 square kilometres, Gulangyu has served as a window for Sino‑Western cultural exchange since the 1840s, with over a thousand buildings blending Chinese and Western architectural styles. In 2017, the island was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
The Gulangyu island, Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation’s first stop was the Gulangyu Piano Museum, housed in Shuzhuang Garden. Built in 1913, the garden was originally the private villa of Lin Erjia, a wealthy Taiwanese businessman. Nestled against the hills and overlooking the sea, it blends natural scenery with garden design. The museum displays dozens of antique pianos from around the world, bearing witness to Gulangyu’s rich musical heritage as the “Piano Island.” On‑site staff gave an impromptu performance of Waves of Gulangyu on a century‑old piano, enchanting the delegation members with its melodic charm.
The Gulangyu Piano Museum, Photo by Bastille Post
The impromptu piano performance by museum staff, Photo by Bastille Post
The second stop was the former British Consulate. This 19th‑century colonial‑style building has been repurposed as the Gulangyu Art Space of the National Art Museum of China, the museum's first local branch. Currently featuring 21 contemporary artworks ranging from painting and sculpture to installation art, the century‑old arcades and columns create a striking dialogue between past and present, infusing the historic space with new vitality and adding a fresh cultural layer to Gulangyu.
The former British Consulate, Photo by Bastille Post
Picasso pieces in the collection of the Art Space, Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation concluded its Gulangyu tour at the island's landmark — the Bagua Building. Built in 1907, this red‑domed structure is the largest and tallest villa on the island. Today, it houses the Gulangyu Pipe Organ Art Center, a world‑class museum and the only one of its kind in China, with a collection of over 5,000 organs of every description.
The Bagua Building, Photo by Bastille Post
The entrance of the Gulangyu Pipe Organ Art Center, Photo by Bastille Post
The centre’s most striking feature is a magnificent Norman‑Beard pipe organ, several storeys high. The guide explained that this giant instrument was purchased from abroad in 2004, disassembled, shipped to Xiamen, and reassembled over three months. The Art Center officially opened to the public in 2005, and this pipe organ has been played there for 21 years.
The Norman‑Beard pipe organ, Photo by Bastille Post
The core difference between a pipe organ and a piano lies in their sound production: a piano is a struck string instrument, relying on hammers to strike the strings; a pipe organ, on the other hand, is an aerophone, requiring continuous airflow and valve opening to produce sound. The instrument is divided into two main parts: the lower section is the performance console, and the upper section contains the sound pipes. The console features a three‑tiered manual keyboard and a single‑tiered foot keyboard, with a structure vastly different from a standard piano. White circular draw‑knobs are located on both sides; by adjusting the push‑pull combinations, the timbres of various instruments can be simulated. The director also performed different styles of music on the spot, from ethereal and melodious to majestic and powerful, fully demonstrating the pipe organ’s rich expressiveness.
The director performed different styles of music on the spot, from ethereal and melodious to majestic and powerful, fully demonstrating the pipe organ’s rich expressiveness. Photo by Bastille Post
After nightfall, the delegation strolled through Zhongshan Street. This century‑old Nanyang‑style arcade street is a benchmark for the integration of urban renewal and cultural tourism in Xiamen, carrying the memories of a century of trade between Fujian and Hong Kong overseas Chinese merchants.
The Zhongshan Street, Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation focused on visiting the Qiaopi Exhibition Hall on Zhongshan Street. Following the recent popularity of the film Dear You, the exhibition hall has seen a significant increase in daily visitors, with many parents bringing their children to experience the interactive installations for handwritten Qiaopi (overseas Chinese remittance letters), bringing the warmth of traditional letter‑writing back into the public eye.
The Qiaopi Exhibition Hall, Photo by Bastille Post
Su Xiaodong, chief curator of the Qiaopi Exhibition Hall and founder of Xiamen Xinge Cultural and Creative Industry Co., Ltd., explained that Zhongshan Road once housed 286 Qiaopi agencies, accounting for 95% of the total in Fujian Province. It was the core distribution hub for Qiaopi in southern Fujian, radiating to Quanzhou and Zhangzhou and connecting Kinmen and Taiwan. The hall building is a renovated ancient structure, preserving the original architectural features. Interactive exhibits include an ancient sailboat and a Ming‑dynasty lighthouse. The exhibition hall houses over 300 Qiaopi letters from Xiamen, including precious artefacts such as letters written during the War of Resistance against Japan and family letters documenting the abolition of foot‑binding in modern times.
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The Qiaopi collection at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The display item at the exhibition hall, Photo by Bastille Post
The sailing ship model in the exhibition, Photo by Bastille Post
On the cultural connotations of Qiaopi, Su Xiaodong said many visitors ask whether these letters contain words like “I love you.” In reality, he noted, such sentimental expressions are rarely found in the letters written by Minnan and Chaoshan ancestors. Instead, Qiaopi carry the most authentic narratives of survival: “When I send this letter back, it’s thousands of miles away. I can’t return, so I send a Qiaopi. When it arrives, it tells my family I’m safe. Money and news arriving together means I’m safe, all kinds of safe.”
He continued: “As the saying goes, a letter from home is worth its weight in gold. And Qiaopi are truly worth that much, not because of the money, but because of the warmth and affection they carry across the distance.”
Su Xiaodong, chief curator of the Qiaopi Exhibition Hall, Photo by Bastille Post
According to Su Xiaodong, the exhibition hall is now planning to take the Qiaopi exhibition overseas, with Singapore as the first stop. OCBC Bank will open its century‑old Qiaopi archives there, allowing them to be cross‑referenced and integrated with the historical materials held by the Xiamen museum. The exhibition is also set to travel to Malaysia at a later stage.
The Hong Kong media delegation’s visit to Fujian concluded with visits to the Shangxiahang Historic District and the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys). They toured the Ming and Qing dynasty architectural complexes, learned about cultural heritage preservation and revitalisation, and explored opportunities for cultural and tourism cooperation between Fujian and Hong Kong, as well as spaces for youth exchange.
The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation visited the Shangxiahang Historic District on Nantai Island in Fuzhou. Located near the Minjiang River, this area was once Fuzhou’s most important commercial port and a hub for overseas Chinese merchants. The district retains numerous warehouses, shops, and arcade buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the Republic of China period. The bluestone paths and ancient wharf relics intertwine, telling the story of its bustling past with the flow of goods and remittances.
The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
Today, through protective restoration and the integration of cultural and creative elements, the Shangxiahang Historic District is gradually transforming into a cultural space that blends historical memory with modern life. Visitors can stroll among the ancient houses and experience the profound commercial culture of Fujian.
The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post
Photo by Bastille Post
The prosperity of the Shangxiahang Historic District is inseparable from the delicate fragrance of jasmine. Jasmine is the city flower of Fuzhou. A century ago, the streets of Shangxiahang were lined with tea warehouses, their fragrance filling the air. Tens of thousands of dan (1 dan ≈ 50 kg) of jasmine tea departed from the docks, its aroma spreading far and wide. The city’s most representative tea‑making technique, the Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process, became Fuzhou's first world‑class intangible cultural heritage item. In 2014, Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process was included in the fourth batch of National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2022, six national‑level intangible cultural heritage representative projects, including “Scenting Techniques of Jasmine Tea, Fuzhou” from “Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China,” were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thus, Fuzhou jasmine tea possesses two highly valuable “world‑class” titles.
The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process, Photo by Bastille Post
The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process uses roasted green tea as a base, mixing in fresh jasmine buds. After several rounds of mixing and resting, the aromas blend, allowing the tea flavour and floral fragrance to permeate each other and become one. Fujian is the birthplace of jasmine tea, employing a “scenting” process. This involves piling jasmine flowers and tea leaves together, allowing the flowers to release their fragrance and the tea leaves to absorb it. Finally, the flowers are sifted out, leaving only the tea leaves. Therefore, Fujian's distinctive jasmine tea is “tea without flowers” – you taste the tea, but smell the delicate jasmine aroma.
Tea leaves, Photo by Bastille Post
The tea‑making process is meticulously timed. Jasmine flowers must be picked in the afternoon, around 2 or 3 pm when the sun is strongest, as the buds are full and the fragrance is most intense. After being transported back, they need to be spread out in a well‑ventilated area overnight, allowing the buds to naturally open and release their fragrance. The tea artisans then stay up all night to ensure the aroma is at its peak, locking the fresh essence of jasmine into the tea leaves. During the scenting process, layers of flowers and tea are alternately piled up. The tea absorbs the floral fragrance, and then the flowers are sifted out, completing one “scenting cycle”, which in the local tea artisans' dialect is called “yin”, a term passed down through generations in the industry. The minimum is three scenting cycles, considered an entry‑level process, while the maximum can reach nine. Nine‑scented jasmine tea requires three months to process. Between each scenting cycle, the tea leaves need to “rest” for several days to allow their properties to stabilise before proceeding to the next cycle. After scenting, the final step is roasting to lock in the aroma and moisture. The entire process is lengthy and complex, relying entirely on the tea maker's experience and patience.
The Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), Photo by Bastille Post
Another representative attraction in Fuzhou, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lane and Seven Alleys), is a national‑level historical and cultural block, hailed as a “living fossil of the residential ward system.” Composed of three lanes, seven alleys, and a central axis, Nanhou Street, the block preserves over 200 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It produced a large number of influential figures in modern Chinese history, including Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, Shen Baozhen, Lin Juemin, and Bing Xin, hence the saying, “One Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block is half of modern Chinese history.” The block perfectly preserves its Ming and Qing architectural complex, with a well‑organised layout of lanes and alleys, and simple yet elegant residences, revealing the profound cultural heritage of Fuzhou.
Sanfang Qixiang's 'Love Tree," Photo by Bastille Post
Yan Fu's historic residence, Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation visited Yan Fu's historic residence, an old house built in the Qing Dynasty, which was the residence of Yan Fu, a modern Chinese enlightenment thinker, in his later years. Although the house is not large, its layout is rigorous, and the furnishings in the halls are simple, revealing the scholarly spirit of this translator of Evolution and Ethics. Then, the delegation entered the Waterside Performing Stage, a wooden stage built over a pond. This stage, once a place for officials and their families to hold banquets and watch plays, still retains its exquisite elegance.
Yan Fu's historic residence, Photo by Bastille Post
Besides the ancient architecture, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block also features Yanyuan restaurant, which serves the renowned Tongli Rouyan (also known as Tongli tiny wontons). Founded during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Tongli Rouyan has been passed down through five generations and are one of Fuzhou's most renowned time‑honoured brands. Rouyan, also known as “Taiping Yan,” is an indispensable traditional delicacy for Fuzhou people during festivals, weddings, and funerals. Its name, a homophone for “Taiping” (meaning peace and prosperity), embodies the Fuzhou people's good wishes for peace and good fortune.
Tongli Rouyan, Photo by Bastille Post
Chen Junfan, the fourth‑generation inheritor of Fujian's intangible cultural heritage of Rouyan craftsmanship, explained that Tongli Rouyan insists on traditional handmade production, selecting lean pork from the hind leg, repeatedly pounding it to create paper‑thin wonton wrappers, which are then wrapped around a special meat filling. The finished product is crystal clear and has a tender texture. He revealed that he will travel to Hong Kong to participate in this year's HKTDC Food Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, allowing Hong Kong citizens to experience the taste of Fuzhou.
Chen Junfan, Photo by Bastille Post
The delegation also observed the Shoushan stone carving technique up close. Shoushan stone is the foremost of China's traditional “Four Great Seal Stones,” produced in Shoushan Township, northern suburbs of Fuzhou. It was included in the first batch of National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage lists in 2006. At the Shoushan Stone Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Base, the delegation saw a “Manchu-Han Imperial Feast”, including sea cucumber, durian, and even a hamburger carved from Shoushan stone.
The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post
The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post
The hamburger carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post
Ye Qin, an inheritor of Shoushan stone carving technique, explained that Shoushan stone has been mined since the Song Dynasty. Due to its soft texture and rich colours, it is particularly suitable for intricate carving, requiring great skill in design from the carver. She pointed out that the Song Dynasty was the most prosperous period for literati, and seals were widely used in calligraphy and painting. Shoushan stone, with its moderate softness, ease of carving, and ability to leave clear impressions, became the preferred material for seals. She emphasised that seals are a unique symbol of China's five‑thousand‑year culture, “This is the symbol of China.”
The stone seal, Photo by Bastille Post
Ye Qin further pointed out that Shoushan stone is a non‑renewable resource, with a formation cycle of hundreds of millions of years. With increasingly strict controls, its mining volume will continue to decrease in the future. “If you come to Fuzhou in 5 or 10 years, there may not be any more of this stone for carving, but the carving technique is eternal; only the medium of creation has changed.”
Sun Zhaoyong, another representative inheritor of Shoushan stone carving technique, said he is currently creating the “Fuzhou Fu” series, incorporating Fuzhou cultural symbols such as Wuyi rock tea and jasmine tea into Shoushan stone carvings.
Zhou Wei. Photo by Bastille Post
Zhou Wei, chief engineer of the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block, stated that the block has adhered to the principle of “protection first, rescue first,” actively utilising digital means to empower cultural tourism experiences while repairing and protecting historic buildings. An AR tour project has already been launched, allowing tourists to interact with ancient architecture through their mobile phones, making the old houses “speak and interact,” telling the historic stories of the thousand‑year‑old alleys to the public in a more vivid way.
The ancient structures on site, Photo by Bastille Post
According to Zhou Wei, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block has established a mature research and study reception system. The block has a Fujian‑Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Exchange Base, which regularly receives Hong Kong youth research groups. In 2025, the block officially received 10 groups of Hong Kong tourists, totalling over 200 people. The “Connecting Hearts, Meeting in Youth: Fuzhou & Hong Kong” event held this March attracted 100 Hong Kong youths to the block for study tours, enhancing their understanding of Fujian culture through visits to traditional houses and experiences in intangible cultural heritage.
He also mentioned that Fujian and Hong Kong have reached a cultural tourism cooperation agreement to jointly develop multi‑stop tours, joint promotion of intangible cultural heritage, and study tours of traditional houses for Hong Kong and Macau youth. The Fujian‑Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Exchange Base established within the block continues to provide a platform for cultural exchange and entrepreneurial cooperation between young people from both regions.
