Gulangyu Island in Xiamen: The sound of pianos fills the island to attract visitors, and music flows through the streets.

China News Service, Xiamen, October 5th. Title: Gulangyu Island, Xiamen: The sound of the piano attracts tourists all over the island, and the music flows through the streets and alleys.

Author Wu Guanbiao

"I heard the sound of the piano as soon as I got off the boat. Along the way, there were performers everywhere. As a fellow traveler, I felt very friendly." Su Jinzhi, a violinist from Taipei, said during an interview on Gulangyu Island in Xiamen. Recently, he and mainland musicians performed the Taiwanese folk song "Looking at the Spring Breeze" at the "Island·Shadow" Gulangyu Youth Song Concert.

The 15th Gulangyu Piano Art Week is being held and will last until October 6. More than 60 cultural activities will be held throughout the China National Day holiday. From the Piano Pier to the Bagua Tower, from the century-old courtyard to the coastal beach, Gulangyu, an island in southern Fujian, has been transformed into a "concert hall without walls."

On October 2nd, the 15th Gulangyu Piano Art Week is being held. The picture shows the orchestra playing music at the Gulangyu Piano Pier. Photo by Wu Guanbiao

Gulangyu Piano Art Week gathers famous artists and attracts many tourists. During the Arts Week, Canadian pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin gave consecutive piano solo concerts, Russian artists Andrey Pisarev and Ivan Koshcheev gave dual piano concerts, and German organist Jörg Halubek gave an organ solo concert, which entertained visitors.

Hamelin is very fond of Gulangyu, the "island of music". Last year, he was invited to become the artist-in-residence on Gulangyu Island. In addition to performing, he also looks forward to integrating into local daily life. The crisp sound of dice led him to the scene of the folk custom "Mid-Autumn Cake Betting" in southern Fujian. He learned the pie-betting formula of "one show, two moves", and experienced the excitement and good luck with citizens and tourists in the cheers of "the number one winner" and "the opponent". "I'm also obsessed with Chinese hot pot and want to try all kinds of flavors," he said.

Outside the palace, a piano robot responds to visitors' requests and performs well-known pieces with four hands of real people. A dancing robot takes turns to show off various dances. There are performances in the square one after another. Mobile piano performance points are scattered in the streets, and visitors can encounter the sound of the piano when they turn the corner.

On October 1, multiple dancing robots performed on Gulangyu Island, attracting tourists to stop and watch. Photo by Wu Guanbiao

"Gulangyu Island is so beautiful. Every corner here is related to music. It is a pleasure to play and visit here." Anzhela Davtian, a student at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music, said.

Piano Art Week also adds new ways to holiday cultural tourism. The "Qindao Music Travel" cultural tourism passport connects check-in points on the island, and tourists can participate in cake betting and redeem limited edition cultural creations by collecting stamps; Yanping Theater's "Island Art Life Collection" collects derivatives, food and handicrafts; intangible cultural heritage experience classes are opened simultaneously with the special exhibition of the Gulangyu Forbidden City Cultural Relics Museum.

On October 2, musicians can often be seen playing popular songs in the streets of Gulangyu Island. Photo by Wu Guanbiao

Taking advantage of the holidays, Shanghai tourist Wang Ke took his parents and daughter to walk on Gulangyu Island. “Watching robot performances at the Piano Pier during the day, admiring chrysanthemums in Shuzhuang Garden, and listening to courtyard concerts at night. Children can also take traditional cultural handicraft classes at the Forbidden City Museum on the island. Three generations of the family can find their own fun.”

According to statistics, Gulangyu received nearly 200,000 tourists from October 1st to 4th. With music as the medium and cultural and plastic tourism, the sound of the "Island of Music" is still flowing in the streets and alleys during the holidays. (over)