On July 8th, 2017, Kulangsu was included in the prestigious World Heritage List as a cultural site. So far, China has 52 sites inscribed on the List.
As Xiamen’s largest satellite islet, Kulangsu is renowned for its delicate natural beauty, ancient relics, and varied colonial architecture.
The Kulangsu delegation at the 41st session of the World Heritage Committee which will be held from July 2nd to 12th this year in Krakow, Poland.
One day earlier, Qinghai Hoh Xil was put on the list as a natural site, becoming the 51st Chinese site inscribed on the List.
Kulangsu’s heritage includes a settlement composed of 931 historical buildings, representing a variety of local and international architectural styles, natural sceneries, historic roads and gardens.
It took nine years to get Kulangsu successfully inscribed on the List. The inscription will help give better protection for the historic islet.
Latest major happenings of Gulangyu
Real-name ticketing system for waterway passenger service
The facial recognition machines have replaced manual checks starting from July 1st, 2017. Tourists and residents of Gulangyu Island all need to need to provide tickets, valid ID documents and undergo the facial recognition before getting on ferry boats to Gulangyu.
Starting from June 1st, 2017, three waterway passenger service lines, namely Xiagu Wharf-Neicuoao Wharf, Xiagu Wharf-Sanqiutian Wharf and Songgu Wharf-Neicuoao wharf, implemented a new real-name ticketing system.
The real-name system also took effect on ro-ro ships (ships for transporting vehicles) linking Xiamen and Zhangzhou starting from June 1st this year.
Maximum number of daily visitors on Gulangyu
Starting from June 30th, the total allowed number of visitors per day to Gulangyu Island will be reduced from 65,000 to 50,000.
The new limit aims to improve quality of tourism and daily life for residents on Gulangyu.
Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artefacts
The first branch of the Palace Museum — The Kulangsu Gallery of Foreign Artifacts – opened on May 13th this year.
A total of 219 foreign artifacts are on display in the museum.
2017 Gulangyu Cup International Football Clubs Tournament
About 250 footballers in 20 teams participated in the 2017 Gulangyu Cup, held on June 17th at the Gulangyu People’s Stadium. The tournament featured participation from four women’s teams this year, two more than last year.
More than 80 percent of the footballers in this year’s tournament were foreign players.
Since the Gulangyu Cup’s debut in 2012, the football tournament in the century-old Gulangyu People’s Stadium has worked to rejuvenate the popularity of this world game on Gulangyu Island.
Source: WOX Team
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