The China Journal - Day 45-46

After inadvertently taking the tourist ferry that sailed from the jetty in Xiamen and all around the island of Guilang Yu (complete with a loudspeaker audio guide), we set foot on what was at one time a colonial settlement off the coast of Fujian province. The tall light posts that stand guard along the narrow, twisting streets of Guilang Yu are flanked on either side by buildings of red brick that are connected to one another by an intricate web of clotheslines. Brightly coloured flowers adorn window sills whose paint has long since faded and chipped away, nonetheless leaving behind a sense of nostalgic romanticism. If I didn't know any better, my first thought might have been that I'd stepped into some burrough in London. Except this place is clean. And it doesn't smell like urine.