Ancient settlers were unsettled by eerie drum beats emanating from the clearly uninhabited island, but eventually discovered the ghostly drumming was caused by tides surging through a hollow rock on the island"s southwest corner. Relieved that "Round Sandy Island " wasn"t haunted, or a lair for cannibal tribes from across the Strait, they renamed their new home "Drum Wave Islet" (Gulangyu).

    While Stone Drum is silent nowadays, the islet drums up plenty of tourism because of its lush tropical gardens, rich musical and cultural heritage, and its unparalleled panoply of international colonial-era architecture.

    Gulangyu"s serpentine lanes wind past high-walled gardens on lushly shaded hills, and hundreds of aged but elegant mansions built during the heyday of the early 20th century. As you savor the scenery and sleepy silence, youcan almost imagine the opulence of yesteryear, when this drowsy islet teemed with the International Settlement"s turbaned Gurkha policemen, dignitaries of a dozen nations, and wealthy Chinese and Western businessmen borne upon ornate sedan chairs by attendants in uniforms emblazoned with pampered employers" monograms.