Gulangyu Island is where you can see how the Chinese have been flexible in opening doors to new cultures and getting shaped by the inputs from all over the world. The architecture of the humid island is quite explicit in showcasing how the Chinese have accommodated from both the west and the east. Elements of many religions, cultures, and nationalities still live on the surface and in depth of the region.
The island is not the only place you can see this openness to diversity and this call for multiculturalism in a peaceful co-existence as you can see that in a distance of 70 kilometers lays a city known as the city of religions. Quanzhou is home to folk, Buddhist, and Hindu temples; Islamic mosques; and Christian churches, including a cathedral (financed by a rich Armenian lady) and two Franciscan monasteries.
The museum of Quanzhou has the great collection of tombstones from the graveyards and cemeteries of Muslims and Christians.
The geographic location of the area has had a great role contributing to this broad range of spectrum as the ports of the Fujian Province have acted as the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and traders and merchants from all corners of the globe used to frequently visit the city and there may have had their representatives stationed in the region.
During the visit to Quanzhou Maritime Museum it was explained that the city did not have that much access to food and the early residents had no choice but to take advantage of the sea with fishery and trade.