Pianos,rocks, wraps and rolls

It's true. It is at Zengcuo'an where we discovered that the springroll, or chunjuan, was invented right here, in the village residence of a former Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) admiral.

Like the Earl of Sandwich, the busy official had no time for dinner, so his crafty wife decided to roll up some vegetables in a light crepe. She then handed it to him so he could work on his calligraphy with one hand and eat with the other.

Zengcuo'an is a good place to spend a leisurely day exploring the charming village and admiring its commitment to persuading the tourist to part with his or her yuan.

There are lots of places to stop for a cup of tea, a bowl of mango ice, a meal of steamed conch, baked oysters, roasted scallops and a variety of noodles with meatballs, seafood, savory mince and so forth.

If you become tired of the shopping and eating, cross the main road and take a stroll along the boardwalk on the beach. In summer, when no typhoon is threatening the coast, it is a breezy encounter with the sun, sea and sand.

If you go

Trains depart from Shanghai Hongqiao to Xiamen almost every hour. The journey takes about eight hours, and costs about 300 yuan, depending on the coach class.

There are about three daily flights between the cities, all under 2 hours. One-way flights cost about 1,000 yuan.

Gulangyu is accessible by ferry or private speed boat. It's always crowded so avoid the weekends, or you may spend lots of time just waiting in line.

Zengcuo'an is a short taxi ride away from town, but there are also buses available from the central ferry terminus.