Live Your Best Lives
As a coastal province, Fujian is naturally home to numerous islands. This guide features Dongshan Island, a place where you can savor the softest sands of the Southern Sea. Whether you're with a partner or children, grab a camera and you'll be capturing stunning photos in no time.
Every spot here is worth a photo: the colorful houses, the embankment, the beach, the cobblestone streets, and even the cats running out of the alleys. There are no crowds or city noise here; it's a simple and peaceful seaside town. Riding a small electric bike through the streets, you'll encounter many little surprises, and you can even look out at the sea at the corner.
This guide mainly focuses on "food, accommodation, travel and sightseeing", and comprehensively analyzes how to have fun in Dongshan Island!
Self-driving party:
If you're driving, then reaching Dongshan Island is a breeze. From Xiamen, it takes about 2 hours and 10 minutes to reach Dongshan Island via the Dongshan Bridge.
Car-free party:
The first method is that there is a direct bus from your city to Dongshan. You can directly purchase the ticket at the time you want to depart.
The second option is to travel by high-speed rail. Take the high-speed rail to Zhangzhou Station, then take a bus to Xincheng Station or Zhangzhou Bus Station for 2 yuan, and then take a bus to Dongshan Tongling for 36 yuan.
The third option is to travel by high-speed rail. Take the high-speed rail to Yunxiao Station, walk to Yunxiao Station, take Dongshan Bus No. 15, and get off at Tongling Station.
DAY1: Arrive at Nanmen Bay in the evening (you can arrive earlier this day to visit Fengdong Rock and Dongmen Island Scenic Area)
DAY2: Wake up naturally - see Nanmen Bay in the morning - Ding Street - Sufeng Mountain - check in at Jinluan Bay and Maluan Bay on the way back - snack street
DAY3: Fishbone Sandbar - return home
Tips:
The above are my personal recommendations for the best attractions on Dongshan Island. You can choose the ones you want based on your preferences and time.
There are several scenic spots on Dongshan Island, such as Fengdong Stone, Dongmen Island, and Fishbone Sandbar. I don’t recommend visiting all of them. The reasons will be mentioned later in the guide.
Girls must bring a nice skirt, white or red is fine; boys must bring beach pants and flip-flops
ID card and other relevant documents that can be used to obtain ticket discounts
Camera, if you need to shoot video, you can bring a professional handheld gimbal (it would be best if you have one)
Sunscreen and other skin care products, parasols, small fans and other summer essentials, you still need to do a good job of sun protection in the summer on the island
A. Blue-dyed Stone Residence
Location: No. 400, North Gate of Park Street, Tongling Town, Dongshan District, next to the Fengdongshi Scenic Area
Features of the B&B: Chinese Zen style, Japanese MUJI style, all solid wood furniture (the owner is a young entrepreneur who graduated from a design school and is very creative). It is located on a hillside with a wide view and a rooftop with a view of the entire ocean. The courtyard has spring water for making tea and coffee, and there is a kitchen for use. There is a market nearby for buying fresh seafood, and a large terrace with sea views is suitable for gatherings and barbecues.
B&B rooms: 7 in total
Approximate price: 240-500 (will increase during peak season)
Recommendation index: 5 stars
B.Island B&B
Location: No. 544-1, Dingjie Road, Dongshan Park Street (direct navigation)
Features: This internet-famous B&B, also the filming location for the TV series "We Are Coming," has hosted celebrities such as Wang Han, Wu Xiubo, Rosamund Kwan, Michelle Chen, Victoria Song, and Shen Mengchen. The tranquil white, sky-blue curtains, and wood texture create a safe and comfortable haven for travelers, reflecting a warm and thoughtful design.
There is an internet celebrity classroom in the folk custom, which is very suitable for taking parent-child photos.
B&B rooms: 21
Approximate price: 360-900 (will increase during peak season)
Recommendation index: 5 stars
A. Dongshan Tingxi Seaview Hotel (formerly Yueyi Seaview Hotel)
Location: Park Street, Tongling Town, Dongshan District (next to the wind-moving stone and wooden plank road in Nanmen Bay), next to Aojiaowei Fisherman's Wharf
Recommended reasons: Close to the sea; very close to Nanmen Bay, and convenient to Ding Street; there is a sailing experience outside the hotel, which is also very convenient;
B&B rooms: 37
Approximate price: 260-600 (will increase during peak season)
Recommendation index: 3.5 stars
Disadvantages of the hotel: It is located at the innermost part of Nanmen Bay, and cars cannot drive in. You can only walk or take an electric car (an electric car costs about 5-10 yuan per person); some rooms in the hotel have a strong smell.
B. Dongshan Huafu Hotel
Location: No. 1 Guanyinting, Matou Street, Tongling Town, Dongshan
Reason for recommendation: Compared with other hotels in Dongshan, this hotel has good decoration and hygiene; the overall style is more representative of Minnan culture and fashionable leisure features; the room design is also quite nice, and there are parent-child rooms to choose from; the hotel is not far from Nanmen Bay.
B&B rooms: 120
Approximate price: 300-1200 (prices will increase during peak season)
Recommendation index: 4.5 stars
When the Southern Song Dynasty fell, members of the Song royal family, including Qi Ruohe and Huang Shichen, fled from Yashan, Guangdong, to Zhangpu, where
they sought refuge and lived in seclusion. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, his tenth-generation grandson, Zhao Fan, built a fort here, which was later expanded by his son, Zhao Yi. Nanmen Bay is the filming location for the movie "The Left Ear." We drove from Jinluan Bay to Nanmen Bay. It was evening, and some local residents, mostly elderly, were leisurely sitting on the beach, enjoying the sea breeze and cool air, chatting in their sticky Minnan dialect. I immediately fell in love with this slow, relaxing atmosphere. The entire beach was very deserted, so we consciously stared at the sea for a few minutes, then started posing. It
's also very cute to take videos here~
Tips:
If you drive, you can navigate directly to Nanmen Bay. There is a large parking lot outside where you can park your car.
Tips:
If you live in Nanmen Bay, you can rent a tricycle to drive in, or you can walk in slowly. I certainly recommend walking in because you can take a lot of beautiful photos.
A tricycle costs about 5 yuan per person
Going through a small alley in Nanmen Bay, you can reach a commanding height, where you can take a great panoramic view of Nanmen Bay!
This is a place that many people rarely visit when visiting Dongshan Island, but it is indeed a great place for taking photos! You can get there by navigating directly to Dongshan Island Ding Street.
This 800-meter-long alley is the most historical and artistic old street in the area. The houses on the top street are all old houses with the characteristics of southern Fujian style. There are also some ancient buildings that were preserved from the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are many places to experience on the top street. At the deepest part, you can see the filming location of "We Are Coming" - Island Hotel.
When visiting Dongshan, you absolutely must visit the Sufengshan Ring Road. Drive at 40 mph, blast some Jay Chou's music, and enjoy the soothing southern sea breeze. Along the winding mountain road, you'll occasionally catch glimpses of the ocean, while the windmills on the mountain spin!
transportation:
Navigate directly to the Ma Di Ye Temple on Sufeng Mountain and drive further to the famous internet-famous bridge. If you're not driving, you can rent an electric scooter, or there are shared electric cars along the way.
There are two parking spots along the entire ring road, and I recommend the second one, as it offers a better view of the internet-famous bridge.
Dongshan Island has two major bay beaches. How do you choose which one to visit? What are the differences between the two beaches?
Jinluan Bay:
It's not Bolivia, but it possesses the allure of a place that calls you "Skyland." It's not Sanya, but it boasts azure skies, crystal-clear waters, and wide, flat beaches. From the tumbling waves of Zhuangyuan Royal Sea to the foot of Sufeng Mountain, all is Jinluan Bay. It turns out it's so far, yet so close, to the striking Sufeng Blue Bridge.
The characteristic of Jinluan Bay is that it is clean and there are no special experience projects, so if you just want to take beautiful photos, go to Jinluan Bay!
Tips:
There are a lot of people here during peak season!
Maluan Bay:
Compared to Jinluan Bay, its water is not as pure, because there are more experience projects here, such as diving, sailing, jet skiing, etc., which can be experienced here. So if you just want to play water projects, go to Maluan Bay.
The Wind-Moving Stone Scenic Area is named for a rock that is said to move with the wind but never fall. Standing tall on a steep cliff, the Wind-Moving Stone stands 4.37 meters high, 4.47 meters wide, and 4.46 meters long, weighing approximately 200 tons. Its pointed top and rounded bottom resemble a fairy peach, majestically resting on a rising rock that slopes toward the sea, the contact surface between the two rocks being just over ten square centimeters.
Many people are attracted by the saying "It would be a pity if you come to Dongshan and don't see the Fengdongshi" and go to the Fengdongshi Scenic Area.
Reasons for not recommending:
After spending dozens of dollars on tickets, you may not really know what there is to learn about inside without a tour guide.
The main attractions are: Wind-Moving Stone, Dongshan County Museum, Seaside Plank Road, Diao'ao Terrace, Guandi Temple... These attractions are relatively boring, and the one that looks better for taking photos is the Seaside Plank Road.
If you're middle-aged or older, I recommend going. Dongshan Island's overall tourism appeal is youthful, and older people might not like other attractions. Only Dongshan Island is suitable for their age. If you're young and into Instagram celebrity style and beautiful travel photos, I wouldn't recommend the Wind-Moving Stone Scenic Area. There's really not much to take photos of once you're inside.
Tickets: Adult ticket 60 RMB
Below is a more beautiful scenic spot in Fengdongshi Scenic Area
Dongmen Island, also known as Tower Island, is an island shaped like the Chinese character "土" (earth), covering nearly 1 square kilometer. It is renowned for its unique reefs, sweet springs, and numerous historical sites. It is listed as one of Fujian Province's top ten scenic spots. A particular feature of this scenic area is its many interesting and bizarrely shaped rocks.
Dongmen Island is also within the Fengdongshi Scenic Area, but it's a scenic area within the scenic area. If you visit Fengdongshi and want to visit Dongmen Island, you'll need to buy tickets at a separate window. Walk straight through the main gate to a small pier to wait for the boat, which takes 20 minutes to reach Dongmen Island.
Reasons for not recommending:
The waiting time for the boat is very long. I waited for 40 minutes before the boat departed during the summer vacation.
Dongmen Island is a mountain climbing attraction. There are many rocks with special shapes on the island, but climbing is really tiring.
If you go there in the summer, you might die of heat on the island.
Tickets: 30 tickets + 25 boat tickets, a total of 55
The Fishbone Sandbar, a popular spot on TikTok, is a small beach that appears and disappears with the tides. From an aerial perspective, it resembles a fishbone. It sounds fantastical, and it's truly stunning from an aerial perspective. The reality is that aerial photography is the only way to capture the beauty, but not everyone has a drone.
Reasons for not recommending:
You need to first go to a small pier and then take a diesel boat used by local fishermen to reach the Fishbone Sandbar. First, this boat is extremely dangerous! Without any safety nets, if the boat sways too much, you could lose your balance and fall overboard. Secondly, the fishermen will provide you with plastic stools to sit on. Each small boat can hold 8-10 people, so it can get a bit crowded.
There's a dock next to Fishbone Sandbar for boats. Getting off the boat requires crossing a dangerous floating bridge to reach Fishbone Sandbar. The bridge is haphazard, even with a gap in the middle that requires a step. When the wind is strong, it's completely unsteady! It's easy to fall or even fall into the sea.
If you go during high tide, there's very little beach left on Fishbone Sandbar, and the beach is packed with people! And it's incredibly sunny!
If you don't have a drone, it's almost impossible to take good photos there because it's full of people and it's no different from our usual beaches.
We need to take a boat like this and be exposed to the sun to reach Fishbone Sandbar, and then continue to be exposed to the sun.
In addition to the above-mentioned ways to play in the Fishbone Sandbar Scenic Area, you can also experience sea fishing and crabbing.
Fishing at sea
They will take you to a fishing rig on the sea, where they will put the fishing rods aside and you can choose where you want to fish. You can't usually catch fish in the sea, but if you fish in the area where they raise fish, it's easier to catch them, but there is an additional fee.
Crab fishing
You can't catch crabs by yourself. Sitting on the boat and watching the fishermen collect the crab cages one by one is actually not much of an experience. The fishermen will cook these freshly caught crabs on the fillets and serve them to you.
A must-try in the summer! It's similar to Xiamen's "Four Fruit Soup," but the sweet soup is topped with honey sorbet, making it refreshing yet not greasy. You can add your own toppings, and the ingredients are generous.
Xiaoxifu is the number one sweet soup restaurant in the area. A bowl of sweet soup on a hot summer day will instantly cool you down! A bowl costs only 6-10 yuan.
The main dishes are shrimp balls, scallion balls, octopus balls, beef balls, and other special meatballs, which are about 15 yuan. The taste is really amazing! Very delicious, very fresh, and a must-try dish for everyone.
There is also seaweed fried rice, which is very fragrant. The combination of seaweed and scrambled eggs really has a different taste. You can order one with soup.
Oyster fried sausages and five kinds of sausages are both special snacks from southern Fujian. Both of them taste delicious only when they are dipped in sweet and spicy sauce!
The squid is a bit oily, so children who mind it can choose not to eat it. However, this place is rich in seafood, so the squid are very fresh and worth trying! !
Tips:
Walk along the coastline along Nanmen Bay towards the Fengdongshi Scenic Area for about 10 minutes, turn left, go up the stairs, and enter a small alley where you will see this store.
The taste is a little different from that in Xiamen. Oyster omelet is only available in small portion (15 yuan) and large portion (20 yuan). The main dish in the store is oyster omelet, and they also sell a lot of stews.
Personally, I think it’s okay. If you like the original sauce, you can put less.
Dongshan Island is a simple island, worth a visit if you love the sea.
Choose a good time, bring your beloved lover or children, take a walk to the beautiful Dongshan Island, listen to the waves and the sea breeze, and feel the softest southern beach.
