Eat in the lanes behind Zhongshan Road, not on Gulangyu's pastry street

The island sells pineapple cakes and pork floss to day-trippers. The main island is where southern Fujian actually eats: shacha noodles in a peanut-and-brine broth, oyster omelette, peanut soup for breakfast, and ginger duck when it turns cold.

The Eighth Market and the lanes off Zhongshan Road are the place to look, and the queue outside a shopfront with four tables is a reliable signal. Sea-worm jelly is better than it sounds; order it once.