Trip Moments Recommendations
#Chikan Ancient Town Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages: A Historical and Cultural Journey, An Unforgettable Trip!
Explore the ancient charm of China! Kaiping Diaolou and Villages is a fantastic destination worth visiting. Nestled in Guangdong Province, it blends rich history and culture. As you stroll through the narrow cobblestone lanes, you will be immersed in an atmosphere of ancient history. There are many old buildings, such as the Kaiping Museum and ancient temples, showcasing the essence of ancient Chinese architecture. Tasting the local specialties, like the delicious Kaiping beef and Kaiping pig trotters, is also a highlight. Whether you are a history buff or a foodie, Kaiping Diaolou and Villages will provide you with an unforgettable journey. Don't miss out on this charming destination!
The romantic town you want to visit a thousand times is just an hour away by high-speed train from Guangzhou
I really like this romantic town that feels like a return to the old times.💕
It only takes an hour to get there by high-speed train from Guangzhou~
Ride the tram and travel through the century-old arcades
You don't need to go to the south of the Yangtze River to enjoy the view of little bridges over flowing water from a rowing boat
You don't need to go abroad to experience the exotic charm of this overseas Chinese town~
The festive atmosphere is now at its peak!
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📍Kaiping, Guangdong, Chikan Overseas Chinese Town
🚗Take the high-speed train to Kaiping South Station and then a 🚗ten-minute taxi ride
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🗺Tour itinerary:
Day1: Arrive at Chikan Overseas Chinese Town➠Check into Meitang Hotel➠Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Flower Cards➠Rong'an Building Spring Couplets➠Lunch at Nanyuan Restaurant➠Year of the Dragon Tram➠Lion and Dragon Dance Performances➠Dinner at Xianglong Banquet➠Year of the Dragon Lanterns➠Music Fountain Light Show➠Night Photography
Day2: Chikan morning tea Cantonese breakfast➠Big Calendar, Spring Festival Internet-famous Wall, Spring Couplets Internet-famous Check-in Spot➠Rowing Boat Ride➠Daytime visit to the ancient town➠Li Garden Scenic Area➠Return trip
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📷Photo spots:
🔹Hong Kong Intangible Cultural Heritage Flower Cards
At Chikan Town Station (tram starting station), Chikan Overseas Chinese Town photo wall (next to Rong'an Building and Qi'an Bridge), you can find the rare Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage flower cards! They are built by the real inheritors of Hong Kong flower cards! Instantly return to the festive atmosphere of old Hong Kong!
🔸Hundred-Meter Year of the Dragon Lanterns
Go to Daxi Road at night to see the hundred-meter Year of the Dragon lanterns! The giant dragon winds through the arcades, very three-dimensional and stunning! Such a dragon-themed arcade giant dragon lantern can only be seen in Chikan! Really love it
🔹Year of the Dragon Tram
Besides taking photos inside the Year of the Dragon tram! You can also get off at these five stations: Chikan Town Station, Queen's Bar Station, Kaiping Club Station, San Francisco Station, and Paris Hotel Station to capture the beautiful scenery!
🔸Rowing Boat
View the scenery comparable to the water towns south of the Yangtze River and the charm of the overseas Chinese town from a rowing boat
🔹Spring Festival Internet-famous Wall, Big Calendar, Internet-famous Spring Couplets Check-in Spot
All next to the morning tea place~ All are Chikan's must-visit and photogenic Spring Festival decorations!
🔸Chizi Square
Enjoy the music fountain light show at night
🔹Li Garden Scenic Area
A combination of Chinese garden and Western architecture, the diaolou garden architecture offers a view at every step, a garden within a garden, and the beauty of architecture!
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🏠About accommodation:
It is recommended to stay inside the scenic area when visiting Chikan, because the night view is really amazing! And it's very photogenic in the morning when there are fewer people~ The style is full of the charm of the Republic of China, and the scenery of the infinity pool on the rooftop is also very beautiful and great for photos!
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🍔About food:
Chikan morning tea guest: tofu corner, clay pot rice, shrimp dumplings...
Nanyuan Restaurant: honey roast pork, tangerine peel duck soup...
Jinlong Restaurant: Xianglong Banquet
✔️Xianglong Banquet is a Guangdong big basin dish~ Not only does it have various Guangdong specialties, but the most important thing is! It has a particularly good meaning~ And the taste is exceptional!
octavia_serene_morgenstern Depart from Guangzhou for 1 hour! Directly to the romantic old town of bygone days
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📍 Chikan Overseas Chinese Town, Jiangmen, Guangdong
🚗 About transportation: Take the high-speed train to Kaiping South Station (1h)🔜Take a taxi (30min) and you'll arrive
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🎫 Ticket: 60/single person 110/double
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🗺️ My travel itinerary:
☝🏻 Day one: Arrive at the scenic area➡️Rowing boat➡️Ding Ding car➡️Xianglong Feast➡️Lion dance performance➡️Music fountain light show➡️Hotel
✌🏻 Day two: Morning tea guest➡️Zili Village➡️Li Garden➡️Return trip
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📷 Photo spots:
🔸Peace Square Christian Church
🔹Dongdi Road/West Dike Road
🔸Guan Clan Library
🔹Lingnan Square
🔸Pink Bell Tower
🔹Arcade Streets
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🏠 About accommodation:
It is recommended to stay in the ancient town, which includes double tickets and breakfast, and it is quite cost-effective. Those on a low budget can stay in youth hostels or B&Bs
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🍔 About food:
Multi-flavor tofu corner, secret beef offal, three-button syrup, Kaiping rice noodle roll, old Cantonese wonton, honey char siu rice, and many other delicacies😋
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📝 About some small Tips:
✅ You can wear Republic of China style or new Chinese-style clothes👕, which makes for better photos
✅ The scenic area is large, it is recommended to wear comfortable shoes👟
✅ Search for the 'Chikan Service' mini-program, you can see the performance times for the day⏰
Without leaving Guangzhou, there is an ancient town with arcade buildings in Dongguan within 2 hours!!!
I never thought that there would be such a secluded ancient town built by the water two hours drive from Dongguan, with retro arcade streets, clan ancestral halls, trams shuttling through the streets, and swaying boats in the Tanjiang River...
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This place full of cultural heritage is perfect for relaxing and enjoying a slow life on weekends and holidays.
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✅Recommended check-in points
1⃣️Tram
Take a tram at the 'Chikan Town Station', which will take you through the retro arcades in 30 minutes, creating a full atmosphere.
2⃣️Rowing boat
Take a rowing boat on the Tanjiang River, passing by every household, and experience the charm of the Nanling water town.
3⃣️Workshop Street
The retro arcade buildings on both sides, plus the plaques and graffiti at the door, wait for a tram, and every shot is a great scene.
4⃣️Peace Square
Go to the market, watch performances, visit the church, feed pigeons, full of life.
5⃣️Chizi Square
There are dragon boat races in the afternoon, and you can watch the national tide lion dance and fountain light show performances in the evening, which are full of fun.
6⃣️Dongdi Road, Xidi Road
A super photogenic riverside road, with arcade buildings on one side and rowing boats on the river on the other, it's simply too beautiful.
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✅What to do in the ancient town?
🔸Kayaking
🔸National tide lion dance
🔸Cantonese opera performance
🔸Wing Chun performance
🔸River lantern blessing
🔸Dragon boat race
🔸Chikan fire dragon dance
🔸Music fountain light show
🔸Tram, rowing boat
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✅About accommodation
If you want to experience a slow life, it is recommended to stay in the ancient town, which also includes 2 tickets and breakfast, free shuttle bus, free parking and free reservation for morning tea guests, which is a good deal.
I stayed at the Meitang Hotel, the exterior is retro arcade style, the interior is American retro style, very comfortable, the roof is also equipped with an outdoor romantic swimming pool, which is very photogenic.
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✅About food
In the morning, you must experience Chikan Cantonese morning tea, a whole street of food, full of life, various desserts, mixed noodles, rice, etc., for morning tea you can try shrimp dumplings, chicken feet are very good.
For lunch and dinner, you can choose Nanyuan Restaurant for Hunan cuisine, or Xinglong Beef Hot Pot.
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🚧Address: Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town, Kaiping, Jiangmen
⏰Time: Open all day
🚅Transportation: Take the high-speed train from Dongguan Humen Station to Kaiping South Station for 1.5 hours, and then take a taxi for 20 minutes to arrive.
Speaking of Chikan, the feelings for it originated from letting the bullet fly this movie. The ancient city of Chikan, without the tranquility of Lijiang, without the beauty of the phoenix, without the warmth of Wuzhen, has its unique depth. It can be an ancient town with stories. There is no affair, no drunken dreams, but it has a unique overseas Chinese culture in Guangdong Province. Whether in the field of architecture or at the spiritual level, it has seen past events in South China. Its cultural history has unlimited connotations. Chikan is built along the Tanjiang River. The south bank is a village, and the north bank is a city. It is a unique arcade building, far more than the huge foreign buildings in Kaiping Old Street. On the east bank of the embankment along the river, the Zhonghua Road, which is parallel to it, is sandwiched between two roads and there is a small road called Two Roads. This is a three-horizon parallel with the river, and there are many vertical roads crossing them. Form the road network of the city. Chikan Town has a quaint taste of Chinese and Western. Therefore, it is called "the fifth ancient town in China". Old tree, old building. Slate paved road, square column window, square ruler, solid wood bed. The lengthy and deep tone of the gray, the architectural style of the combination of Chinese and Western, the tower building built along the river, there is no gorgeous, no publicity, and there is no way to talk about the amazing word. For hundreds of years, silently watching the other side of the river,
Guangdong Utopia
Such a strong appeal! Guangdong Utopia | Kaiping Chikan Ancient Town🕌|||Just got back from a two-day one-night trip over the May Day holiday, a spontaneous journey with a few good friends, and everyone was so impressed they didn't want to leave! Regretting why we didn't discover it earlier! Super chill‼️
Located in Kaiping City, Guangdong Province, the Chikan Ancient Town is a treasure trove tourist destination that only opened last year, and it still feels very fresh and offers a great experience! It's said that a whopping 6.6 billion was invested to revamp it!
The ancient town is a large cultural and tourism center themed around overseas Chinese from Guangdong, with architecture that reflects scenes from the 1980s and 1990s. The area includes a tram tour, boat rides, concerts, a library, and a variety of cultural and creative activities, as well as iron flower performances at night.
Every scene in the scenic area is very realistically restored, with great attention to detail, and there's even a pet deposit point! It makes you feel like you've stepped into a grand utopia in a second, and my friends and I couldn't help but say it's perfect for mentally unwinding, especially recommending the Meitang Hotel within the scenic area, which looks great both inside and out, with good service, and it's nice to cool off under the century-old trees outside.
Explore Jiangmen - Chikan Ancient Town, travel through time
⭐ A town with no people
⭐⭐ A quiet little town
⭐⭐⭐ A town with little to eat or drink
✅ Taking photos is truly beautiful, no matter day or night. Modern clothes can capture a sense of time travel, cheongsams can capture the style of the Republic of China, and traditional costumes can capture a nostalgic atmosphere!
✅ I stayed here for two days, played for two nights and three days, and basically did not miss any corner
❣️ There's no need to eat here, as there aren't many options. I tried a hotpot and Changsheng restaurant; Changsheng's meals are delicious but not cheap, the hotpot was just so-so, not a great value for money!
☕ There's a decent Thai coffee shop...
🍰 The desserts here are poorly made, not tasty!
🏪 There's a convenience store at the exit of the ancient town, open 24 hours, and the prices are cheap!
🏨 I stayed at Changsheng, which has great value for money, large in size, and excellent hygiene and service! The internet-famous hotels in the town are one to two times more expensive! 💰 Room prices are high on weekends, it's better to go during weekdays!
🅿️ The parking lot is large and quite convenient, only walking is allowed within the town!
🌃 The night lights are very beautiful, and there's also a fountain show!
⏰ If you're not staying overnight, you can play all day! Watch the night scene and then leave! If you can, really staying for a night is very comfortable!
🎫 If you stay at a hotel, you don't need to buy a ticket, otherwise it's 60 yuan for a day!
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town One-Day Tour Guide is here!
💥💥Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town One-Day Tour Guide is here! 💥💥
🚄Depart from Guangzhou South, take a one-hour high-speed train to Kaiping South, then a 20-30 minute Didi ride, and easily get to Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town International Tourism and Holiday Resort! 🚗
🌟Chikan Ancient Town mini-program, one-click get the day's performance program, don't miss any exciting moments! 📱
👗Dressing tips: You can wear the style of the Republic of China to the ancient town, as if traveling back to a hundred years ago, and be a beauty of the Republic of China! 💃
🕒Activity time:
1️⃣ 14:00-17:30 🎤Storytelling (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, holidays) Location: next to Peace Square (under the banyan tree)
2️⃣ 14:30-15:00 🎶Music Flash Mob (same as above) Location: Wedding Hall
3️⃣ 15:30-16:00 🦁National Trend Awakening Lion (Fortune Interactive) Location: Red Line Women Memorial Check-in Point
... (More activities waiting for you to unlock!)
🎉May Day special event: Iron Flower performance, from 5.1 to 5.5, every night at 20:00 and 22:00, not to be missed! 🎆
🌃The ancient town at night has a different flavor, the 'Congratulations on Getting Rich' lights of Ronghua Building are simply stunning! 🌃
🚌Touring methods:
1️⃣Stroll through the ancient streets, visit historical relics such as the Electric Light Company and the Christian Church. 🚶♀️
2️⃣Take the tram, tour around the scenic area, listen to the historical background, and feel the charm of the ancient town. 🚌
3️⃣Boat tour to enjoy the scenery, with the lake and mountains in full view. 🛶
4️⃣Wander by the bridge, and feel the romance of the spring breeze with your loved one. 🌸
💡Warm tips: Except for the Wisteria Youth Hostel, all hotels in the scenic area include tickets! 🏨
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town
Chikan Ancient Town is absolutely amazing, the charm of the Republic of China era is too enchanting! Don't miss it, it's a hidden gem
⛰【Travel Guide】
📍Detailed address: Chikan Ancient Town, Jiangmen
🚗Transportation Guide:
1 High-speed rail : From Guangzhou to Kaiping South, it's just a ten-minute taxi ride to the scenic area after getting off. 2 Self-driving: Two hours from Guangzhou or Shenzhen
💰Ticket Price:
Adults 60, Children 12-1.5 or under 12 years old 40
You can walk around and explore for about 1.5 hours,
🌟Highlights:
It turns out that Jiangmen is not only a place for thrilling check-ins but also has Chikan, an overseas Chinese ancient town that takes you back to the Republic of China era in a second.
📌Little Tips:
Models can bring Republic of China style clothing and props
It's recommended to bring a telephoto lens to capture the layered feel of the ancient architectural complex
If you have enough time, you can also visit the nearby Zili Village Watchtower Scenic Area, Majianglong, and others for a combined tour
Kaiping Diaolou Self-Driving Tour Guide (Day 2)
Following the previous article: Kaiping Diaolou Self-Driving Tour Guide (Day 1)
Day 1 has already covered Liyuan, Zili Village, and Majianglong. The itinerary for Day 2: Chikan Ancient Town → Zhongjian Tower → Xiangang Town (Huang's Ancestral Hall) → Jinjiangli → Xiangang Town Haoji Claypot Rice (claypot rice cooked over a wood fire) → Xinhui Chenpi Village
📍Chikan Ancient Town
The ancient town is about a 1-hour drive from Jiangmen city center. If you go during holidays, try to arrive before noon. Since the parking lot closest to the main entrance of the scenic area was full, we were directed to a nearby parking lot. From there, we had to take a shuttle bus exclusive to the scenic area, which, including the wait and travel time, took about more than 10 minutes.
During the holidays, there are many tourists, and the ancient town is divided into paid and free areas, with most being the paid tourist area. There are slightly fewer tourists in the paid area than in the free area. The architecture is all of the Republic of China style, and the whole place feels like a large Republic of China film and television base, complete with trolley cars and tour boats. During the Spring Festival, there are also dragon and lion dance activities, creating a great atmosphere. It's quite suitable for taking photos when there are fewer people.
Visiting time: about 2 and a half hours
Ticket price: 60 yuan/person
📍Zhongjian Tower
On the way from Chikan Ancient Town to Jinjiangli, you will pass the famous Zhongjian Tower, towering on the left side of the road, its robot-like shape is hard to miss. Zhongjian Tower was built in the 7th year of the Republic of China (1918) and has five floors. Each floor of the tower has a waistline, and the top is adorned with Baroque and Gothic styles. The name 'Zhongjian Tower' is inscribed on the building.
Currently, the tower is locked and cannot be climbed.
Visiting time: about 10 minutes
📍Xiangang Town
This place has one of the filming locations for 'The Whirlwind' - Huang's Ancestral Hall. The hall is not large and is free to visit. Nearby, there is a famous claypot rice restaurant. The local specialty is claypot rice cooked on a wood fire stove, which gives it a unique fragrance. Highly recommended to try!
Visiting time: about half an hour
📍Jinjiangli
Compared to the three diaolous visited on the first day, Jinjiangli is a bit quieter. However, it has the 'Number One Diaolou in Kaiping' - Ruishi Tower, which is the tallest and most artistically valuable diaolou in Kaiping. The nine-story tower cost 30,000 Hong Kong dollars to build, and the materials were all imported from Hong Kong. The tower is a typical residential building with a mix of Ionic, Baroque, Islamic, Byzantine, and other Western architectural styles, while the interior is decorated in traditional Lingnan style. The building combines Eastern and Western architectural styles. Currently, the tower is privately owned, and an additional fee must be paid to the owner, an elderly gentleman, who will also enthusiastically provide explanations and take photos.
Jinjiangli is built along the river, with a river embankment slightly above ground level along the riverbank. Sitting on the stone benches facing the dusk and enjoying the village's beautiful scenery fills one with an inexplicable sense of happiness.
Visiting time: about 1 hour
📍Xinhui Chenpi Village
On the way back, we made a special trip to Xinhui Chenpi Village. Xinhui's dried tangerine peel is famous nationwide. Chenpi Village is more like a wholesale market for dried tangerine peel, with various products such as small green mandarins, dried tangerine peel candy, dried tangerine peel tortoise jelly, and so on. It's a good place to buy gifts for friends and family.
Chikan Ancient Town
Within Chikan Ancient Town, there is still a post office from the Republic of China era. In an age when communication was not well-developed, owning a telephone meant having access to first-hand information, a rare and precious resource.
If you want to experience the charm of the small town, you can also stay at a hotel in the town. Among them, the Meitang Hotel, named after the local wealthy merchant Situ Meitang, is the most outstanding. It features a retro style of the Republic of China, exquisite and meaningful.
🌍 Address: Chikan Ancient Town Scenic Area, Kaiping, Jiangmen
🚗 Transportation: Self-driving
🅿️ Parking: 5 hours ¥10
🎫 Ticket: ¥60
⛱️ Surroundings: Kaiping Diaolou Sites
Take a stroll to Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, the filming location of 'The Whirlwind'
Kaiping City's Chikan Overseas Chinese Town is a modern commercial town standing on the banks of the Tanjiang River, and it is also a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in South China. Historically, Chikan was known far and wide for its port. It not only has stories of the Guan and Situ clans promoting the construction and development of the entire town through a century of competition and coordination; it also preserves more than 680 exquisite overseas Chinese arcade buildings that stretch for nearly 3 kilometers, blending Chinese and Western styles. This is the largest, most continuous, and best-preserved collection of ancient overseas Chinese arcade buildings in the country, acclaimed as an 'astonishing corridor of Chinese and Western architectural art'. It is also a typical representative of the fusion of overseas Chinese culture and architectural culture, sharing its unique charm and value with the world cultural heritage site of Kaiping Diaolou and Villages. It is the location for the exterior scenes of the TV series 'The Whirlwind'.
Chikan Ancient Town
'Chikan Ancient Town' is located in the western part of Kaiping City and was once the site of the Kaiping County seat. Originally a small town with only a few thousand inhabitants, it was an important hub for waterborne freight in the central and western regions of Guangdong.
After renovation and transformation, the town has now become a famous scenic area with rich historical and cultural characteristics. Visitors can take a ride on a rocking boat or a trolley bus, feeling as if they have stepped back into the Republican era.
Moreover, several movies have been filmed here, with 'The Grandmaster' being one of them.
🌍 Address: Chikan Ancient Town, Kaiping City, Guangdong
🚗 Transportation: Self-driving
🅿️ Parking: ¥10 for 5 hours
⛱️ Surroundings: Diaolou Cultural Tourism Area
🎫 Tickets: Adult ¥60 Trolley bus ¥50 Boat ¥60
You must visit the ancient town of Chikan in Jiangmen at least once! "A small ancient town, half a history of overseas Chinese"
This is not Wuzhen, it is "Jiangmen Chikan Ancient Town"
Jiangmen—is the famous capital of overseas Chinese hometowns!
It has a century-old arcade ancient town, watchtowers and ancient streets divided by water, with Nanyang style on one side and Lingnan charm on the other. Be sure to visit when you have time
Journey to the Ancient Towns of Southern Guangdong (Part 4): A Night Tour of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town
The sunset glow of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town is beautiful, but even more dazzling than the sunset is the night market of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town.
The night view is the soul of the beauty of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town. As night falls, the entire ancient town lights up with twinkling lights, shining like stars.
The market, held at Peace Square and Station Front Square, has numerous stalls offering everything one might need. There are barbecue stalls, live comic experiences, hand-mixed cocktails, and a dazzling array of goods.
Strolling through the night market of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town, one can hear the bustling crowd, see the wisps of cooking smoke; or sit in the tents of the cool market, chatting and enjoying the moonlight, deeply feeling the 'golden market' atmosphere of the ancient town, which is very pleasant.
At this time, taking a tram or rowing boat for a night tour of the ancient town is a good choice.
The clanging tram will take you through the streets and alleys of the ancient town, appreciating the night view that is completely different from the daytime. The unique night lighting makes the whole European-style street warm and romantic.
At night, Chikan's ancient commercial port uses visual techniques such as light shows and architectural art lighting to create a beautiful and magnificent scene of light and shadow. The various styles of arcade buildings are illuminated by lights, making them appear even more exquisite and elegant.
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town
Jiangmen's 3:30 pm, unlock a spring outing with an afternoon tea
After walking through Chikan Ancient Town, it feels like a journey through time and space.
Witness the rise and fall of the century-old arcades, taste the flavors of Jiangmen's cuisine.
Here, with the clanging trams, rowing boats, Chan Palace stage, old flag towers, and Huaxin Bridge, the Republic of China's style sways in full. You can also feed pigeons at the Christian church in Peace Square.
📒 Keep this two-day city walk itinerary of Jiangmen for a perfect weekend getaway.
🏨: For accommodation, I chose the Xiangyu Homestay located in Tangkou Town of Kaiping, with streams, lawns, and courtyards full of Eastern aesthetics.
Boldly flaunting the coffee culture of Jiangmen's 3:30 pm afternoon tea.
🍴: Wenji Claypot Rice
For gourmets, a simple claypot rice cooked over firewood is enough to amaze. The combination of beef and eel hides the flavors within the aroma of rice, telling the story of Kaiping's livelihood with the passionate heat of a fierce fire.
☕️: Chikan Ancient Town Market
There are many snack streets in Jiangmen to choose from.
The afternoon tea culture, originating from Hong Kong, meant that dockworkers had to work from one o'clock to six after lunch. The strenuous physical labor meant a higher demand for energy, and the craving for sugar and oil is a survival instinct etched into human genes. The 3:30 pm afternoon tea is undoubtedly the best 'refueling station' for them.
In Jiangmen, besides the thrill, there is also the 3:30 pm afternoon tea.
The habit of having afternoon tea at 3:30 pm has been introduced to Jiangmen through the increasingly frequent exchanges in the Greater Bay Area, where it has evolved into a unique and delicious experience in this fusion of Chinese and Western hometown of overseas Chinese.
📖 The must-visit Granary Bookstore, compared to the impact of visual design, I think it's very suitable for a spiritual journey during a slow trip.
If you like to read life at a slow pace, then I definitely recommend you visit Kaiping's first avant-garde Granary Bookstore in the world. With its minimalist black and white ins-style curved aesthetic design, books and granary, poetry in the distance, it's like being in an art exhibition.
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town's winter parent-child tour | Learn while playing
| Learn while playing.❄️ Winter is the more comfortable tourism season in Guangdong. A holiday🏖️ with kids👶 is perfect! It allows moms and dads to truly 'free their hands'👐.
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town has a history of over 370 years since its port was opened🏘️, with 683 existing century-old arcade buildings. The rich historical and cultural atmosphere allows every visitor, big and small👨👩👧👦, to fully touch history and perceive culture📖.
1️⃣ In the ancient town, you absolutely must not miss the tram🚌 tour experience! A family can sit on the retro tram, accompanied by the crisp bell ringing as they tour the ancient town, instantly traveling back to the Republic of China era🚏! Children can go up to the semi-open second floor of the tram and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the ancient town from a high vantage point.
2️⃣ The slow experience of rowing a ferry🛶 is, of course, something to explore! You can enjoy a leisurely afternoon with your family, 🛶 boating on the lake, chatting, and relaxing!🏞️
3️⃣ Take your children to Peace Square to experience the joy of feeding pigeons🕊️! Buy a pack of grains🌾 as bait, get up close with peace pigeons🕊️, watch them pecking, and listen to the 'flap flap' sound of their wings beating, an interesting interactive experience that can also engage the children's sensory and motor skills🧏🏻
4️⃣ Feel the charm of Cantonese elegance at Peace Square🎤. Kaiping has long been known as the hometown of artistic culture, and the famous Cantonese opera performer Red Line Girl was also born here. Together with the children, immerse in the culture of opera🎶, watch the long sleeves flutter, and listen to the melodious opera~🎶
5️⃣ The tie-dye and weaving experience at the ancient town's Guangzhou Silk Factory🪡🧵. Create unique works with your children and share parent-child time📖
6️⃣ In the evening, head to the riverside of Chizi Square to watch the dragon boat🐉 races, a competition about speed and passion🚣. Watch the lion dance on plum blossom poles, with the lions leaping over the poles, looking up and jumping vigorously.
Kaiping, as a world-renowned hometown of famous chefs, gathers special delicacies from all over🥗🥘🍜🍲🍛🧆🥙
Chikan Ancient Town | Travel through ancient and modern times in a small town
I remember going to Chikan when I was a child. At that time, its more famous promotional theme was the filming location of 'Let the Bullets Fly'. In my memory, the arcade streets by a bend of the river in the ancient town were packed with small vendors selling local specialties, creating a lively market scene full of the flavor of life and human warmth.
The Chikan of today has changed dramatically. Although the timing of my visit wasn't great and the weather wasn't very nice, the highly restored architectural design style that reflects the art of overseas Chinese sentiment is still very eye-catching. It's worth mentioning that the night view is absolutely beautiful, and I suggest staying overnight in the town.
Recommended activities:
【Tram】It's interesting, but a bit pricey
【Various 🆓 performances】Follow 'Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town' on WeChat to check the times of various performances on the day, such as lion dances, Cantonese opera, and light fountains, all of which are worth seeing
Chikan Ancient Town
Chikan Ancient Town
The current Chikan Ancient Town is divided into a public free area and a paid area. The buildings in the free area, except for the diaolou, are all newly built, and this place was basically farmland before. The old town's Shangbu, Xiabu, and the European-style street, etc., are all within the paid area. However, within this area, 5/1 is still under construction and renovation and is not yet open to the public (see the last picture for the red area). Iconic buildings like the Baoheng Building and the Guan Family Library are in this not yet opened area!
Compared to Jiangnan, I have a preference for the low-key ancient town of Guangdong that has been around for a century
Without leaving the province, just in Jiangmen, Guangdong, 🚗 it takes only 1h to drive to reach
this low-key and mysterious ancient town that I have discovered
If you still don't know where to go for a short holiday or weekend
then I strongly recommend you take a trip to Jiangmen
✔️Two-day and one-night itinerary
Day1
Depart from Guangzhou at 10 am, and it takes about 80 minutes to drive there
After arriving, you can take my favorite tram to tour the arcade building complex, which indeed has a history of over 300 years, truly astonishing! In the evening twilight, taking a sculling boat is like going to Wuzhen, leisurely appreciating the beautiful scenery on both sides of the river!
Day2
Have a delicious breakfast at the hotel, with both Western and Chinese options to choose from, the breakfast is hin sumptuous! After eating, go to feed the pigeons at Peace Square, then stroll around the ancient town with a strong sense of market life, casual street photography is all vacation vibes! For lunch, try my beloved Hunan cuisine at Nanyuan Restaurant, very authentic! After a noon rest, you can go to the photo studio for a costume photo shoot, then rest for a while before heading home.
🏯Ancient town: Chikan Ancient Town Overseas Chinese Hometown International Tourism and Holiday Resort
📍Address: Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town, Jiangmen City
⏱️Time: 2 days and 1 night
🚗Transportation:
🚙Self-driving About 80 minutes from Foshan
🚈High-speed rail Take a taxi for 20 minutes from Kaiping South Station
A severely underrated beautiful ancient town! Return to the old times!
Take the tram and start a journey through the Republic of China era! Jiangmen Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town is really worth taking the family for an immersive experience! The century-old arcade streets make you feel as if you've arrived in the olden days!
🤡 There are also many activities to do in the ancient town: tram rides, rowing boats, kayaking, feeding pigeons at Peace Square, trendy lion dances, musical fountain shows, and during the National Day period, there will be additional activities such as river lanterns, fire dragon blessings, dragon boat feasts, and cheongsam garden parties. Wearing a cheongsam or Hanfu will even get you a beautiful gift!
📷 Ten photo spots
1. Chikan Town Station
2. Workshop Street
3. Peace Square
4. East and West Embankment Streets
5. Lingnan Square
6. Guan Clan Library
7. Huaxin Bridge
8. Musical Fountain Light Show
9. Meitang Hotel Swimming Pool
10. Tangdi Street heart-shaped tree, next to the big tree by San Francisco
The century-old Chikan ancient town exudes Southeast Asian charm and Lingnan misty rain
The ticket price is 60
Rowing boat 80
Double-decker Ding Ding sightseeing bus 50
🅿️ Parking is 10 yuan per car
Children under 1.2 meters in height are admitted for free
The water screen light show at night is great👍
Ideal for photography
Staying at the hotel in the scenic area allows access to all facilities, with family hotels offering children's playgrounds and splash pools, ensuring experiences for the whole family.
👍Highly recommended:
Visitor numbers are still low on weekdays, offering an excellent experience.
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town
It takes 1 hour by high-speed train from Guangzhou to reach the Ding Ding tram ancient town of the Republic of China era
I must admit
I was amazed by this overseas Chinese ancient town
Ding Ding tram🚃 rowing boats🛶 arcade old streets🏰 European-style buildings🕌
It's like traveling back to the Republic of China period
I really like these places with a natural time-filter effect
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This is also the filming location for 'The Grandmaster' and 'Running Man'
Celebrities like Tony Leung and William Chan have been here
I've organized my two-day and one-night travel and check-in strategy
Remember to save it to avoid regrets!
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✅ Transportation Guide
📍: Kaiping Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town, Jiangmen
🚄: 1 hour from Guangzhou by high-speed train to Kaiping South Station, then a 20-minute taxi ride to the scenic area parking lot
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✅ My travel itinerary
DAY❶: Check into the hotel—ride the Ding Ding tram—Peace Square—Workshop Street—Dixi Road—enjoy the lights in the evening—music fountain light show
DAY❷: Chikan morning tea guest—ride the rowing boat—kayaking—Dongdi Road—Lingnan Culture Square—Rong'an Building
Chikan celebrates the Year of the Dragon with lion and dragon dances, showcasing the Chinese New Year at the bridge
During the Spring Festival holiday, the Chikan Overseas Chinese Town, themed 'Chikan celebrates the Year of the Dragon', is decorated with a new Chinese-style atmosphere, presenting performances that blend Chinese and Western cultures. It not only restores the Chinese New Year memories but also integrates trendy culture, allowing the numerous visitors to revisit the traditional Lingnan culture in their memories and further understand the cultural history of the Chinese overseas hometown. During the Spring Festival holiday, Chikan Overseas Chinese Town creates a 'Dragon Culture' feast with the theme 'Chikan celebrates the Year of the Dragon'. The Lingnan New Year flavor of Chikan Overseas Chinese Town merges with the century-old arcades, allowing visitors to capture outstanding New Year photos in every corner. The ancient arcades and tram cars are dressed in festive Chinese red, Rong'an Building is adorned with giant Spring Festival couplets visible from afar, and the large-scale New Year's floral boards, specially customized by Hong Kong intangible cultural heritage inheritors for 'Chikan celebrates the Year of the Dragon', lean against the arcades, shining day and night. A hundred-meter-long dragon lantern winds around the arcade columns with auspicious clouds, and there are also 'Everything Lion Thinks' Chinese lion dance culture trend art exhibitions, folk music performances, New Year flower markets, river lantern blessings, and other New Year activities and exhibitions.
Chikan, a stunning ancient town that transcends time, just 1 hour by high-speed train from Guangzhou!
🚀 Just 1 hour by high-speed train from Guangzhou, you can travel through time to the stunning ancient town! 🏮
In Kaiping City, Jiangmen, there is a low-key yet charming small town, Chikan Overseas Chinese Town, which is the only tourist resort in the country themed around overseas Chinese culture. 🌟
Chikan Ancient Town is not only home to towering Diaolou, quaint old streets, story-filled overseas Chinese residences, and solemn clan ancestral halls, but also boasts comprehensive tourist and vacation facilities, making it an excellent choice to avoid crowds during holidays. 🌆
📍 Location: Chikan Overseas Chinese Town International Tourist Resort, Guangdong
💰 Ticket: 60 yuan
🚅 Transportation: Take the high-speed train from Guangzhou to Kaiping South, and a short taxi ride of just a few minutes will get you to the scenic area. If driving, it's about a two-hour drive from Guangzhou or Shenzhen.
📸 Recommended activities:
- Vintage tram: Travel through the historical river of the ancient town and experience a different charm. 🚃
- Rowing boat: Enjoy the tranquility of the river, admire the arcade buildings and European-style architecture on both sides, and experience the slow life of the ancient town. 🚣♂️
- Peace Square: Feed pigeons, look at the church, as if you are in a foreign land. 🕊️
- Toad Palace Opera Stage: Enjoy authentic Cantonese opera and exciting lion dance performances. 🎭
- Patriot Square: Watch dragon boat races, and in the evening, there is a sci-fi music fountain light show. 💦
- Water activities: Play with paddleboards and kayaks on the river and have fun. 🚣♀️
- East and West Embankment Roads: Unique architectural styles, a paradise for photography enthusiasts. 📷
- Festival customs: Activities like river lanterns and fire dragon blessings, experience the charm of traditional culture. 🏮
🍽️ Food recommendations:
Chikan morning tea is a paradise for foodies, with recommended dishes like eel claypot rice, Chikan duck congee, salted chicken cage, tofu corner, etc. For lunch and dinner, you can choose from Jinlong Restaurant (Hangzhou cuisine) or Nanyuan (Hunan cuisine), as well as bars and cafes. 🍜
🏨 Accommodation recommendations:
Meitang Hotel with a retro style, arcade-style exterior, and carefully decorated interior, every corner is a great spot for photos. There's also a rooftop pool for you to swim in. The hotel offers free parking and shuttle bus service to the scenic area, as well as car pick-up and ticket discounts! 🏨
📌 Tips:
- Models can bring Republic of China-style clothing and props to take more atmospheric photos. 👗
- It is recommended to carry a telephoto lens to capture the layering of the ancient architectural complex. 📷
- If time allows, you can also visit nearby attractions like the Self-Reliance Village Diaolou Scenic Area and Majianglong. 🚗
Come to Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town to experience a different style of ancient town and feel the unique charm of overseas Chinese culture. 🌈
Kaiping Chikan Ancient Town
Chikan Ancient Town Overseas Chinese Hometown International Tourism Resort is located on the banks of the Tanjiang River in the central part of Kaiping City, Guangdong Province. It is known as one of the ten most beautiful ancient towns in China. With a history of 370 years since its opening and establishment, Chikan Ancient Town was named a Chinese Historical and Cultural Town in 2007. The Guangdong Chikan Ancient Town Overseas Chinese Hometown International Tourism Resort is a platform that showcases Lingnan culture, overseas Chinese culture, rural culture, and leisure culture. It has become a new cultural and tourism landmark in Guangdong and even across the country with significant influence, a key project and typical example for empowering rural revitalization with cultural industries in the province, and a new carrier for spreading Chinese traditional culture.
Chikan Ancient Town is half Southeast Asian style and half Lingnan misty rain. There are more than 600 arcade buildings, forming the largest, most continuous, and best-preserved overseas Chinese arcade building group in the country.
The ancient town has a food street, canteens, a musical fountain, and the famous Ding-Dang tram... The bougainvillea is also very beautiful and worth taking the time to appreciate.
Step into the filming location of 'Let the Bullets Fly' and experience the charm of Chikan Ancient Town!
If you're looking for a place to deeply experience the culture of Lingnan overseas Chinese hometown, then Chikan Ancient Town is worth recommending.
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town has a history of more than 370 years of opening ports and building markets; the town has more than 680 century-old arcade buildings. From the century-old Christian church, Catholic church, to the Siyuan River that runs through the entire ancient town, it is filled with a strong atmosphere of the Republic of China era, making it the preferred location for popular films such as 'Let the Bullets Fly' and 'The Grandmaster'.
Experience recommendations:
✅ Tramcar
Take a ride on the retro-styled tramcar, tour around the scenic area, and admire the arcade buildings on both sides. At this moment, it feels as if time has reversed, and you have returned to the prosperous era of the Republic of China.
✅ Rowing Boat
Drift on the river, enjoy the arcade buildings in a different way, watch the oars sweep across the water, different from the delicate and graceful water towns of the south, full of the unique characteristics of Lingnan overseas Chinese hometown.
Check-in spot recommendations:
✅ Hexin Bridge
Also known as Huaxin Bridge, when the tramcar passes by, the two sections of the broken bridge combine, and after the car passes, the bridge will be dismantled, truly a vivid portrayal of 'destroying the bridge after crossing'.
✅ Site of Lingtong Telephone Company
Here you can see the 37 most advanced telephones of the time that were purchased from abroad.
✅ Narrow Staircase Check-in
As a prosperous port at one time, Chikan was also a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, hence the stairs built were narrow and steep, very characteristic of the era.
✅ Peace Square
In the morning, there will be pigeons walking around, you can go feed the pigeons.
✅ Rong'an Building
Currently the tallest diaolou in the Kaiping area, it is also a landmark building of Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town. There is an elevator inside that goes directly to the top floor to overlook the entire scenic area.
✅ Niuxi Road Snack Street
Authentic Kaiping local specialty foods, stroll and eat along the way, leisurely and comfortable.
Accommodation recommendations:
✅ Meitang Hotel
The hotel is located in a relatively central position within the scenic area, with a river-facing lobby bar, rooftop swimming pool, and Cigongtang exhibition hall... The rooms are very spacious and comfortable, equipped with a mini-bar, separate dry and wet bathroom, shower room, and all rooms use custom Hermès 5-piece sets and other high-end facilities.
✅ Nesting Parent-Child Hotel
The hotel is decorated in warm pale yellow tones, each room is equipped with a children's play block wall, children's play area, allowing kids to play to their heart's content in the room; the first-floor entertainment world is equipped with a ball pool, slide, sandpit, amusement park, and there is also a 0.5-meter-deep children's constant temperature water play area, so kids can have fun all day without going out.
Food recommendations:
✅ Morning Tea Guest
A pot and two pieces are the soul of Cantonese morning tea, with rich and tender soy sauce chicken feet, thin and transparent, fresh and bouncy shrimp dumplings, refreshing and stomach-nourishing congee... You can start a new day full of vitality with the local specialties of Kaiping while smelling the fragrance of birds and flowers, either in the streets or on a rowing boat.
One-day tour of Chikan Ancient Town
Chikan Ancient Town is located in the southwest of Kaiping City, Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, bordered by Kaiping City to the east, Taishan City to the south, Baihe Town to the west, and Tangkou Town to the north. It is a place with a long history and unique culture. The traditional buildings of Chikan Ancient Town, such as diaolou (fortified towers), qilou (arcade buildings), old streets, and residential houses, as well as the famous patriotic overseas Chinese leader Situ Meitang, revolutionary martyr Deng Yifei, pioneer of Chinese cinema Guan Wenqing, the seven martyrs of Nanlou, and the revolutionary photography pioneer Sha Fei, who have had a significant impact on society and even the process of modern Chinese history, are all unique cultural business cards of Chikan Ancient Town.
If you are interested in Chikan Ancient Town, you can travel there to experience its unique cultural charm up close.
Listen to my advice! It's a win to visit Jiangmen during the off-season!
There are fewer people, beautiful scenery, and it's cost-effective! It's very comfortable!
It won't be too cold or too hot - the climate is pleasant!
I chose a weekend after the holiday to play in Jiangmen for 2 days
It was really fun, delicious, and great for shopping ahhh!
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🚗 Self-driving: Guangzhou➡️Jiangmen 3 hours
1️⃣ Chikan Ancient Town➡️Caopingli➡️Taishan Pedestrian Street➡️Yihecheng Hot Spring
2️⃣ Mei Family Courtyard➡️ Duhu Seafood Street➡️ Thirty-three Market Street➡️Qimingli➡️Rainbow Village
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Day1️⃣
Arrived at Chikan Ancient Town in the morning, you can take a ding-ding car to tour the ancient town, take a boat to experience the water town of the south of the Yangtze River, feed pigeons in the Peace Square...
You can have lunch at Ronghua Building~
In the afternoon, go to Caopingli, which is quaint and full of charm
Sometimes you can also stroll around Taishan Pedestrian Street~
When tired, go to Yihecheng Hot Spring to relax😌
Day2️⃣
Arrived at Mei Family Courtyard in the morning, check in the filming location of 'Kuangbiao'
When it's about time for a meal, head to Duhu Seafood Street, where there are all kinds of fresh seafood🦞 you can eat whatever you want haha🤣
In the afternoon, come to Thirty-three Market Street, which has a retro vibe~
Nearby Qimingli has many snack shops🤤
Rainbow Village has many colorful graffiti walls, hin good for taking photos📸
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We stayed at Taishan Yihecheng Hot Spring Villa🏡
Taishan Yihecheng is a place where the older generation likes to go for hot springs♨️
Then the house comes with a swimming pool, 🌸 garden, and you can have BBQ🥓 together for dinner, sing karaoke, play mahjong🀄️, play billiards🎱, etc. after dinner~
The rooms are very big, with an unobstructed view of the outdoor scenery!
It's very suitable for company unity, friends gathering haha
Jiangmen Travel | Kaiping Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town Two-Day Tour
Kaiping Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town Two-Day Tour. If you have seen Wong Kar-wai's movie 'The Grandmaster', you will definitely be impressed by the arcade ancient town that appears in the film, which was shot in Kaiping Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town. 'Run for Time' was also filmed in Chikan Ancient Town!! And I even had a chance encounter there! How lucky is that!
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🌟DAY 1
Highlights to check out:
1️⃣Rong'an Tower.
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages are listed as World Cultural Heritage, with a total of 1833 diaolous. Rong'an Tower has six floors, and you can take an elevator to the top floor to overlook the scenic area.
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2️⃣Head to the tourist center pier to take a rowing boat, gently floating on the river, watching the East-meets-West arcade buildings on both sides, and enjoying a leisurely time.
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3️⃣Take a ride on the retro tram, available in both single-deck and double-deck models, shuttling through the historic district, and when you hear the 'ding ding' sound, it's as if you've traveled through time.
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4️⃣Walk through Tangdi Street, and notice a century-old longan tree, which looks heart-shaped from a distance. At night, when the sensor lights come on, they create a romantic atmosphere~
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5️⃣The night music fountain light show and the Cantonese opera performance at Lingnan Cultural Square are also not to be missed.
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🚪Accommodation:
There are several hotels to choose from within the scenic area.
🌴Changsheng Inn is located near Lingnan Cultural Square, with lawns, lakes, and large diaolous all in close proximity. The hotel is well-equipped with restaurants, meeting rooms, and a gym, suitable for both business and leisure.
💖Yixi Couple's Hotel is located near the tram Chikan Town station, with a warm and romantic design, and an outdoor heart-shaped swimming pool that is quite photogenic.
Next to it is the Niuxi Road snack street, where you can sleep in and then go experience the local morning tea culture! Have a 'Yum Cha' breakfast.
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🌟DAY 2
🥢Chikan's morning tea culture has a long history, with dozens of exquisite and delicious options to choose from. Enjoy some dim sum with friends, chat, and enjoy a slow morning.
Then stroll around the shops to buy some souvenirs before preparing to head back.
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🚉Transportation:
Bus 606 goes directly to the ancient town parking lot.
Enjoy a complimentary shuttle service once for hotel check-in/check-out
The Globe Trotting Foodie
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