Chaoshan · Destinations
Chaoshan sights: 38 places in three cities
Thirty-eight places across three cities — Chaozhou 13, Shantou 13, Jieyang 12. What to see, what to avoid and how long each takes are in the three cards below; the same places are sorted by kind in the next section. Each links to its own entry: origin, what to look at, visiting notes.
Two sights in different cities can cost more time on the road than in the looking. So cities come first, kinds second. Group by city and try not to cross a city line in one day; if crossing, pair adjacent ones such as the Chaozhou old city with the Shantou old town.
Three cities, three ways to walk them
Chaozhou13 places · Old city, bridges, wood carvingLook at: the pontoon spans and bridge houses of Guangji Bridge, the run of stone archways on Paifang Street, the Tang layout of Kaiyuan Temple, the wood carving in Jilue Huang Hall. Watch out: the old city is mostly pedestrian — cars cannot enter and parking by the river is tight; Guangji Bridge keeps opening hours and you cannot get on late. Time: a full day for the old city; Daoyun Lou, the farthest, is in Sanrao, Raoping, and needs another half day.
Shantou13 places · Arcades, overseas-Chinese houses, islandsLook at: the radial street grid and arcades of the Xiaogongyuan port area, the tiles and Western details of Chen Cihong’s house, the coastal-defence works and fishing harbours of Nan ao, the sea-eroded rock at Queshi. Watch out: the old town lies northwest and the islands east; forcing both into one day costs two to three hours on the road, and at holiday times the bridge and ferry to Nan ao queue. Time: two hours and up for the old town, a full day for Nan ao; islands go by weather — boats stop in strong wind.
Jieyang12 places · Confucian temple, City God temple, mountain and sea foodLook at: the Lingxing Gate and Dacheng Hall of the Confucian temple, the porcelain inlay and gilt wood carving of the City God temple, the drum tower over Jinxian Gate, the fortified village plan of De an Li, the falls at Huangmanzhai. Watch out: the Rongcheng points cluster, but Huangqi Shan and Huangmanzhai lie out in the county and each take separate time; Nanyan Monastery is at Nanxi in Puning, not in Rongcheng. Time: half a day for the Rongcheng triangle, half a day for Huangqi Shan, a full day for Huangmanzhai — best after rain.By kind
Six kinds. Places of one kind often run together, because you are looking at one thing — stone carving, kiln walls, sea-eroded rock. Classing goes by the main trait only; a shrine may also hold wood carving and still counts as a shrine.
Old cities and streetsChaozhou 6 · Shantou 2 · Jieyang 3 · 11 in all
Walls, gates, streets and bridges. Chaozhou and Jieyang old cities are both still lived in, and are walked differently: Chaozhou runs on Taiping Road, Jieyang from Jinxian Gate along Xima Road.
Guangji BridgeChaozhouChaozhou Kaiyuan TempleChaozhouPaifang StreetChaozhouXu Prince-Consort ResidenceChaozhouHan Wengong ShrineChaozhouJilue Huang Ancestral HallChaozhouJinxian GateJieyangJieyang Confucian TempleJieyangXiaogongyuan port areaShantouDahao old townShantouJieyang TowerJieyang
Mansions, old villages, earthen towersChaozhou 4 · Shantou 1 · Jieyang 2 · 7 in all
Houses built with money earned abroad. Look at three things: stone carving, wood carving, porcelain inlay. The stone carving at Congxi Hall and the tiles and Western details at Chen Cihong’s are two different roads.
Chen Cihong ResidenceShantouDe an LiJieyangLonghu old villageChaozhouDaoyun LouChaozhouCongxi HallChaozhouDing Guanglu HallJieyangOld houses of ChaozhouChaozhou
Shrines, temples and monasteriesJieyang 4 · 4 in all
All four are in Jieyang: the City God temple in Rongcheng, the ancient banyan temple to Guandi, Nanyan monastery at Nanxi in Puning, Shuangfeng monastery east of Rongcheng. The Sanshan Guowang ancestral temple at Lintian in Jiexi and Zhanglin old port in Chenghai are filed under History and culture; go in from there.
Jieyang City God TempleJieyangAncient Banyan Guandi TempleJieyangNanyan MonasteryJieyangShuangfeng MonasteryJieyang
Kilns, pagodas and modern sitesChaozhou 1 · Shantou 6 · 7 in all
Song kilns, Tang and Song pagodas, a Qing fort, and two sites from 1925 and the 1930s. Most are not scenic areas; what you read there is date and form.
Bijia Shan kiln siteChaozhouDadian patriarch pagodaShantouWenguang PagodaShantouQilu fortShantouOld Chaoshan Customs HouseShantouHeadquarters and political department of the National Revolutionary Army eastern expeditionShantouCentral Red Transport Line siteShantou
Hills and islandsChaozhou 1 · Shantou 4 · Jieyang 2 · 7 in all
Fenghuang Shan for tea and cloud seas, Nan ao for coastal defence and fishing harbours, Queshi for sea-eroded rock. These tie hardest to weather; check the day’s forecast before coming.
Fenghuang ShanChaozhouNan ao IslandShantouQueshiShantouLianhua PeakShantouMayu IslandShantouHuangqi MountainJieyangHuangmanzhai fallsJieyang
Lakes and the west of the cityChaozhou 1 · Jieyang 1 · 2 in all
The two West Lakes are unrelated and share only a name. Chaozhou West Lake lies west of the city, forty minutes around; Jieyang West Lake is smaller and used as a park by locals.
Nineteen nationally protected sites
Nationally protected sites: Chaozhou 9, Shantou 6, Jieyang 4. Those nineteen are the hardest single test of whether a place is worth a journey of its own, and the criterion this site uses most when grading sights.
Chaozhou 9 items9 items
Guangji BridgeChaozhou Kaiyuan TempleXu Prince-Consort ResidenceJilue Huang Ancestral HallHan Wengong ShrineCongxi HallDaoyun LouBijia Shan kiln siteOld houses of Chaozhou
Shantou 6 items6 items
Wenguang PagodaQilu fortHeadquarters and political department of the National Revolutionary Army eastern expeditionDadian patriarch pagodaOld Chaoshan Customs HouseCentral Red Transport Line site
Jieyang 4 items4 items
Jieyang Confucian TempleJieyang City God TempleAncient Banyan Guandi TempleDing Guanglu Hall
Chen Cihong Residence, De an Li and Nanyan Monastery are provincial-level protected sites and fall outside these nineteen. All three are worth visiting; the grade differs, so keep them apart.
Range
The 38 are sorted by main trait into six kinds; a shrine may also hold wood carving and still counts as a shrine. Provincial and municipal sites without a page yet are added as they are written.