Shenzhen
By far the best place for strolling or simply hanging out in the city is the breezy OCT-LOFT complex, a warren of repurposed communist-era factories criss…
Must-see attractions in Guangdong
Guangzhou
Don't depart Guangzhou without an amble through the concession-era gem that is Shamian Island. The central east–west drag is a time-warp boulevard of…
Guangdong
Zili, 11km west of Kaiping, has the largest collection of diāolóu historic watchtowers in the area, though only a few of the 15 are open to the public…
Guangzhou
An all-in-one ancestral shrine, Confucian school and ‘chamber of commerce’ for the Chen clan, this compound was built in 1894 by the residents of 72…
Shenzhen
This folksy urban village of narrow lanes and alleys is a pleasure to visit in itself, but what makes Dafen simply unmissable is the hundreds of art…
Guangdong
The moat of ancient Chaozhou is a lake inside a park well loved by locals. Around the lake are a few notable buildings. Hanbi Building served as a…
Guangdong
Originally a 12th-century pontoon bridge with 86 boats straddling the Hán River, Guangji Bridge suffered repeated destruction over the centuries. The…
Shenzhen
It's an easy half-hour amble up to the top of this tropical hill in the heart of Futian District for Shenzhen's best skyline photographs. Appropriately,…
Foshan
The 11th-century Zumiao temple is believed to be the site where Cantonese opera flourished. The art is still performed today during festivals to entertain…
Qingping Chinese Medicine Market
Guangzhou
Just north of the channel that divides Shamian Island from the city, this tumbledown market is a sensory delight, with open-fronted vendors arranged…
Shenzhen
Built from the vestiges of a century-old Hakka home, this idyllic courtyard gallery was created by Chen Qiuzhi, a contemporary ink artist from Anhui…
Guangzhou
Designed by Zaha Hadid, southern China's premier performance venue has transformed the area with its typically commanding, otherworldly aspect. Futuristic…
Shenzhen
China's first dedicated museum of design, this architectural landmark opened with media fanfare in 2017 on the Shekou shore with its famous founding…
Shenzhen
It's 'Around the World in 80 Minutes' (OK, more like half a day) at this endearingly kitsch theme park set in well-tended gardens. From the Houses of…
Nanfeng Ancient Kiln Artists' Village
Foshan
This lovely ceramics town of stone-paved paths in Shiwan (石湾, Shíwān) is worth snooping around for its artisans' ceramics workshops and the two ancient …
Guangdong
Foreboding and beautiful Xuan Villa was built in 1936 by a wealthy Malaysian-Chinese member of a secret society tied to Sun Yatsen. Parts of the building…
Guangzhou
One of Guangdong's four famous classical gardens, this graceful property on the outskirts of the city was built in 1871 by an official of the Qing court…
Guangzhou
You'll feel like Indiana Jones/Lara Croft (select as preferred) as you descend the two-millennia-old steps into an actual Han dynasty tomb. This was the…
Shenzhen
This Ming dynasty walled town was erected 600 years ago to shore up the coastline against marauding Japanese pirates, and later became embroiled in the…
Guangzhou
Built for the 2010 Asian games, this 604m tall tower was designed to look 'female' by its Dutch architects, earning it the nickname 'slim waisted' (小蛮腰,…
Museum of Contemporary Art & Planning Exhibition
Shenzhen
One of those thrillingly space-age, 'only in China' architectural projects, this gargantuan exhibition space designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au anchors…
Guangzhou
Tree-lined streets Xinhepu Lu (新河浦路), Xuguyuan Lu (恤孤院路) and Peizheng Lu (培正路) in the historic Dōngshān area offer a welcome respite from the city. Here…
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Guangzhou
This Buddhist temple complex was first built in AD 537 to enshrine Buddhist relics brought over from India and placed in the octagonal Decorated Pagoda …
Guangdong
This quiet village about 17km west of Meizhou is where you’ll see fine examples of wéilóngwū (围龙屋), dwellings nestled between paddy fields and the hills,…
Guangdong
China’s largest octagonal tǔlóu (土楼, Hakka earthen house), Dàoyùnlóu is located in Raoping (饶平, Ráopíng), 53km northeast of Chaozhou. Some 600 villagers…
Guangdong
The charming old town of Chikan, 10km southwest of Kaiping, has streets of shophouses with arcades on the ground floor flanking the Tanjiang River (潭江)…
Guangdong
The former home of famous Qing dynasty era, Meizhou writer-philosopher Huang Zunxian (1848–1905) is hands on, allowing you to sit in the Lingnan-style…
Guangdong
Pebbled paths and a willow-fringed pond make this small park on the north bank of the Meijiang River a delight to stroll around in. The Hakka Museum here…
Guangdong
The landscape of limestone hills, grottoes and willow-graced lakes in this massive, busy park is beautiful, so it’s a pity the authorities try so hard –…
Guangzhou
The flagship museum of Guangdong province, this ultramodern institution was conceived as one of the city's new showpiece buildings along with the Canton…
Foshan
This tranquil residence of a family that produced painters and calligraphers was built during the Qing dynasty. Designed in a Lingnan style, it delights…
Guangzhou
You can't miss the 36m-high minaret thrusting up over Guangta Lu like a lighthouse. Enter just east of it and you can stroll all the way through the…
Guangdong
About 15 minutes by taxi west from Kaiping in Tangkou town (塘口镇, Tángkǒu zhèn), Li Garden has a fortified mansion built in 1936 by a wealthy Chinese…
Meizhou Thousand Buddha Pagoda
Guangdong
Cast in AD 965, there are indeed 1000 buddha statues (250 on each side) of varying sizes on the iron pagoda that sits on a 36m-high tower. The complex…
Shenzhen
The fourth-tallest building in the world when it topped out in 2015, the Ping An Finance Centre (599m) rises like a glass pencil above Shenzhen's ever…
Guangzhou
A crenellated roadway between attractions in this hilly park is actually a (heavily restored) slab of Guangzhou's long-departed city wall, built during…
Guangzhou
Crowds march up and down this kilometre-long shopping thoroughfare that begins towards the eastern end of Dishifu Lu. The early-20th-century buildings…
Guangdong
At 700-year-old Líchá village, 21km southeast of Zhaoqing, houses, many with wok-handle roofs and bas-relief sculptures, radiate from a taichi (a symbol…
Guangdong
The highlights here are the ancient Chaozhou woodcarvings decorating the walls and thresholds – most single pieces took a decade to complete. The art form…
Guangdong
The highlights in this village, 20km southwest of Kaiping, are the privately run Ruìshí Lóu and Shēngfēng Lóu (升峰楼). The former (c 1923) is Kaiping’s…
