Day 1 All regions → or → Chaozhou ★Assembly Day (8th day of the first lunar month)
All day
Meet in Chaozhou all day and check in at the designated hotel in Chaozhou city
Tourists arriving early can explore and take photos or look for delicious food on their own. Please pay attention to safety during free time.
Recommended Teochew cuisine: beef hotpot, oyster omelet, fish dumplings, rice noodle rolls, Teochew minced meat, rice noodles, sesame tea, almond tea, etc.
Recommended places to visit and take photos: Qinglong Ancient Temple, Longhu Ancient Village, Chaozhou West Lake, Guangji Bridge Night Light Show, etc.
Transportation instructions to the meeting hotel in Chaozhou city:
Chaoshan High-Speed Railway Station: Take a direct taxi, with online taxi fares ranging from 70 to 90 yuan. Alternatively, take the K2 Express bus and get off near the meeting point. From there, walk or take a taxi to the hotel.
Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport: Take a direct taxi, with online taxi fares ranging from 70 to 100 yuan. Alternatively, take the Chaozhou Line Airport Bus and get off at Chaozhou Jinxin Building Station. From there, walk or take a taxi to the hotel.
Day 2 Chaozhou → Jieyang (9th day of the first lunar month)
All day
In the morning, go to visit and photograph Chaozhou Ancient City
Kaiyuan Temple: Built in the Tang Dynasty, it is one of the four famous temples in Lingnan. It integrates inlaid porcelain, wood carvings, and Tang Dynasty stone pagodas. The red walls and the shadows of the bodhi trees are full of Zen.
Paifang Street: Located in the heart of the ancient city, this cultural street is a hub of intangible cultural heritage, traditional crafts, and local snacks. Its distinctive architecture is a blend of Chinese and Western styles, with 22 Ming and Qing dynasty stone archways flanked by Southeast Asian-style arcades.
Guangji Gate: Guangji Gate, also known as "Hanjiang Tower", is the first of the seven city gates of Chaozhou ancient city. The tower is majestic and magnificent, and it complements the Hanjiang River and Guangji Bridge, carrying thousands of years of history and cultural memory.
After lunch, we went to Guixi Village in Jieyang to photograph the camp elders circling the fire.
On the afternoon of the ninth day of the first lunar month, the villagers of Guixi Village respectfully welcomed the statue of the "Laoye" (Lord) through a procession. The procession was magnificent, with colorful flags fluttering and gongs and drums blaring. After the procession, the highlight of the event began: the fire-circling procession. Villagers carried the statue of the deity around the blazing fire, moving briskly as they moved through it. The flames illuminated the pious and excited faces of the people. In the hearts of the locals, this symbolizes warding off evil and disaster, praying for peace, prosperity, and a good harvest, and also carries the hope for a better life. This lively scene keeps ancient traditions alive in modern society.
Go to Xinsu Village in Jieyang at night to shoot fire jumping
As night falls on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the entire village gathers spontaneously, carrying lanterns, and follows the procession through the village. A straw bonfire is lit in the square beside the ancestral hall, and fireworks soar high in the wind. Thunderous drums, gongs, and firecrackers blaze, creating a warm and solemn atmosphere. The procession carries the "Lao Ye" (goddess) through the bonfire, symbolizing the gods' protection and warding off evil and disaster. The villagers then bravely leap over the bonfire, too. Every time a brave leaper reaches a higher or farther height, the onlookers burst into applause and cheers, creating a lively atmosphere.
Day 3 Jieyang → Puning → Jieyang (10th day of the first lunar month)
All day
In the morning, we went to Pinglin, Puning to shoot peanuts.
Every year, from the evening of the ninth to the morning of the tenth day of the first lunar month, families in Pinglin Village, Puning, who had a new son the previous year, hold a traditional folk custom of distributing ground beans. A team of villagers, young and old, men and women, and even strangers, gathers to grab the ground beans. Each villager prepares an upside-down umbrella connected to a bamboo pole, carrying bags, baskets, and other containers, and goes door to door searching for the household with a new son, marked by a male grandson lantern hanging on the doorway. Once found, everyone shouts "divide the ground beans" in unison. Members of the family with the new son bring peanuts to their rooftops and scatter them onto the ground. The villagers below, holding their open, inverted umbrellas above their heads, use them to catch the falling peanuts, as if catching a "peanut rain." The scene is bustling with laughter and joy as people scramble for the peanuts.
Go to Jieyang Ancient City to photograph the humanities and architecture
Jieyang Ancient City takes water as its vein and culture as its soul. It has solidified thousands of years of time in stone carvings and wood carvings, and continues the Lingnan style in the fireworks of the market, becoming a "living museum" where tradition and modernity blend together. The reference route is: Jinxian Gate - Jieyang Academy - Datong Street - Shishi Bridge - Zhongshan Qilou Street - City God Temple - Jinxian Gate. You can arrange your trip reasonably according to your physical strength.
In the afternoon, go to Qiaolin to shoot the fire dragon
It's a good idea to travel light to the Fire Dragon Burning Venue and arrive early for tonight's event (please bring goggles, a hat, a mask, and earplugs). The Qiaolin Fireworks and Fire Dragon Show is a prestigious folk art in Jieyang, originating in the Ming Dynasty and continuing in Jieyang's Dongshan District, boasting a history of over 600 years. In 2008, the Qiaolin Fireworks and Fire Dragon Show was inscribed on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
The fireworks and fire dragon event officially begins at around 8 pm (you need to enter the venue at least 2 hours in advance and wait, as there will be a lot of people on site). Accompanied by the sound of gongs and drums and torches leading the way, the dragon dance team appears on stage holding auspicious dragons, phoenixes and koi. After the fire line is lit, the auspicious dragons filled with fireworks instantly shoot out and rush straight into the sky. The giant dragon spews flames and the phoenixes and koi dance through the clouds. The Jieyang Qiaolin fireworks and fire dragon are put on a shocking show!
Day 4 Jieyang → Chaozhou → Shantou (11th day of the first lunar month)
All day
In the morning, go to Xiangzhaimen of Ximei Village, Chaozhou
Every year on the eleventh day of the first lunar month, Ximei Village holds its God Parade and the "Xiangzhaimen" (Xiangzhaimen) ceremony. Before the "Xiangzhaimen" ceremony, the village god is invited to watch a Yingge performance at the village gate. The Yingge members, dressed in costumes and painted their faces, wave their mallets and change formations to the rhythm, adding to the excitement of the event. Around 11:00 PM, the "Xiangzhaimen" ceremony officially begins. Two of the "Laoye" figures, along with their bamboo sedan chairs, stretch across the village gate, while the other two retain their military sedan chairs. Those outside the village gate use the bamboo to "poke" the "Laoye" into the gate, while those inside defend the gate, preventing the "Laoye" from entering. The two sides engage in a stalemate until the "Laoye" enters.
In the afternoon, we went to Dushu Village in Chaozhou to shoot the film "Zou Laoye"
Every year on the 11th and 12th day of the first lunar month, Dushu Village in Jiangdong Town holds a unique folk custom called "Zou Laoye." This involves carrying a statue of the deity, the "Laoye," in a race. The "Camping Laoye" procession includes flag bearers, flower baskets, and gong and drum troupes. First, villagers carrying the "Laoye" in pairs race around the village, circling it once. Afterward, all the "Laoye" sedans line up in the village square, simultaneously spinning in a fierce race to see which sedan bearer can outrun them. The most exciting and thrilling part of the event is the "Counting Laoye." After the "Camping Laoye" team completes a circuit, the sedan bearers must circle the square three times before running back through a narrow doorway to the deity's palace. During this time, the different sedans jostle each other, and spectators and passersby supporting each side also join in the jockeying.
Day 5 Shantou → Chaoshan International Airport → Chaoshan Station → or → other places (12th day of the first lunar month)
All day
In the morning, I went to Shantou Small Park to take pictures of the inlaid porcelain in the arcade
The Small Park is a hallmark of Shantou in the 20th century, bearing witness to its development from the opening of the port to the mid-Republic of China. It stands as the core area and cultural symbol of Shantou's old city. The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Pavilion is the centerpiece of the park. From this pavilion, the arcade-style streets of "Four Yongs and One Shengping" radiate outwards, forming a spectacular urban district. The unique porcelain inlay technique on the roof of the Guanyin Temple creates a striking three-dimensional effect and vibrant colors. Various operatic motifs are pieced together from fired colored ceramic tiles, bringing the characters to life and the roof to lifelike blossoms.
After lunch, we will transfer the group to Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (arrival time is approximately 13:30-14:00) and then to Chaoshan High-speed Railway Station (arrival time is approximately 14:00-14:30), concluding our enjoyable Chaoshan folk photography tour.
