The Thousand-Year Memories of Chaozhou Ancient City and the Interwoven Republican-Era Streets

Earlier this week, we encountered the strongest typhoon of the year, Typhoon Haikui. Although Chaozhou and Shantou, located in eastern Guangdong, were spared from strong winds, it rained continuously until the day before yesterday. Once the skies cleared, we finally had the chance to explore the area✨.

Alongside Shantou's Xiaogongyuan, Chaozhou Ancient City is another renowned historical site in the Chaoshan region. It is even larger than Xiaogongyuan. Visitors can enter the ancient city through the Paifang Street entrance. If you haven’t had a meal before entering the old streets, there are plenty of local snacks available outside Paifang Street. The street is known for its specialty products and local delicacies✨.

At the heart of the ancient city lies Kaiyuan Temple, which shares its name with the famous temple in Quanzhou. This temple, dating back to the Tang Dynasty in 1280, is a significant historical site🎐. Nearby, you’ll find the ancient city’s food street, offering refreshing treats like tofu pudding and grass jelly desserts. After walking for a while, you can cool off with these snacks. Heading right from here, you’ll reach Guangji Gate and the city walls, leading to another famous landmark, Guangji Bridge. This bridge is notable for its imperial-style design and unique structure.

Since we only had half a day, we visited Zhenhai Tower (the old Chaozhou Prefecture) before searching for dinner and heading back. If you have a full day, you can explore further north to Xihu (Chaozhou West Lake). For those who prefer not to walk, there are rickshaws available for a quick tour around the ancient city🏠.

The western part of the ancient city is a well-developed residential area. Walking along Kaiyuan Road to the right of Kaiyuan Temple, you’ll find many local snacks🍜.

In terms of transportation, options include buses, taxis, or private car rentals. We stayed at Shantou MixC and took a taxi to the ancient city. A direct taxi ride from Shantou to the ancient city costs around 150 RMB, including highway tolls. A more economical option is to take a taxi to Longhu Ancient Village (70 RMB) and then call another taxi to Paifang Street entrance (30 RMB), totaling around 100 RMB without highway tolls. For the return trip, you can take the K2 bus to Chaoshan High-Speed Rail Station🚄.

With National Day approaching, the area might get crowded, but Chaoshan is known as the capital of Cantonese cuisine, making it a worthwhile experience🍜.

Post by 花蓮博愛泊心境小陸 | Sep 27, 2025