Chaoshan (Shantou & Chaozhou)

Chaoshan, a food capital: beef hotpot, braised goose and gongfu tea, plus Chaozhou's old city with Guangji Bridge, Shantou's Xiaogongyuan and the Yingge dance that went viral at Spring Festival.

Chaoshan refers to the three cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang in eastern Guangdong Province. People here speak Teochew (a branch of Min), and the region is home to one of the largest overseas Chinese communities, famous for its food, gongfu tea and folk customs. For sightseeing, Chaozhou's old city and downtown Shantou are the two cores. Chaozhou has been a prefectural capital since the Song dynasty, and its old city along the Han River holds Guangji Bridge, Kaiyuan Temple, Paifang Street, the Han Wengong Shrine and the Xu Fuma Mansion. You can walk it in 2 hours, but it is worth staying a night for the night views. Shantou is a modern port opened in 1860; highlights of the city are the arcaded buildings and radial streets of the Xiaogongyuan district, the Old Mazu Temple opera stage and the seaside promenade. Off the southeast coast, Nan'ao Island has a round-island road and Qing'ao Bay, making it the island-resort leg of a trip. Food is the main thread of any Chaoshan itinerary: beef hotpot (diaolong, spoon-handle and brisket fat cuts), braised goose (from Chenghai's lion-head geese), oyster omelet, guozhi (rice-flour pudding with sauce), rice rolls, fish rice, raw marinated seafood and sweet soups, with gongfu tea everywhere. The climate is subtropical oceanic monsoon. October to April is comfortable and dry, the best season. From Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival the Yingge dance (in Chaoyang and Puning) and village "Ying Laoye" deity processions are at their liveliest, a folk spectacle that has gone viral in recent years, though hotel prices rise. May–September is hot and humid, and typhoons in July–September often affect Nan'ao Island. Getting there: Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport sits between the three cities, about 30–40 minutes from each of Chaozhou and Shantou. Chaoshan high-speed rail station (in Chao'an, Chaozhou) is the main station, about 2 hours from Guangzhou, about 1.5 hours from Shenzhen and about 1.5 hours from Xiamen. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Chaozhou's old city and about 40 minutes to downtown Shantou. Shantou Station (downtown) also has high-speed trains. Between the two cities, driving or taking a coach takes about 1 hour, and taxis are convenient in town. Plan on 3–4 days: Day 1, Chaozhou old city (Kaiyuan Temple, Paifang Street, Guangji Bridge, the Han Wengong Shrine, then the Guangji Bridge light show at night); Day 2, Shantou's Xiaogongyuan, the Old Mazu Temple, beef hotpot and a late-night snack; Day 3, a loop around Nan'ao Island (stay a night if you can); if you have time, add Jieyang or Chaoyang to see the Yingge dance. Notes: for beef hotpot, insist on freshly slaughtered beef; afternoons and evenings are busy and you will have to queue. Gongfu tea houses are everywhere, so sit down and follow the "three for tea, four for wine" etiquette. The floating section of Guangji Bridge is separated each evening, so check the opening hours; the Nan'ao bridge gets congested on holidays.

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