Meizhou & Dabu

The "World Capital of the Hakka," with walled round houses, the Yannanfei tea fields and Hakka cuisine, now with extra buzz as a hometown of football and a "hidden gem" small city.

Meizhou lies in northeastern Guangdong, bordering Longyan in Fujian and Ganzhou in Jiangxi. It is one of the main homelands of the Hakka people and is known as the "World Capital of the Hakka." Many Hakka buildings survive here, including weilongwu (walled round houses), square buildings and arcade buildings. It is also a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, with schools, ancestral halls and East-meets-West mansions funded by returning emigrants dotted around the countryside, and it is the birthplace of Marshal Ye Jianying and the poet Huang Zunxian.

Where to go: Meijiang District is the heart of the city, home to the China Hakka Museum (closed Mondays, free), Renjinglu (Huang Zunxian's former residence) and the arcade-lined old streets on the north bank of the Mei River. Meixian District has the Yannanfei Tea Fields, the weilongwu clusters of the overseas Chinese villages in Nankou Town, the Ye Jianying Memorial Park in Yanyang Town and Qiaoxi Guyun Village. Dabu County to the east has Tai'an Building, Hua'e Building, Baihou Ancient Town and Chayang Old Town, where Hakka and Teochew cultures meet.

Seasons: the climate is subtropical, and spring and autumn are best. Mar–Apr brings spring tea picking and rapeseed blossoms, while Oct–Dec is dry and pleasant, ideal for village walks; summers are hot and rainy.

Getting there: Meizhou West Station is the hub of the Meizhou–Shantou, Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou and Meizhou–Longyan high-speed railways, about 2.5–3 hours from Guangzhou, about 2.5 hours from Shenzhen, about 1 hour from Shantou and about 2.5 hours from Xiamen. Meixian Airport has flights to Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities. Getting from the city to Yannanfei and the sights in Dabu requires self-driving or hiring a car with driver; some buses run from Dabu town. Suggested 2–3 days: 1 day for the city and the Nankou overseas Chinese village, 1 day for Yannanfei and the Ye Jianying Memorial Park, and 1 day for Dabu.

Food is a highlight of any trip to Meizhou: salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu, braised pork with preserved mustard greens, yan noodles with "three top scholars" soup, Hakka rice-wine chicken, Dabu bamboo-shoot dumplings and abacus-bead taro dumplings. A breakfast of yan noodles is a local ritual. For local products, consider Meizhou golden pomelos, Dancong tea and dried preserved mustard greens.

Top sights

Yannanfei Tea Field – A national 5A-rated scenic area of terraced tea gardens surrounding a Hakka-style architectural complex, where visitors can pick tea, taste…
China Hakka Museum & Renjinglu – A national-level specialized museum that systematically presents Hakka migration, architecture and folk customs, next to Renjinglu, the for…
Nankou Qiaoxiang Village – An ancient residential village in Nankou Town, Meixian, where dozens of weilong houses and Sino-Western overseas Chinese houses are scatter…
Ye Jianying Memorial Park – A memorial park in Huxing Village, Yangan Town, the hometown of Marshal Ye Jianying, including his former residence, a memorial hall and a…
Meizhou Old Qilou Streets – Arcaded streets on the north bank of the Mei River in the old town, with many buildings from the Republican era built by overseas Chinese m…
Tai'an Lou – A three-story square fortified house made of stone and wood beside the Dabu county seat, built during the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty…
Baihou Ancient Town – “Hometown of the Hanlin Academicians” in Dabu. Dozens of Hakka residences, ancestral halls, and academies from the Ming and Qing dynasties…
Hakka Land (Ketianxia) – A Hakka culture-themed 4A scenic area on the southern outskirts of Meizhou city. It has a Hakka-style town, a rhododendron valley, a lakesi…
Qiaoxi Ancient Village – A Hakka ancient village in a valley on the western foothills of Five Fingers Peak on Mount Yinna. More than ten walled houses stand along a…
Lingguang Temple & Mount Yinna – An ancient temple from the Tang dynasty at the foot of Mount Yinna. Two trees in front of the temple, one dead and one living, are said to…
Qianfo Pagoda Temple – An old temple on a hill east of Meizhou city. The Thousand Buddha Iron Pagoda, cast during the Southern Han of the Five Dynasties, is a rar…
Songkou Ancient Town – A century-old overseas Chinese town on the Mei River, the departure point from which Hakka people sailed south to the Nanyang region. It ha…
Huae Lou – A three-ring Hakka round house in Dadong Town, Dabu County. Built during the Ming dynasty, it has a clear echo at the center of its courtya…
Former Residence of Zhang Bishi (Guangludi) – The former residence in Xihe Town, Dabu, of Zhang Bishi, the founder of Changyu wine and a wealthy merchant in the Nanyang region. It is a…
Sanheba Battle Memorial Park – A memorial site for the Battle of Sanheba, fought by the Nanchang Uprising forces at the point where the Ting, Mei, and Meitan rivers meet…
Chayang Ancient Town – The former county seat of Dabu, an old Ming and Qing town on the banks of the Ting River. Remains of its city walls, arcaded streets, Repub…
Pingshan Terraced Fields – Thousands of mu of terraced fields in the mountains of Dadong Town, Dabu County. They climb the hillsides in layers and are said to be amon…

Where to eat

Jinyuan Restaurant (New County Town Branch) – A long-established Meizhou Hakka restaurant founded in 1989, known for traditional salt-baked chicken, stone-pot tofu s…
Dabu Snack Culture City (West Ring Road Branch) – A large one-stop Hakka snack spot in Dabu county town, offering bamboo shoot cake, suanpanzi, Baihou thin pancakes and…
Shisheng Meatballs – A heritage meatball shop in Huliao, Dabu. Its official website says the brand dates back to 1880, and it is known for h…

Itineraries

Eastern Guangdong Road Trip: Hakka Walled Houses to Chaoshan Ancient City – A cultural road trip along the Han River basin, from Meizhou's Weilongwu houses and tea plantations to Dapu's historic…