Zhaoqing

A historic prefecture of Lingnan, where the karst lakes and peaks of the Seven Star Crags rival Guilin, Dinghushan was China's first nature reserve, and Song-dynasty walls ring the old town.

Zhaoqing lies in west-central Guangdong on the middle reaches of the Xi River, about 100 km from Guangzhou. Known in ancient times as Duanzhou, it was renamed Zhaoqing Prefecture by Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song. It is a National Famous Historical and Cultural City, was the seat of the Ming-dynasty Viceroy of Liangguang, and is where Matteo Ricci first entered mainland China as a missionary. The city is famed for the hills of the Seven Star Crags and the waters of Dinghushan, and it is the home of the Duan inkstone, considered the finest of China's four great inkstones.

Areas to explore: ① Duanzhou old town — the Song-dynasty city wall, Liqiao Tower, the Zhaoqing Prefectural Confucian School and the city museum are all within the old walls; along the Xi River stand Yuejiang Tower, Chongxi Pagoda and Yuankui Pagoda, and in the western suburbs are Mei'an Temple and the Bao Gong Cultural Park; ② Star Lake — the Seven Star Crags and Fairy Lake wetland, with the Star Lake Greenway for cycling; ③ Dinghu District — Dinghushan (Qingyun Temple, Feishui Pool, Baoding Garden), the ancient plank road of Lingyang Gorge, the Duan Inkstone Culture Village and Yanzhou Island in the middle of the river; ④ Further afield — Licha Bagua Village in Gaoyao, and in Deqing the Confucian temple, the Longmu Ancestral Temple and Panlong Gorge.

The best season is Oct–Apr; summers are hot, humid and rainy but good for water fun. Getting there: high-speed or intercity trains from Guangzhou South take about 40–60 minutes to Zhaoqing East or Zhaoqing station, and Dinghushan has its own intercity rail station; city buses and taxis are convenient, but driving is recommended for Deqing. Allow 2–3 days. Local specialties include guozheng (large leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumplings), Wenqing carp and Dinghu vegetarian delight.

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