5 Days Guangdong Chaoshan Culture Tour (Chaozhou-Nan'ao Island-Shantou)

After breakfast at the hotel, depart for Longhu Ancient Village, a historic Chaoshan settlement famous for its traditional arrangement of three main streets and six lanes. More than one hundred ancestral halls, official residences, academies, temples, and merchant mansions are preserved within the village.

Walk through the old lanes and admire elaborate examples of Chaozhou woodcarving, stone carving, ceramic inlay, shell decoration, painted murals, and lime sculpture. The combination of grand family residences and buildings from different historical periods has earned Longhu the reputation of being an open-air museum of traditional mansion culture.

Continue to the Han Yu Memorial Temple, built in honor of the celebrated Tang Dynasty scholar, writer, and official Han Yu. Although he served in Chaozhou for less than eight months, he is remembered for supporting agriculture, improving education, releasing bonded servants, and promoting local development. The temple stands in a scenic setting beside the Han River, and the elevated Shilang Pavilion offers broad views over Chaozhou when open.

Proceed into Chaozhou Ancient City and walk along Paifang Street, where 22 historic memorial arches commemorate distinguished officials, scholars, and local figures. Traditional arcaded buildings, snack shops, tea houses, handicraft stores, and old residences create one of the city’s most distinctive historic streetscapes.

Visit Kaiyuan Temple, originally founded in 738 during the Tang Dynasty. The temple has been restored and expanded through successive dynasties while retaining a traditional arrangement of ceremonial courtyards and Buddhist halls. Its carved beams, decorated roofs, statues, incense burners, and peaceful atmosphere make it one of eastern Guangdong’s most important religious landmarks.

Continue to Guangji Bridge, also known as Xiangzi Bridge. Famous for its traditional pavilions, stone piers, and movable pontoon section, the bridge is traditionally described as having “eighteen floating boats and twenty-four bridge piers.” Walk onto the bridge and enjoy a different perspective of the Han River, Chaozhou Ancient City, and the surrounding waterfront.

Later, take part in an immersive Chaoshan Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience. Watch the powerful movements of Yingge Dance, accompanied by energetic percussion and martial arts-inspired formations. Enjoy traditional Chaozhou drums, lion dancing, selected scenes from Chaozhou Opera, and an introduction to the colorful Ying Laoye folk ceremony.

The experience also includes authentic Chaoshan Gongfu Tea, where carefully brewed tea is served in miniature cups according to local hospitality customs. Together, the performances and tea ceremony offer a vivid introduction to the beliefs, music, drama, community traditions, and everyday culture of the Chaoshan people.

After the activities, return to your hotel in Chaozhou. Lunch and dinner are arranged independently, allowing you to explore the ancient city’s street-food stalls and traditional restaurants at your own pace.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Chaozhou hotel

After breakfast, check out of the Chaozhou hotel and travel toward Nan’ao Island, Guangdong’s only island county. Cross the impressive Nan’ao Bridge, the main sea link connecting mainland Shantou with the island. During the drive, enjoy expansive views of the sea, fishing boats, coastal hills, and offshore aquaculture areas.

Stop at Changshanwei Lighthouse, a striking coastal landmark near the western entrance to Nan’ao Island. The lighthouse stands beside the cross-sea bridge and rocky shoreline, creating one of the island’s most popular photography settings.

Continue across the island to the Natural Gate, Nan’ao’s symbolic Tropic of Cancer landmark. Its distinctive circular design combines ideas from astronomy, geography, sunlight, nature, and life. At the summer solstice, the sun’s rays pass through the central opening and project onto the platform below.

Walk to nearby Qing’ao Bay, one of the island’s most attractive beaches. The crescent-shaped shoreline is surrounded by green hills and coastal woodland, with clear water, fine sand, and a relaxed seaside atmosphere. Enjoy time to stroll along the beach, take photographs, collect shells, or simply listen to the waves.

Along the coastal route, view the colorful floating buoys and aquaculture facilities of the Rainbow Sea Ranch, where fishing and marine farming remain an important part of local life.

Later, join a fish-raft and marine-farming experience. Travel by boat through offshore aquaculture areas, learn how local fishermen raise fish and oysters, and observe the working environment of a traditional sea ranch. Subject to weather, tides, and marine safety conditions, guests may take part in oyster harvesting and taste freshly collected oysters.

The experience offers a closer look at Nan’ao’s fishing traditions and the journey of seafood from the ocean to the dining table. Should the boat trip be suspended because of weather or operating conditions, an alternative local activity may be arranged.

After sightseeing, check in at the arranged hotel on Nan’ao Island. The evening is free for independent exploration. You may walk around the island, visit a local night market, enjoy fresh seafood, or take a relaxed coastal ride when time and conditions permit.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Nan’ao Island hotel

After breakfast at the hotel, check out and leave Nan’ao Island for Shantou, where the day focuses on the city’s coastal-defense history, old commercial district, Mazu culture, and inner-bay scenery.

Begin at Stone Fort Park, located near the entrance to Shantou Port. The park is centered on Qilu Fort, a circular coastal-defense structure built between 1874 and 1879 during the Qing Dynasty. Because of its strategic waterfront position, the fort once served as one of the principal military installations protecting eastern Guangdong.

Walk around the thick defensive walls, former artillery positions, underground passages, and military structures while learning about Shantou’s development as an important maritime gateway. The site later served several different purposes before being restored as a historic park and protected cultural landmark.

Continue to the Shantou Small Park Historic District, the cultural and commercial heart of the old city. The neighborhood preserves a distinctive fan-shaped street plan, rows of covered arcaded buildings, early twentieth-century shops, former banks, department stores, overseas Chinese residences, and European-influenced façades.

Enjoy approximately two hours of free exploration around the district. See the reconstructed Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, widely known as the Small Park Pavilion, which stands at the center of the radiating streets and remains one of the most recognizable symbols of old Shantou.

Visit or view the historic Shantou General Post Office Building, completed in 1922 and regarded as one of Guangdong’s best-preserved European-style postal buildings. Its architecture reflects the city’s importance as a commercial port and communication center during the early twentieth century.

Continue to the Old Mazu Temple and Mazu Temple Stage, where traditional maritime beliefs remain closely connected with the lives of local fishing and trading communities. Mazu, the Chinese goddess of the sea, has long been worshipped by sailors, merchants, fishermen, and overseas Chinese families seeking safety and protection during sea journeys.

The surrounding streets contain local snack shops, traditional restaurants, teahouses, old storefronts, and historic buildings. Lunch is arranged independently, giving you time to sample specialties such as beef balls, oyster omelet, marinated goose, rice noodle rolls, seafood congee, rice cakes, and Chaoshan desserts.

Later, board the Shantou Bay Ferry for a short crossing of the inner harbor. From the ferry, enjoy views of the city’s northern and southern waterfronts, bridges, port facilities, hills, historic neighborhoods, and modern skyline. The boat journey offers a refreshing perspective of Shantou’s relationship with the sea and its development around the protected bay.

After completing the sightseeing program, transfer to the arranged hotel in Shantou and check in. The evening is free for independent dining and exploration. You may visit a local food street, seafood restaurant, night market, or waterfront area according to your interests.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Shantou hotel

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy free time according to your confirmed flight or train schedule.

Guests departing later in the day may independently explore nearby neighborhoods, purchase local specialties, enjoy another Chaoshan meal, or relax at the hotel before departure. Recommended local products include tea, traditional pastries, dried seafood, preserved foods, handicrafts, and regional snacks.

Please complete the hotel check-out formalities before the required check-out time. Travelers with an evening flight or train may leave their luggage at the hotel reception and continue with independent activities. Any additional room charges caused by a late check-out are not included.

At the agreed time, meet your designated driver and transfer to Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, Chaoshan Railway Station, or another confirmed departure point.

Arrive at the airport or railway station with sufficient time to complete check-in, security procedures, and boarding formalities, bringing the five-day journey through Chaozhou, Nan’ao Island, and Shantou to an end.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Tour ends

Please note: The sightseeing order, ferry arrangements, and transfer time may be adjusted according to traffic, weather, ferry operations, flight or train schedules, and other local conditions.