5 Days Guangdong Chaoshan Family Roots Journey: A Love Letter to Grandma

After breakfast, meet your driver-guide and travel toward Nan’ao Island (南澳岛), one of Guangdong’s most attractive island destinations.

Often described as a warm winter retreat and the “Hawaii of the East,” Nan’ao combines clear coastal water, rocky shores, green hills, fishing villages, lighthouses, wind turbines, beaches, and large offshore aquaculture areas.

Nan’ao Bridge

Cross the impressive Nan’ao Bridge (南澳大桥), the cross-sea route connecting mainland Shantou with Nan’ao County.

The bridge stretches for approximately 11 kilometers and provides wide views of the sea, fishing boats, offshore farms, islands, and surrounding mountains. Traveling across the bridge creates the feeling of entering a completely different coastal world.

Qihang Lighthouse

Stop at Qihang Lighthouse (启航灯塔) near the western entrance to Nan’ao Island.

The lighthouse stands close to the bridge and has become one of the island’s best-known photography locations. Its bright structure, open sea, rocky shoreline, and distant cross-sea bridge form an attractive coastal composition.

The area is especially popular for wedding photography and island travel portraits.

Rainbow Coastal Road

Continue along the Rainbow Coastal Road (彩虹公路), a colorful seaside route winding between green hills and the open sea.

The changing coastline, fishing villages, offshore farms, rocky beaches, and sea views make the drive an important part of the island experience. The relaxed pace and sea breeze create a peaceful break from city life.

Sanchongya Lighthouse

Visit Sanchongya Lighthouse (三囱崖灯塔), a distinctive lighthouse standing on a coastal cliff.

The white tower and blue base contrast with the surrounding sea and sky. From the nearby viewpoint, enjoy broad views over the bay and experience the fresh wind rising from the open water.

Tropic of Cancer Square

Continue to the Tropic of Cancer Square (北回归线广场) and see the island’s symbolic Natural Gate (自然之门).

The structure incorporates ideas from astronomy, geography, sunlight, nature, and life. When the sun reaches the Tropic of Cancer, sunlight can pass through the upper opening and project onto the central platform below.

The landmark is one of Nan’ao Island’s most recognizable symbols and a popular place to enjoy the coastal sunset.

Marine-Farming and Fishing Experience

Travel to the island’s western coastal area and take part in a boat-based marine experience.

Cruise through extensive oyster-growing areas and observe thousands of colorful floating buoys spread across the water. Local staff will introduce the methods used to cultivate oysters and explain the daily working life of island fishing communities.

The offshore farming areas cover a large section of the surrounding sea and provide an opportunity to see a less-visited side of Nan’ao Island.

The activity includes the boat fee. Marine experiences are subject to weather, tides, sea conditions, local safety regulations, and the operating arrangements of the fishing community.

After sightseeing, check in at the arranged Nan’ao sea-view hotel. A two-bedroom, one-living-room suite is specially arranged, subject to final hotel availability.

The evening is free. Guests may explore a local night market, walk near the coast, or choose a seafood restaurant independently.

Nan’ao Hotel Notes

As Nan’ao is an island with a humid maritime climate, hotel bedding may occasionally feel damp. Guests may contact the hotel reception to request replacement bedding when necessary.

Breakfast at some island hotels may be provided as a packed breakfast or shared table meal.

Local cuisine focuses heavily on seafood and regional dishes. Guests with seafood allergies should avoid unsuitable dishes and inform the service staff in advance.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Nan’ao sea-view hotel

After breakfast, check out of the Nan’ao hotel and return to the Shantou area. Today’s journey follows the overseas Chinese history and principal filming locations of A Love Letter to Grandma.

Shantou Overseas Chinese Remittance Museum

Visit the Shantou Overseas Chinese Remittance Museum (汕头侨批馆), a major filming location used for scenes involving historical research, family letters, overseas Chinese records, and the search for clues.

The museum is dedicated to Qiaopi, the letters and remittance documents sent by overseas Chinese back to their families. These documents record more than a century of migration, separation, responsibility, and emotional connection between Chaoshan emigrants and their homeland.

The original letters, faded paper, family messages, and remittance records reflect a powerful idea: one letter could carry half a lifetime of longing.

The museum provides an important cultural window into the history of Chaoshan people who traveled overseas in search of work while continuing to support their families at home.

Shantou Small Park Historic District

Continue to the Shantou Small Park Historic District (汕头小公园), one of the film’s principal old-town locations.

Centered on the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, the district features fan-shaped streets and one of China’s largest surviving groups of early twentieth-century Southeast Asian-style arcaded buildings.

Several locations were adapted for the film. A building on Haiping Road represented a historic cinema, while another old property became a remittance and letter office where overseas Chinese prepared messages and sent money home.

The historic façades, covered arcades, old storefronts, balconies, narrow streets, and nostalgic atmosphere provide a convincing background for a story spanning several decades.

The district is now one of the best places to understand Shantou’s history as a commercial port and a center of overseas Chinese culture.

Former Residence of Chen Cihong

Visit the Former Residence of Chen Cihong (陈慈黉故居), a nationally protected cultural site and one of the most impressive overseas Chinese residences in the Chaoshan region.

Often described as the “Finest Overseas Chinese Mansion in Lingnan” and the “Little Imperial Palace of Chaoshan,” the complex combines the traditional Si Ma Tuo Che residential layout with Western and Southeast Asian architectural influences.

The mansion contains decorated courtyards, tiled floors, carved doors, colorful façades, Western arches, balconies, and traditional Chaoshan architectural details.

In the film, the residence represents the home of an elderly character. Its weathered halls and historic atmosphere closely match the story’s themes of memory, waiting, and the passage of time.

Zhanglin Ancient Port

Continue to Zhanglin Ancient Port (樟林古港), historically one of the most important departure points for red-headed merchant ships in eastern Guangdong.

During the Qing Dynasty, generations of Chaoshan people boarded ships here and traveled to Southeast Asia. The port witnessed countless family separations as emigrants left their wives, children, and elderly parents in search of work overseas.

The ancient river channels, old lanes, docks, temples, ancestral halls, and commercial remains preserve the memory of this migration period.

In the film, Zhanglin Ancient Port provides the setting for an emotional departure scene in which a character boards a ship and leaves his family behind.

Qifeng Chen Ancestral Hall

Visit Qifeng Chen Ancestral Hall (起凤陈公祠), an important filming location associated with the later lives and reunion of the story’s characters.

The ancestral hall was constructed with financial support from overseas Chinese living in Thailand. Its architecture combines traditional Chaoshan forms with Western and Southeast Asian decorative influences.

Carved details, old timber structures, patterned walls, and the quiet atmosphere of the historic residence support the film’s nostalgic emotional tone.

The building is both a film location and an important monument representing the history of overseas Chinese philanthropy and ancestral identity.

Tangxi Village Zhangcuocheng

Continue to Zhangcuocheng in Tangxi Village (塘西村张厝埕), a traditional overseas Chinese residence featured as an important family home in the film.

The house preserves old wooden doors, an open central courtyard, traditional shutters, an original kitchen, historic furniture, and other details of everyday Chaoshan family life.

Several domestic scenes were filmed here, including preparing preserved olives, listening to Chaozhou Opera, resting in an old reclining chair, and reading overseas Chinese letters beside the bed.

Some film props and parts of the original set remain, making this one of the most atmospheric locations for visitors interested in the story.

After sightseeing, transfer to the arranged hotel and check in.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Three-diamond hotel in the Chaoshan region

After breakfast, begin a full day exploring the historic villages, temples, ancient streets, and rural settings associated with A Love Letter to Grandma.

Longhu Ancient Village

Visit Longhu Ancient Village (龙湖古寨), a nationally recognized traditional village with a layout of three main streets and six lanes.

The village contains ancestral halls, former official residences, merchant mansions, academies, temples, old courtyards, and narrow lanes representing different periods of Chaoshan history.

In the film, Longhu Ancient Village was used for scenes representing overseas Chaoshan communities in Thailand. Its ancestral halls, traditional streets, clan buildings, and residential architecture created the atmosphere of a distant Chinese community maintaining its hometown identity abroad.

The village is also connected with scenes involving family gatherings, ancestral worship, relationships, and the search for relatives.

Longhu’s architecture preserves outstanding examples of woodcarving, stone carving, ceramic inlay, mural painting, lime sculpture, and decorative plasterwork.

Thai Buddhist Hall

Continue to the Thai Buddhist Hall (泰佛殿), a landmark designed in a traditional Thai Buddhist architectural style.

The hall was used for scenes in which characters search for relatives, worship, and investigate family clues in Thailand.

Its colorful rooflines, decorative details, Buddhist statues, and Southeast Asian atmosphere allowed the filmmakers to recreate an overseas temple environment within the Chaoshan region.

The site also represents the long history of cultural exchange between China and Thailand.

Chaozhou Ancient City

Travel to Chaozhou Ancient City (潮州古城), one of the principal centers of Chaoshan culture.

The city is known for its historic streets, traditional residences, temples, memorial arches, craft workshops, food culture, religious traditions, and numerous forms of intangible cultural heritage.

Visitors can experience the atmosphere of a living ancient city where traditional architecture and modern daily life continue to exist side by side.

Paifang Street

Walk along Paifang Street (牌坊街), one of Chaozhou’s best-known historic streets.

Memorial arches, arcaded shops, traditional snack stalls, tea houses, handicraft stores, old residences, and narrow side lanes create a distinctive old-city landscape.

The memorial arches commemorate distinguished scholars, officials, and local figures, reflecting Chaozhou’s long educational and cultural history.

The street is also an excellent place to explore local specialties such as beef balls, oyster omelet, traditional pastries, rice cakes, herbal-seasoned fruit, and Gongfu Tea.

Xiqi Village Stone Bridge

Continue to the Stone Bridge in Xiqi Village (西淇村石板桥), a rural film location associated with the first meeting and developing relationship between two central characters.

The bridge crosses a small local stream and is built from simple stone slabs. Flowing water, village houses, green surroundings, and the natural rural landscape preserve a strong sense of traditional Chaoshan countryside life.

Several romantic and emotional scenes were filmed around the bridge, including an incident involving a letter falling into the water.

The location has become a popular destination for visitors following the film’s story.

Yangqi Village

Visit Yangqi Village (洋淇村), one of the most important rural filming locations in the journey.

The village appears in the opening section of the film and represents the childhood home and everyday living environment of a central character.

Old banyan trees, traditional gates, grey-brick homes, tiled roofs, winding lanes, ancestral buildings, and original village scenery create the gentle atmosphere that establishes the film’s emotional tone.

Scenes involving childhood memories, family life, local processions, the Ying Laoye folk tradition, and village celebrations were filmed here.

The well-preserved landscape provides an opportunity to experience the quiet rural world that shaped generations of Chaoshan families.

After sightseeing, return to the arranged hotel and check in.

Meals: Hotel breakfast included; lunch not included; dinner not included
Accommodation: Three-diamond hotel in the Chaoshan region

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy free time according to your confirmed flight or train schedule. Please complete the hotel check-out formalities before the required check-out time and carefully check the room to ensure that passports, identification documents, mobile phones, chargers, valuables, and other personal belongings have not been left behind.

At the designated time, meet your driver in the hotel lobby and transfer to Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport, Chaoshan Railway Station, or another confirmed departure point. Guests traveling on domestic flights should normally arrive at the airport at least two hours before departure, while railway passengers should allow sufficient time for security checks and boarding procedures.

The five-day Chaoshan Roots Journey: A Love Letter to Grandma ends upon arrival at the airport or railway station, bringing your exploration of overseas Chinese heritage, ancestral villages, historic streets, island landscapes, and filming locations to a close.

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

Please note: Transfer time will be arranged according to the confirmed flight or train schedule. Guests are responsible for additional expenses caused by late check-out, missed transportation, or belongings left at the hotel.