Chaozhou, Guangdong, Old City Walking or Biking Tour, 广东潮州老城游览线路

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Chaozhou, Guangdong, Old City Walking or Biking Tour, 广东潮州老城游览线路

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Difficulty: Easy
Length: 1.8 miles / 2.9 km
Duration: 1-3 hours

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Overview: Chaozhou (Chinese: 潮州) is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People’s Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast.

Chaozhou is a famous historical and cultural city in China. The following is the guide for it’s “old city tour”. You can hire a human powered tricycle, rent a bike or simply walk the route to enjoy many historical relics and unique culture of Chaozhou. The “old city” is well preserved. Many local people still live in those century old houses along the narrow alleyways.

The tour is about 1-2 hours. It starts in the Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺) and ends in the same spot. You may wish to visit the Kaiyuan temple last.

This “Chaozhou old city tour” is a must do for anyone visiting Chaozhou. You will enjoy the culture and the architecture that are unique to Chaozhou. If you have not been to Chaozhou, you have not been to Guangdong. If you have not toured the “Chaozhou old city”, you have not been to Chaozhou. Enjoy!

Tips: Still want to see more? There is another historical place along the way that is worth visiting: Xu, Imperial Son-in-law, Mansion (許駙馬府). Xu, Imperial Son-in-law, Mansion (許駙馬府), which retains the basic pattern of the architecture of the Song Dynasty. I will leave that to you to find out the exact location. Hope this will give you a bit more adventure in this trip. Hint: there are signs along the way pointing to the Xu’s mansion.

Important Tips:
1: Please note: you shall not cross the Han river via Guangzi Bridge as the entrance fee is for one way trip only (you can argue with the ticket conductors, but the results depend). Since the Hangong Ci is on the other side of the Han river, you can see it from the distance or visit it in another time.
2: You may choose to rest and chip the Gongfu tea (which is famous in Chaozhou) in many stores in front of the Haiyang County Confusion Temple. There is no obligation to buy. If you wish to purchase, please be sure to bargain.

How to get there:
By Air: Chaozhou has no airport. The closest airport is located in Shantou which is only 30km to Chaozhou city. Every 10 minutes, Shantou bus station has an express bus to Chaozhou.
By train: Guangzhou has 3 trains every day that connect to Chaozhou
By bus: This is actually the preferred way to go to Chaozhou. It is very easy to find buses that connect Chaozhou from Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Xiamen and many other cities.
By boat: Chaozhou is connected to Hongkong and Xiamen by boat.

Travel in the city:
Taxi: Chaozhou old town is very small. The Chaozhou railway station is not far from the Kaiyuan temple. The taxis are metered.
Bus: The public bus system is well developed. However, the signs are in Chinese which is rather difficult to navigate for English speakers.
By tricycle: this human powered tricycle is another way to enjoy the city. The drivers will usually tell to you the “secret stories” of the Chaozhou. The “old city tricycle tour” costs 30RMB for 1.5 hour round trip that starts and ends in Kaiyuan temple.
By bike: Bikes can be rent in many small shops.

Points of Interest

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The Ming city wall (明城墻)

The Ming city wall (明城墻), 2.6 kilometers long and was rebuilt in the 1990s.

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Hangong Ci(韩公祠)

Hangong Ci(韩公祠) is located along Hangjiang river and at the west of Bijia mountain. It is on the other side of the Han river. This shrine had been constructed since Song Dynasty and become the oldest existing and the most completed reservation memorial of Han Yu, who is the great poet in Tang Dynasty. Historical record shows: Han Yu was exiled to Chaozhou in the year of A.D.819. During his tenure as the governor, he helped local people to develop education, agriculture, irrigation and release slaves. To memorize his contribution to the development of Chaozhou, people constructed this shrine and name him “Hanwengong” respectfully. 　

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Guangzi Bridge (廣濟橋)

Guangzi Bridge (廣濟橋), built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1170 A.D.) was reconstructed in the 1990s. There are sections of the old bridge still remains. The new bridge is much higher than the original bridge. However, it still uses the same style as the ancient bridge.

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Mazhu temple (妈祖庙)

The Mazhu temple (妈祖庙), built inside the Ming wall to worship goddess Mazhu who lived in Chaozhou Shantou (called Chaoshan) region. She was believed to have performed many good deeds for the locals. She is worshipped as a goddess after her death and is popular not only in southeast China but also for Chinese resides in the Southeast Asian countries.

Decorations on Mazhu Temple Ceiling Photo

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Street scene in the old town

Many local people still live in those century old houses along the narrow alleyways.

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Haiyang County Confusion Temple (海阳县儒学宫)

Haiyang County Confusion Temple (海阳县儒学宫) was built in the Song Dynasty (1278AD) and was destroyed in a fire. It was rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1369AD). Its architecture is heavily influenced by the east Guangdong style with intricate and colorful carvings decorating the ceiling joints. The Chaozhou Museum is located inside the temple.

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Huang Jilue Temple (己略黃公祠)

Huang Jilue Temple (己略黃公祠) is famous for its intricate wood and stone carvings. It was built in Qing dynasty as a resident for a local rich. It is a great example of the architecture style of the east Guangdong.

Wood carvings of Huang Jilue Temple Photo

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Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺)

Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺) is a Buddhist center embodied with the quintessence of the architectural art of various dynasties such as Tang, Song, Yuan and Qing. This temple is over 200 years old. The temple is also home to the most influential Buddhism Study Institute in Southeast China. Inside, handsome calligraphy and inscribed steles remind visitors that this temple once functioned as the record keeper of the city.

Pictures in this guide taken by: drnantu

Mark Tu @ www.drtu.com/en

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This is a must do when visiting Chaozhou. You will enjoy the culture, architecture that is unique in Guangdong.
Visited on May 02, 2011

by drnantu on May 04, 2011