4 Days Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Admiration Tour with Guangzhou Bests
Explore Lingnan Culture and Historical Story of Overseas Chinese’s Rising
Explore Lingnan Culture and Historical Story of Overseas Chinese’s Rising
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages in Jiangmen is listed as the world first and only UNESCO World Cultural Heritage about oversea Chinese. At present in Kaiping, there remain 1,833 historical watchtowers constructed by overseas Chinese who left their hometown in Southern China and traveled across the ocean to the distant North American region in 20th century to make a fortune for family. That architectural treasure is the best place to seek the hard struggle of the reputable overseas Chinese for the rising of their family and nation. The left new styled watchtowers of both Chinese and Western features are the best creation to prove the initiative cultural communication between China and the Western world and the opening development of Chinese architecture.
This 4 days tour making a special trip to Kaiping Diaolou will take you to appreciate the precious historical relics with beautiful exterior and interior designs and have a better understanding of overseas Chinese’s life and hope and their influence on the world nowadays. What’s more, all the bests of the bests of Guangzhou are well covered with interesting guide introduction to impress you a wonderful experience of this metropolitan city to feel its looks of old and new, large and small, traditional and modern, local and international, etc. Furthermore, enough free time is prepared for you to see Guangzhou from your own angle!
Day 1 Guangzhou Arrival
Airport / Train Station Pick Up
Welcome to Guangzhou, the City of Rams! Situated in south China, Guangzhou is a “hot” metropolis for relaxation, food exploration, business communication and seeking of culture, history, arts of Lingnan Area. Upon your arrival, your local guide and driver will meet you at the arrival hall of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport or railway stations in Guangzhou and then escort you to your hotel in downtown and help you check in. The rest of the day is free on your own to take a nice break or explore this city.
Evening Optional Experience: Enjoy the 70-minute fascinating Pearl River night cruise sailing along the mother river of Guangzhou people and soak in the wonderful sightseeing of lights and neon of historical architectures and new modern towering buildings to feel the pulse of this developed city. You won’t miss the Canton Tower during the cruise.
Arrival Idea: Guangzhou is a large international city with great transportation connections including many international and domestic flights to and from. Furthermore, high speed trains are quite convenient from most domestic cities including Hong Kong (about 1 hour), Shenzhen (0.5-1.5 hours), Guilin (2.5-3.5 hours), Beijing (8-10 hours), Shanghai (7-8.5 hours), Chengdu (9-10 hours), Guiyang (4-6.5 hours), Xian (8-9 hours), Hangzhou (6-7.5 hours), and so on.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Day 2 Guangzhou (B, L)
Yuexiu Park - Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall - Chen Clan Ancestral Hall - Shamian Island - Huacheng Square
After breakfast, your local guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. Start to explore the old and new Guangzhou City from Yuexiu Park, the largest city park in Guangzhou. Stroll leisurely in the verdant park to see the Five Rams Statue from which you will savor the interesting legendary story of the five rams and know why Guangzhou is called the “City of Rams”. Then, continue to appreciate a five-storey ancient structure in red - Zhenhai Tower which was changed as Guangzhou Museum. Have a brief learning about Guangzhou’s over 2000 years’ history and if you like, climb up the tower to get a bird’s-eye view of Guangzhou City. After the morning stretching with fresh air, move your steps to the nearby Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall which was built in memory of the great revolutionist Sun Yat-sen. Enjoy the Chinese and Western combining styled octagon-shaped main building in bright red and blue from outside. Enter the hall to know Dr. Sun deeper with excellent exhibitions of his biography and contribution to the country and people, and get a simple learning about the contemporary history of China in the 18th - 19th centuries. Before leaving, admire the 5.5-meter tall bronze statue of Dr. Sun outside in the yard and show your respect to this world famous great Father of the Nation in China.
In this afternoon, visit the must-see Chen Clan Ancestral Hall which is regarded as the largest, most beautifully decorated and best preserved traditional ancestral temple in Guangdong Province. Roam among the tranquil houses and courtyards built during 1888-1894 to discover its architectural origin and find out whether it was an ancestral hall or an academy for the Chen Family in Guangdong initially. Since it is famous as the “Pearl of Lingnan Architectural Art”, you will taste the super exquisite colorful decorations of vivid patterns of various flora and fauna, figures and immortals to feel the highly skillful construction and decoration of Lingnan people and know their typical folk culture and best wishes of harvest and prosperity in ancient China. Later, be transferred for about 10 minutes’ driving to see the quite different Shamian Island where over 150 European styled old buildings from the colonial period from 19th century are well preserved for a nice savory. Take a relaxing walk in the strongly exotic street block in emerald and imagine the past life and changes of Guangzhou told by those historical remains.
After the exploration, be transferred to the urban central axis in Zhujiang New Town to see the modern cityscape of Guangzhou at Huacheng Square. Have a leisure stroll between the glittery skyscrapers and peculiar shaped modern buildings to feel the fast development of this metropolis, including Guangzhou IFC Tower, CTF Finance Center, Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Grand Theater, etc. Most importantly, appreciate the slim outline of the iconic Canton Tower on the opposite bank of Pearl River.
After the tour, be escorted back to your hotel.
Day 3 Jiangmen Kaiping Diaolou and Villages (B, L)
Drive to Kaiping - Li Garden - Zili Village - Back to Guangzhou
Today, we will drive about 1.5 hours from Guangzhou to meet Kaiping Diaolou and Villages in Jiangmen City. The over 1,800 precious and well-kept watchtowers together was listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2007 with rich value to know culture and history of overseas Chinese from Guangdong in the 16th - 19th centuries. Our guide will take you to appreciate Li Garden and Zili Village, the two most popular and featured diaolou villages. Besides the outlook of the western styled watchtowers, you won’t miss to enter the watchtower buildings and have a historic look at the tasteful layout with lots of furnishing and decorations imported from overseas countries. Every detail tells the particular life and house of overseas Chinese who worked hard to succeed in another country and pursued a better future of their family and nation.
First visit Li Garden that is treated as a top excellent private garden built by overseas Chinese. Wander in the villa styled garden to admire its outstanding combination of typical traditional classic garden in ancient China and graceful features of European and American villa constructions. Take your time to discover every corner and every floor to savor the interest of the lovely Chinese pond, pavilion, bridge, Western styled artistic decorations and local Lingnan featured sculptures and carvings.
In the afternoon, you will be transferred for about 10 minutes to the nearby Zili Village. This village has the largest number of diaolou buildings among all the four Kaiping villages designated by the UNESCO, showing the silver age of Kaiping diaolous with delicate diaolou buildings distributed harmoniously. Admire its rich western styled watchtowers dotted on the contrast Chinese Lingnan local countryside to find out why it is one of the best beautiful diaolou villages in China. Just get to the top of those watchtowers where you will take nice photos of the full view of watchtower clusters with the backdrop of idyllic countryside sightseeing of Lingnan village, including blossoms, pond, farm lands, winding rural paths, domestic animals, etc. After the sightseeing, be driven for about 3 hours back to Guangzhou. Have a nice sleep!
Useful Tips for Kaiping Diaolou and Village Photography: 1. March to April is good for shooting watchtowers with large scaled golden rape flowers; June to July is great to catch vibrant scene of verdant paddy fields; July to August is the high season for shooting lovely lotus flowers and the dancing lotus leaves. 2. Nearly all watchtowers are allowed to go up for village full view, and the top one recommendation is Longsheng Building near Ju’an Building in Zili Village.
Day 4 Guangzhou Departure (B)
Flight / Train off Guangzhou
Today, you will say goodbye with Guangzhou! After breakfast, your local guide and driver will send you from your hotel to the airport / train station to catch the flight / train to your next destination or home. Service ends!
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi dear Vivien,
our journey is about to end. We are on our way to Guilin airport. It has been an awesome trip indeed. Each destination was well chosen and everything went smoothly. I am super happy for my sister and me to be able to experience such a wonderful travel through the most stunning landscapes in China. Thank you for the perfect organization. And thank you for the nice gift we got in Guilin. Really appreciate it.
My sister with her fan. We also got a beautiful stamp and ink. Thank you very much!
Francesca
Hi Vivien,
just want to record our thanks to you for your good planning, coordination and arrangement for our recent holidays to Dali, Lijiang and Xianggelila. The tour guides and drivers were warm and friendly and we felt safe, and enjoyed the trip very much.
All the best to you.
Janet/Richard/Claire
Hi Phoebe,
1. Yes - questions were promptly addressed to my satisfaction. Excellent service overall.
2. The local guide is knowledgeable and has good command of English. He's also patient, considerate, and takes good care of his customers.
Hee
Hi Samantha,
Sunrise was very nice and checked us in to a nice room at 8:30 am. It’s been a while since we were in Shanghai, and it is a wonderful, clean city that’s very vibrant. It has been sunny and warm the last four days.
Jordan
Dear Wing Zeng,
My family and I have now arrived safely back at home in Bangkok. We had a wonderful time on the cruise, and we would like to thank you very much for assisting us on the whole process, from booking the cabins to arranging transportation from Jingzhou to Maoping port. We are very impressed with your service.
As for your questions, here is my response:
1A: Wing Zeng always responds to our emails very promptly. At the beginning when I planned to book the cruise, Wing Zeng has been very patient to respond to all my questions about the cruise itinerary and the cabin types. I am very happy with her service.
2A: With Wing Zeng's help, our tour arrangements were very smooth. Our family travel with one senior and one small child, so we were very careful about transportation to and from the port. On the day of embarkation, Wing Zeng helped us book a van transfer directly from our hotel in Jingzhou to the port, which made the embarkation process very smooth and enjoyable.
3A: Definitely. I highly recommend your service to anyone who wants to take the Yangtze cruises.
4A: I'm very satisfied with your service. Our travel consultant is very helpful and professional.
5A: It would be nice if you could give a little warning that the water level in Chongqing might be too low around this time of year. Originally, our cruise was scheduled to end at Chongqing Chaotianmen port. But because of the low water level, we had to disembark somewhere else and took a 2-hour drive to Chaotianmen. The cruise arranges the transfer smoothly and it worked out fine in the end. But if this is something that happens usually around this time of year, it would be nice to be given a little warning beforehand.
Sira
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Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
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After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
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Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
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Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
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In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport
Pearl River Night Cruise to Enjoy Canton Tower
Yuexiu Park Five Rams Statue
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Guangzhou
Exquisite Decoration of Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes at Shamian Island
Huacheng Square - To See Stunning Guangzhou Skyline and Canton Tower
Kaiping Li Garden - Panli Building
Panorama of Zili Village in Kaiping
Guangzhou City and the whole Guangdong Province has implemented the 144 hour visa free transit policy, which enables visitors from the specific 53 countries with valid travel document & connecting (flight, ship, trains) tickets to a third country/region to enter and via Guangdong Province no more than 6 days without applying for Chinese Visa. The 32 valid ports include 5 airports (Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport…), 4 railway stations (Guangzhou East Railway Station…), 8 highway / road ports (Luohu Port in Shenzhen…) and 15 harbor / sea ports (Guangzhou Port, Nansha Port, LianHuaShan Port…). And the countries include 25 European Schengen Visa Agreement countries (Austria, Germany, Italy…), 14 Other European countries (Russia, United Kingdom, Ireland…), 6 America countries (United States, Canada, Brazil…), 2 Oceania countries (Australia and New Zealand) and 6 Asian countries (South Korea, Japan, Singapore…)
As one of the busiest transportation hub cities in China, Guangzhou is connected with the world with many international flights to and from countries including America, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, India, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, etc. Besides, high speed bullet trains are well served to and from most domestic cities like Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Shenzhen, Guilin, Guiyang, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen, Wuhan, Changsha, etc.
Guangzhou situated in southern China is suitable to visit all around the year. The best time for tourists is from March to early May and from September to December when sunny days appear most and comfortable temperature around 24℃ can be easily enjoyed. Also, lots of flowers are blooming to beautify this city for a better traveling mood. However, It changes some cold with humid during January and February. And high temperature and reason period occur more during June and August. Umbrella and sunblock are advised anytime to Guangzhou.
Since Guangzhou is a super modern and prosperous city, countless hotels, hostels and homestays from extremely luxury, like Sheraton, Shanri-La, Crown Plaza, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, etc. to real budget can be easily found. Top international brands gather most in Tianhe District where you can also savor the very modern cityscape of Guangzhou. Yuexiu District and Liwan District have most tourist attractions, and various kinds of accommodations are offered with relatively better prices. If you visit Guangzhou for Canton Fair, Pazhou and Haizhu District is a wise choice with a lot of high standard 4-5 star hotels and comfort ones. Besides, a series of good and cozy hotels are arranged around Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District for your convenient early flight catching.
Eating in Guangzhou! There are quite diverse kinds of food, such as traditional Cantonese cuisines, morning tea with delicate dim sum, Cantonese old fire soups, sea food, snacks along the streets… All the meals of this tour can be arranged flexibly according to your likes and needs. Besides, if you want to enjoy other kinds of food like American food, French food, Italian food, Japanese Sushi, Southeast Asian food, Sichuan food, etc. Just tell your guide directly!
The itinerary of your Guangzhou trip can be tailor-made according to what you like and how much budget you are planning. For most visitors, Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is the top one to admire excellent architectural arts and culture of Guangzhou and whole Lingnan area, Yuexiu Park tells you how Guangzhou changes to a city and about her nickname, Shamian Island keeps the look of Guangzhou during the period of war, and Huacheng Square as well as Canton Tower show the nowadays brand-new prosperity of this trading city. If you like, you can choose to ascend Canton Tower to have a bird’s eye view of Guangzhou. No matter you are businesspersons, family with kids, culture lovers, foodies, you can be fully satisfied in Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is served the first gateway city in Guangdong Province that most travelers would arrive in Guangzhou first and then make a trip to its surrounding destinations. To extend you tour longer to explore stunning cultural highlights, it is a good idea to spend 1 day in Foshan (the center of Lingnan Culture, Lion Dancing, Kung Fu Martial Arts), 1 day in Shunde (the origin of Cantonese Cuisine), 1 day in Jiangmen (Kaiping Diaolous & Villages), or 1 day in Shenzhen (fast development with incredible Shenzhen speed), etc. Tell us which destinations you like and we can arrange the trip for you.
Canton Fair, also known as China Import and Export Fair, is world famous trade fair held in the spring and autumn seasons every year. During the opening period, the fair will be open from 9:30 to 18:00 and will go on the weekends.
| / | Spring Session | Autumn Session |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | April 15th - 19th | October 15th - 19th |
| Phase 2 | April 23rd - 27th | October 23rd - 27th |
| Phase 3 | May 1st - 5th | October 31st - November 4th |
If you wan to some help or want to enjoy day break to see some highlights of Guangzhou during the Canton Fair, just feel free to tell us your ideas.
As there are quite a lot of popular tourist destinations in China and Guangzhou has really convenient transportation by air, railway and road with them, you can totally consider traveling beyond Guangzhou to catch more beauty, culture, history and other highlights of this vast country, such as the imperial constructions and great wall in Beijing, amazing and remote Terracotta Warriors in Xian, subtle Karst landform view in Guilin, world-class fascinating skyline and shopping paradise in Hong Kong, to name but a few. Please feel free to tell us any idea you are thinking about, and our professional travel expert from China Discovery will help you plan your Guangzhou China trip with sincerity and rich experience and knowledge!
Guangzhou / Foshan
Guangzhou / Foshan / Shunde / Guangzhou
Guangzhou / Foshan / Jiangmen / Guangzhou / Shenzhen
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