Dongguan

Dongguan (东莞; Dūnggún in Cantonese, Dōngguǎn in Mandarin) is in the Pearl River Delta region of China, about 100 km from Hong Kong. It's a major manufacturing center, producing an estimated one fifth of the world's smartphones and one tenth of the world's shoes.

Dongguan isn't really on the radar for most tourists. Its factories attract a steady flow of business travellers, but not many people visit unless they have a specific reason to. However, it does have a handful of fascinating Qing Dynasty historic sites, especially from the Opium Wars in Humen Town, as well as typical big-city amenities, lots of shopping, and some quite nice hiking trails.

Towns
The Dongguan government administers a whopping 28 towns outside the central urban districts. Here are a few of the most important:


 * Chang'an (长安, Cháng'ān) is a well-off manufacturing center and the gateway to Lianhua Mountain.
 * Changping (常平, Chángpíng) was once a notorious red light district, but has cleaned up its act (with encouragement from police crackdowns) and is now a perfectly respectable, though not particularly glamorous, manufacturing town. It's also something of a transportation hub.
 * Houjie (厚街, Hòujiē) is an industrial town of 400,000 people, mostly temporary residents, 30 minutes southwest of Dongguan.
 * Humen (虎门, Hǔmén) was an important site in the Opium Wars (with two museums to show for it) and is now a well-known spot for clothes shopping and has a major high-speed rail station.

As often happens in China, the name "Dongguan" is ambiguous: colloquially it refers just to the central urban area, but officially it is the entire prefecture-level city, including the urban center as well as the towns.

Talk
Cantonese is the traditional local language spoken in Dongguan. The local dialect has distinctive features relative to standard Cantonese, but if you are already fluent in standard Cantonese, this should not pose too much of a challenge, and locals can usually communicate in standard Cantonese too. Most people can also speak Mandarin, and due to high migration from other provinces, a significant number of people don't speak Cantonese.

By plane
The Pearl River Delta has one of the largest concentrations of international airports in the world, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
 * Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is just over an hour from the Dongguan city center. There is a shuttle bus to the Dongguan airport check-in station at the South China Mall in Wanjiang. If hiring a car, the fare should be about ¥300. Also, there is Intercity Bus  at Baiyun Airport. And the pick  up port:Gate A9 of the Arrival Hall and South China International Auto Parts City of Dalang Town. Buses to/from other bus stations, such as the Dongguan City Terminal, are likely to be available as well, enquire locally.
 * Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport is also about an hour from the center city but much closer to some Dongguan towns, especially Chang'an and Humen, expect to pay ¥100-300 by car. By bus, it will cost ¥46-55, and the last one going to Dongguan departs (as of May 2024) at 20:50, at least if going to the Nancheng Bus Terminal in central Dongguan (See also the information on Shenzhen airport website). The airport is also connected to Dongguan by the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway. There are stops in Chang’an, Humen, Houjie, and several other towns in Dongguan.
 * Hong Kong International Airport can be reached by buses that depart on regular schedules from hotels across Dongguan. It is also accessible by a special ferry from Dongguan's Humen town that connects directly to the international flights area of the airport. To catch the ferry from the airport, go directly to the ticket counter without passing through Hong Kong immigration or customs; see Hong Kong International Airport for details.

By train
There are several train stations in Dongguan; here are some of the most important:



By bus
The most popular method for Hong Kong locals to travel to Dongguan is by bus. There are several companies that offer bus travel to Dongguan from Hong Kong. A good place to find a bus, would be at the bus stands inside the arrival terminal at Hong Kong Airport. Prices are usually HK$80–100 for a one-way ticket or HK$150 for a two-way ticket. Travel times usually are 1½-2½ hours depending on traffic conditions. If you are traveling from another part of China, you can also travel to Dongguan by bus, most major cities in China will have bus routes to the Dongguan Main Bus Station in Nancheng. There buses to several bus stations in Dongguan from the main Luohu border crossing bus terminal, so be careful that you choose the correct one.

From Shenzhen, take the metro to Songgang metro station, and exit the station through exit G to connect to the Dongguan-Shenzhen Line 1 (莞深001线) bus. Pay for the bus with a regular payment QR code, not Shenzhen Tong or Yangcheng Tong.

By boat
One of the less used ways to get to Dongguan from Hong Kong is by ferry. This allows you to avoid the queues at the busy customs checkpoints on the border between Hong Kong and mainland China. Ferries are operated by CKS. They depart from Hong Kong International Airport's Skypier and arrive at (虎门港澳码头, Hǔmén Gǎng Ào Mǎtou) in Humen Town.

Get around
The best method for visitors to get around is taxi. Taxis are cheap, and a 30 minute ride should not cost more than ¥80. Beware however, some taxis are used for kidnapping. Be sure to only use the green, licensed Dongguan taxis.

By rail
The metro system, Dongguan Rail Transit, opened in 2016 with a single line (Line 2) serving 15 stations between Dongguan Railway Station and Humen Railway Station. The system is being expanded, with plans for three additional lines and connections to the Guangzhou and Shenzhen metros. Line 1 of the Dongguan Metro is expected to be completed in 2025.

Besides the metro, travellers also have the option of taking either the Dongguan-Huizhou Intercity Railway or the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Intercity Railway. Both lines have multiple stations in Dongguan.

By bus
Most buses cost ¥2 per ride. The Yang Cheng Tong pass from Guangzhou works for the buses in Dongguan. Announcements are made in Mandarin and Cantonese, no English.

See
Dongguan has an exhibition center in Dongguan city, which hosts many exhibitions and conferences. There is also a sports center for locals. If you only have a day and want to stay in one area, you might start at Jin'aozhou Pagoda (金鳌洲塔), go east and see Keyuan Garden (可园), and then walk along Dongcheng Avenue (东城大道) for shopping and food. It is not too far to bar street, where you can check out some pretty hopping clubs.

Houjie Town
See Houjie.

Humen Town
Humen Town played a pivotal role in the Opium Wars, which were a central part of the decline of the Qing Dynasty and China's "century of humiliation" at the hands of foreign powers. The wars were fought between China and the United Kingdom in the 1800s over trade policy, in particular the UK's insistence on selling opium to China. Humen was the site of the destruction of a huge amount of seized opium, the event which sparked the First Opium War, and some battles were fought around here too. The Opium Wars are now commemorated by two museums and some historic fortifications, which make for an interesting, if one-sided, day of learning about this period of history.



Liaobu Town




Do
Most four star hotels will have various "foot" massages and sauna services for upwards of ¥150. Saunas and foot massage parlors might be brothels.



Buy
Dongguan is well known for its Huanghe Fashion Town located in the Humen District along Renming Road, Renyi Road, Jinglong Road and Yinglong Road. The district houses one of China's largest clothing and textile wholesale markets, which extends over an area of about one square kilometre. Many of the products sold there are exported to Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Everybody can enjoy low wholesale prices, even when buying in small quantities.

Eat
Dongguan is known for its Chinese sausages (腊肠 làcháng in Mandarin, laahpchéung in Cantonese) and lychees (荔枝 lìzhī in Mandarin, laihjī in Cantonese).

Most 5-star hotels offer buffets, these are around ¥30-60 for breakfast, ¥100-200 for lunch, and ¥100-300 for dinner.

There are many expat-oriented western restaurants in the bar area, particularly on Dongcheng East road. Expect to pay the prices a bit higher than is typical for China, however (but generally cheaper than Hong Kong).

Smaller Chinese restaurants are the likely choice if you wanna be more on a budget - if (not unusually for mainland China) you can manage the lack of the English menus and limited English skills of the staff.

Drink
The most popular bars are on or around "Bar Street" (Jiǔbājiē) in Dongcheng. However, like many parts of China, various kinds of services are popular, including prostitution. One should be careful with local girls if they seem to be getting too friendly if you are not looking for such services. Beware of your drink, it is not unheard of foreigners being drugged and robbed. Beer at supermarkets should not cost more than ¥4 a bottle for Tsingtao. Red wine costs from ¥10 a bottle.

Splurge
Dongguan has more than 30 government-rated 5-star hotels.
 * The Hyatt Regency is decent and big, but very inconvenient in location. It is also expensive compared to the other hotels, and the buffet is overpriced.
 * The Hyatt Regency is decent and big, but very inconvenient in location. It is also expensive compared to the other hotels, and the buffet is overpriced.
 * The Hyatt Regency is decent and big, but very inconvenient in location. It is also expensive compared to the other hotels, and the buffet is overpriced.



Stay safe
As anywhere, be careful. However, be more careful in Dongguan because the city is known to have a relatively high crime rate. Violent crime is more common here than in nearby cities; you can be robbed by thieves riding on motorcycles, especially in less populated areas, and despite the city government's total ban on motorcycles.
 * Beware of and stay away from pyramid schemes, as they are known to operate in the city and use coercion.
 * Prostitution was widespread for years, with many men from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and especially Hong Kong flocking here on the weekends. But after a major government crackdown that began in 2014, the industry has diminished.
 * Do not gamble. You will end up in jail, with a maximum administrative detention period of 15 days if you are caught gambling, so save it for Macau.
 * Lastly, a lot of the police force is corrupt, but since the government is still watching over them, they are discreet. So if a policeman tries to get money from you, calmly ask to see a superior.

Newspapers

 * HERE! Dongguan, the local English-language magazine with a nice guide to the city

Go next

 * Guangzhou
 * Hong Kong
 * Huizhou
 * Shenzhen