Kaiping

Kaiping (开平; Kāipíng in Mandarin, Hoi1pen6 in the local dialect) is a pastoral area in Guangdong, China, full of rice fields and old-fashioned villages, that is known for its hundreds of diāolóu (碉楼). These watchtower dwellings, scattered around the countryside, were built in the early 20th century by overseas Chinese in a mixture of western and eastern styles.

The watchtowers, which were built to guard against bandits, are a testament to the importance of overseas Chinese in the history of China and the world. Their unique architecture makes them fascinating and exotic both to Chinese people from other areas and to visitors from abroad.

Understand
Kaiping (population 700,000) falls under the administration of Jiangmen City in the Pearl River Delta and is located on the Tanjiang River, 140 km (87 mi) away from Guangzhou. The urban area lies on the eastern edge of the county-level city, which is shaped like a big question mark (see map in pink).

Talk
Kaiping dialect is a variant of Cantonese that is very similar to the dialect of nearby Taishan but only slightly mutually intelligible with standard Cantonese. However, as Cantonese is the lingua franca of Guangdong province, most locals will be able to speak and understand standard Cantonese. Mandarin is the primary language of instruction in all schools so most younger individuals would also be reasonably fluent in it.

By train
(开平南站) is the city's high-speed rail station, opened in 2018 and providing service from Guangzhou, Zhanjiang, and other cities, with connections from all over Guangdong and the rest of China. The trains are fast enough to make Kaiping and its diaolou doable as a day trip from Guangzhou or an overnight trip from any major city in the Pearl River Delta.

Taxi drivers wait around looking for passengers after each train arrives. They're cheaper than Didi if you haggle (which you should).

By bus
Kaiping has two long-distance bus stations, Yicizhan (义祠站) and Changshazongzhan (长沙总站) along the downtown bus terminal at the intersection of Xijao Rd and Musha Rd. Yicizhan is most likely the starting point for your journey into the surrounding villages of Kaiping town.

From Guangzhou, you can take a bus from Fangcun bus station (芳村汽车站) at Kengkou Metro Station; the ride takes about 2 hours and should cost ¥57.

From Zhanjiang, take the daily bus at 14:00 in around 3 hours to Kaiping's central bus terminal at the intersection of Xijao Rd and Musha Rd.

From Macau, take the border crossing to Zhuhai and then find a bus station around 100 m to the right along the main road after you exit the border control building. The ride to Kaiping should take a little more than 2 hours and cost ¥70.

By car
Because the diaolou and Kaiping's other attractions are spread out around a large rural area, driving is the most convenient and efficient way to get to them. Many travelers hire a car in town; drivers wait around at the train station looking for passengers. Around ¥300 should be enough for a half day (5 hours) of sightseeing. The taxi drivers don't often see this much money, so there's no need to offer them any more.

By bus
Kaiping has bus lines which connect to most of the major diaolou villages (more or less—you might find yourself walking a kilometer or two). There are also tourist shuttles which run between the sites, somewhat infrequently.

By bike
Kaiping is a great place for biking. The roads are pretty flat, and the entrances to some small villages are too narrow for a car. On two wheels you can explore the farms, villages, and diaolou scattered through the countryside. Just wander around, going off on side roads to see whatever cluster of houses looks interesting. The villages here show you the other side of China's famously rapid urban development—since most people have moved to big cities, you'll see abandoned villages, and lots of nearly empty ones with just a few older folks tending the fields. Use Baidu Maps so you don't get too lost, but be warned that it doesn't have many of the smaller roads in this area. You can also ask for directions—Mandarin is probably adequate but out in the villages Cantonese or Kaiping dialect is helpful.

By foot
It's possible to hike around between some of the villages and towns around the main diaolou areas. A collection of paths has been designated as the "Kaiping Cultural Tourism trail of hometown of overseas Chinese" (中国侨都步行径).

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages
Very close to the town of Kaiping there are a number of small villages and small houses that were built by overseas Chinese during the early 20th century. These are the Kaiping Diaolou, by far the most famous attractions in Kaiping. Most buildings resemble the style of western or middle eastern culture mixed with traditional Chinese elements. Often there were designed to defend against bandits. See The Diaolou of Kaiping for background. The buildings have not been taken care of since, but the government has started to restore and preserve them. Four of them (Zilicun, Sanmenli, Majianglong, and Jinjiangli) have together been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The style of these buildings is often cheaply copied by many "modern" buildings throughout Guangdong. Kaiping diaolou is also the setting for China's highest grossing domestic film "Let the Bullets Fly" (让子弹飞) with Chow Yun-Fat. Visit the website provided for directions as it is a very large and complex place to visit that will easily take an entire day to see and possibly more.

There are tonnes of Diaolou across the countryside and you will get bored of them within a day, so don't worry too much about skipping some. As of November 2019 there is a tourism system set up whereby five major sites can be visited individually for varying prices, or ¥180 when purchased as a joint ticket. There is also a smaller joint ticket including just the most popular sites of Liyuan and Zilicun for ¥150. Smaller kids are free. The joint ticket is valid for two days and includes four villages with diaolou you can go up into, plus one other site:



In general, each of these four main villages has about two diaolou you can go up in. Many of these diaolou have been restored with the types of furniture and personal items that they might have had when they were occupied, and the villages have other interesting historic buildings too. Some of the villages have a signed "Suggested route" or "Best tourist route" that you can follow to see the most interesting parts of the village. Most signs are in Chinese and English; some have Korean and Japanese too. The entrances to the villages have machines where you can fill up a water bottle for free, so there's no need to keep buying bottled water.

For those interested in diaolou architecture, see The Diaolou of Kaiping (1842-1937) for background. It may also be a good idea to look for accommodation in one of the small townships surrounding Kaiping. (Kaiping city is a fairly standard modern Chinese town.) Xiangang (蚬冈镇), for example, has entire small streets fitted with baroque-like facades cast in concrete.

Other major historic areas:



Other sites around the main diaolou area:



Do
Hot springs in the town of Chishui (赤水 Chìshuǐ) near Jinjiangli.

Buy

 * Bu Xing Jie (步行街). There are 2 floors of this street ; First floor having 262 shops and second floor having 275 shops. This street features fashion clothing, footwear, stationery, accessories, electronic appliances, etc. Beside the stores are many little stalls selling snacks from drinks to noodles. The second floors features many shops where you can take photos of yourself which is like a sticker (sticker photos).
 * Yi Hua Plaza (益华广场). At commercial golden mile of Kaiping, Mu Sha Rd. Built by Hong Kong Capital Groups and Sino Groups' investment. As a multi-functional commercial square, it has an area of 68,000 square metres, 8-storey (a layer in the basement), and includes department stores, supermarkets, brand-name shops, restaurants, snack street, Western-style fast food, movie theaters, kids playground, Internet cafe, karaoke, sauna, fitness, foot, Steppenwolf, rooms, meetings, car park, etc. It is the largest commercial centre.
 * Baihui Market (百汇). Baihui Market is relatively close to Yi Hua Plaza. It's just like Bu Xing Jie, but there are several columns of shops that sell tea, fruits, stationery (pens and pencils and paper), snacks, and a lot of other stuff.
 * Easco City (东汇城), Easco City is a shopping complex with many places to eat, shop, and play. It is just like Yi Hua Plaza, but more modern.
 * Baihui Market (百汇). Baihui Market is relatively close to Yi Hua Plaza. It's just like Bu Xing Jie, but there are several columns of shops that sell tea, fruits, stationery (pens and pencils and paper), snacks, and a lot of other stuff.
 * Easco City (东汇城), Easco City is a shopping complex with many places to eat, shop, and play. It is just like Yi Hua Plaza, but more modern.

Eat
A local specialty is clay pot rice (煲仔饭 bāozǎifàn), rice cooked in a covered clay pot with meat and vegetables on top. Mix it together when it's served—the sauce on the rice is delicious. Some restaurants can make a version without meat for vegetarians.


 * Café de Coral, in the front of Yi Hua Plaza.
 * Café de Coral, in the front of Yi Hua Plaza.
 * Café de Coral, in the front of Yi Hua Plaza.

Sleep
Most options are downtown, and it's perfectly feasible to do the diaolou as a day trip from your more centrally located lodging. There are also guesthouses and hostels out among the diaolou, with a particular concentration in the towns of Chikan and Tangkou. Staying out in these places lets you enjoy the rural scenery, and they make a good base for exploring the countryside by bicycle.


 * Hyatt Regency Kaiping (开平君悦酒店). This is a renowned international brand hotel providing upscale accommodation and conference services.

Go next

 * A 15-minute bus ride south will bring you to the neighboring town of Taishan, which has a few hundred diaolou of its own.
 * 30 minutes west are the numerous hot springs of Enping.
 * Further west is Yangjiang, the knife manufacturing capital of China.
 * 45 minutes north on the way to Guangzhou is Heshan with its temples in the mountains overlooking the highway.
 * The closest major city (over 1 million population) is Jiangmen.
 * Zhaoqing, a nice city with old city walls, a massive lake with many islands and a national park close by.