Having exhausted most of what Hong Kong, Macau and Shenzhen have to offer I was looking for an interesting weekend escape that wouldn’t be too far but still very different, exciting and new. I must admit that I haven’t heard much of Kaiping prior, but the UNESCO heritage site title badge seemed like a sign of quality and it was only 3-4 hours away into Guangdong province with a ferry+bus combo. One lovely clear skies weekend I took off to explore the unique culture and architecture of the Kaiping Diaolou villages.
I mainly visited four Diaolou attractions in Kaiping :
- Chikan Old Movie Town : Kaiping – Guangdong
- Li Yuan Gardens & Diaolou : Kai Ping Village – Guangdong
- Zili Village & Fang Clan Watch Tower : Kaiping – Guangdong
- Majianglong Village : Kaiping
I was able to pack the whole visit into 2 days, and still enjoy a bit of Kaiping town. If you’re into hotsprings, there are several hotsprings options within an hour distance from Kaiping town, good for a winter escape (I went in the hot summer).
To get to Kaiping from HK by bus (Wikitravel):
From Hong Kong, you can take a ‘limousine’ bus from Portland street (on your left when you exit Prince Edward metro station on exit C2). As of January 2010, these comfy buses leave at 8:30, 14:00, 15:30 and 19:00. You will pass through Shenzhen boarder station, where you need to get off the bus and walk across customs with you luggage (save time by asking the bus attendant for the silly health form you have to submit there, so you can fill it out in advance). Total journey to Yicizhan should take about 4 hours and cost ¥130.
If by ferry (from Geoexpat) :
It all boils down to this, which is the way we ended up going to Kaiping:
– Ferry to Zhong Shan (1.5 hr), then disembark and take free shuttle bus to Kaiping (1.5-2 hr). $180On the return from Kaiping:
– bus from Kaiping to Zhuhai (RMB65)
– find the Zhuhai Port Plaza mall across the road
– navigate through the crazy mob (it makes Mongkok seem Civilized) to the public transport (taxi) area
– take metered taxi to "jiu Zhou gang" (???), for the ferries to HK. About 10-15 mins, ~35RMB
– ferries every half hour either to China Ferry Terminal in TST or to Macao Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan. (RMB165). Takes 70 mins.
I just went to the Macau Ferry Terminal in Sheung Wan and bought a ferry+bus package from one of the travel agencies. Was there in 3.5 hours.
Go visit, it’s a wonderful getaway.
Very well taken photos. I am looking to head there in a few weeks time. I reckon getting a place of lodging at Chikan instead of Kaiping city will be more advantageous, consider the proximity of the diaolous. Do you know of any place of lodging at Chikan? Is it possible to rent a bicycle at Chikan town? I will be leaving Zhuhai by bus at 12.00pm and most likely will only reach in the evening.Will 1.5 days be enough to cover most sights or i have to stretch it to 2.5 days?
Appreciate your advice. Thank you.
Thanks, Dan.
I’m not familiar with the accommodation options in Chikan, but I guess they’ll probably be very basic and not very foreigner friendly, if you care about that sort of thing. I think bicycle rent is available all over, but I don’t know the specific details. It’s best to get in touch with someone local or a travel agency, I know there’s not alot of info about this in English.
Alright. Thank you.