Jiangmen Attractions - Things to Do
Guifeng Mountain National Forest Park Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Liyuan Garden
Jiangmen, situated at the southern part of Guangdong Province, is a tourist destination boasting the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, the newly nominated World Cultural Heritage of China. Jiangmen governs three districts Jianghai, Pengjiang and Xinhui and four counties Enping, Heshan, Kaiping and Taishan. It is one of the famous hometowns of overseas Chinese people. The tourist attractions there are mainly located in Kaiping, Xinhui, Enping and Taishan.
Built in the late period of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Kaiping Diaolou is a special complex representing a mixed style of Chinese and western architecture. With the development of the overseas Chinese culture in the early 20th century, the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages became a highlight of the regional culture. Actually, the blockhouse-like constructions used to be the sheltering harbors of the local residents. On average, each village has at least one Diaolou building and there are totally 1,833 buildings. It is suggested that the best way to travel the villages is by bike. Here are two itineraries for visitors to choose: the first one, to go through the Chikan Town, Baihe Town and Xiangang Town; the other one, to visit the Tangkou Town.
Especially, when you travel in Tangkou Town, paying a visit to the Li Garden of Kaiping is one of the top things to do. It was a private garden built by an overseas Chinese man named Xie Weili in 1926 and it took ten years to complete the entire garden. Covering an area of over 4.8 acres, the garden has the feature of Chinese traditional garden and the western architecture.
In Xinhui District of Jiangmen City, there are three attractions deserving your traveling. Lying in the northwestern part of Xinhui is the Guifeng Mountain National Forest Park. Having an elevation of 1450 feet, the Guifeng Mountain shapes like a jade tablet, thus got its name Gui meaning jade tablet. The famous Bird's Paradise is located in the southern part of Xinhui. Actually, the so-called bird's paradise is a 380-year-old great banyan covering an area of about 2.5 acres. The pure ecological environment has attracted thousands of birds living there. The Yamen Scenic Spot at the seaport of Xinhui is the ancient site where the Southern Song Dynasty (420-589) fell to ruin. The Yamen Emplacement and the Yamen Bridge shows the contrast between the history and the modern society.
The Enping County is well known as a 'Town of Hot Spring'. The major hot springs include the Didu Hot Spring, Jinjiang and the Hot Spring Paradise, providing visitors with relaxing services. In Taishan County, there are two beautiful islands namely Shangchuan Island and Xiachuan Island. Lying in the South China Sea, the two islands are nice places to view the unique geographical environment and savor the local customs. Another mountain of Jiangmen is the Mount Dayan (big wild goose) which is situated in Heshan County. The natural landscapes on the mountain are regarded as the naturally painted traditional Chinese mountains-and-waters paintings.