Heyuan Cultural Tour
Tuocheng Scenic Area — Heyuan Museum — Guifeng Pagoda — Heyuan Museum — Taiping Ancient Street
Tuocheng, originally called Longchuan City, is the best-preserved ancient city from the Qin Dynasty in Lingnan. Longchuan was established in the Qin Dynasty, making it the earliest county established in Lingnan history. With a history of over two thousand years, it has preserved more than eighty historical sites and ancient buildings, including the Qin Dynasty city foundation, Yue King Well, Zhao Tuo's former residence, Maqiangang and other sites; the Zhengxiang Pagoda from the Tang Dynasty; the Xunzhou prefectural seat from the Song Dynasty; and from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the City God Temple, the Yue King Temple, the Confucian Temple, Donghe River, Xiantao Bridge, New Pagoda, Kaopeng (examination sheds), etc. It is an excellent place to experience history and culture, appreciate the style of the Nanyue King, and study Lingnan architectural styles.
In addition to ancient architecture, Tuocheng has another special feature: Baisui Street (Hundred-year Street), also known as Baixing Street (Hundred Surnames Street). There are an unusually large number of family names here. According to statistics, 179 surnames appear in Tuocheng Town, and there are 89 ancestral halls recorded in history, each dedicated to one surname. It is reputed as 'China's No. 1 Village of Surnames'. Seeing is believing—with an ancestral hall at every step, it is a dazzling sight.
We finished touring in about half a day. Then we ordered the locally well-known 'Three Treasures of Tuocheng' nearby: tofu balls, juanchun, and xiangxin. These simple-looking dishes tasted quite different from what we imagined. The fragrance of tofu perfectly blended with the freshness of pork, and the meat filling was crisp and springy.
After lunch, we went to the Heyuan Museum. The museum building has a unique design. Its collection mostly consists of artifacts unearthed and collected from the former Heyuan County, with a majority reflecting the folk customs of the Hakka region. The main categories are ceramics, wood carvings, and embroidery. The exhibition hall is decorated in the style of Lingnan arcade buildings, making it one of the most distinctive museums I have ever seen. I recommend this museum to friends who want to learn about Hakka migration and Lingnan history—you will gain a lot.
Adjacent is Guifeng Pagoda, located on Guifeng Mountain by the Dongjiang River in Heyuan. According to legend, a deity took pity on the people of Heyuan who suffered from constant flooding. Moved by compassion, the deity placed a large water turtle at the confluence of the Xinfeng River and Dongjiang River, turning it into a hill, and then built a pagoda to suppress the water demon. Hence the mountain is called Guifeng Mountain, and the pagoda is named Guifeng Pagoda. The main gate faces east. Externally it has seven stories, but internally it has fourteen, with alternating bright and dark levels, rising like bamboo nodes.
Entering the Heyuan Dinosaur Museum, a primeval and wild atmosphere hits you, as if you have stepped into the world of about 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs, the rulers of the earth, lived. The Heyuan Dinosaur Museum houses nearly 18,000 dinosaur egg fossils, ranking first in the world and holding a Guinness World Record!
In the evening after dinner, we took a stroll along the Xinfeng River, enjoying the river breeze, waiting for the 7:30 PM musical fountain. The main jet shoots water up to 169 meters into the sky, majestic and spectacular, displaying an ambition to rival the heavens. It was once the tallest fountain in Asia!
The one-day Heyuan cultural tour came to an end. I never imagined that this beautiful land could hold such profound culture. It truly opened my eyes and feasted my eyes.
