A Day Trip from Guangzhou: Exploring Heyuan, the 'Ancient Hakka Town'

My travels in Heyuan are all about 'water'. The first time I went to Heyuan was for hot springs, and the second time was to see the largest lake in South China, Wanlu Lake. This time, I also wanted to delve deeper into the city's historical imprints. I visited several eco-tourism demonstration sites and some unique guesthouses. Heyuan is the earliest area in Lingnan developed by the Hakka people, one of the important origins of Hakka culture, and also a significant birthplace of Lingnan culture. With its long Hakka history and profound cultural heritage, it truly lives up to the name 'Ancient Hakka Town'.

Our trip started with a bowl of fragrant pig trotter rice noodles. Our first stop was a local eatery specializing in pig trotter noodles. The shop was at a crossroads; many locals were eating there. When locals ordered, they simply stated what they wanted, while I, who takes ages to decide on noodles, was clearly an outsider. Fortunately, the boss lady patiently recommended dishes and suggested we get a combo of pig trotter and beef brisket, plus a bowl with pork meatballs, so we could try more flavors.

After sipping the first spoonful of broth, I could tell it was special—strongly flavored with white pepper. The noodles were also delicious, and the ingredients tasted fresh. Personally, I recommend the pig trotter or pork meatball options, because the beef brisket one is common everywhere and tends to overpower the broth.

Heyuan boasts 'good mountains, good water, and good air', with water quality consistently ranking first in the province. Wanlu Lake and Qinglong Lake are the largest and second-largest man-made lakes in South China, respectively. Wanlu Lake was selected as one of the first 'China's Best Water' sources, and in 2018, its ambient air quality ranked second in the province.

Wanlu Lake is the largest lake in South China, also known as Xinfengjiang Reservoir.

Due to severe drought this year, the water level has dropped significantly. Some villages that were once submerged are gradually emerging from the water. Former residents even made special trips to see their old houses. Normally, when the reservoir is at its normal water level, Wanlu Lake is especially beautiful! We hope to return when the water level is back to normal.

Heyuan Dinosaur Museum

When I was a child, the first thing I did after coming home from school was to turn on the TV and watch dinosaur cartoons. This visit to Heyuan allowed me to see the history of dinosaurs in real life. Here, you can see dinosaur egg fossils, dinosaur skeleton fossils, and dinosaur footprint fossils. The museum's treasure is the 'Huang's Heyuan Dinosaur', listed as a national first-class protected paleontological fossil. Huang's Heyuan Dinosaur is the first oviraptorid dinosaur discovered in China. It is a new species that retains some features of small theropod dinosaurs while also possessing some basic bird characteristics, serving as an intermediate creature in the evolution from dinosaurs to birds. It was named partly to recognize the significant contributions of Huang Dong, the curator of Heyuan Museum. Heyuan is the city with the most dinosaur eggs in the world!

Luo Huanrong's Former Residence is located in Shangcun Village, Puqian Town. The gray tile walls and vermilion doors and windows give the residence an elegant and serene feel. Most of the bricks and tiles inside have been preserved since those days. Luo Huanrong was born here in 1900. Gifted with intelligence and a strong physique, he started school at age eight and also practiced martial arts. Later, he became a student of the first batch of Whampoa Military Academy. An old house nearby is where he studied diligently in his youth.

Ruan Xiaoxian Memorial Hall: the first 'Auditor General' in the history of the Chinese Communist Party. The Ruan Xiaoxian Memorial Hall is located in Xiatun Village, Yihe Town, Dongyuan County, with convenient water and land transportation. Taking the water route offers a different view.

The Ruan Xiaoxian Memorial Hall displays many cultural relics, photos, and audiovisual materials to illustrate his deeds. When we visited, we also saw some people on study tours.

Not far from the memorial hall is Ruan Xiaoxian's Former Residence, built in the Qing Dynasty. It faces south, with a layout of three main halls, four side wings, and one rear room, covering 3,558 square meters—a typical Hakka enclosed house. Ruan Xiaoxian's study room was where he studied and lived as a child. When we visited, it was under repair and not open to the public.

Thousand-Year Ancient Town — Tuocheng

Tuocheng Town, also known as Longchuan Ancient City, Longchuan City, or Xunzhou City, was later renamed Tuocheng in memory of Zhao Tuo. It has the reputation of being a 'Qin Dynasty ancient town and a famous city of the Han and Tang dynasties'. Tuocheng has a history of about 2,200 years and is the earliest ancient county established in Lingnan. The Qin Dynasty Longchuan County was established here, and Nanyue King Zhao Tuo served as its first county magistrate.

The Confucian Temple and the Examination Shed are the only remaining imperial examination sites in Guangdong Province, and one of the only two architectural complexes in the country where both the temple and shed exist together. During our visit, we happened to encounter a local school's outdoor learning activity. The earnest attitude of the primary school students deeply moved us! They are truly the beautiful flowers of our country!

The Nanyue King's Well is now covered with a glass shield for better protection. Through the glass, you can clearly see the well walls covered with ferns and the clear water.

The Ximen Ancient Wharf passes through the arcade street to the end. The Ximen Ancient Wharf in Tuocheng was first built in the Song Dynasty and was the main water and land transportation hub in ancient times. Above the wharf, there is a lush old banyan tree, at least several hundred years old. The stone bridge on the wharf was built in the Qing Dynasty, 14 meters long, 2.1 meters wide, and 4.2 meters high, an important bridge on the ancient post road of Tuocheng.

After crossing the stone bridge, you reach the Su Causeway.

The Su Causeway was originally a dike of Aohu Lake. In the first year of the Yuanyou era of Emperor Zhezong of Song (1098), the great writer Su Zhe was demoted to Huazhou as a deputy chief clerk and stationed in Longchuan. To solve the villagers' constant droughts and floods in their fields and gardens, he advocated building this dike. Later generations named it 'Su Causeway' in his memory. The dike is over 1,000 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and 1.5 meters high, paved with green bricks and cobblestones. Some inscription bricks with characters can still be clearly seen today.

During this trip, we stayed at a very distinctive guesthouse by the Dongjiang River called 'Zhuli Guan' (Bamboo House). The guesthouse faces the Dongjiang River in front, and the Beijing-Kowloon Railway line on the opposite side. You can sit at bamboo tables under the trees, watching the clear Dongjiang River and the passing trains.

There is also a sandy beach in front of the guesthouse. Families with children can play in the sand there. The guesthouse also hosts team-building activities for groups.