Chaoshan from Guangzhou
Ancestral roots, Gongfu tea, a thousand-year-old city and the South China Sea
- Designed for Southeast Asian Chinese visitors in Guangzhou — add this on to your Guangzhou trip and go back to where it all began
Many Chinese families in Singapore and Malaysia trace their roots to Chaoshan.
This isn’t a vague claim. The Teochew migration south began in the nineteenth century — Shantou opened as a treaty port, and wave after wave of young men left from this harbour for Singapore, Penang, Bangkok. They built new lives and never came back. Every letter they sent home, every remittance slip, is now kept at the Qiaopi Museum in Shantou’s Small Park district. Over 120,000 of them.
The Gongfu tea you drink, the kueh you eat at New Year, the gods your family keeps at home — they all came from here.
Coming back doesn’t have to be a dedicated trip.
If you’re already in Guangzhou — for shopping, visiting family, or just passing through — Chaoshan is three hours away by high-speed rail. Tack it onto this Guangzhou trip and it becomes a real homecoming.
We handle all the logistics. You bring the time. We take you back to see it.
Tour Details
Duration
2 Days
Group Type
A private tour
Departure City
Guangzhou
Experience City
Chaoshan
- Home
- Canton Tour
- Canton Plus
- Chaoshan
Chaoshan in 2 Days — The Essential Teochew Heritage Escape
Itinerary
09:00 Depart Guangzhou South by high-speed rail
Approx. 12:00 Arrive Shantou station, 15-min private transfer to city hotel
Check in, rest
Lunch at a Teochew institution near Small Park (rice noodle soup, fish dumplings, oyster omelette)
- Qiaopi Museum, 18 Waima Rd — China’s first Teochew remittance-letter museum; 120,000+ letters; approx. 1 hr
- Shantou Treaty Port Cultural Museum, 1 Yongping Rd — 5-min walk; 150 years of port history; approx. 45 mins
- Small Park Historic District stroll — century-old arcade streetscape, Qiaopi Memory Square
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a local braised goose restaurant
Hotel breakfast
Approx. 1-hr private drive to Chaozhou ancient city
- Guangji Bridge (Xiangzi Bridge) — one of China’s Four Great Ancient Bridges; Han River views (approx. 45 mins)
- Kaiyuan Temple — founded Tang Dynasty 738 AD; National Key Cultural Heritage Site; free entry (approx. 45 mins)
- Paifang Street — Ming & Qing dynasty memorial arches; Teochew embroidery, hand-thrown teapots, Gongfu tea ware (approx. 1 hr)
Lunch at a Teochew restaurant near Paifang Street (braised goose, Chaozhou rice cakes, fish dumpling soup)
- Gongfu tea house — Phoenix Dancong oolong at a local Chaozhou teahouse; pick up good tea to take home (approx. 1 hr)
Approx. 1-hr private drive back to Shantou
Private transfer to Shantou station (approx. 15 mins)
Approx. 17:30 depart by high-speed rail, arrive Guangzhou South approx. 20:30
Included & Excluded
To help you plan your trip, here’s a detailed breakdown of what is typically included and excluded in the tour.
- Return high-speed rail tickets (Guangzhou South ↔ Shantou)
- Private transfers throughout
- 1 night boutique hotel
- Qiaopi Museum · Treaty Port Museum · Guangji Bridge · Kaiyuan Temple entrance tickets
- 2 meals · Gongfu tea experience
- English-speaking guide throughout
Places You'll See
Tour Details
Duration
3 Days
Group Type
A private tour
Departure City
Guangzhou
Experience City
Chaoshan
- Home
- Canton Tour
- Canton Plus
- Chaoshan
Chaoshan in 3 Days — A Complete Journey from Ancestral Roots to the South China Sea
Itinerary
09:00 Depart Guangzhou South by high-speed rail
Approx. 12:00 Arrive Shantou station, 15-min private transfer to city hotel
Check in, rest
Lunch at a Teochew institution near Small Park (rice noodle soup, fish dumplings, oyster omelette)
- Qiaopi Museum, 18 Waima Rd — China’s first Teochew remittance-letter museum; 120,000+ letters; approx. 1 hr
- Shantou Treaty Port Cultural Museum, 1 Yongping Rd — 5-min walk; 150 years of port history; approx. 45 mins
- Small Park Historic District stroll — century-old arcade streetscape, Qiaopi Memory Square
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a local braised goose restaurant
Hotel breakfast
Approx. 1.5-hr drive to Nan’ao Island via Nan’ao Bridge
- Qingao Bay — one of Guangdong’s most beautiful crescent bays; fine sand, clear water (approx. 1.5 hrs free time)
Lunch at Qingao Bay — fresh seafood, cooked to order (oysters, clams, local fish)
- Private boat charter — board a traditional fishing vessel, cast nets, haul in the catch, feel the open South China Sea (approx. 2 hrs)
On the return to harbour, pass through nearshore oyster farming rafts — see how oysters are grown and learn the full journey from sea to table
Approx. 1.5-hr drive back to Shantou city
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a Shantou late-night spot
Hotel breakfast
Approx. 1-hr private drive to Chaozhou ancient city
- Guangji Bridge (Xiangzi Bridge) — one of China’s Four Great Ancient Bridges; Han River views (approx. 45 mins)
- Kaiyuan Temple — founded Tang Dynasty 738 AD; National Key Cultural Heritage Site; free entry (approx. 45 mins)
- Paifang Street — Ming & Qing dynasty memorial arches; Teochew embroidery, hand-thrown teapots, Gongfu tea ware (approx. 1 hr)
Lunch at a Teochew restaurant near Paifang Street (braised goose, Chaozhou rice cakes, fish dumpling soup)
- Gongfu tea house — Phoenix Dancong oolong at a local Chaozhou teahouse; pick up good tea to take home (approx. 1 hr)
Approx. 1-hr private drive back to Shantou
Private transfer to Shantou station (approx. 15 mins)
Approx. 17:30 depart by high-speed rail, arrive Guangzhou South approx. 20:30
Included & Excluded
To help you plan your trip, here’s a detailed breakdown of what is typically included and excluded in the tour.
- Return high-speed rail tickets (Guangzhou South ↔ Shantou)
- Private transfers throughout
- 2 night boutique hotel
- Qiaopi Museum · Treaty Port Museum · Guangji Bridge · Kaiyuan Temple entrance tickets
- Private boat charter experience
- 3 meals · Gongfu tea experience
- English-speaking guide throughout
Tour Details
Duration
4 Days
Group Type
A private tour
Departure City
Guangzhou
Experience City
Chaoshan
- Home
- Canton Tour
- Canton Plus
- Chaoshan
Chaoshan in 4 Days — The Ultimate Chaoshan Discovery, Beyond Food & Tradition
Itinerary
09:00 Depart Guangzhou South by high-speed rail
Approx. 12:00 Arrive Shantou station, 15-min private transfer to city hotel
Check in, rest
Lunch at a Teochew institution near Small Park (rice noodle soup, fish dumplings, oyster omelette)
- Qiaopi Museum, 18 Waima Rd — China’s first Teochew remittance-letter museum; 120,000+ letters; approx. 1 hr
- Shantou Treaty Port Cultural Museum, 1 Yongping Rd — 5-min walk; 150 years of port history; approx. 45 mins
- Small Park Historic District stroll — century-old arcade streetscape, Qiaopi Memory Square
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a local braised goose restaurant
Hotel breakfast
- Shantou Municipal Museum, Yuemei Rd — Grade II national museum; Teochew ceramics, gold-lacquered woodwork, calligraphy (approx. 1.5 hrs)
Lunch at a Teochew specialty restaurant
- Red Kueh workshop — learn traditional Teochew red kueh-making with a local artisan; hand-press and shape the rice cakes; take your creations home (approx. 1.5 hrs)
- Free stroll through Shantou old town — everyday Teochew street life at its most authentic
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a Shantou clay-pot congee supper spot
Hotel breakfast
Approx. 1.5-hr drive to Nan’ao Island via Nan’ao Bridge
- Qingao Bay — one of Guangdong’s most beautiful crescent bays; fine sand, clear water (approx. 1.5 hrs free time)
Lunch at Qingao Bay — fresh seafood, cooked to order (oysters, clams, local fish)
- Private boat charter — board a traditional fishing vessel, cast nets, haul in the catch, feel the open South China Sea (approx. 2 hrs)
On the return to harbour, pass through nearshore oyster farming rafts — see how oysters are grown and learn the full journey from sea to table
Approx. 1.5-hr drive back to Shantou city
Dinner at leisure — guide recommends a Shantou late-night spot
Hotel breakfast
Approx. 1-hr private drive to Chaozhou ancient city
- Guangji Bridge (Xiangzi Bridge) — one of China’s Four Great Ancient Bridges; Han River views (approx. 45 mins)
- Kaiyuan Temple — founded Tang Dynasty 738 AD; National Key Cultural Heritage Site; free entry (approx. 45 mins)
- Paifang Street — Ming & Qing dynasty memorial arches; Teochew embroidery, hand-thrown teapots, Gongfu tea ware (approx. 1 hr)
Lunch at a Teochew restaurant near Paifang Street (braised goose, Chaozhou rice cakes, fish dumpling soup)
- Gongfu tea house — Phoenix Dancong oolong at a local Chaozhou teahouse; pick up good tea to take home (approx. 1 hr)
Approx. 1-hr private drive back to Shantou
Private transfer to Shantou station (approx. 15 mins)
Approx. 17:30 depart by high-speed rail, arrive Guangzhou South approx. 20:30
Included & Excluded
To help you plan your trip, here’s a detailed breakdown of what is typically included and excluded in the tour.
- Return high-speed rail tickets (Guangzhou South ↔ Shantou)
- Private transfers throughout
- 3 night boutique hotel
- Qiaopi Museum · Treaty Port Museum · Shantou Municipal Museum · Guangji Bridge · Kaiyuan Temple entrance tickets
- Red Kueh hands-on workshop
- Private boat charter experience
- 4 meals · Gongfu tea experience
- English-speaking guide throughout
