Weekend escape plan: Shaoguan food, drink, and fun travel guide
Hidden in northern Guangdong, the treasure city of Shaoguan has a 74.59% forest coverage rate, making it a rare green oasis on the Tropic of Cancer 🌿. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast, a relaxation lover, a photography fanatic, or a foodie, this place fits your holiday perfectly!
🧗 Outdoor hiking fans | Mountain air, from hardcore to easy hikes
Danxia Mountain (World Natural Heritage)
A must-visit is Elder Peak, where you can climb high to overlook the red cliffs and sea of clouds. Challenge the 99-step ladder at Ximei Village for a full Danxia red landform experience.
Yunmen Mountain
1,638 steps lead straight to the summit. The glass skywalk is thrilling, and you can cool off in the water on the way down—hiking and leisure all in one.
Tianjing Mountain
Known as Guangdong’s ecological ridge, it boasts a 97.6% forest coverage rate. Deep in the mountains, it’s perfect for quiet, soul-refreshing hikes.
Short easy hikes near the city
Shaoguan National Forest Park (Lianhua Mountain), Furong Mountain, Huanggang Mountain—no long travel needed, easy city outskirts hikes with panoramic views.
Lesser-known cultural peaks
Jinji Ridge’s Danxia stones hide stories of female generals. Donghua Mountain combines karst peaks with a thousand-year-old temple, letting you enjoy history while hiking.
🍃 Relaxation lovers | Slow travel through mountains, water, and ancient temples for full healing and relaxation
Lake camping
Ruyuan Nanshui Lake (Guangdong’s Little Erhai)
Just a 1-hour drive from the city, the lake is clear and blue on sunny days. Walk or camp by the lake, enjoy the quiet with few people, and savor a leisurely time.
Zen temple calm
Nanhua Zen Temple: The ancestral home of Zen Buddhism and the place where the Sixth Patriarch Huineng spread the teachings. Lazy cats roam the temple, making quiet sitting and daydreaming especially soothing.
Yunmen Temple: The courtyard is exquisite and peaceful, shaded in summer and golden with ginkgo leaves in autumn, full of atmosphere.
Old street food and local specialties
Xinglong Street (locals call it Mushroom Street): The whole street is lined with northern Guangdong specialties like cured duck, taro, dried tofu skin, and sweet potato chips.
Next door, Yunlongting Street hides long-established snack shops with decades of history. Stroll slowly and immerse yourself in the local vibe.
💦 Summer water fun | Cool off with thrilling rafting and shallow streams for kids
Thrilling rafting recommendations
Yunmen Mountain cloud rafting: A 3 km fully transparent glass slide, gliding high like a water roller coaster through the forest for a refreshing thrill.
Danxia Lingxi rafting: Two options—3.5 km of canyon rapids or a slow, relaxing float, surrounded by continuous green mountains.
Family shallow stream water play
Shixing Shendu Fish Scale Dam and Ruyuan Yiliu Town Ancient Bridge Park have layered fish scale-shaped shallow waters. The water is crystal clear, perfect for wading and catching shrimp, an ideal spot to cool off with kids.
🌸 Year-round flower chasing | Flower seas all year, romance every month
Spring: Lechang Jiufeng’s 45,000-acre peach and plum blossom sea, Zhenjiang Cherry Blossom Park’s 100,000 cherry trees, and vast fields of rapeseed flowers create a springtime painting.
Summer: Qujiang Shuiwen Village and Xinfeng Longwei Village have hundreds of acres of lotus ponds. You can boat through the lotus and enjoy a special lotus feast. Renhua Gaolian Village offers free sunflower fields, and Lingnan Red Leaf World with Hobbit houses lets you enjoy flowers, sunsets, and stargazing all in one place.
Autumn: Nanxiong Maozifeng Forest Farm’s golden ginkgo, pink muhly grass along the Beijiang River, and gentle kapok trees make perfect photo spots.
Winter: Plum and camellia flowers bloom in city parks one after another. Quiet, lesser-known flower spots await your discovery.
📸 Photo lovers | Ancient style, industrial, and trendy murals all covered
Ancient style photo spots
Shaoyang Tower’s red walls and flying eaves offer a citywide view from the top. Shaozhou History and Culture Museum’s flying eaves glow with sunset and red pavilions for stunning shots. Also, Fengcai Tower in the busy city and Tongtian Tower at the Sanjiang confluence bring full ancient charm.
Creative trendy check-in spots
Century-old East Street: Nanyang arcade buildings, perfect for vintage old street slow life photos by day, and neon-lit cyberpunk night scenes.
Shaogang East Street: Graffiti corridor in a former industrial site, featuring mech styles and time tunnel murals, trendy and unique.
Village murals: Totoro-themed murals in Shuikou Village, Republic of China-style murals in Guangming Alley, Wujiang, and creative paintings in various Xinfeng towns, covering pastoral, anime, and vintage styles.
🍜 Food lovers | From morning tea to late-night snacks, authentic northern Guangdong flavors
Classic morning tea
Bendao Congee City: A long-established Shaoguan teahouse preserving the dim sum trolley tradition. Don’t miss the thin-skinned, juicy shrimp dumplings.
Xiaokang Life: A local favorite for tea, full of lively atmosphere, great for family gatherings.
Signature hearty dishes
Jinju Food’s signature five-piece duck set: duck head, duck jaw, duck wing, duck feet—dry, savory, and sweet, with flavor that deepens the more you chew. Sister Long’s private kitchen’s cold water pig stomach is firm and fresh without any odor. Dongfeng Food’s sour bamboo frog is fresh and flavorful, all authentic northern Guangdong tastes.
Late-night local snacks
Sisters Congee Stall: A local exclusive late-night canteen, serving freshly cooked congee that’s smooth and fragrant with fresh ingredients.
Whether it’s a short 2-day trip or a long holiday deep dive, you’ll find the perfect way to enjoy your time here. Start planning your trip now!