Guangdong Zhaoqing All-Area Popular Rural Travel Guide
Zhaoqing All-Area Popular Rural Travel Highlights|Bagua Ancient Village, Bamboo Sea Secret Realm, Lakeside Artistic Villages, Ink-Wash Water Towns—Top Trending Check-in Spots Explained One by One
Zhaoqing’s countryside relies on karst peak forests, the Xijiang River basin, vast bamboo seas, and millennia-old architecture. It is divided into five major categories: Lingnan’s top ancient villages, internet-famous artistic lakeside villages, Guangning bamboo sea wellness villages, Xijiang scenic secret villages, and themed pastoral amusement villages. All are suitable for self-driving photography and Toutiao graphic content creation, with detailed highlights, photo spots, and activity breakdowns.
1. Legendary Millennium Ancient Villages (Top Cultural Photography, Popular Archaeological Check-in Spots)
1. Licha Bagua Village (Gaoyao Huilong Town · Guangdong’s First Bagua Ancient Village)
Zhaoqing’s most viral internet-famous ancient village, a 700-year-old Southern Song dynasty fortress village, strictly laid out according to the Zhouyi Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern, with 99 maze-like alleys and 11 gate towers. Outsiders easily get lost; aerial photography composition is exceptional.
· Core highlights: Circular wok-ear ancient houses cluster, ancient wells and lotus ponds, Confucian plaques and stone carvings, sunset alley light and shadow perfect for photography; nearby is Chishuitang Overseas Chinese Village, featuring Nanyang-style watchtowers and clear water ponds, which can be visited together.
· Admission: Small fee, recommended visit duration 2.5-3 hours
2. Jinlin Water Town (Deqing Guanwei Town · Millennium Poetry Water Town Ancient Village)
A 1300-year-old Lingnan water town ancient village, a long-established A-level rural tourism village in Zhaoqing, known as the “Little Wuzhen in the Deep Mountains.” Waterways run through alleys and around houses, with blue bricks and black tiles naturally creating an ink-wash filter effect.
- Core highlights: 14 Ming and Qing dynasty ancestral halls, ancient docks, century-old timber trees, pastoral book house homestays; must-try handmade Jinlin tofu pudding and Deqing bamboo shoot noodles; nearby you can pick Emperor mandarins.
3. Gupeng Village (Deqing Yongfeng Town · Western Guangdong Ancestral Hall Museum)
The largest ancient village in western Guangdong, boasting 16 Ming and Qing ancestral halls, over 50 wok-ear mansions, 16 linked ancient ponds, and a four-story Taiping watchtower with imposing grandeur. The density of ancient buildings ranks among the top in Guangdong, a holy land for cultural documentary photography.
4. Fuli Village (Sihui Zhenshan · China’s First Ancient Papermaking Village)
An 800-year-old intangible cultural heritage village, famous nationwide for bamboo-based traditional papermaking techniques. The ancestral hall has been converted into a papermaking culture museum where visitors can experience papermaking by hand. A niche cultural check-in spot and an A-level tourist village in Zhaoqing.
5. Baishi Village (Duanzhou Huanggang · Millennium Duan Inkstone Craftsmen Village)
A 1300-year-old Duan inkstone heritage village, the birthplace of China’s inkstone capital. Every household makes inkstones for a living, with old workshops and stone carving tools scattered throughout the streets. A top choice for intangible cultural heritage handicraft travel.
2. Internet-Famous Artistic Lakeside Villages (Short Video Sensations, Top Photo Spots)
1. Yanqian Village (Duanzhou · Zhaoqing’s Little Gulangyu)
The most popular internet-famous village in Zhaoqing, adjacent to Qixingyan Star Lake, surrounded on three sides by the lake. It is a top suburban slow travel destination, free to enter.
- Core highlights: 1314-meter lakeside boardwalk, lake-view cafes, chill bars, niche homestays, Ming and Qing dynasty ancient alleys; healing daytime landscapes, starry lake night scenes with full atmosphere, unbeatable aerial views of peak forests and village.
2. Tiegang Community (Duanzhou · Rooftop Coffee Aesthetic Village)
Zhaoqing’s newly popular aesthetic village, with neat white walls and black tiles lining the streets. The rooftop coffee shop is a viral hit online. Climb up to overlook the entire village and distant mountains. Offers embroidery and pottery workshops, quiet with few people, ideal for light vacation photography.
3. Donghua Village (Zhaoqing High-tech Zone · Educated Youth Artistic Pastoral Village)
A 400-year-old village transformed into a future pastoral community. Core highlights include the educated youth culture exhibition hall and blue brick ancient house coffee shop, outdoor camping lawns, and vintage airplane photo props. The retro artistic style is very photogenic.
4. Yanzhou Island (Dinghu · Xijiang River Heart Islet Village)
An original ecological pastoral village accessible only by boat, with no over-commercialization. Large grasslands, rice fields, and beach camping sites. The Xijiang River sunset photography here is legendary. The island also has cultural relics related to Bao Gong, making it a top choice for family camping.
3. Guangning Ten-Thousand-Acre Bamboo Sea Wellness Villages (Summer Cooling and Oxygen Boost, Forest Secret Realm)
1. Luoguo Ancient Street (Guangning Hengshan · Suijiang Bamboo Sea Ancient Port Village)
A 500-year-old riverside ancient village backed by a vast 100,000-acre bamboo sea. A 200-meter Ming and Qing dynasty old dock street with blacksmith shops and old-style stores retaining original local life atmosphere. A hand-pulled ferry crosses the Suijiang River, with bamboo sea ink-wash painting-like scenery on both banks.
2. Liren Village (Guangning · Early Qing Official Residence Wok-Ear Ancient Village)
A cluster of over thirty blue brick wok-ear mansions, the best-preserved official family ancient village in Guangning, surrounded by bamboo sea. Quiet and secluded, a niche escape check-in spot.
3. Shuangfeng Village (Dinghu · A-Level Forest Oxygen Bar Village)
An original ecological wellness village around Dinghu Mountain, with very high forest coverage, hiking greenways, mountain springs, and streams. Far from the hustle and bustle, a top choice for short trips to breathe fresh air and relax.
4. Xijiang Scenic Secret Villages (Self-Drive Long Route with Stunning Scenery)
1. Funai Village (Fengkai · Hejiang First Bend)
A must-drive road on S535, the core check-in village facing the first big bend of the Hejiang River. Top-level river view, with RV campsites and wellness homestays. Aerial shots of the river bend are highly viral.
2. Huaiji Peach Blossom Land Village (Qiaotou Town · Rock Cave Secret Ancient Village)
A hidden village that can only be reached by passing through a 400-meter natural rock cave. Surrounded by mountains, isolated pastoral scenery, truly a real-life Peach Blossom Land. A niche adventure travel destination.
3. Shapu Huangbusha Village (Dinghu · Hundred-Thousand Egret Water Town)
Zhaoqing’s original ecological mulberry fish pond water town, home to 100,000 egrets annually. The morning scene of egrets flying together is stunning. A Lingnan pastoral wetland photography treasure and an A-level rural tourism village.
5. Themed Pastoral Amusement Villages (Family Picking, Leisure and Fun)
1. Cat Paw Valley (Gaoyao · Guangdong’s First Cat-Themed Rural Amusement Park)
A popular internet-famous pet rural resort area, with large pastoral flower seas, glass slides, cat cafes, and camping bases. Plenty of photo spots for girls’ hearts. A weekend family travel hit destination.
2. Sihui Orange Town
A satsuma orange-themed pastoral complex, with rainbow walkways, windmill wooden houses, and orchard picking. The gentle pastoral sunset scenery in the evening is perfect for relaxation.
Three Popular Zhaoqing Rural Self-Drive Routes (Copy Directly, Suitable for Toutiao Guides)
Route 1: City Area Internet-Famous Artistic One-Day Line
Tiegang Community → Yanqian Village → Yanzhou Island
Route 2: Ancient Village Cultural Photography Two-Day Line
Licha Bagua Village → Jinlin Water Town → Gupeng Village
Route 3: Bamboo Sea and River View Long Three-Day Line
Guangning Luoguo Ancient Street → Sihui Fuli Village → Fengkai Hejiang First Bend