Jinshazhou

Understand

A once densely forested area, Zengcheng was founded in the year 201AD, and is a well developed town with good transportation. Within China, Zengcheng is famous for its high quality and juicy lychees, which are sold under the brand-name of Gualu (挂绿 guàloù). It cannot be considered a tourist destination but if you find yourself there, head towards the river to see the locals going about their business much as they have done for centuries. There are a number of good restaurants and a few moderate bar/clubs, just 2 serious supermarkets and one multi storey shopping mall.

When to visit The best time to visit Zengcheng is in June and July when the lychees are ripe and dripping with juice.

Places to visit Lycheng - is the central area of the city of Zengcheng. Xintang - the economomic city of the Zengcheng area. A huge electrical industry is growing in Xintang because the Xintang city government is offering the best regulations to the factories. Because of the superiority, more and more companies have built new factories in Xintang.

Getting there

By bus Buses run from Guangzhou to Zengcheng from around 07:00 to 21:00. There are several routes (including the 637 and 638 - others are not numbered) departing from different places in Guangzhou. A good place to get a bus is from Tianhe bus station. You can catch a bus from a mini bus station at the front of the main one or cross the road and catch one of many routes. A one way ticket costs from ¥16 from Tianhe, and the journey takes about 1 hour 45 minutes from the Liuhua bus station opposite the main railway station, or about 1 hour 20 minutes from Tianhe bus station.

By metro

By train

Getting around

Zengcheng has an efficient bus service. Most bus stops have a map showing the routes, but the routes on the city map are completely wrong (2007). If you want to go to the villages you will have to take a local bus. But you need a local guide who can take you there.

See

Museums 1 Guangzhou Maritime Museum (广州海事博物馆), Gangqian Road, Huangpu District (黄埔区港前路) (about 900 meters southeast of Nahaishen Station on Metro Line 13), ☏ +86 20 82210927. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:30, closed on Mondays. Free. (updated Oct 2022) 2 Memorial Museum of the 1911 Revolution (辛亥革命纪念馆), 563 Jinzhou North Road, Changzhou Island, Huangpu District (黄埔区长洲岛金洲北路563号) (Take a train to Higher Education Mega Center South at the intersection of Lines 2 and 7, then walk north to Nei Huan East Road (内环东路) and take bus no. 383 to the Changzhou Subdistrict Office (长轴街办). Bus no. 430 links the museum with the Huangpu Military Academy Site), ☏ +86 20 82502473. 09:00-18:30, no entry after 17:45, closed on Mondays. A museum about the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which led to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty and the birth of China's first republic. Free. (updated Jan 2020) 3 Memorial to the Sanyuanli People's Struggle Against the British (三元里人民抗英斗争纪念馆), 34 Guangyuan Road, Baiyun District (白云区广园中路34号) (near Sanyuanli Station on Metro Line 2), ☏ +86 20 86578325, [email protected]. 09:00-17:30, closed on Mondays. Built in the early Qing Dynasty, this was originally a Taoist temple. Today it is a memorial museum dedicated to the Sanyuanli Incident, a military engagement that took place in 1841 during the First Opium War. Although from the British point of view, this was nothing more than a minor skirmish, the incident is seen in China as deeply significant because rather than being a clash between regular forces, it involved what appeared to be a spontaneous uprising of the local people who decided to take on the British army on their own using swords, pikes and whatever weapons they could get their hands on. The museum is administered as a branch of the Guangzhou Museum. Free. (updated Aug 2021)

Historical sites 4 Ancestral Hall of Dr. Chen Mingxian of the Song Dynasty (宋名贤陈大夫宗祠), No.38, Zhongyuanli Street, Baiyun District. 9AM to 5PM. It was built during the Mi

Do

Visit the villages. They are old and historic. The Chans come from Sa Chuen, Sun Gaai and Hargee. The Wongs from Gua Leng, Bak Sui and Yiel Tien.The Lees from Go Yi.

Buy

Zengcheng produces high quality and the best tasting rice, which is called ZengCheng Si-Miao rice.

Eat

The lychees were really good. Apparently there are a few varieties, each having its own season. The best is supposed to come from Gua Leng village. A word of warning, don't eat too many - you'll lose your voice.

African Best-Way African Restaurant, No. 003 1/F Jindu Bldg, 99 Guangyuan West Rd (opposite Canaan Market), ☏ +86 20 6114-7501. This Nigerian restaurant serves cuisine cooked Igbo style (try the semo and egusi soup). It is a bit out of the way (down some narrow stairs and under a concrete overpass), but the ambiance is cozy inside with Nigerian music playing.

Drink & nightlife

For a truly unique and exhilarating, Zengcheng experience, head to the Windflower after 11PM where you will be looked after by the locals as if you were royalty. The music is loud and fast and the waitresses louder and faster. Play your cards right and you won't even need to pay for a beer. Amazing

Sleep

Zengcheng Hotel (In the city center near the Guangzhou-Shantou highway and Guangzhou Huizhou highway). The hotel has over 300 rooms and offers conference and meeting facilities.

Budget

Mid-range Zhongqiao Hotel (中桥宾馆), 99-103 Chigang Road, Haizhu District (赤岗路103号), ☏ +86-20-8600 9099, [email protected]. The hotel is close to Pazhou Trade Center where Canton Fair is held. Check their website for other locations in the chain. Oriental Resort (广州鸣泉居), 1068 Baiyun South Avenue (白云大道南1068号) (On Baiyun Mountain), ☏ +86 20 8663-2888. Quiet and away from the city. ¥480. Guangzhou Hotel (广州宾馆), 2 Guangzhou Qiyi Road, Haizhu Square (海珠广场起义路2号) (Metro 2 Haizhu Square Exit B3), ☏ +86 20 8333-8168. ¥328.

Splurge Dragon Lake Princess Hotel (九龙湖公主酒店), 3 Shanqian Avenue, Huadong Town, Huadu District (花都区花东镇山前大道3号九龙湖社区), ☏ +86 20 3690-8888, [email protected]. Designed and built in the style of a European town, the hotel is located in the Dragon Lake Resort. River Main in the village, It offers accommodation, dining, meeting, amusement, sports and leisure facilities. The hotel has bus route from and to Hong Kong and Shenzhen. The facility is beautiful and relaxing, but it is 35 minutes away from the city center. ¥750. Pullman Baiyun Airport Guangzhou (广州铂尔曼白云机场大酒店), In the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport complex. ¥750.

Go next

Baihua Hill Village - near a reservoir and Baihua hill. As the village is situated at a higher altitude than the city, it is always cooler and the atmosphere is peaceful and relaxing. The area also has an abundance of flowers. There is a frequent bus service between the village and Zengcheng city center.