Heyuan Travel Guide

Chinese Name: 河源 (hé yuán)
Population: 3,093,900
Area: 15,642 square kilometers (6,039 square miles)
Location: in the northeast of Guangdong Province, southern China
Administrative Division: 1 district (Yuancheng); 5 counties (Zijin, Longchuan, Lianping, Heping, Dongyuan)
Area Code: 0762
Zip Code: 517000
GDP (2018): CNY 100.6 billion (USD 15.2 billion)
 

Heyuan stands in the northeastern part of Guangdong Province, on the middle and upper reaches of the Dongjiang River. The city shares boundary with Jiangxi Province to the north. Heyuan is a traffic hub in northwestern Guangdong with Beijing-Kowloon Railway and Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou Railway passing through. It is a main Hakka Settlement and Hakka people have cultivated the unique Hakka culture represented by ancient Sijiao Building and traditional folk arts like the Hakka folk song, Longchuan Acrobatics and Huachao Opera. Heyuan is also a green city with nearly a hundred of rivers running through and a 71.2% forest coverage.

Heyuan bears a subtropical monsoon climate featuring relatively higher temperature, less rainfall and more sunshine than surrounding areas. Torrid and dry weather may continuously occur during July and August. However, warm winter is commonly met due to the less active cold air.

 When to Go: The city is favorable for visiting all the year round due to the temperate weather.

 History: It is a Hakka population center along the Dongjiang River. Extreme long ago, settlers from present Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces were scattered around the region, living together with the minorities there. It was during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC) that the court transferred people in North China to this area, bringing it advance Yellow River Culture. From then on, whenever a war broke in Central Plain, there would be a crowd of settlers moving there. Gradually, the Hakka cultural came into being.

 Physical Features: Heyuan has a rolling terrain. Mountainous region occupies the major land of the city, and the hilly area ranks the second place. It is long and narrow. Plain area in the center is surrounded by mountains and hills. The Dongjiang River flows north and south through the city.

 Special Local Products: Jiulian Chinese mushroom, Heyuan Garlic, green tea, ginkgo nut