2-Day of Dongguan City

As a neighbor of Shenzhen, Dongguan City is located at the mouth of the Pearl River. It is a lively city with profound culture and history. This two-day tour will take you to some of the main attractions in the city.

Day 1 Opium War Museum – Weiyuan Battery – Humen Bridge

There are over 40 high-speed trains from Shenzhen to Dongguan Humen daily. We recommend that you take train G74 at 08:45 from Shenzhen North Railway Station and reach Humen at 09:02. The fare for a second-class seat is CNY 39.5 per person. Buses are also available from major coach stations in Shenzhen, and the bus fare is CNY 40 – 50 per person.

Opium War Museum, Dongguan

From the Humen Railway Station, you can take bus No. L1 for 10 stops to Lin Zexu Park. Walk north along the road to find your first destination, the Opium War Museum. There are statues, photos, and documents both in Chinese and English with facts about the Opium War. You will have a great time learning history here. In the Lin Zexu Memorial Hall, near the museum, you will learn more about the Opium War and know this Chinese hero, Lin Zexu. Although both sites are free to enter, you have to show your passport to obtain tickets.

Next, visit Weiyuan Battery. To get there, take bus No.L1 for 2 stops to the Humen Naval Battle Museum and walk to the Weiyuan Battery. The Weiyuan Battery is one of the biggest and most complete ancient batteries in China. The well-preserved Qing-dynasty cannons witness the Opium War of a hundred years ago. Then visit the Naval Battle Museum near the battery, where there are exhibits more relics and documents of the war. Both attractions are also free to enter, but you still need to present your passport to get the tickets.

The last stop of the day is Humen Bridge, just above the Weiyuan Battery. The bridge is 15.78 km long and connects Humen to the Nansha area in Guangzhou. It was completed on July 1, 1997 in celebration of Hong Kong's return to Mainland China (background: Humen was the venue where the Opium War took place, after which Hong Kong became a British colony).

After the day's tour, we suggest that you stay at the hotel Ibis Dongguan Dongcheng. Although it is a little far away, it is very close to your destinations for the next day. From the Weiyuan Battery, take bus No. L1 40 for stops to Hongfu Road Crossing. Change to bus No. 59 for 6 stops and get off at the Dongguan TV Station. Then walk east along the road for about 200 meters and turn right. Walk for another 150 meters and you will find the hotel. If you want to take a taxi from Humen Bridge to the hotel, the fare is about CNY 120. Check in and have a good night.

Day 2 Qifeng Park – Keyuan Garden – Nanshe Ancient Village

Famous Ke Garden in Dongguan

Visit Qifeng Park in the morning. The park is within walking distance of your hotel. Go southwest along the hotel's Dongcheng Middle Road for about 300 meters and you will find the entrance to the park. The park's Huangqi Hill has been one of the most famous hills in the area since ancient times. The first sentence of a ballad of Dongguan is “there is a red lantern hanging in the Huangqi hill” and you will see a huge red lantern on the top. At the foot of the hill, there is an old temple which was built in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). Locals love the temple so much that they come to burn incense and offer up a sacrifice on weekends and holidays. There is also a Taoist temple nearby. The park is free to enter but admission of CNY 5 is charged for each of the temples.

Next, go to Keyuan Garden. Leave the park and walk northeast along the road for about 700 meters. To take bus No. LG1 for 10 stops to Keyuan. Keyuan Garden is one of the four most famous gardens in Guangdong from the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911). Just like other traditional Chinese gardens, Keyuan has pavilions, ponds, long corridors, carved windows and winding paths. The garden features an elaborate layout with all of the pavilions, halls, corridors and paths in the garden connected to each other. Visitors feel like they are walking in a large maze when they are wandering in the garden. The admission fee is CNY8 per person.

Leave the garden and have lunch at a nearby restaurant, or bring a picnic. To get to the last stop, Nanshe Ancient Village, take bus No. 30 for 18 stops to the East Coach Station, change to bus No. 74 for 19 stops, and get off at the Nanshe Management Zone. The ancient village is 30 meters ahead. The ancient architectures of the Ming and Qing dynasties in this village are well maintained, especially the fascinating decorations on the buildings, including stone carvings, wooding carvings, tile carvings and pottery statuettes. You will feel that you have gone back in time to the ancient dynasties when you walk in this village. The admission fee is CNY30 per person.

Return to the city by bus and your trip ends here.

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