Discover China

Two of the the prized possessions of Shangmeilin Village in Shenzhen are the Longmu (Dragon Mother) Temple and the Huang Family Ancestral Hall. Read more in James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Two halls in Shangmeilin.

Next to Zhongshan Park in Nanshan District lies one of Shenzhen’s greatest treasures, Xin’an Ancient City. It has been a government seat on and off since 331, with its heyday in the Ming Dynasty when it became Dongguan Castle. To find out more about this significant site and the free “Culture and History Walks” in Shenzhen on Saturday mornings in October and November see James Baquet’s Shenzhen Daily article Xin’an Ancient City.

In a follow-on article to The rivers of Guangdong, the Shenzhen Daily introduces two more of Guangdong’s waterways – the Hanjiang River and Beijiang River. To read about the historic, natural and cultural attractions of these rivers visit The rivers of Guangdong – Part 2.

About 300 historical and cultural relics from Shaanxi Province featuring early ancient Chinese history are on display at the Shenzhen Museum until 9 December 2010. Find out more in the Shenzhen Daily article Shaanxi relics reveal ancient Chinese history.

After eight months of voting and evaluation, 10 aspects of Guangdong culture, ranging from opera styles to outstanding historical figures, have been chosen by the Guangdong Provincial Government to represent the cultural gems of Guangdong. The 10 gems are Guangdong opera, Cantonese cuisine, the Cantonese arcade building style, Cantonese music, lion dance, the Lingnan school of painting, Duan inkstone, Kaiping diaolou, and two historic figures: Sun Yat-sen, the leader of China’s republican revolution, and Huineng, the sixth Patriarch of the Zen. The Kaiping diaolous in Kaiping County, named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007, are fortified multi story towers built from reinforced concrete. They served mainly as protection against bandits. To read more about the Kaiping diaolous see the Shenzhen Daily article Kaiping diaolou.