Take a stroll through the streets and lanes of Chaozhou, and you will be sure to come across people, both young and old, taking a minute to sip Kongfu tea. If you enter any house or office, you will be sure to spot a side table reserved for tea and be invited to stay for a cup of Kongfu tea. So Kongfu tea is an essential ingredient of Chaozhou citizens’ daily life.

Although Kongfu tea is a daily recreation for ordinary citizens, it is not without certain etiquette, and its emphasis on skills qualify its name. As a matter of fact, Chaozhou Kongfu tea is representative of the Chinese tea ceremony. There are special requirements for water, heating, tea leaves, tea sets, the tea-making process and the tea-drinking method.

Tap water or water drawn from a well is not suitable for making tea. Only the sweet spring water qualifies. And the citizens in Chaozhou are blessed with affordable mineral water brought from the Phoenix Hill. Charcoal rather than coal, electricity or wood is the ideal fuel for heating the spring water on a little stove. And only tea leaves that reach the required standard are used for Wulong tea, a semi-fermented baked tea. Unlike the tea sets in other places, the cups used for Kongfu tea are as small as the little wine cups in north China and bear a fine and white texture which enables the drinker to see through the color of the tea. The tea pot is not big either, capable of holding only three to four cups of water. The tray has holes and a tea holder below has the function of holding waste water and tea residues.

Both the tea-making and the tea-drinking methods are worth mentioning. First warm the pot and cups with boiling water, put the tea leaves inside the pot and then pour on the water from a high level to make the tea more tasty and pour the tea into the cups from a low level to preserve the original odor. Cups are arranged in a circle, and the tea is poured in circles around all the cups to ensure the tea in each cup is the same strength. And the last drops in the pot are also equally poured into the cups in turn. The tea-drinking method is no less precise. Pick up the cup and first smell the rich aroma of the tea, then take little sips and allow the liquid to swirl in the mouth. When the tea is finished, again smell the remaining fragrance in the empty cup.

Like most other ancient cities in China, Chaozhou has a great variety of traditional snacks featured with exquisite shapes and divine tastes. In the old lanes of Chaozhou, children used to sing a 10,000-word ballad about the different kinds of snacks in Chaozhou.

A famous old shop specializing in snacks is called Hurongquan. Dough rolls on the brownish red kneeding board with rolling pins pattering. Out of frying pans and ovens come batches of cookies and cakes, all bearing the red seal of “Hurongquan”. The trump card of Hurongquan is Yamunian, a snack the name of which does not give any clues as to what it actually is. In fact it is a kind of dumpling made of glutinous rice flour with four types of filling, black soya bean paste, mung bean paste, taro paste and mashed white gourd. And you can tell which kind of filling by the shape of the dumpling. After boiling in sugar soup, four dumplings, each with a different filling, are put into a bowl together with sugar soup. Some add Chinese dates, lilies, gingkoes, lotus seeds and other nuts to the soup to make it more delicious. A trip for snacks over Chaozhou will be more than rewarding as you sample shrimp-balls, fish dumplings, salt-water highland barley, pot-stewed chickens and ducks and local pickles and appetizers. These, plus all sorts of staples like steamed bread, steamed stuffed bun, cake, noodles, porridge and rice-flour noodles, total more than 100 varieties.

Because both Kongfu tea and snack dishes need containers, the clever Chaozhou natives have achieved much in the art of pottery-and-porcelain making. So another must-see in Chaozhou is Fengxi porcelain. The town of Fengxi is less than 3 km from the city proper of Chaozhou with porcelain shops lining both sides of its main street. Some of the workshops are right behind the shops. Featuring objects like vases, dishes, jugs, portraits, flowers and birds, beasts and insects, cartoons and fairy figures, Fengxi porcelain is famous for its exquisite techniques such as the hollow-out technique. A visit to any workshop will be intriguing as you see how the earth spirals on the round plate, and takes different shapes under the potter’s skillful hands. Visitors are also welcome to try their hand here. If you want to purchase pottery or porcelain, then the workshop is the right place. For 10 yuan, you can buy a tea set consisting of one pot and four cups, a hollowed-out engraved porcelain jug is no more than 20 yuan, and special tea sets for Kongfu tea are a little more expensive starting at 50 yuan.

Of course, you should not overlook the rich cultural heritage of the ancient city of Chaozhou. Major sites of historical interest include the Kaiyuan Temple of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Wenji Bridge of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Memorial Hall of Han Yu and the Phoenix Pagoda. The Chaozhou Tea Culture Tour and the Chaozhou Pottery Culture Tour are two new programs adding new dimensions to tourism in Chaozhou.

Built in 738, the 26th year of Emperor Kaiyuan’s reign of the Tang Dynasty, the Kaiyuan Temple consists of four halls on the north-south axis: the Hall of Buddhist Warriors, the Hall of Heavenly Kings, the Hall of Sakyamuni and the Hall of Sutras.

The Memorial Hall of Han Yu, one of the most famous writers of the Tang Dynasty, is to the east of Chaozhou city proper. Through the ages, it has undergone more than 20 renovations. The staircase leading to the main gate of the hall has 53 steps. Several meters higher than the front hall, the back hall has a statue of Han Yu, as well as 36 stone tablets bearing inscriptions by famous literati of different dynasties.

Two km southwest of Chaozhou lies the Phoenix Pagoda that derives its name from the Phoenix Hill opposite the bank of the Hanjiang River. Originally built in 1585 and rebuilt in 1765, the octagonal pagoda has seven stories and a height of 45.8 meters. The foundation has a circumference of 46.6 meters, and the pagoda wall is about 2 meters thick. Along a spiral staircase built between the double walls of the pagoda, one can climb to the top to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the ancient city of Chaozhou.

Sitting astride the wide Hanjiang River outside the eastern gate of Chaozhou is one of the four most famous ancient bridges in China, together with Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei Province, Luoyang Bridge in Henan Province and Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing.

From the Guangji Gate-Tower, you can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the Hanjiang River, the Golden Hill and the Phoenix Pagoda. Spring and summer are the best seasons to view the scene on the Hanjiang River, when the water level is high, and boats shuttle to and from.

Another must-see in Chaozhou is the West Lake Park consisting of the Gourd Hill and the West Lake to the northwest of Chaozhou. Existing from as early as 796, the park now preserves 138 pieces of cliff paintings. Its peaks, the highest at 65 meters above sea level, and the caves scooped into their cliff faces are both of aesthetic and historical value.

Chaozhou is a place endowed with a rich cultural heritage as can be discovered from the ancient streets, houses, wells and gate towers. And the three features of Chaozhou–Kongfu tea, snacks and porcelain–will be a great feast for your senses, your stomach and your heart.

From: oddsoff

Purple Horse Hill is very time-honored and the once famous “Lotuses and Water Caltrops of Celestial Lake,” one of the “Xiangshan Eight Scenic Spots” was situated here. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many descendants of the rich and noble families used it as a haunt for horse race and entertainment. It is said that a very famous horse was buried here then, from which the name of the hill comes.

Purple Horse Hill Park is characterized by its combination of natural and artificial scenes, providing a place of pleasure for visitors while remaining friendly to ecology. There are altogether 13 gardens and a big zone for birds. During the vacations, holidays, and exhibitions, performances are put on show. Just inside the gate greeting your eyes is the bronze statue of “Galloping Purple Horse,” symbolizing the economic take-off of Zhongshan City, before which is an artificial fountain of 70 meters in length. The fountain takes different colorful forms when evening falls, splashy water columns are in change for various shapes. The giant stainless steel ball shaped like a lotus flower is a good place to take pictures, and the best sight in the whole park.

Walking in the park, you may be led into a different scene by each step. The well-rounded design of this park makes every scene take different form of attraction, keeping your eyes fully occupied. The artificial hills, stone scenes, and stone walls of various forms have been inscribed famous verses and maxims by distinguished poets in the Garden of Inscriptions. In the Garden of Flowers, fragrant scents are drifting in the sky in the four seasons, and the flowers and plants rival to show their beauty to the travelers. In the Chinese New-Year time, a Garden of Peach Blossoms add more touch of verdant spring to the park. Besides the Garden of Peach Blossoms, we have the Garden of Bamboo Grove, the Garden of Pleasant Interests, the Garden of Sculptures and Statues, the Garden for Summer, the Garden for Fall, and the Garden for Winter. You may go sightseeing to the lotus flowers in the Land of Avalokitesvara, take a stroll on the curved bridges, or linger by the ripples of the lake to take in the fragrance of the lotus flowers to refresh yourself. The Children’s Fun Fair of over 40 mu provides a variety of fun facilities for kids. The Viewing Pavilion on the top of the hill enables you to command the whole scenes of the park and even to see the entirety of Zhongshan City.

The Jade garden is a paradise for the ombrophytes, gathering over 200 Chinese and foreign plants, of which many are China’s first-class protected plants such as spinulose tree ferns, begonias, agaves, winebottle lily magnolias, and other precious plants.

The Chirping Valley is a place you have good reason to go to. Chirping Valley is a big bird zone developed by experts who took advantage of the natural environment. Here nearly 8,000 birds of over 100 varieties are kept, including red-crowned cranes, white-necked cranes, white cranes, gray cranes, white swans, white storks, black storks, silver pheasants, peacocks, mandarin ducks, pelicans, and yellow-stomached tragopans. Books of Poems says, “A bird chirps for friends.” The name of this valley originates from this line. Covering 5.1 hectares, the valley is located in the south of Purple Horse Park, composed of “Little Tourist Garden” and “Garden for Human-Bird Pleasures.”

“Little Tourist Garden” is in front of ” Garden for Human-Bird Pleasures”, covering 2 hectares. The garden boasts rivaling flowers and verdant green lands, constituting a background to “Garden for Human-Bird Pleasures” and a good place for a rest.

In the corridor of birds of the garden, you may be lucky enough to watch the natural performances by the rare raptors, and birds with special skills. The mandarin ducks are frolicking, the pheasants strolling, the white storks stretching their wings, the yellow birds singing to one another, the unique stones demonstrating to the passengers, and the clusters of flowers are in vibrant bloom. On the performance stage, the birds are rivaling to perform. The peacocks are opening their beautifully giant wings, the thrushes perching in tress, and the maynahs and the parrots imitating human speeches to demonstrate their skills.

Past “Little Tourist Garden” is “Garden for Human-Bird Pleasures”. This garden is 120 by 70 meters, supported by 19 steel pillars ranging from 15 meters to 20 meters high. Its structure is made up of suspended cables with its top and sides covered with stainless steel networks. In the zone, besides the tourist walks, there are also trestles for tourists to view the birds from different perspectives, high and low.

Xingzhong Road is one of the key roads built after the open-door policy, and typical of good quality. It constitutes the features of a garden city, with beautiful grassy areas, and a variety of different buildings, such as the center of politics, culture, publicity, science, and sports for Zhongshan City.

The road is 3.5 kilometers in full length, 50 meters in width, and the road surface is even and smooth. It starts north from the building of the city’s People’s Congress and Political Consultation Conference, and ends south to Sunwen Memorial Park and Philanthropic Hospital. The big grand archway-like building of the People’s Congress stands opposite to the statue of Sun Yat-sen in Sunwen Memorial Park in the south, and the north, signifying that the ambition and undertaking Sun fought for has come into being.

Walking along the road, you see the towering coconut trees standing in the middle of the road, their fluttering long leaves waving to the passers-by. The bright cannas are in angry red blossom bloom, while the whirling mangoes queue the road. Inside the green belt in the center of the road, there are various seasonal flowers contending for beauty. Roses, crape myrtle, kamunings, yellow cicadas, marigolds, impatiens, petunias, short pinks, fish pelargonia, and lantanas add more color to the road. The dainty plastic flowerpots are hung among the trees, making the clusters more splashy and splendid.

The buildings along the road include the TV hexagon building, the radio building, the Museum of Science, Zhongshan Library with its name inscribed by the former Chairman of China Yang Shangkun, and last, the activity center for young people. Set off by the big lawns, borders, and the shady Xingzhong Park of the Municipality, these buildings are left in harmony and peacefulness for the people.

Further to the south, past the fountain of the city statue, we can see the grand Public Security Building, the sports ground, and gymnasium full of vigor (Big evenings and concerts supported by big stars are held here.). Xingzhong Road reaches far to the gate of Sunwen Memorial Park, where the jade corridor ends.

This street has a history of over a hundred years and its predecessor was the commercial center for the old city with bustling shops and people. There is the oldest medicine shop – Fushou Drugstore. It was created in the first year of Tongzhi Reign of the Qing Dynasty (1862) named “Liang & Li” at first and was changed to this name by its creator, Li Ruiwen. There is the old 5-story Yong’an Company Branch. Yong’an Company was one of the big 4 department stores at the beginning of the 20th century created by the Guo Brothers of Elegant Bamboo Village of Xiangshan County (the predecessor of Zhongshan City) with its base in Hong Kong in 1907, succeeding the former Sydney Yong’an (1897). In February 1929, the Guo Brothers opened their branch here. Along the walk there are many buildings such as Shiqi Hotel (the former Sihao Hotel), and British-style and Southeastern Asian-style buildings, steeped with many legends and stories.

The current walk keeps both the quaint style of China, and catches the modern touch of today. The traditional and ethnic style has been integrated with the characteristics of the Southeastern Asian style to make it more attractive. The protruding buildings stand a big feature of the walk. Going along the whole walk, it shelters the passengers and shoppers from the scorching sun and the heavy rain. All the engraved flowers on the rails have been maintained, and the arched doors and their reliefs have been repainted, keeping with the antiquity of the past. The designs and decorations of the front of each building are different from one another. Strolling along the walk, you may feel that you are admiring a long gallery of a world collection of construction of various artworks. The well-stocked shops here demonstrate their dainty shopping windows to the visitors. The sizeable department stores along the walk provide the tourists and passengers with a big choice of gifts to purchase for friends, and shopping for themselves.

The newly paved walk makes it appear more spacious and even and the colorful bonsai constitutes a big feast for the eyes. If you get tired, you may take a rest on a long bench along the walk. The inlaid photos of black and white in the poles of the protruding buildings are telling the old stories of the past to remind the viewers of the long river of history. When the night falls, the board lamps and neon lights of different colors dot the walk to let you touch the pleasures brought by a new modern civilization.