Kaiping Diaolou

Leaving Shaoguan, we continued southwest and arrived in Kaiping at noon. We got off the expressway and had a meal at Zhuyilou Restaurant. The three-course raw fish meal was large, delicious, and cheap. We found that the food in small cities is very distinctive and cheap. After lunch, we visited Kaiping Diaolou, a unique building complex in Guangdong Province, China, which has a history of 100 years! In those turbulent times, Kaiping was often hit by floods and bandits. To protect their homes, many Kaiping people chose to do business in Southeast Asia. After making money, they returned to their hometowns to build diaolou. There are more than 3,000 diaolou in Kaiping. We went to the Zili Village Diaolou Cluster. We visited it a few years ago, and now it has become a 5A scenic spot. The diaolou in Kaiping are all similar, combining Chinese and Western styles. The couplets at the entrance are very distinctive. We hired a local tour guide who was very familiar with the scenic spot. Most of the villagers here have the surname Fang. Their ancestors were the son-in-law of the emperor in the Southern Song Dynasty and moved here from Henan. The most beautiful diaolou has the largest box, which contains Cantonese embroidery given to the owner by relatives and friends for his birthday. After leaving Zili Village, we visited Li Garden. The most exquisite and luxurious diaolou with artistic value is Li Garden in Genghua Village, Tangkou Town. Li Garden is not just a diaolou. It is actually a private garden with a diaolou, a house, a garden, and a country villa. The tour guide we hired here was $j&%... He just recited the textbook, and the content was from the middle school textbook. When asked a question, he just smiled and continued reciting. Li Garden has its own canal! For safety, a tunnel was dug in the house to the wharf. There are couplets everywhere, which are worth reading. The bird's nest is a building that the lady likes very much. The hollowed-out window is like a paper-cut window, and the top of the nest is like a Roman castle. There is also a place to have afternoon tea. When we arrived, it was almost closing time. The staff made us a meal and then got off work. The cheongsam shop next door was already closed, so we didn't have a chance to see it.