Travel Itinerary for Dongguan

Visit Keyuan Garden in the morning. Located in West Boxia Village, downtown Dongguan, Keyuan Garden is one of the Four Great Classical Gardens of Guangdong from the Qing Dynasty and a representative masterpiece of Lingnan-style gardens. Ancient scholars praised it with the line: A blessed earthly paradise worthy of admiration, a garden comparable to celestial palaces in heaven. Together with Qinghui Garden in Shunde, Liang Garden in Foshan and Yuyin Mountain Villa in Panyu, it forms the Four Great Gardens of central Guangdong from the Qing era.

Construction began in the 30th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1850 AD), commissioned by Zhang Jingxiu, a native of Dongguan City. He obtained an official post through financial contribution and rose to Judicial Commissioner of Guangxi Province. He returned to his hometown after the death of his younger brother and illness of his mother, and started building Keyuan Garden, which was basically completed in 1864.

Covering an area of 2,204 square metres, the garden takes a triangular outer shape enclosed by a blue brick wall. Inside stand one tower, six pavilions, five kiosks, six terraces, five ponds, three bridges, nineteen halls and fifteen rooms, most of which bear the Chinese character "Ke" (meaning "desirable") in their names, such as Ke Tower, Ke Veranda, Ke Hall and Ke Islet. All buildings are constructed with polished blue bricks.

The tallest structure is Ke Tower, standing 17.5 metres high. Stone steps along the tower lead up to Inviting Mountain Pavilion on the top floor. With transparent windows on all sides and gracefully upturned flying eaves, the pavilion offers panoramic views of downtown Dongguan through the windows.

After lunch, tour Dongguan People's Park. Address: No.1 Gongyuan Road, Guancheng Subdistrict. Visitors can take buses No.1, 8, 15, 22, 28 and 30 in urban Dongguan to get there.

Set off in the morning for Shajiao Fort atop Shajiao Mountain at the estuary of Humen. Take Bus No.1 or minibuses in Humen Town and alight at the gate of the Shajiao military compound.

Built in the 5th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1800), Shajiao Fort served as an ancient battlefield during the First Opium War. Back then, Shajiao Fort and Dajiao Fort formed the first defensive line at Humen Estuary, hailed as the primary gateway of Guangdong’s coastal waters. Today it functions as a venue for patriotic education and tourist sightseeing.

Surviving historic relics include one seaside artillery platform, a stone archway carved with the word "Shajiao", three ancient bronze cannons, a monument to Lin Zexu, the Opium Surrender Wharf Square, the Martyrs’ Tomb of Loyal Soldiers, a statue of Chen Liansheng, and the Fishing Platform.

The Opium War Museum is a short walk away, where visitors can delve into local history and culture, with numerous overlooked cultural artefacts and historical documents on display.