7 Days in Jiangmen

The old Changdi arcades line the river for blocks; the emigrant museum explains why four million overseas Chinese trace roots to the five counties. Evening snacks under the arcades.

1. jiangmen changdi street
2. jiangmen wuyi overseas museum

Kaiping keeps 1,833 fortified towers; the Zili cluster led by the 1925 Mingshi Tower pairs with the Li garden the Xie family finished in the 1930s. Overnight in Kaiping town.

1. jiangmen zili village
2. jiangmen liyuan garden

The bamboo-clad towers of Majianglong hide in the hills south of town; the nine-story Ruishi Tower of 1923 rises over rice at Jinjiangli — two very different tower settings in one day.

1. jiangmen majianglong village
2. jiangmen ruishi tower

The Tan River arcades of Chikan, a film-set town since the 2010 blockbuster, reward a slow morning and an afternoon of riverside photographs; try the local rice-noodle dishes.

1. jiangmen chikan old town

A single banyan shades some 20 mu of river at Bird Paradise, famous since Ba Jin's 1933 essay; Chakeng village keeps the 1873 birthplace of Liang Qichao, and the chenpi market closes the day.

1. jiangmen bird paradise
2. jiangmen liangqichao residence
3. jiangmen chenpi village

The forested hill above Xinhui makes an easy morning climb; below at Yamen, the Qing-era fort overlooks the estuary where the 1279 naval battle closed the Song dynasty — visit as a historical site, plainly.

1. jiangmen guifeng mountain
2. jiangmen yamen fort

North in Heshan, Gulao's fishpond lanes and ferry paths make a slow finale; the village also claims the Wing Chun master Leung Jan. Return to Jiangmen station for the fast trains.

1. jiangmen gulao water town