14 Days in Maoming

The oil-shale mine begun in 1958 closed decades ago; since 2013 the roughly 10-sq-km pit has filled as Haoxin Lake. Rim walk, evening food streets.

1. maoming open pit park
2. maoming city markets

The city museum sketches the oil-shale boom that created Maoming; afterward the lakeside paths of Xinhu Park and a market lunch ease you into the pace of the city.

1. maoming city museum
2. maoming xinhu park

Boats from Bohe fishing port cover the 8 nautical miles to the 1.9-sq-km island in about 40 minutes — diving coves below, a lookout above. Watch the mid-afternoon last returns.

1. maoming fangji island

The 5-km Romantic Coast strand in the morning, the public sands of China First Beach — about 12 km of shoreline — after lunch.

1. maoming romantic coast
2. maoming china first beach

The boardwalk over Yanjing Ridge looks down on fishing coves west of Bohe; soak away the walk at the long-established Yushui hot-spring resort nearby.

1. maoming yanjing ridge
2. maoming yushui hot spring

Shrine, Sui-era tomb compound and exhibit hall for Lady Xian (c. 522-602), the Li chieftain who served the Liang, Chen and Sui courts; the lanes of the old county town of Diancheng fill the rest of the day.

1. maoming xiantai hometown

The Lady Xian temple dates to the Ming Jiajing era (1535); the Baoguang Pagoda, raised in 1576, still measures 65.8 m — among the taller ancient brick towers of Guangdong.

1. maoming gaozhou xiantai temple
2. maoming baoguang pagoda

Century-old trees in the Gongyuan orchard stand amid Maoming's roughly 1.4 million mu of lychee groves. May-July brings the harvest; other seasons, the packing lanes and drying yards tell the story.

1. maoming genzi lychee orchard

Zhenlong preserves the seat of Tang-era Douzhou — the Qing gate tower of Wenmingmen, temple lanes and riverside markets. An overnight here splits the western hills nicely.

1. maoming zhenlong old town

A full day of waterfalls, streams and high meadows in the Tianma Mountain area, then back toward Maoming by evening.

1. maoming tianma mountain

West into neighboring Zhanjiang, about 1.5 hours by car — the maar lake of Huguangyan, a volcanic crater of about 2.3 sq km formed some 140,000 years ago, then the Republic-era arcades of Chikan. Return by evening train or car.

1. zhanjiang huguangyan
2. zhanjiang chikan old street

A recovery day — park paths, a long market lunch and an early night before the last excursion.

1. maoming xinhu park
2. maoming city markets

East to neighboring Yangjiang — the Maritime Silk Road Museum, opened in 2009, encases the Song shipwreck Nanhai One, found in 1987 and raised whole in 2007, its hull about 22 m long with over 180,000 artifacts recovered.

1. yangjiang hailing island
2. yangjiang nanhai one museum

A last seafood lunch downtown, then the HSR from Maoming Station — direct trains link on toward Guangzhou or Zhanjiang.

1. maoming city markets