7 Days in Shanwei

Settle in, then the hillside temple above the old harbour, with Ming-era origins and a 16.8-metre granite Mazu statue; the roughly 22-sq-km Pinqing Lake wraps the city's south shore. Guangzhou sits about an hour away on the line opened in September 2023.

1. shanwei fengshan mazu temple
2. shanwei pinqing lake

About 25 km east, the Zhelang Peninsula cuts the swell on one side while surf runs on the other — the bay hosted the sailing races of the 2010 Asian Games.

1. shanwei red bay

The November 1927 Hailufeng Soviet congress site, nationally protected since 1961, fills the morning; then the forest road climbs toward Lianhua Mountain, whose 1,337-metre main summit is the highest in the Shanwei area.

1. shanwei red palace square
2. shanwei lianhua mountain

A 7-km run of sand about 10 km west of downtown, with a boardwalk along the dunes; evening fish markets near the old harbour.

1. shanwei jinding bay
2. shanwei city markets

East into Lufeng, about 60 km out, the Yuanshan Temple complex at Jieshi traces its origins to the Southern Song and has been a national key cultural relics unit since 2001; the town was a Ming coastal garrison, established in 1389.

1. shanwei yuanshan temple

West of Jieshi, the sands of Jinxiang Bay carry an October 1927 episode — Zhou Enlai rested here before crossing to Hong Kong, and a marker stands by the shore. Late bus back toward Shanwei.

1. shanwei jinxiang beach

A market breakfast, a last loop of the lakeside walkways, then the HSR from Shanwei station.

1. shanwei city markets
2. shanwei pinqing lake