Paifang Street — Attraction in Chaozhou

Paifang (Memorial Arch) (Chinese: 牌坊）is a traditional style of Chinese architectural arch or gateway structure, which can be traced back to the Zhou Dynasty （周朝） (BC 770—BC 256). It is built to commend and commemorate celebrities and sages. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties （明清時期） (AD 1368—AD 1912), there were more than 100 Paifangs in Chaozhou （潮州）. In the late Qing Dynasty, arcade buildings with Southeast Asian architectural style were introduced into Guangdong. Some city blocks were gradually transformed into arcade-style commercial streets, which coexisted with ancient Paifangs. Therefore, city blocks with a combination of both Chinese and foreign styles was formed. Located in Xiangqiao district (湘橋區） of Chaozhou, Paifang Street (牌坊街）has a main road with a length of about 2 kilometers, and 23 Paifangs are intricately arranged inside. There are more than 700 cultural relic sites, including 7 national heritage conservation units, 15 intangible cultural heritage, dozens of airy pavilions and pagodas, 50 ancient lanes, and more than 100 representative historical buildings of traditional folk houses. In 2006, Chaozhou government started to restore the original appearance of Paifang Street. It spent three years building the street into a large-scale tourism and leisure complex. Local residents still live in it and share the century-old scenery with tourists together. They offer many stylish home stays, family-run hotels, tea shops, and handcraft shops. Tourists can experience local folk customs and enjoy the most authentic Chaozhou lifestyle. The street also holds exhibition tours regularly, such as Chaozhou gongs and drums, cotton horse dance (布马舞) and Chaozhou...

This is a nice shopping area in the old town of Chaozhou. Although it's touristy, one can still enjoy and indulge in the local culture and lifestyle, shop for souvenirs and of course try authentic and nice local food. There are small lanes which you can walk around and though many shops and makeshift stalls are selling similar products, you can try your luck bargaining for lower price and who knows you may get the things you want at your price.

There are many long-established eateries and restaurants selling authentic Chaozhou dishes. And trust me they are really good and also the price is reasonable too!

As you walk around, you will see the gate entrance structure all around and each is different and unique from the other, commemorating some prominent figures of the past or promoting the good Chinese values.

Only issue is that lack of public toilets and they are not cleaned or maintained well.

A nice...

According to Nanfang Daily, Paifang Street was rebuilt based on historical data and opened to the public in 2009. When I came here the first time 5-6 years ago, tourists were few and less than half of the stores/shops were doing business. Thing didn't look promising back then. But in 2023 Christmas, I saw the street crowded with tourists and vendors were busy selling their merchandises. Honestly, Chaozhou is a relatively small city and it doesn't offer tons of scenic sites. Paifang Street and Guangji Bridge, which is located right next to it, are the two most famous...