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Located in South China, Guangdong is China’s most populated province with more than 105 million people currently residing in it. Guangdong faces the South China Sea, giving beautiful, subtropical characteristics to the cities and villages that make up its sprawling land. Being as large as it is, Guangdong province is comprised of many surprisingly eclectic and historical towns and villages. Here are a few that will make you fall in love.

Shawan Ancient Town

With over 800 years of history, Shawan Ancient Town evokes a feeling of nostalgia for what China used to be; from its narrow stone streets to its elegant seashell buildings, this town’s culture and beauty is a blast from the past worth visiting.

Daling Village, Shilou Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou © llee_wu

Hallstatt Village

Attracting tourists from all around the globe, this precise replica of an Austrian village is now a UNESCO heritage site; this famous Guangdong village located in Huizhou, China is so amazingly accurate that it is easy to forget that you’re not in Austria while there.

Centre of Hallstatt Village, Austria

Kaiping Diaolou and Villages

Known for its awe-inspiring fusion of both Chinese and Western architecture, Kaiping Diaolou was once a fortress and its surrounding buildings were used as residential homes. Now mostly abandoned, Kaiping Diaolou has been named a UNESCO world heritage site and is a popular Guangdong tourist attraction.

Kaiping Diaolou © Kevin Poh

Dafen Oil Painting Village

Located in a suburb of Shenzen, China, Dafen Oil Painting Village was founded in 1989 and still remains as the number one oil painting village in all of China. Tourists flock to this quaint Guangdong village for custom artwork and its eclectic vibe.

Lots of Van Gough paintings at Dafen Oil Painting Village Shenzen May-2017 © Mitch Altman

Xiazhou Village

Another village located in Guangdong province, Xiazhou Village brings artists from all over the world to its small, stone streets and oyster shell hutongs. Xiazhou Village makes for a perfect, quiet getaway from bustling city life.

Shell house, A South China classical village house near beach © llee_wu

About the author

Originally from the US, I am currently an expat in China. I am an aspiring web developer who has an insatiable desire to learn. If I am not coding, I am either studying Chinese or writing. In my free time, I can be found traveling, running, reading, or hanging out with loved ones.

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