After renovations lasting several years, this old town, combining traditional Qilou buildings with Western architecture of 1920s, finally re-opened to public as a tourist attraction and a filming location! Expect elegant trams, canal boat rides, musical performances and even mechanical flowers!

*This post contains affiliated links, which means I may earn a small commission from any purchase you, dear reader, make through them. Thank you!

We discovered Chikan Ancient Town completely by accident, on our drive back from Xiachuan Island. Spotted it on the map and decided to check it out only to find out that it was barricaded off, one massive construction site. Locals had no idea when it would re-open as it had been closed for several years at that point. We managed to catch a glimpse of it and knew it was ‘our kind of place’, beautiful old architecture, history…Oh well, we couldn’t see it that time but we certainly didn’t forget about it!

You can imagine my joy when sometime last year I encountered an article advertising the grand re-opening of Chikan to public! The promotional photos were stunning; we did not need more convincing. We decided to combine visiting Chikan, Jiangmen and Li Garden into one long weekend trip.

While it was busy, it did not feel crowded at all, despite it being a holiday weekend, because of its sheer size. This place is huge so many streets were totally empty and therefore strolling around felt very relaxing. Before you even get to the ticket counters, you can already walk around some pretty alleyways and enjoy a drink in elegant coffee shops (at a slightly inflated price-after all, this place has to earn its keep, which can’t be cheap). Expect hours and hours of walking OR you could take advantage of the many boats and beautiful, classy trams to transport you around!

Needless to say, that despite paying for the entry ticket, the tram and boat rides will cost you extra. If you’ve ever been to any tourist attraction/scenic spot in China, you’ll know this is normal and to be expected, if slightly disappointing. Nevertheless, we thoroughly enjoyed both rides and tried not to dwell on the cost. The boat ride was especially nice because the person steering your boat is also your tour guide, able to answer any questions you might have about the history of this old, wealthy trading port but it is unlikely for them to speak English. Despite having to queue up for a while, our son was really happy on the tram-it’s not the kind of vehicle you get to ride often, if ever!

As the town is located by a major river, it had been an important trading spot back in its heyday, with hundreds of businesses and wealthy merchants. The opulence and influence of the Overseas Chinese, who set up homes in that area upon returning to China, is clearly visible.

The architecture is absolutely amazing!

A true mix of Western and Chinese styles, very eclectic, super interesting and the bit that’s fun for the kids is that you can climb up some of the tallest structures and have a bird’s eye view of this vast area! Some buildings have plaques informing of its original purpose, which shed light on the times they were built in and the history of this area (think attacks and robberies)but most don’t, however the AI assistant on your phone is sure to provide you with all the information you may require:) To make walking around more appealing to my son, I told him (made up) stories of bandits and people hiding treasures in the various towers. That did the trick:)

Whilst you’re admiring the environment around you, you’ll notice some buildings turned into stylish restaurants and hotels. I must admit, this place has a romantic vibe to it and would be perfect for a date. There are plenty of cafes, snack shops, fruit tea stalls and typical souvenir shops but there are also some more unique businesses, such as the traditional fabric store & gallery pictured earlier.

Once we got off the tram meandering through the quieter parts of Chikan, we stumbled upon a fantastic Cantonese Opera Performance! You might think it’s boring for kids but my son was mesmerized and wouldn’t let us leave until it finished:) To our pleasant surprise, right next to that performance, we witnessed another one-this time a group of musicians were playing lively tunes on traditional Chinese instruments! My son loves music and starts dancing as soon as he hears it so this was a lovely moment. Near the fountain (pictured), there are also huge mechanical flowers, which open and close. So simple yet so effective at providing entertainment for the little ones. (Note: I am not sure if the performances take place every weekend of just during special occasions/holidays)

The ticket price may seem a bit steep but trust me when I say that it is absolutely worth it! Your family will easily spend the entire day there and if you want to get even more value for your money, stay until evening as the place is supposed to look stunning with all the lights on, animations on buildings as well as various shows taking place after sunset.

Sadly, we needed to head back home and thus missed the evening entertainment but hey, there’s always next time!:) I genuinely think anyone can enjoy this place as long as you bear in mind that in order to be renovated and maintained (it truly was pretty much dilapidated before the renovation), it is a tourist attraction and a filming location(part of town is closed off to public, a dedicated film set), not just a historical site. If you want to make a weekend out of it, like we did, but don’t feel like staying overnight in Chikan then you could stay in Jiangmen (which is very cheap compared to other cities) or one of the charming B&Bs in the Kaiping Diaolou countryside.

We went in the spring and it was a cloudy day. I imagine the town would look even prettier in the sun but to be honest, we were happy that it wasn’t sunny as it would have been too hot therefore I recommend going in the spring or autumn to make the most of it!

Have you visited Chikan before the renovation? What was it like?

---

Info:

Address: Chikanzhen, 18 Didong Road, Kaiping town, Jiangmen city, Guangdong

Getting there: Self-driving is the best option for convenience but if you don’t have a car, can speak Chinese and don’t mind joining a group tour then simply book a trip from a local travel agent. Alternatively, you could take the gao tie( high-speed train) to Kaiping South Station, then get a Didi to take you to Chikan.

Price: Trip.com has a list of all the price options but basically it costs 145rmb per adult, or 168rmb 1 adult+1 child, not including any extras. Boat tour costs around 80rmb and Dangdang(tram) costs 50rmb but are completely optional.

Food: Plenty of good options inside and outside. Fast food outlets (both Chinese and Western) are located right outside the ticket office and inside you’ll find hotel restaurants, cafes and food stalls.

Facilities: Lots of clean toilets and a couple of baby changing stations. The area is flat except for the bridges so very suitable for walking with a pram or the elderly though some streets are cobbled.

Age: Most suitable for those with babies, toddlers and kids under 10. I don’t think older kids would find it that interesting unless they are into architecture/history.

---

Tips:

-Within a 10 minut drive from Chikan Old Town, you’ll find Li Garden (Liyuan), a beautifully designed site with several villas and decorative buildings dotted around. Built by a wealthy family, it is an incredibly romantic place, not yet commercialised, quite low key, serene and classy but also suitable for kids as it’s open air so they can roam around freely. Our family LOVED it!