[h=1]23-28.10.2013: Shantou, China Cultural Tour[/h]Updated <abbr title="Sunday, December 15, 2013 at 2:18pm" data-utime="1387088293" class="timestamp">on Saturday</abbr>
With Autumn ebbing and Winter looming in southern China, MPs Mr Low Thia Khiang, Mr Png Eng Huat and Miss Lee Li Lian led approximately 80 epicurean residents of Bedok Reservoir, Hougang, Kaki Bukit and Punggol East Constituencies as they readied their cameras and appetites for an immersion in the cultural bounties and gastronomic delights of Chaoshan, Guangdong province.
This six-day tour was a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds, starting proper on day 2 in Shantou’s Chao Nan and Chao Yang districts –- a heady mixture of imposing fortress cities flanked by regal stone lions, historic temples with majestic deity statues circling a serene terrapin pond. The day ended with a picturesque sunset visit to a district memorial to Chinese folk hero Wen Tian Xiang at Lian Hua Feng.
Day 3 began with a ferry ride that took both tour coach and passengers over to Nan’ao county, which is largely comprised of Nan’ao island, a few km off the coast of Guangdong. A curious freshwater well skirting the seacoast, dating back to the Song dynasty, was a big crowd draw. A visit to Shantou Nan'ao Island National Forest Park saw a seascape festooned with seaweed culturing vats. Burly travellers tried their hands at lifting a heavy training rock, an amusing highlight of a centuries old military training centre. Lots of sun, sand, sea and local marine produce greeted eager palates and wallets as our jolly vacationers headed back to the hotel for a sumptuous dinner spread.
Jieyang on day 4 was an intoxicating blend of temples, fortresses and a modern shopping mall. A timeworn Buddhist temple gilded with ornate carvings, offered an expansive space to explore, culminating in a steep climb to the top which is not for the faint hearted. Cannons ringed a moat-banded coastal fortress at the next stop, the entire structure dating back to the turn of the 20th century. Capping the day was a shopping mall visit, the first real shopping experience for holidaymakers in a modern local mall, followed by a dinner banquet.
Chen Ci Hong’s Mansion in Chenghai district beckoned to visitors on the 5th day of the tour, offering a sprawling estate to explore with little nooks and crannies to sip tea, listen to Teochew Opera, watch a puppet performance and appreciate the architectural fusion. On offer at the various shopping detours were novelties like Buddha’s Hand or Finger Citron fruit, marinated in a medicinal blend including licorice, with purported health benefits. Saddled with bags of fruits, biscuits, and tea, our intrepid travellers soon arrived at the Memorial Temple of Han Yu, which offered a good workout and a breathtaking view to those robust enough to complete the ascent. The icing on the cake for the day was certainly the tram tour of the old city of Chaozhou, stopping for a photo session at Guangji Bridge (a pontoon bridge built in AD 1170 during the Southern Song Dynasty), before proceeding on motorized rickshaws through the grandiose city walls into streets lined with a dizzying array of restaurants, candy shops and snack stalls and old-style dwellings. Sightseers dropped-off outside a beautiful syncretic monastery situated in the heart of the old city, which led out into streets fringed by a smorgasbord of traditional teochew snacks freshly churned out by seasoned candy chefs.
A hearty vegetarian dinner crowned this 6-Day Enchanting Chaoshan Delicacies Tour, as MPs and residents returned to the luxury of their hotel rooms, packing bags full of fond memories ahead of the return trip the next day.
Guess what? Residents were already asking, ‘Where will we be going next year?’
Reported by: Ong Chuan
Photo credit:
Jacky Koh Chee Koon
