Get to know Jiangmen
Photo adjustments
Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- Prefecture-level city · 地级市
- Part of
- Guangdong
- Chinese name
- 江门市
- Local areas
- 7 local areas
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 9,535.00 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 4,798,090
- Administrative seat
- Pengjiang District
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The prefecture has 409 km of mainland coast and 352 islands, among them Shangchuan (上川岛) and Xiachuan (下川岛). The Tan River (潭江) runs through Kaiping (开平市), and Xinhui (新会区) lies on its lower reaches beside Yinzhou Lake (银洲湖). The climate is subtropical, mild and wet, and Guifeng Mountain (圭峰山) in Xinhui is a national forest park.
History
Xinhui was long the economic and cultural centre of the Siyi (四邑) region, and its heritage includes the site of the Song–Yuan naval Battle of Yamen (崖山海战). A customs house opened in Jiangmen in 1904, making it an important coastal port for foreign trade, and it became a prefecture-level city in 1983. From the mid-19th century, labour demand in the United States and Canada drew many Kaiping villagers abroad; the money they sent home financed a wave of diaolou building, with 1,648 towers going up between 1900 and 1931. Natives of the area include the reformer Liang Qichao (梁启超) and the aviation pioneer Feng Ru (冯如).
What to see
The Kaiping Diaolou and Villages became Guangdong’s first World Heritage site in 2007. Some 1,833 towers survive, and the inscribed sites are Sanmenli (三门里), the Majianglong (马降龙) village cluster, Zili village (自力村) and Jinjiangli (锦江里). Chikan (赤坎古镇) is a China Historic and Cultural Town. In Xinhui, Liang Qichao’s former residence (梁启超故居) is a national key protected site, and Birds’ Paradise (小鸟天堂), praised by the writer Ba Jin (巴金), is a 4A scenic area. The city calls the Gulao water village (古劳水乡) a rare sight in Lingnan.
Food and local products
Xinhui tangerine peel (新会陈皮) is made from thick-skinned local mandarins whose peel is cut open in three segments, sun-dried and aged for years; its processing technique joined the national intangible heritage list in 2021. Xinhui is also known for palm-leaf crafts (新会葵艺), and Choy Li Fut boxing (蔡李佛拳) and Baisha maolong brushes (白沙茅龙笔) are among Jiangmen’s intangible heritage.
Getting oriented
Jiangmen has three districts, Pengjiang (蓬江区), Jianghai (江海区) and Xinhui, and four county-level cities, Taishan (台山市), Kaiping, Heshan (鹤山市) and Enping (恩平市). Zhongshan and Zhuhai lie to the east, Foshan and Yunfu to the north and Yangjiang to the west.
Highlights
- Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 开平碉楼与村落: Tower houses funded by emigrants' remittances; a World Heritage site since 2007.
- Liang Qichao's former residence 梁启超故居: Home of the reformer in Xinhui; a national key protected site.
- Birds' Paradise 小鸟天堂: 4A scenic area in Xinhui praised by the writer Ba Jin.
- Xinhui tangerine peel 新会陈皮: Aged mandarin peel whose processing technique is on the national intangible heritage list (2021).
Sources for this guide
江门概貌_江门概况_江门市人民政府门户网站 · Jiangmen Municipal People's Government
新会区概况_江门概况_江门市人民政府门户网站 · Jiangmen Municipal People's Government (from the Xinhui District government)
开平市概况_江门概况_江门市人民政府门户网站 · Jiangmen Municipal People's Government (from the Kaiping city government)
开平碉楼 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
中药炮制技艺（新会陈皮炮制技艺） - 中国非物质文化遗产网·中国非物质文化遗产数字博物馆 · China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-30.
Explore Jiangmen
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Kaiping Diaolou 开平碉楼
Chikan, Kaiping 赤坎古镇
Birds' Paradise 小鸟天堂
Kaiping 开平
Mei Family Compound 梅家大院
Shangchuan Island 上川岛
Xiachuan Island 下川岛
Haikoubu Historic Wharf 海口埠
Kaiping Diaolou and Villages 开平碉楼与村落
Li Garden 立园
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town 赤坎华侨古镇
Xiema Scholars' Village 歇马举人村
Liang Qichao Former Residence 梁启超故居
Guifeng Mountain 圭峰山
Changdi Historic District 长堤历史街区
Gulao Water Village 古劳水乡
Pengjiang District 蓬江区
Jianghai District 江海区
Xinhui District 新会区
Taishan 台山市
Kaiping 开平市
Heshan 鹤山市
Enping 恩平市
Places to explore around Jiangmen
Yunhuan Lou and Yangxian Villa in Zili Village, part of the Kaiping diaolou landscape, Guangdong.Kaiping Diaolou开平碉楼
Kaiping’s diaolou are fortified tower houses set among villages and farmland. Many combine Chinese building traditions with decorative forms brought back by overseas emigrants. The World Heritage property consists of separate…
Read the place guide →
Riverside arcaded houses in Chikan, Kaiping · 赤坎古镇 Photograph date recorded by the source: 4 October 2015 (according to Exif data).Chikan, Kaiping赤坎古镇
Chikan grew around water transport on the Tan River and the connections of emigrant families with their home villages. Its historic core contains rows of qilou: commercial buildings with covered arcades at street level. Chinese…
Read the place guide →
Banyan branches over the water at Birds Paradise · 小鸟天堂 Photograph date recorded by the source: 2005-08-13.Birds' Paradise小鸟天堂
Birds’ Paradise is a wetland and bird habitat at Tianma Village in Xinhui, Jiangmen. Its core is a small island covered by a dense banyan canopy. The trees and surrounding water form the essential landscape: branches, aerial…
Read the place guide →
Tan River bridge at night in downtown Kaiping · 开平城区潭江桥梁夜景 Photograph date recorded by the source: 27 October 2018, 21:59:52.Kaiping开平
Kaiping’s visitor landscape extends from fortified village houses to the more leisurely spaces of an overseas-Chinese garden. Zili Village combines diaolou towers with ordinary homes and farmland, while Liyuan adds a designed…
Read the place guide →
A long row of two- and three-storey early-20th-century arcaded buildings with pilasters, balconies and shaped parapets along one side of a wide empty paved square, a lattice telecom mast rising behind the rooflines and a red parasol at street level; clear blue sky.Mei Family Compound梅家大院
Meijia Dayuan (梅家大院), also called Tingjiang Market, is an overseas-Chinese-built arcaded market compound on the Datong River in Duanfen town, Taishan, Guangdong, which a 2024 newspaper account dates to 93 years earlier, placing its founding around 1931.
Read the place guide →
Flying Sandy Beach on Shangchuan Island, Taishan, Jiangmen · 江门台山上川岛飞沙滩 Source-recorded photograph date: Taken on 6 August 2011.Shangchuan Island上川岛
Largest island of the Chuanshan group off Taishan, where Francis Xavier died in 1552 and Ming porcelain from Portuguese trade still litters Dazhou Bay.
Read the place guide →
Coastal view of the ferry pier at Wangfuzhou Bay, Xiachuan Island, Taishan · 台山下川岛王府洲海湾码头景色 Source-recorded photograph date: Taken on 17 July 2009.Xiachuan Island下川岛
Granite-hilled island in Taishan's Chuanshan Archipelago, with Wangfuzhou beach, the Guanyin Mountain viewpoint and a Song-loyalist founding tradition.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Haikoubu Historic Wharf海口埠
Haikoubu (海口埠) is a historic wharf market at the meeting of the Datong and Duanfen rivers in Duanfen town, Taishan, Guangdong, founded in the third year of the Qing Xianfeng reign (which began in 1851) and now presented as a site of Taishan's overseas Chinese remittance-letter culture.
Read the place guide →Yunhuan Lou and Yangxian Villa in Zili Village, part of Kaiping’s diaolou landscape · 开平自力村云幻楼与养闲别墅. Source-recorded photograph date: 2016-10-06.Kaiping Diaolou and Villages开平碉楼与村落
World Heritage villages in rural Kaiping with fortified tower houses built mostly in 1900-1931 with money sent home by emigrants.
Read the place guide →
The main tower of Li Garden (Liyuan Garden) reflected in its lotus pond, Kaiping, Jiangmen · 江门市开平市立园主楼及荷花池 Source-recorded photograph date: 2017-10-21 11:20.Li Garden立园
A 1926-1936 villa-and-garden estate in Kaiping built by US emigrant Xie Weili, mixing Chinese roofs and Western columns, with a bandit-proof tower.
Read the place guide →
Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town · 赤坎华侨古镇Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town赤坎华侨古镇
Chikan (赤坎华侨古镇) is a qilou arcade town in the centre-west of Kaiping, Jiangmen, Guangdong, opened as a trading town in the early Qing dynasty and rebuilt by overseas Chinese in the 1920s.
Read the place guide →
Xiema Scholars' Village · 歇马举人村Xiema Scholars' Village歇马举人村
Xiema (歇马举人村) is a village in Shengtang town, Enping, Guangdong, founded in the Yuan Zhizheng reign and known for producing 285 successful provincial-examination candidates (juren) in the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Read the place guide →
Entrance to Liang Qichao's Former Residence, marked with its nameplate, Xinhui District, Jiangmen · 江门市新会区梁启超故居入口及门牌 Source-recorded photograph date: 2008-05-03.Liang Qichao Former Residence梁启超故居
Birthplace of Liang Qichao in Chakeng Village, Xinhui: Guangxu-era brick house and study, a national heritage site since 1996, with a memorial hall of 2001.
Read the place guide →
The four-faced Guanyin pavilion at Yutai Temple on Guifeng Mountain, Jiangmen · 江门圭峰山玉台寺四面观音像 Source-recorded photograph date: 2026-02-18 13:32:59.Guifeng Mountain圭峰山
Forest park above Xinhui and Jiangmen with the Tang-founded Yutai Temple, a 1683 marble pagoda, a Yuan stupa and a summit lake.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Changdi Historic District长堤历史街区
Changdi (长堤) is the old riverside core of Jiangmen, in Pengjiang District, Guangdong, and is where the city's urban area began. Since 2023 it has held the title of a Guangdong provincial historic and cultural street district.
Read the place guide →
Gulao Water Village (古劳水乡), Heshan. Photograph: "Gulao Water Town".Gulao Water Village古劳水乡
Ming-era flood enclosure on the Xijiang in Heshan, now a creek-and-fish-pond water village with boat trips, lotus ponds and a Song-era pavilion.
Read the place guide →Local life & food
Jiangmen local specialties
江门市特色美食 · 12 specialties to discover
Duruǎn bitter melon with black-bean sauce 杜阮豉汁炒凉瓜AI illustration · AI 示意图
The melon retains a distinct bitterness and firm bite, balanced by the salty, fermented depth of the black-bean sauce.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Gujing roast goose 古井烧鹅AI illustration · AI 示意图
Expect a deep roasted aroma, rich fat and savory seasoning, with a textural contrast between skin and flesh. A dip may add a sweet or tart element.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Taishan eel rice 台山黄鳝饭AI illustration · AI 示意图
The rice is savory and aromatic, with tender eel pieces and, when present, a crisp toasted crust beneath softer grains.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Xinhui tangerine-peel pork ribs 新会陈皮骨AI dish illustration / AI 菜品示意图
Dried peel brings a fragrant, slightly bitter citrus edge to the rich pork. The sauce may be sweet-savoury rather than sharply sour.
Source ↗Read the dish guide →
Enping Pressed Rice Noodles 恩平濑粉
Enping Pressed Rice Noodles (恩平濑粉) are round-ended rice noodles made by squeezing rice batter through holes straight into boiling water, a speciality of Enping (恩平) in Jiangmen (江门), Guangdong.
Read the dish guide →Photo adjustments
EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Kaiping Chikan Claypot Rice 开平赤坎煲仔饭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Kaiping Chikan Claypot Rice (开平赤坎煲仔饭) is rice cooked in individual clay pots over a wood fire in Chikan (赤坎), a town in Kaiping (开平) under Jiangmen (江门), Guangdong.
Read the dish guide →
Xinhui Tangerine Peel Duck 新会陈皮鸭AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Xinhui Tangerine Peel Duck (新会陈皮鸭) is duck cooked with the aged dried tangerine peel of Xinhui District (新会区) in Jiangmen (江门), Guangdong.
Read the dish guide →
Hetang Fried Fish Cakes 荷塘鱼饼AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非实拍）
Hetang Fried Fish Cakes (荷塘鱼饼) are thin cakes of minced mud carp (鲮鱼) fried slowly until golden, made in Hetang (荷塘), a town in Pengjiang District (蓬江区) of Jiangmen (江门), Guangdong.
Read the dish guide →All dish names · 全部菜名 (12)
- Duruǎn bitter melon with black-bean sauce · 杜阮豉汁炒凉瓜
- Gujing roast goose · 古井烧鹅
- Taishan eel rice · 台山黄鳝饭
- Xinhui tangerine-peel pork ribs · 新会陈皮骨
- Enping Pressed Rice Noodles · 恩平濑粉
- Kaiping Chikan Claypot Rice · 开平赤坎煲仔饭
- Xinhui Tangerine Peel Duck · 新会陈皮鸭
- Hetang Fried Fish Cakes · 荷塘鱼饼
- Duruan Stir-Fried Beef with Bitter Melon · 杜阮凉瓜炒牛肉
- Taishan Oyster Rice · 台山蚝饭
- Enping Charcoal-Baked Cake · 恩平烧饼
- Heshan Shangnan Roast Pork · 鹤山上南烧肉
More dishes from across Guangdong are in the Guangdong food guide.
Counties & districts in Jiangmen
7 areas belong directly to Jiangmen.
7 areas
Pengjiang District蓬江区
Pengjiang is a district of Jiangmen, Guangdong province, China.
Explore the area →DistrictJianghai District江海区
Jianghai is a district of Jiangmen City, Guangdong Province, southern China.
Explore the area →DistrictXinhui District新会区
Xinhui, alternately romanized as Sunwui and also known as Kuixiang, is an urban district of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China. It grew from a separate city founded at the confluence of the Tan and West Rivers.
Explore the area →County-level cityTaishan台山市
Taishan, or Toi San (Jyutping: Toi4saan1), is a county-level city in the southwest of Guangdong province, China. It is administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Jiangmen.
Explore the area →Show fewer areas
Kaiping开平市
Kaiping (simplified Chinese: 开平; traditional Chinese: 開平), alternately romanized in Cantonese as Hoiping, in local dialect as Hoihen, is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, China.
Explore the area →County-level cityHeshan鹤山市
Heshan, formerly romanized as Hokshan, is a county-level city of Jiangmen City in the southern part of Guangdong Province, China with a total land area of 1,081 square kilometres (417 sq mi) and a population…
Explore the area →County-level cityEnping恩平市
Enping, alternately romanized as Yanping, is a county-level city in Guangdong province, China, administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Jiangmen.
Explore the area →No areas match this name.
Plan your visit
Getting there
Search for 江门市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Kaiping Diaolou and Chikan, Kaiping are about 5 km apart in a straight line. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Guangdong →More in Guangdong
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 开平碉楼 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Kaiping Diaolou · Stefan Fussan · CC BY-SA 3.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Chikan, Kaiping · Wishds · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
.jpg){kind=link}
Photo: Birds' Paradise · Memes · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Kaiping · DragonSamYU · DragonSamYU — Kaiping at Night 20181027-3.jpg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0. The exact downloaded source bytes are separately retained and hashed. Prepared JPEG is proportionally reduced to a maximum 720-pixel long edge; full frame retained, no subject alteration. Final website rendition: full frame retained, proportionally resized to at most 720 pixels and converted to WebP. No additional retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Mei Family Compound · 胜利号 · CC0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Shangchuan Island · 罗布泊 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
.jpg){kind=link}
Photo: Xiachuan Island · luchangjiang~鲁昌江 · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Kaiping Diaolou and Villages · Stefan Fussan · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full source framing retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or subject alteration. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Li Garden · xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
.jpg){kind=link}
Photo: Chikan Overseas Chinese Ancient Town · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Xiema Scholars' Village · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Liang Qichao Former Residence · (Long night without wind) 长夜无风 · CC BY 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Guifeng Mountain · Tim Wu · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Gulao Water Village · Ballmacy · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; EXIF orientation normalized, proportionally resized to at most 800 pixels and converted to WebP. No generated pixels or subject changes. Cards may crop the display.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.