Jiangmen: Arcades, City History and East Lake Park

Jiangmen tells its city story in different ways: through old shopping streets and arcade houses, exhibitions and ruins, and a large park with expanses of water. Visitors who like to explore several themes on a trip will find points of interest here in both culture and landscape. The historic sites each have a different focus: some evoke the city’s former commercial life, while others reflect urban development or specific historical figures.

Arcades and Old Streets

Changdi Scenic Street is a 0.8-kilometre-long historic street in Jiangmen’s old commercial district. Several hundred arcade houses define its character, and their architecture blends Chinese and Western elements. The street offers a concrete starting point for exploring architectural styles and the historic commercial district. Changdi refers to a specific street, not to a general picture of the neighbourhood.

Xuding Old Street offers a different historical perspective. It is considered the origin of Jiangmen’s urban area. Its central area includes “Jijishi” and “Shuibu Tou”, which are also regarded as the starting point of the city. Those interested in how an urban area can be told through its historic points of reference can consider this alongside the story of the old commercial district: here, the focus is on the city’s origins and beginnings; there, on its streets and architectural history.

Qimingli is another place with a historical connection. This overseas Chinese village is in the capital area of Jiangmen and comprises more than 100 houses belonging to overseas Chinese, each over a century old. It draws attention to both homes and the history of overseas Chinese. Changdi Scenic Street and Qimingli represent different architectural themes: arcade houses blending Chinese and Western elements in one case, and old houses belonging to overseas Chinese in the other.

Museum, Railway and City History

The Longdi branch of the Jiangmen Museum is housed in two century-old arcade houses. They are located at numbers 234 and 235 Dongdi Street in Pengjiang District. The branch’s permanent exhibition, “烟火长堤——江门商埠的市井记忆”, explores more than 600 years of history across six chapters. Visitors interested in Jiangmen’s development will find a thematic introduction here through memories of urban everyday life and the trading port.

The ruins of the North Street Station of the Xinning Railway are the only railway station site still relatively intact today. Its state of preservation is explicitly described as relative. The site offers a distinct point of interest for exploring Jiangmen’s railway history, different from the exhibition and street-related sites.

The Diaotai Ruins are an important historical site for research into Chen Baisha and the history of Jiangmen’s opening as a trading port. The Jiangmen Customs ruins point to another part of the city’s history: they were built in 1904 as the Qing government’s administrative building for the customs office in Jiangmen’s Beijie area. Together with the exhibition on the history of the trading port, this site offers another perspective on administration and trade history.

City History and Open Water

East Lake Park adds a natural counterpoint to the historical themes. Established in 1985, the park covers 53 hectares, of which 16.5 hectares are water. These figures show how much of the park is occupied by water. When choosing a destination, you can weigh up whether you are considering Jiangmen mainly for its historic streets and sites, or also for this large park.

The places mentioned cater to different interests: the city’s origins, architecture, railway and trade history, and a park with a specified area of water. If you choose Jiangmen as your destination, this distinction can also guide your choice of holiday rental in the city: consider which of these themes matter most for your trip, rather than planning around just one type of attraction.

More destinations for inspiration: Zhaoqing, Shantou, Yangjiang, Qingyuan, Huizhou, Zhongshan, Shanwei, Dongguan.

For the full travel overview: Guangdong.