Chaoshan Road Trip (27)

I've been to Wudian City Traditional Block in Jinjiang twice before, and this time I wanted to show my companions the unique combination of overseas Chinese culture, traditional residential architecture, and folk customs. Twelve kilometers away from Wudian City, there is another ancient residential area, Wulin, which is similar to Wudian City and is also a traditional residential village influenced by overseas Chinese culture. The traditional swallowtail ridges of red brick houses are characteristic of traditional Minnan residential buildings. Since modern times, these coastal areas have gradually become hometowns for overseas Chinese. Influenced by Nanyang culture, many buildings have various European styles, known as "Fan Zai Lou" (foreigner's buildings). There is a two-story Western-style building in the village, also built by an overseas Chinese returning home, which is now used as an exhibition hall for Qiaopi (overseas Chinese letters). In the early days, it was very inconvenient for overseas Chinese to contact their families and send money back home, so specialized agencies gradually emerged to carry letters and remittances for them, similar to a combination of today's post office and underground banks. Qiaopi culture is very popular in the overseas Chinese hometowns of Fujian and Guangdong, and it also carries emotions and history. One of the purposes of this trip to Chaoshan was to visit the Qiaopi Museum in Shantou, but I didn't expect to see it here. Unlike Wudian City, which is located in the center of the bustling city, Wulin is not so noisy. During holidays when there are many people and cars, there is a parking lot at the entrance of the village, and a sightseeing bus costs 10 yuan per person from the parking lot to the village. Usually, you can drive directly into the village. Huashan Ancient Residential Area is more than three kilometers away from Wulin Ancient Residential Area. It is similar to Wudian City Traditional Block and Wulin Ancient Residential Area, but it is smaller in scale and has fewer buildings. It also offers some agricultural picking projects, so you can visit it along the way. Jinjiang Wulin Traditional Village