Shantou: Xidi Park: A Journey Through Time With Overseas Chinese Letters and Seashore Romance

🌉 Overview Xidi Park is located in the southwest corner of Shantou's old city, adjacent to Mount Queshi and the West Port River. It is a national 4A-level scenic spot with "Overseas Chinese Letters Culture" as its core theme, integrating the ancient post roads of Southern Guangdong and world memory heritage elements. This was once the starting point for overseas Chinese to travel across the sea. Today, it has been transformed into an ecological park interwoven with history and nature. It not only has mottled relics of overseas Chinese letters, but also modern art installations. It is an excellent place to experience the Chaoshan spirit and the coastal scenery. 🌟 Core Highlights: Integration of Overseas Chinese Letters Culture and Seaview 🏯 Historical Echoes: Live Exhibition of Overseas Chinese Letters Archives • World Memory Corridor: Displays 26 world memory documents, including the Dutch manuscript of "The Communist Manifesto" and Beethoven's score, together with the overseas Chinese letters archives to show the history of human civilization integration. • Crossing-the-Ocean Memorial Pillars: Composed of triangular stone piers engraved with the distances to Southeast Asian countries, telling the story of the ancestors' hardships of leaving their homes. Behind the numbers are blood, tears, and homesickness. • Stream of Memories: The overseas Chinese letters made of fired tiles flow like water. Tourists can bend down and read the promise of "pay upon seeing the letter" to feel the spirit of contract of "the remaining fragrance of the sea." 🌅 Nature and Light and Shadow: Seashore Sunset and City Skyline • Mount Queshi Bridge Viewing Platform: Shoot the gilded silhouette of the bridge at dusk, with fishing boats and freighters passing by. Long exposures can capture the light trails of traffic. • Mangrove Wetland: The boardwalk meanders to the tidal flats. Fiddler crabs and mudskippers can be seen at low tide. It is a secret base for nature photography enthusiasts. 🍤 Flavors on the Tip of the Tongue: Old Town Flavors and Overseas Chinese Hometown Snacks • Old Brand Guozhi Shop: "Aqun Guozhi" in Zhenping Road is served with braised large intestines and pork belly. The per capita cost of CNY 15 starts an energetic breakfast. • Seashore Food Stalls: "Yugangxian" in Changping Road offers freshly caught raw marinated crabs and salt and pepper mantis shrimp, which are full of fireworks during the night snack period. 📝 In-depth Gameplay: An Immersive Experience From History to Mountains and Seas 🎫 Tickets and Activities • Free Admission: Open all day. The light show at Memory Square (19:30–21:00) requires attention to scenic spot announcements. • Featured Experiences: ◦ Overseas Chinese Letters Rubbing: Experience rubbing production in the Cultural Center and take away a replica of a "family letter" (material fee: CNY 30). ◦ Ferry Nostalgia: Take a CNY 1 ferry from the square pier to the other side to relive the "crossing-the-ocean" memories of your parents' generation. 🚶 Classic Route Recommendation • Half-Day Cultural Route: Crossing-the-Ocean Memorial Pillars → Overseas Chinese Letters Memory Stream → World Memory Corridor → Rotating Memory Wall (2 hours). • Half-Day Scenery Route: Mount Queshi Bridge Viewing Platform → Mangrove Wetland → Seashore Wooden Boardwalk → Sunset Cafe (3 hours). 🌸 Photography Tips • Photo Spots: ◦ Panoramic View of the Memorial Pillars: Use a wide-angle lens to shoot the stone pier numbers and the bridge in the same frame to highlight the historical depth. ◦ Boardwalk Reflection: Use a telephoto lens to compress the space and capture the linear beauty of the wooden boardwalk connecting the sea and the sky. 🚗 Transportation Guide: Convenient Route in the Old Town • Bus: Take Shantou Bus No. 12, 16, or 35 to "Xidi Park" Station and walk for 5 minutes. • Self-driving: Navigate to "Xidi Park Parking Lot". Parking spaces are limited, so it is recommended to arrive early, or park around Xiaogongyuan (10-minute walk). 🏡 Nearby Accommodation: Old Town Fireworks and Seaview Homestays • Cultural Inn: ◦ Chaoyunju: Renovated from a Xiaogongyuan arcade building, you can see the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion from the window, including Chaoshan Kung Fu tea experience (standard room: CNY 200/night). ◦ Seashore Cottage: 300m away from the park, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Mount Queshi Seashore and complete barbecue facilities on the terrace (entire building: CNY 800/night). • Light Luxury Preferred: ◦ Shantou International Hotel: 15-minute walk, old four-star hotel, executive lounge overlooking the Seashore Bridge (standard room: CNY 500/night). 📸 Recommended Side Trips: Shantou Culture and Mountain and Seashore Tour • Xiaogongyuan Arcade: 1 km away from the park, the night tour light show reproduces the style of the Republic of China's commercial port. • Nan'ao Island: A 40-minute drive away, the blue sea and golden sand of Qing'ao Bay and Xidi Island form a "two-bay dialogue." From the ink fragrance of the overseas Chinese letters archives to the neon lights of Mount Queshi Bridge, from the tides of the mangrove forest to the fireworks of the Guozhi stalls, Xidi Park has become a time capsule in eastern Guangdong that cannot be missed with its "one park containing ancient and modern times." Whether you are a traveler tracing the footsteps of your ancestors or an urbanite yearning for a slow life, there is always a seashore breeze here to soothe all your hustle and bustle.