Jiaoling, the World Longevity Hometown, China's Green Famous County
Jiaoling, Guangdong, under the jurisdiction of Meizhou City, is known as the "World Longevity Hometown," "China's Green Famous County," and the "Original Hakka Cultural Homeland." The county's average negative oxygen ion concentration exceeds 3000/cm³, and the proportion of centenarians ranks among the top in the country. Surrounded by mountains and water with a long cultural heritage, it features poetic terraced hillsides, ancient Buddhist grottoes and temples with millennia of Zen spirit, and the Hakka people's spiritual totem of "farming and studying to pass down the family legacy." Below are four of the most representative attractions to take you into this quiet and abundant secret of eastern Guangdong.
1. Changtan Town · Changtan Tourist Area (The Most Beautiful Water in Eastern Guangdong)
The largest artificial lake in the upper Han River, the lake stretches 30 kilometers in a winding shape like a jade belt nestled among the mountains, known as the "Sun Moon Lake of Lingnan." Taking a boat tour, you can see wonders such as the "One Line Sky" gorge, Monkey Island, and Mandarin Duck Beach; climbing the "Wangjiang Pavilion," you can gaze at the "Changtan Waterfall" hanging on a cliff, with mist swirling like fairy aura. The lake area is also a wintering ground for the nationally first-class protected Chinese merganser, visible from November to March each year. Boating at dusk, with the sunset melting gold and fishing lights twinkling, every scene is picturesque.
2. Sanzhen Town · Fangxin Village · Former Residence of Qiu Fengjia (The Spiritual Homeland of the Patriotic Poet)
Qiu Fengjia, a late Qing dynasty patriot who resisted Japanese invasion and an educator, was born here. His former residence is a typical Hakka walled house with blue bricks and gray tiles arranged in a quadrangle courtyard. Inside is a life exhibition hall displaying manuscripts, poetry collections, and historical materials on "resisting the Japanese and protecting Taiwan." Behind the house is the "Peilan Study Room," where he studied as a child, still retaining the fragrance of ink. The village also preserves the "Fengjia Memorial Pavilion," the old site of Jiaoling Middle School, and a thousand-mu ecological tea garden—visitors can experience tea picking and making while reciting the poem "Spring Sorrow": "Four million people weep as one, cutting Taiwan on this day last year..." Here, historical warmth and pastoral poetry blend.
3. Wenfu Town · Yangnai Village · Former Residence of Lin Fengmian (The Hometown of the Founder of Modern Chinese Art Education)
The birthplace of Lin Fengmian, a pioneer of modern Chinese painting. The former residence is a Qing dynasty Hakka house, renovated into the "Lin Fengmian Memorial Hall," exhibiting ink wash paintings, manuscripts, and interpretations of his "East-West fusion" artistic philosophy. The village features the "Fengmian Art Trail," with murals and installation art along the way echoing his classics like "Spring Sunshine" and "Ladies"; even more surprisingly, the entire village’s rice fields are planted in color zones inspired by his paintings—spring yellow, summer green, autumn gold, and winter brown—creating a flowing "earth oil painting" all year round.
4. Nanzhai Town · Huangyoubǐ Nature Reserve (A Biodiversity Treasure in Eastern Guangdong)
Located on the southern slope of the Lotus Mountain Range, the main peak Huangyoubǐ rises 1170 meters, with 96% original forest coverage. It is one of the few vertical ecological belts in eastern Guangdong featuring fir, rhododendron, and moss. The area has crystal-clear streams, including "Fairy Pool," "Nine-Tier Waterfall," and the largest contiguous wild cycad forest in South China. Over 1,800 species of vascular plants have been recorded, including rare species like Bole Tree and Southern Yew; 237 bird species are present, with white pheasants and red-billed leiothrixes frequently seen year-round. Recommended light hiking route: Huangyoubǐ Mountain Trail (about 2.5 hours). At the summit, you can watch the sea of clouds surge and peaks roll like waves; in the morning mist, you might spot squirrels leaping and tits flitting—truly a "forest breathing" sanctuary.
📌 Practical Tips: Jiaoling is accessible by high-speed rail (Meishan High-Speed Rail "Jiaoling Station"), about 2 hours from Guangzhou/Shenzhen; county attractions are scattered, so self-driving or booking a local guide is recommended. Must-try foods: Jiaoling stuffed tofu (smooth and fragrant), Sanzhen beef balls (springy and crisp), Changtan braised rice, and high mountain cloud mist tea. Best seasons: March to May (flower viewing and tea picking), October to December (colorful autumn and hot spring wellness). Come to Jiaoling to see a lake reflecting green mountains, visit two former residences to understand family and country, walk a mountain path listening to birdsong, and savor a cup of clear tea to keep your heart true—here, quietly, the secrets of longevity, cultural roots, and the spirit of the landscape are all subtly written into every leaf vein and every mountain breeze.