It's a common complaint of visitors to Shenzhen that, compared to the Southeast and Northern parts of China, it is lacking in terms of day-trips and must-see places. While it's true that we have no Great Wall or Terracotta Soldiers, there are plenty of hidden gems in China's prosperous southern province.
This past Dragon Boat festival I had the opportunity to spend two days in Heyuan, Guangdong. A Hakka town and rural area about 2 hours from Shenzhen.
- Meet breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
What's a Hakka?
One of the 56 ethnic minorities of the People's Republic?
No!
The Hakka people are a group of Han Chinese that are believed to have moved from the Yellow River Valley a long time ago. The name Hakka (客家）literally means "guest people" and was originally considered derogatory but like other groups of people throughout history, they claimed it as their own and is the name used today. The Hakka people are spread out throughout several provinces mostly in Southern China but 60% live in Guangdong.
For more information on Hakka people I recommend reading the full Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakka_people) article or checking out my personal favorite China companion The China History Podcast. This link will take you to wonderful episodes about two of the major players in the Guangdong, especially Shenzhen, scene - 【The Hakkas and the Teochows (Chaozhou 潮州)] http://teacup.media/chp-150-the-hakkas
Well, anyway, before the Hakka and the Chaoshan people and the Cantonese people we know today, southern China was called the Southern Yue Kingdom, or the Nanyue (南越), which was established around the end of the Qin Dynasty (秦朝). Keen observers might notice that Nanyue turned around is "Yuenan" which is the chinese name for Vietnam, once a part of the Yue kingdom. Your Chinese friends will probably not admit the similarities between Cantonese and Vietnamese linguistically, but we all know they are there and that is one reason why.
I had a chance to visit the lovely Yue King Mountain. Situated between Heyuan and Huizhou, this mountain is a great day trip and hiking option for locals but can be difficult to get to without a car but worth it as it's sure to be different than the hills and mountains that you're used to. Listen to me.
- A lot of the tourist facilities are recent developments but still nice. You can see it here by the shiny new rock reading "Yue King Mountain" (越王山）.
- Hard to see in the picture but this rock is the head of the Yue King. The mountain is named in honor of him and was named after the Yue Kingdom.
- My Hakka brother leading the way through a shady underpass. It was hot that day and I had the lobster head to prove it.
- View from the top!
- Nothing like some hot metal stairs...
- "Pluck the Stars Pavilion" - I need to submit this translation to the park officials...
- Pretty steep on the way down, and those stairs were designed for small-footed folk.
- Back to the village to take a nap and apply aloe vera to my now lobster colored head!
Well, another holiday, another mountain hiked. I hope I have the chance to take some more day trips around Guangdong this summer. Now I'm off to Dongguan to promote the new jazz fusion trio as we prepare for a show tomorrow night!
Let me know in the comments if you need directions or a guide to this lovely mountain and don't forget to send me your China questions!