Chaozhou & Shantou Travel Guide 2026: Follow ‘A Letter to Grandma’ to China’s Food Capital

The year’s most beloved Chinese film turned the Chaoshan region — Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang in eastern Guangdong — into 2026’s breakout destination. Ancient bridges that open like gates, a UNESCO-designated food city, and some of the best street eating in Asia.

Why Chaoshan Is 2026’s Breakout Destination

Chaoshan (潮汕) is the name locals use for the three cities that share one culture, one dialect and one legendary kitchen: Chaozhou (潮州), the thousand-year-old cultural capital; Shantou (汕头), the treaty port that industrialized Teochew cooking; and Jieyang (揭阳), the countryside in between. For decades this corner of Guangdong was known mainly to food obsessives — the documentary director Chen Xiaoqing called Chaoshan “an island of Chinese cuisine” and declared that anyone who hasn’t eaten here can’t call themselves a gourmand.

Three things changed in the last three years. In 2023, Chaozhou was named a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy — only the sixth Chinese city after Chengdu, Shunde, Macao, Yangzhou and Huai’an. In December 2024, the Yingge dance (英歌舞), the thunderous masked “war dance” of Chaoshan villages, was inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list. And in 2026, “A Letter to Grandma” gave the region a global emotional hook. The result: a destination that pairs genuinely world-class food with ancient streets you can still have almost to yourself on a weekday morning.

Chaoshan at a Glance

Best time to visit: September to November (mild, clear, and Mid-Autumn on September 25, 2026 brings mooncake stalls and lantern-lit streets) or March to May. Summer is hot, humid and typhoon-prone — still workable, but bring serious sun protection.

Getting There: Airport & High-Speed Rail

• Fly: Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (SWA) is the regional hub, with direct flights from Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong and dozens of mainland cities. From the airport, a taxi to Shantou or Chaozhou takes 40–60 minutes.
• High-speed rail: Chaoshan Station (潮汕站) is the main gateway — about 2–2.5 hours from Guangzhou, 1.5–2 hours from Shenzhen, and 1.5 hours from Xiamen. A taxi from Chaoshan Station to Chaozhou’s old town runs about 30–40 minutes. Shantou’s newly rebuilt station (the region’s largest rail hub) is even closer to the arcade district.
• Visa: Most visitors qualify for China’s 240-hour visa-free transit (57 countries) — fly into Guangzhou or Shenzhen with an onward ticket and you can spend up to 10 days covering all of Guangdong, including Chaoshan. Citizens of the 50 unilateral visa-free countries can simply come for up to 30 days. See our 240-hour transit guide for the full rules.

Follow the Film: The Filming Locations

“A Letter to Grandma” was shot on real streets, not sets. The film’s Bangkok scenes were filmed in Chaozhou and Jieyang, its 1950s Shantou scenes in the actual 1930s arcades. Here’s where to stand in the same spots — the Shantou tourism board has even packaged official one-day, two-day and three-day movie routes.

Shantou: The Qiaopi Heartland

• Xiaogongyuan (小公园) & Haiping Road No. 77 — the film’s “Siam Cinema” is a real cinema-front on this arcade street, the emotional heart of the movie. The surrounding 1930s arcade district, centered on the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, is Shantou’s most photogenic quarter.
• Wan’an Street (万安街) — the old Taofang Restaurant site plays the “Yufeng Remittance Bureau” where letters crossed the sea. The worn terrazzo floors are original.
• Qiaopi Museum (侨批文物馆) — not a filming location, but the film’s soul: China’s first museum devoted to qiaopi, holding 90,000+ original letters. The archives are on UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register (2013).
• Chen Cihong Former Residence (陈慈黉故居) — the “No. 1 Overseas-Chinese Mansion of Lingnan” in Chenghai district, a maze of 500+ rooms mixing Teochew courtyard layouts with imported tiles and shuttered balconies. It doubled as the patriarch’s mansion in the film — and hosts Yingge dance performances.
• Qifeng Chen Ancestral Hall, Dongli Town — the aged heroine’s home in the movie, a restored century-old overseas-Chinese house surrounded by sleepy lanes.

Chaozhou: The “Thailand” Scenes

• Longhu Ancient Village (龙湖古寨) — a Southern Song dynasty village of three streets and six lanes, with 100+ ancestral halls and mansions. It convincingly played Bangkok’s Chinatown and the “Teochew Association”. Try the village’s namesake crispy sweets while you’re there.
• Thai Buddha Hall (泰佛殿) — built by Thai-Chinese donors and modeled on Bangkok’s Marble Temple, this golden, multi-eaved hall stood in for the film’s Bangkok temple climax. You can see it without leaving China.
• West Lake Pavilion (西湖湖心亭) — the postcard spot where the heroine photographed herself to send across the sea. Chaozhou’s West Lake is 1,200 years old and gloriously local.

Jieyang: The Countryside Scenes

• Xima Road (西马路), Rongcheng — a 1920s arcade street that stood in for Bangkok’s Chinatown and the film’s prison scenes.
• Yangqi Village (洋淇村) — the giant ancient banyan that opens the film, in an 800-year-old village.
• Xiqicun Stone Bridge (西淇村石板桥) — the movie’s most famous frame, now a daily pilgrimage site; arrive before 16:00 for soft light and fewer crowds.
• Mianhu Datie Street (棉湖打铁街) — a 142-meter Yuan-dynasty blacksmith street, provincial heritage, shown in the film’s street-life montages.

Chaozhou: The Ancient City on the Han River

Chaozhou’s old town is compact enough to cover on foot in a day, which is precisely its charm. Start at Guangji Bridge (广济桥) — one of China’s four great ancient bridges. Its middle section is made of 18 wooden boats that are assembled each morning and dismantled each evening (around 17:30), a daily ritual for a thousand years. Come back after dark for the light show (~20:00), best watched from the riverbank or a second-floor teahouse.

Adjacent Paifang Street (牌坊街) holds 23 stone archways honoring imperial scholars — the densest collection in China — and the lanes behind it hide the real action: hand-pulled teapot workshops, kueh stalls, and old houses where you can sit down for gongfu tea. Nearby, Kaiyuan Temple (Tang dynasty, free) and the Han Wengong Shrine (dedicated to the exiled Tang poet Han Yu) round out the classics.

Slow down. Order a pot of Fenghuang Dancong oolong, watch the tiny cups get rinsed and refilled, and let the evening food crawl begin. Chaozhou is a city that rewards idleness.

Shantou: Arcades, Qiaopi & the Best Night Food in China

Shantou opened as a treaty port in 1860 and grew rich on the remittances of overseas Teochew — the same qiaopi economy the film celebrates. Its legacy is Xiaogongyuan, a 1930s arcade district of pastel facades, neon signs and colonial-era banks that feels like Havana crossed with Singapore. By dusk the streets fill with food stalls, tea houses and photographers; the 1-yuan Plaza Ferry across the harbor at sunset is a local ritual worth stealing.

Then eat. Zhenbang Road (镇邦路美食街) is Shantou’s curated snack street, but the real energy is on Longyan South Road, where raw-marinated stalls, rice rolls and sweet soups run until 2 a.m. Shantou’s night porridge (夜粥) culture — plain congee with a table of cold seafood and braised meats — is the city’s greatest contribution to late-night civilization. Budget at least two meals here.

Nan’ao Island: A Day at the Sea

Forty minutes across the Nan’ao Bridge (¥96 toll one way; bus 161 runs from Shantou for about ¥15) lies a mountainous island of beaches, wind farms and lighthouses. The loop road takes you past Changweishan Lighthouse, the red-and-white Sancongya Lighthouse, and Qing’ao Bay, where the Tropic of Cancer monument marks the latitude. Seafood here is cheaper than in the cities — seaweed fried rice and whatever the morning catch was. On summer weekends the bridge jams; go early or skip it in peak season.

The Chaoshan Food Bible

Chaoshan cuisine is a UNESCO-designated food culture (Chaozhou, 2023) and the reason most people come. The philosophy is extreme freshness and minimal interference: “not fresh, don’t eat; not in season, don’t eat.” A few rules before you dive in:

Finish every meal the Teochew way: gongfu tea. The tiny-cup ceremony is UNESCO-listed (as part of China’s traditional tea practices) and utterly central to local life — most shops and many homes will happily pour you a cup. It’s also, conveniently, the perfect palate reset between meals.

Practical Tips for Foreign Visitors

• Payments: Alipay and WeChat Pay accept foreign cards and are accepted everywhere, but keep some cash (¥100–300) for tiny stalls and the 1-yuan ferry. See our payment apps guide.
• Connectivity: Grab a travel eSIM before you land — the local Wi-Fi situation is improving but patchy. Our eSIM guide has the options.
• Getting around: The region runs on shared electric scooters — cheap, fun, and the fastest way through old-town lanes. Between Chaozhou and Shantou, a ride-hail costs ¥30–50.
• Language: English is thin on the ground. Have your destination written in Chinese (screenshot the names in this guide) and use a translation app for menus.
• Book ahead: Mid-Autumn (Sept 25) and Golden Week (Oct 1–7) will be packed and prices will jump — book hotels and trains now if you’re coming then. How foreigners book hotels.
• Heat & humidity: Even in autumn, bring an umbrella, mosquito repellent and quick-dry clothes; you will walk a lot.

Sample 3-Day Itinerary

FAQ

Do I need a visa for Chaoshan? If you qualify for China’s 240-hour visa-free transit (57 countries) or unilateral visa-free entry (50 countries), no — flying in via Guangzhou or Shenzhen covers Guangdong, and Chaoshan is in Guangdong. Otherwise, apply for a standard L tourist visa.

Is one day enough for Chaozhou? The old town is small — one full day covers the bridge, archways and temple — but two days is better if you want the food crawl, the film sites and a relaxed teahouse evening.

Is the raw seafood safe? Reputable, busy shops serving local crowds are fine for most people; start small, eat with porridge, and skip it if your stomach is delicate. The cooked classics — hotpot, goose, oyster omelette — are equally famous and zero-risk.

How do I get between Chaozhou and Shantou? Ride-hail (¥30–50, ~40 minutes) or the frequent intercity trains; both cities also connect to Chaoshan Station and Jieyang Airport.

When is the Guangji Bridge light show? Roughly 20:00 nightly (confirm locally); the boat section opens for crossing by day and is dismantled around 17:30.