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| Qingyuan |
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Surrounded by countryside thick with rice fields and mudbrick villages,
QINGYUAN is a busy back-road market town on the north bank of the
Bei River , about 80km northwest of Guangzhou. Ringed by simple manufacturing
complexes, Qingyuan's centre is not too bad, if crowded by narrow
streets and hordes of pedestrians. Its attraction lies in its position
as a departure point for day trips 20km upstream to the poetically
isolated, elderly temple complexes of Feilai and Feixia , which can
be reached only by catching the twice-daily public ferry to Feixia,
or by hiring a private boat.
Qingyuan's slightly disjointed axes are formed by Beimen Jie, which
runs south from the main bus station for 500m to Shifeng Zhong Lu
which cuts across it at right angles, then continues as Nanmen Jie
for another 200m through the central markets and on to the river.
Facing the water at the bottom of Nanmen Jie, turn left (east),
the ferry ticket office and docks for transport to the temples is
well concealed down a flight of steps about 50m along on the right
- look for the blue plastic gate. There are two scheduled services
daily at 7.30am and 8am to Feixia (RMB25), and one at 12.50pm to
Jiankou (RMB40), a port upstream beyond the temples. On weekends
at least, you can also hire private boats (about RMB40 per person
return) from the dockside to Feixia and Feilai which leave when
they have enough people to cover their costs - it's a popular day
trip with locals, so if you get here fairly early you shouldn't
have to wait too long. The problem with the public ferry is that
you'll probably have to miss Feilai as, while there's no problem
getting dropped off here, there's no guarantee of being able to
find return or onward transport afterwards. Private boats, though
more expensive, give you plenty of time to look around both temples.
Moving on from Qingyuan, there's only one bus a day right through
to Shaoguan, and you'll definitely need to buy tickets for this
the day before you travel.
For accommodation , Qingyuan's bus station hostel (RMB75-100) is
reluctant to take foreigners. The best place to try is about 100m
down Beimen Jie at the Fengyuan Binguan (look for the English sign;
RMB150-200), a standard Chinese guesthouse set in a quiet courtyard;
or, if they're full, the noisier, more expensive Overseas Chinese
Hotel (RMB150- 200) farther along on the corner of Nanmen Jie. Both
hotels have formal restaurants , with good Cantonese meals available
at the Bubuquan, opposite the bus station, or in numerous canteens
along the main streets. There's also a popular place with outside
tables specializing in fish down on the corner of Nanmen Jie and
the riverfront. |
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