Hetai Gold Panning Tourist Area

Hetai Gold Panning Tourist Area

Hetai Gold Panning Tourist Area — China’s first tourist attraction where visitors can experience the fun of gold panning, is a highly unique new destination and the first gold-themed tourist area in Guangdong Province.

Located in Hetai Town, Zhaoqing — known as the “Gold Capital of South China,” the area’s gold mine, built in 1989, is a large-scale national gold mining enterprise. It produces 1.3 tons of gold annually, accounting for 90% of Guangdong Province’s total annual gold output, and is one of the seven members of the Shanghai Gold Exchange.

The tourist area is built at the center of this mine, which was once a hotspot for folk mining. It features attractions such as the Gold Expo Hall, the Gold Culture Corridor, and Mine Cave Exploration. Here, visitors can learn about the formation and smelting process of gold; see the world’s top ten wonders of gold; appreciate different gold cultures; and hear legends about gold, as well as the shouts of miners and sounds of blasting from the past. The Mine Cave Exploration also includes recreations of old mining town amenities such as rice shops, eateries, pharmacies, teahouses, and taverns.

Here, visitors can get into the water themselves, learn the techniques under the guidance of experienced gold panners, and try their hand at “gold panning” in the gold sluice to extract gold from the sand. The extracted gold is then handed over to the smelter, who melts it down and sets it in a glass frame as a permanent keepsake — or you can take home a bag of sand to pan at your leisure.