Dehua Folk Culture Park

Dehua Folk Culture Park

Dehua Folk Culture Park is located at the northern foot of Lotus Mountain in Chenghai District, Shantou City, approximately 28 kilometers from downtown Shantou and about 20 kilometers from downtown Chaozhou. Covering an area of 20,000 square meters, the park sits against Guanyin Mountain on the western side of Lotus Mountain and faces the green plains along the Han River, boasting picturesque scenery and a uniquely favorable geographical environment. The park’s architecture is designed around the concept of “ecology and nature,” exuding a rustic charm while maintaining a refined cultural character. The park features a variety of ecological fruit trees in diverse forms, offering visitors different fruits to admire and taste throughout the four seasons. These include century-old olive, longan, lychee, bayberry, and persimmon trees, among which guava and wampee are local specialties. The park serves not only as a platform for displaying folk art but also as a cradle for the inheritance of folk culture and craftsmanship. During holidays, various performances of traditional folk arts are held in the park, such as high-pole lion dances, kylin dances, reverse-glass painting, and Chaoshan paper-cutting. Visitors can enjoy rare and nearly lost folk art skills here.

The core area of the park includes main attractions such as the Shizhen Herbal Garden, Poultry Fun Zone, Chaoshan Folk Culture Corridor, Mingquan Valley, Qujian Flying Stream, and Lotus Fairy. The approximately 100-meter-long Folk Culture Corridor visually presents Chaoshan folk culture through images. Other attractions include a fishing platform, the site of the Second Revolution, Turtle Crying Stone, and Love Lake. The park offers a range of leisure and entertainment activities, simultaneously enhancing its cultural tourism functions. The ancient Sheng’an Tower has withstood centuries of vicissitudes and remains well-preserved to this day. Built against the mountain, it covers several thousand square meters and is ring-shaped, resembling a small fortress from the outside. The enclosed structure is connected end-to-end like a round basin, providing functions such as theft prevention, shock resistance, heat protection, and waterproofing. The entire tower complex has only one main gate leading outside, facing due north, with a stone plaque inscribed with “Sheng’an Tower,” symbolizing “peaceful dwelling in prosperous times.” The tower is divided into 32 units, comprising 64 fan-shaped row houses that could accommodate fifty to sixty households. Each residence consists of front and rear independent rooms, spanning three sections and approximately 15 meters in length, with separate entrances. All units have two floors, each containing two rooms and one living room. The front section to the right of the entrance hall serves as a dining and living area, while the left side houses a rice pestle and stores farming tools such as plows, hoes, baskets, and carrying poles. The middle section is wider and can be used as a kitchen. The top floor is generally used as a bedroom. The roof originally had a circular walkway for patrolling the entire tower, though it is said to have been removed during reconstruction. The tower is equipped with a drainage system leading outside to prevent rainwater accumulation. Four square holes are cut above the gate, serving as gunports and lookout points. The villagers of this ancient settlement are honest, hardworking, and simple, with some of their living customs still retaining the traditions of ancient village dwellers. This ancient multi-functional tower complex—integrating living, production, defense, and theft prevention—is quite rare in eastern Guangdong and holds significant cultural and tourism value.

To the left of the ancient tower lies the newly developed Baicao Garden Ecotourism Area. The garden is filled with fruit trees that offer fragrant blossoms and seasonal fruits for visitors to pick and taste. Among the orchard, wooden pavilions of various designs are named after medicinal herbs, presenting a primitive and rustic charm. Benches and wooden stools under the pavilions provide spots for visitors to enjoy tea and rest, with a gentle breeze inside and winding paths outside. In addition to the fruit forest eco-area, Dehua Folk Culture Park also features hiking zones, fishing areas, barbecue zones, beacon towers, the Lotus Fairy Scenic Area, a Chaoshan folk farming tools exhibition area, yurts, and horseback riding zones. Visitors can freely participate in various recreational activities such as fishing, testing, horseback riding, and camel riding. They can also try their hand at traditional papermaking, reliving the creation process of one of the ancient Four Great Inventions.