Xiguan Yongqingfang Tourist Area

Xiguan Yongqingfang Tourist Area

The Xiguan Yongqingfang Tourist Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Yongqingfang (Guangzhou) is situated on Enning Road in Liwan District, which boasts Guangzhou’s most picturesque arcade street. It links to the iconic Shangxiajiu commercial area to the east and neighbors the 5A-level Shamian Island to the south. As a historic part of Xiguan, it is deeply rooted in Guangzhou’s urban culture. In line with the vision of “revitalizing the old city with new vitality,” it introduces a modern urban lifestyle. This project represents Guangzhou’s commitment to creating a benchmark for organic urban renewal in the new era of China — one that harmonizes historical and cultural heritage with contemporary city life.

An increasing number of domestic and international tourists are drawn to the area, making Yongqingfang a new internet-famous destination in Guangzhou. Covering approximately 76 hectares, the Xiguan Yongqingfang Tourist Area includes five contiguous historical and cultural blocks: Fengyuan Street–Liwan Lake, Changhua Street, Enning Road, Duobao Road, and Baoyuan Road. Its core zones consist of three major landmarks: Yongqingfang, the Cantonese Opera Art Museum, and Lychee Bay.

Guangzhou’s first intangible cultural heritage (ICH) block has opened in Yongqingfang, serving as a “new window” for both domestic and international visitors to experience the century-old street vibes of Guangzhou and the charm of Lingnan culture and arts.

As a model urban renewal project that blends Guangzhou’s historical legacy with modern city life, the Guangzhou ICH Block (Yongqingfang) integrates interactive experiences, exhibitions, and sales. It houses 10 workshops lined up in a row, each led by a master of intangible cultural heritage. Visitors can learn about the history and evolution of Lingnan ICH such as Cantonese enamelware, embroidery, cloisonné, bone carving, olive pit carving, and lion dance. They can also take part in hands-on activities and purchase a variety of exquisitely crafted ICH souvenirs.

Xiguan Historical Architecture

Bruce Lee’s Ancestral House (No. 13, Yongqing First Lane)

This was the residence of Lee Hoi-chuen, Bruce Lee’s father. A renowned Cantonese opera star in his time, Lee Hoi-chuen rose to fame in the 1930s for performing in “ragged-costume plays” and was ranked among the “Four Great Clowns” of Cantonese opera in the 1940s. The site now features a special exhibition on Bruce Lee’s ancestral home, with restored traditional Xiguan architecture that details his life and acting career. The house retains the classic architectural style of a Xiguan mansion, including brick-and-wood structures typical of the era, carved beams, and stained-glass panel screens.

The special exhibition at Bruce Lee’s Ancestral House consists of 13 thematic sections and 3 transitional spaces. In addition to displaying historical materials covering topics such as “The Lee Family,” “Child Prodigy,” and “Martial Arts Superstar,” the site also employs modern technology to enhance visitors’ sensory experience. Guests can even engage in a form of “virtual interaction” with Bruce Lee. The “Martial Arts Genius” exhibit uses 3D holographic projections to recreate his signature moves in dynamic detail.

Bahe Guild Hall (No. 177, Enning Road)

Originally established as the “Qionghua Guild Hall” in Foshan, it was first located in Huangsha in 1889 before moving to its current site. Serving as the overarching association for Cantonese opera troupes both in China and abroad, it once boasted over 6,000 registered members, earning Enning Road the title “Street of Cantonese Opera.” Nearly 190 famous performers chose to live nearby, leading insiders in the Cantonese opera world to refer to themselves as “disciples of Bahe.”

Luanyi Hall (No. 7, Yongqing Second Lane)

Formerly known as “Deyi Hall,” it was one of the eight sub-halls under the Bahe Guild Hall and served as a training ground for martial performance artists in Cantonese opera. It gathered the martial actors (dragon and tiger martial artists) of the opera. Every year during the procession for the birthday of the deity Huaguang Shifu, disciples from Luanyi Hall would lead the parade, making it the starting point of the route. The hall also houses a precious camphorwood gate from the guild’s original Huangsha location, which miraculously survived bombings during the Japanese invasion.

Golden Voice Cinema (No. 265, Enning Road)

Opened in 1934, originally named Golden Voice Theatre with the English name GRANDTHEATER, it is located at the intersection of Enning Road and Baohua Road. The first film screened here was ALICE IN WONDERLAND, translated at the time as 《爱丽丝梦游记》, causing a citywide sensation. Later renamed Golden Voice Cinema, it was one of the first public venues in Guangzhou to introduce air conditioning and reached its peak in the late 1970s.

When first built, the front section of the cinema had six floors and covered an area of more than 2,000 square meters, with 1,500 seats. For a time, it became a popular gathering spot for fashionable young people from both Xiguan and Dongshan.

Taihua Tower (No. 27, Duobao Fang)

This building is a fine example of traditional Lingnan architecture. In 1874, during the 13th year of the Tongzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty, Li Wentian, a top imperial scholar, calligrapher, and collector, returned to his hometown after retiring from official service. He built Taihua Tower on the banks of Lychee Bay in Guangzhou as a study for his residence, the residence of the top imperial scholar Li Wentian. The tower housed an extensive collection of books, including early rubbings of the “Dongyue Taishan Stele” and the “Xiyue Huashan Temple Stele,” which are extremely rare and valuable. Li Wentian named his study “Taihua Tower,” taking one character from each of the two stele rubbings.

The existing structure covers an area of 300 square meters and is one of the few well-preserved Qing Dynasty book towers in Guangdong.

Zhan Tianyou’s Former Residence (No. 42, Yacai Lane, Shierfu West Street)

Zhan Tianyou was a descendant of a tea merchant. His great-grandfather had traded Anhui tea in Guangzhou under the “single-port trade” policy, distributing it overseas via the Thirteen Factories. Zhan Tianyou’s grandfather’s generation settled in Nanhai. After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing, the single-port trade system was abolished, and Zhan Tianyou’s father made a living by writing letters and carving seals. At the age of twelve, Zhan Tianyou applied for the “Young Students’ Study Abroad Program” organized by the Qing government, later studying in the United States and enrolling at Yale University to major in railway engineering. After returning to China, he engineered famous projects such as the Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway, featuring the innovative “zigzag” rail design. The residence is styled as a late Qing to early Republican-era home and reflects Zhan Tianyou’s early life before studying abroad. The elementary school next to the residence was later named “Zhan Tianyou Primary School.”

Qing Baoqing Pawnshop (No. 43, Baoqing Xinzhongyue, Duobao Street)

The Baoqing Pawnshop is a five-story building constructed in the late Qing Dynasty. It was one of the six major pawnshops in Guangzhou at the time, standing 20 meters tall and once serving as one of the city’s tallest structures and a notable landmark. Both the front shopfront and the rear warehouse have been relatively well preserved, bearing witness to the financial phenomenon of “more pawnshops than rice shops” that characterized Guangzhou during the late Qing period.

Residential Houses at No. 24–28, Yongqing Street (Even Numbers)

The residential houses at Nos. 24, 26, and 28, Yongqing Street, are located along Enning Road in Yongqing Street, Duobao Street, Liwan District. These are three consecutive red-brick residences built during the Republic of China era, consisting of a main hall, rooms, and a courtyard. The main façade is constructed with red bricks, while the side and rear façades use grey sand bricks. No. 24 features a triangular brick half-column and gable decoration at the main entrance, with windows on the first and second floors framed by a pattern of three horizontal and three vertical bricks. The window surrounds are adorned with brick moldings, and the parapet wall extends slightly outward. The overall style is simple and elegant, combining elements of Western design with traditional Han Chinese residential architecture. These buildings hold certain value for the study of Xiguan-style Western-style houses from the Republican period.

In December 2011, they were designated as registered cultural heritage sites under the protection of Liwan District.

V. Transportation Facilities

Transportation Guide

Metro lines: Served by two major metro lines, Line 1 and Line 6. Three stations — Changshou Road, Huangsha, and Ruyi Square — are located approximately 300–800 meters from the property.

Self-driving route: Easily accessible via major roads such as the Inner Ring Road, Zhongshan 8th Road, and Kangwang Road.