Litchi Bay Tourist Area

Litchi Bay Tourist Area

Litchi Bay, also known as Litchi Bay Chong, is a famous scenic spot in Guangzhou. Strictly speaking, Litchi Bay Chong is not an isolated river but rather the collective name for the crisscrossing waterways within the riverside wetlands of what was originally the western part of Guangzhou city—now the areas around Liwan Road, Zhongshan 8th Road, the northern section of Huangsha Avenue, the western section of Duobao Road, and Longjin West Road.

Litchi Bay Chong

Liang Family Ancestral Hall

There are many attractions near Litchi Bay. The Liang Family Ancestral Hall covers an area of over 700 square meters and is a large ancestral hall with three courtyards. Stone inscriptions inside record that it was first built during the Ming Dynasty. In 2002, it was approved by the municipal government as a registered cultural relic protection unit. It now serves as the tourist information center for the Litchi Bay Cultural and Leisure Area and houses an exhibition on the historical changes of Litchi Bay. The Guangzhou Wenjin Antique City was renovated from the Guangzhou Supply and Marketing Cooperative’s daily-use goods warehouse and accommodates more than 400 shops. The Wen Tower, also known as the Wenbi Tower or Wenchang Tower, faces south and stands 13.6 meters tall with a stone base and walls made of large blue bricks. It is a structure from the mid-Ming to Qing Dynasty period, and its overall style resembles the ancient pagodas of Pazhou in Guangzhou and Ping Shan Tsui Sing Lau Pagoda in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Next to the Wen Tower is a towering old banyan tree, which is 157 years old. The vehicular bridge over Litchi Bay Chong is the Longjin Bridge. There are five bridges in total on Litchi Bay Chong: Longjin Bridge, Dexing Bridge, Daguan Bridge, Zhishan Bridge, and Yongning Bridge. Among them, Longjin Bridge is a triple-arch bridge with the middle arch for water flow and the two sides for pedestrians. It is 57 meters long.

Liang Family Ancestral Hall

The Longjin Bridge and the Wen Tower complement each other. The combination of “one bridge and one tower” follows traditional Chinese aesthetics and is a key scenic feature of Litchi Bay. At the head of Longjin Bridge stands a Xiguan-style residence with Lingnan architectural features, covering an area of over 150 square meters. The owner of the house is the current chairman of Singapore’s United Overseas Bank. The former residence of Chen Lianbo faces east and west, covering an area of about 400 square meters. Its owner, Chen Lianbo (1884–1945), was a descendant of Chen Qiyuan, the pioneer of China’s silk reeling industry. The Chen Lianbo Residence once served as the “Litchi Bay Club,” a place for networking with high-ranking officials of the Guangdong and Guangxi warlord factions. In 1946, it was used as the office of the Liangguang Supervisory Authority. In 1993, it was designated as a “Guangzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Protection Unit.” The former residence of Jiang Guangnai is a three-story brick-and-wood structure with an area of 766 square meters. Its architectural style combines elements of a Xiguan residence and Western-style buildings, representing a typical large-scale Lingnan residential home from modern times. Built in the early years of the Republic of China, Jiang Guangnai’s former residence was once used as Guanlv Middle School during the Republican period. In 1993, it was designated as a municipal-level cultural relics protection unit by the municipal government, and in 2000, the descendants of the Jiang family donated it to Liwan District.

Address: Litchi Bay Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province

Transportation: Take bus routes 2, 8, 25, 55, 66, 74, or night route 6.

Admission: Free

Liwan Lake Park

Liwan Lake Park

Liwan Lake Park

Liwan Lake Park

Xiaohua Fangzhai

Chen Lianbo Residence

Renwei Temple (Renwei Ancestral Temple)

Guangzhou Wen Tower