Xianghui Temple is located in Xiangshi Park, Liaobu Town, Dongguan City, backed by the scenic Shenxian Ridge. This ridge earned its name for being spiritually charged. In the past, there was a Wenchang Temple here, where scholars would worship with Dongguan agarwood on exam days to receive divine blessings. There are also legends of an immortal leaving footprints after smelling the fragrance, and a dragon leaving a dragon-shaped mark on the ridge after being drawn by the scent. Xianghui Temple is backed by the scenic Shenxian Ridge...
The Dongguan Cuntou Site is located on the eastern bank of the Humen estuary of the Pearl River, in the southeastern part of the Pearl River Delta Plain, about 30 kilometers north of Dongguan City and 6 kilometers from Humen Town. The site is distributed on a terrace to the west of Cuntou Village, covering an area of approximately ten thousand square meters. Cuntou is a type of coastal shell mound site, spanning an area of 10,000 square meters. In 1989 and 1993, it underwent...
The Shrine of Shaodian Gong is located to the left of the Wancui Gong Shrine in Nanshe Village, Chashan Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. It was built in the 41st year of the Qianlong reign during the Qing Dynasty (1776) and renovated in 1997. The shrine faces north and features a traditional three-bay, two-courtyard, two-corridor layout with a central courtyard, covering an overall width of 9.7 meters, a depth of 9.4 meters, and an area of approximately 91 square meters. It is constructed with a combination of brick, wood, and stone...
The Tomb of Zhao Yunu is located on Lion Ridge in Shijing Village, Dongcheng District. Also known as the Imperial Princess Tomb, it was built in the sixth year of the Chunyou era during the Song Dynasty (1246), covering an area of 80 square meters. It has been renovated three times. The stone statues of figures, horses, lions, sheep, and the ornamental columns that once stood in front of the tomb are no longer extant. During the 1988 renovation, a stele from the 25th year of the Kangxi era (1…
The Baoshan Silver Smelting Site is located in Baoshan, Huangjiang Town, Dongguan. Silver was smelted here during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, but production ceased later due to high costs and low silver content. The silver mining cave is horizontally shaped like a circular terrace, about 11 meters deep, with an entrance 7 meters high and 4 meters wide. Deep inside the cave, it is 2 meters in both height and width, divided into two levels with signs of artificial excavation. A small ditch in front of the cave has extensive...
The ruins of Wanfu Temple are located to the west of Jiangbian Village in Qishi Town, Dongguan City. Dating back to the middle Neolithic period, they are approximately 5,000 to 6,000 years old. Discovered in 1961, multiple investigations have revealed that the cultural layer reaches a maximum thickness of 1 meter. The deposit contains a large number of shells from clams, snails, and oysters. Artifacts unearthed include cord-marked sandy pottery cauldrons and painted pottery ring-footed plates. The painted pottery features a white slip on the surface, adorned with reddish-brown striped patterns. Some designs combine dots and lines with stripes, while others display interlocking motifs or small perforations. Fragments of human bones were also found, likely from burial sites. Much of the site has been covered due to villagers building houses.
The Longyan Hill Site is located on the southwestern slope of Longyan Hill in Miaobianwang Village, Shipai Town, Dongguan City. It dates back to the Shang Dynasty. The cultural layer is 0.7 meters thick and contains a large number of shells. The unearthed pottery is mostly earthenware, including types such as cauldrons, jars, dou (bean-shaped vessels), pedestals, and spinning whorls. The jars are characterized by folded shoulders, concave bottoms, or ring feet. The decorative patterns include cord marks, checkered patterns, curved...
The Ma Clan Ancestral Hall is located in Mawu Village, Qiaoli, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. The hall has three sections and faces south, having been first built in the first year of the Xuantong reign. To the left of the hall stands a Confucian temple, which houses a statue of Confucius. Behind the temple is a 300-square-meter study room, dedicated to the clan members' studies. Unfortunately, both the Confucian temple and the study were demolished during the Cultural Revolution, preventing the complete preservation of this ancient complex that combined the ancestral hall, temple, and academy. It was renovated in 1992, resulting in significant changes to its exterior. The hall is built with a brick-and-wood structure, and its main surviving framework still reflects its former appearance.
Huang Ancestral Hall by the River is a Chinese ancestral temple structure built in the mid-Ming Dynasty, serving as a place for the Chinese people to worship their ancestors and honor sages. Located at the boundary between Getang and Dawei natural villages in Jiangbian Village, Qishi Town, Dongguan City, it covers an area of 654 square meters. According to the "Genealogy of the Huang Clan of Jiangbian," the ancestors of the Huang family in Jiangbian migrated southward through many hardships from Jiangxia (present-day Hankou area in Hubei Province) during the Southern Song Dynasty due to...
The Dongguan Ding Clan Ancestral Hall is located in Dingwu Village, Dongkeng Town, Dongguan City, Guangdong Province. Originally built during the Jingtai era (1450–1461) of the Ming Dynasty, it was renovated in the ninth year of the Guangxu reign (1883) of the Qing Dynasty and remains well-preserved to this day. In Dongguan, there has long been a saying about “three ancestral halls and four temples,” and through the generations, the “Ding Clan Ancestral Hall” has been one of them. The ancestral hall…
Turtle Village with Reverse Flowing Water is located in Baisha Village, Humen Town, Dongguan City. It was built during the Ming Dynasty's Chongzhen era by Zheng Yu, Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, covering an area of 6,889 square meters. The entire village is laid out in the shape of a turtle, with its front facing a small stream that appears to flow upstream—hence the name. A two-meter-wide straight lane runs north-south through the village, intersected by four three-meter-wide cross lanes...
The Fang Clan Ancestral Hall in Dongguan is located in Hetian Village, Houjie Town, Dongguan City. It was built during the Jianwen era of the Ming Dynasty (1399–1402). The ancestral hall features a five-courtyard quadrangle layout, stretching 66.4 meters in depth and 16.6 meters in width, covering a total area of over 1,100 square meters. The buildings all have flush gable roofs, with a mixed wooden structure of raised beams and penetrating dougong. The second courtyard...
The Yuwu Memorial Archway is located at the entrance of Yuwu Village in Dongcheng District, Dongguan City. It was commissioned in the 41st year of the Wanli reign during the Ming Dynasty (1613) to honor Yu Shiqi and his son. The structure has undergone renovations during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, as well as in 1993 and 2000. The archway features four pillars, three bays, and three levels. The uppermost story is constructed with wooden materials and a traditional hip-and-gable roof, supported by bracket sets shaped like ruyi (scepters). One side of the plaque is inscribed with “Jin…”
The Tomb of the Luo Henxin Family is located in Huangcun, Dongguan. It was excavated in 1988. The site includes three tombs, arranged from south to north as follows: the joint burial tomb of Luo Henxin and his wife, the joint burial tomb of Luo Henxin’s grandparents, and the joint burial tomb of Luo Henxin’s parents. Stone sheep, stone horses, stone qilin, and stone-carved turtle pedestals with spirit way steles flank the tomb passages. In front of the joint tomb of Luo Henxin and his wife...
The Tomb of Chen Zhijing is located on Xiaojie Mountain in Liangwu Village, Humen Town, Dongguan City. The tomb was built in the 36th year of the Jiajing reign during the Ming Dynasty (1557) and constructed with lime-sand rammed earth. It was renovated in the 16th year of the Daoguang reign (1836) during the Qing Dynasty and remains well-preserved. Chen Zhijing was a native of Beizha Village in Humen. His grandson, Chen Yi (unknown–1592), brought sweet potatoes back from Annam (Vietnam) in the 10th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1…
Commonly known as the "Tomb of Ten Thousand," the Daofen Grand Tomb is located north of Jinniufang Village in Dao fen Town, Dongguan City. On March 28, 1647, during the fourth year of the Shunzhi reign in the Qing Dynasty, Ming loyalist anti-Qing hero Zhang Jiayu, along with Ye Ruri, leader of the Dongguan militia in Dao fen, and others, led troops to resist the Qing army in Dao fen. Several thousand died in battle. Dozens of Zhang Jiayu’s relatives—including his grandmother, mother, wife, uncle, and sister—were also brutally killed by Qing forces. The local villagers buried all the remains together at this site, hence the name “Grand Tomb.” In the sixth year of the Daoguang reign (1826), Ye Anji, a successful candidate in the imperial examination from Dao fen, took the lead in raising over a thousand taels of silver to renovate the tomb. Granite stone slabs were installed, and he personally composed three inscribed stelae, including one titled “Grand Tomb.” In 1987, the Dao fen government allocated funds for maintenance and arranged for dedicated management. The tomb now covers an area of 450 square meters and remains well-preserved.
Chashan Niuguolang Ancient Village, located near the Ecological Park Management Committee, belongs to Chaolang Administrative Village in Chashan Town. Originally called "Louge Long," it was mispronounced as "Niuguolang" due to phonetic similarity, and commonly referred to as "Niujiao Long." Since most villagers surnamed Mai, it is also known as "Mai Wu." Established in the early Southern Song Dynasty, it has a history of over 800 years...
Nianhua Temple is located within the Huayang Lake Wetland Park. The name of the temple originates from the story “When the Buddha held up a flower on Vulture Peak and smiled,” at which moment everyone remained silent, except Mahakasyapa, who broke into a smile, understanding the Buddha’s meaning. Historical records indicate that the ancient temple was first built in the first year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty (1368), making it over 640 years old. It was situated by the Mayuan River...
Dashiling Guanyin Temple is located in the center of the Shidong Scenic Area within the Dashiling Mountain Forest Park in Dongguan. It is the first self-funded and rebuilt temple in Dongguan to date. Adjacent to four towns—Houjie, Humen, Chang’an, and Dashiling—it enjoys an excellent geographical location and convenient transportation. According to records, Dashiling Guanyin Temple was originally built during the Ming Dynasty and has a history of over three…
The Dongguan Town Elephant Pagoda was originally located on Xiangta Street in the urban area of Dongguan City. Due to urban development needs, it was moved to the Dongguan Museum in 1966. It was built in the fifth year of the Dabao era of the Southern Han Dynasty (962 AD). According to Volume 89 of Chen Botao’s *Dongguan County Annals*: “During the Southern Han period, a herd of elephants damaged crops, so officials killed them. In the fifth year of Dabao, the imperial envoy Shao Tingxuan gathered their bones…”