China Travel in Jiangmen: 200 Global Travel Pros Tried Lion Dance, Cantonese Opera and Century-Old Letters at Guangdong's Magical Night

On the night of October 19, an old arcade town in Kaiping, Jiangmen, became the stage for the newest chapter of China travel. The "Guangdong Magical Night" carnival opened the 2026 High-Quality Development Event for Inbound Tourism, and around 200 travel agents and content creators from 55 countries and regions walked its stone lanes with cameras in hand.

They came as what organizers call a "global observation group" — and they left with a very specific to-do list: eat a dragon-boat feast, watch lion dancers leap onto high poles, try on Cantonese opera costumes, and write a qiaopi letter with a brush.

A three-kilometre stage of arcade houses

Chikan Ancient Town's real story is an overseas Chinese hometown. A three-kilometre run of century-old arcade buildings lines the river, mixing South Seas carvings with Lingnan window patterns, on stone lanes worn smooth by a century of footsteps. Along the river, heritage buildings now sit beside new shops and cafes.

Visitors kept stopping to photograph details and ask guides about the buildings' history. Belarusian travel creator Nikanenka Valeryia had been here before: "This is my second time at Chikan Ancient Town," she said. "It's fun every time. I really like it here."

Lion dance, opera costumes, letters that crossed an ocean

The evening program leaned hard on live, hands-on Lingnan culture. At the town's lion dance square, a team performed on high poles — leaping, blinking, swishing tails in time with drums — then walked into the crowd so guests could touch the lion head. Spanish travel agent Javier Martinez Candial had never seen it live: "I had heard Guangdong lion dance was spectacular. This was my first time watching it — really impressive."

At the Yue opera stage, the Jiangmen opera troupe performed classics including "Huahao Yueyuan," "Dihua Nv" and "Lizhi Song." Guests tried on embroidered opera robes and jeweled headdresses for photos. At a calligraphy table, visitors wrote Chinese blessings on special paper — a hands-on introduction to qiaopi, the century-old letters and remittance slips that overseas Chinese once sent home, known in Jiangmen as yinxin.

The numbers behind the night

The event sits on a bigger trend. Official data cited by South media: China recorded 154.5 million inbound tourist visits in 2025, up 17.1 percent year on year, with 30.08 million visa-free foreign arrivals, up 49.5 percent. Guangdong welcomed 7.266 million foreign tourists in the first half of 2026, up 49.2 percent. The carnival itself mixed tradition with tech — robotic martial arts demonstrations, traditional Chinese medicine experiences, displays from all 21 prefecture-level cities of Guangdong, a fish-lantern parade and fireworks.

What creators say you should actually do

Italian creator Andrea, who has lived in Shenzhen for three years, had advice for first-timers: spend a day like a local. Start with dim sum in the morning, hit the night markets and old streets, and feel the real Guangdong. He also noted inbound travelers are shifting from business and study trips toward younger tourists and creators, helped by visa-free policies and departure tax refunds.

Turkish travel agent Mucahit Kiraz made a practical point for business travelers: Jiangmen sits close to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, so visitors on work trips can easily add one or two days here.

A 30-yuan card for the whole trip

Guangdong also launched a travel card at the event: Discover Guangdong with AI. It is a Yangchengtong public transport card preloaded with 30 yuan, connected to an online service page that bundles Trip.com's Trip Genie AI assistant with hotel, attraction and flight booking — covering getting around, sightseeing and spending. From mid-to-late November 2026, 10,000 of the cards will be given out free, in batches, at counters in the international arrival areas of Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports.

What's next: four routes and a UNESCO site

Between October 20 and 22, visiting travel professionals head out on four themed tours: Guangzhou-Dongguan-Foshan for Greater Bay Area urban culture; Zhongshan-Zhuhai-Shenzhen for coast and tech; Chaozhou and Shantou for overseas Chinese heritage and food; and Qingyuan-Shaoguan for mountain scenery and Danxia landforms. A follow-up program will take travel creators deep into the Kaiping Diaolou, the UNESCO-listed fortified village towers that anchor the region's story.

How to plan your own visit

Jiangmen is about a 30-minute high-speed rail hop from Guangzhou South, or roughly an hour by car from Shenzhen. Chikan Ancient Town is in Kaiping, a county-level city under Jiangmen — search for "Chikan" rather than Jiangmen city center. The carnival opening was a single-night event on October 19; the town itself is open daily, and its arcade streets, shops and cafes are the everyday attraction. For the AI card, watch for the November rollout at Guangzhou and Shenzhen airports, and check chinapie.ai for bookable Guangdong experiences.