One of the many much-visited cities in the Guangdong Province of China is Dongguan. This prefecture-level city lies on the eastern banks of the Pearl River Delta, about 50Kms from the provincial capital of Guangzhou. The city is endowed with many prehistoric and ancient relics as well as natural landscapes that draw tourists in large numbers all year round. Most tourists combine the visit to Dongguan City with sightseeing in Macau and Hong Kong because they are within easy reach. Dongguan City has a history that dates back to the Neolithic Age. The modern history of the city concerns the Opium War and there are many ancient relics that display artifacts pertaining to those eras. At present, the city is the ancestral home of more than 280,000 Chinese living overseas and nearly 70,000 Hong Kong, all of whom have been the reason for the present prosperity of the city.
Due to its major industrialization, Dongguan City is called the “place of factories”. It has more than 8 million migrant population. Consequently, the place has a very modern, open-minded, and tourist-friendly atmosphere. The New South China Mall is the best place to hang-out with the locals. It is full of shops and restaurants serving International fare.
| Rank | Booking Site | Price Compared to Average | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Cheapest | Trip.com | -9% | |
| 2. Cheap | Agoda | -7% | |
| 3. Average | Booking.com | -2% | |
| 4. More Expensive | Expedia | 4% | |
| 5. Most Expensive | Hotels.com | 8% |
There is a large number of domestic and overseas inbound tourists to Dongguan City. The region is a perennial tourist zone. Consequently, there are countless 3, 4, and 5-star hotels, inns, service-apartments, budget guesthouses, low-priced hotels, and youth hostels. Most of them are located in downtown Dongguan, and in the Qixian, Zihong, Taigu, localities. The amenities offered by the hotels ensure that the guests have a very comfortable and enjoyable visit to the city.
The Keyuan Garden created during the Qing Dynasty is a very popular tourist attraction. It has aesthetically designed buildings, pools, bridges, fountains, etc. on the lines of the world-famous Suzhou gardens of the Jiangsu Province.
A popular spot for photography in the Dongguan City is the Humen Bridge spanning the Pearl River Delta. Next to it is another popular attraction, the Humen Naval Battle Museum which has artifacts pertaining to the 19th-century Opium Wars.
On the outskirts of the city is a well-known attraction, the Yinxian Resort. The highlight of this resort is the Yinxian Temple which has a 29-meters-tall statue of Guanyin (also called Kwan-Yin or Goddess of Merch), the female form of the Buddha. The top of the Guanyin Mountain where the temple is located provides an irresistible panoramic view of the surroundings.
A visit to Dongguan city is incomplete without buying their fine silk fabric, outfits, or accessories. The Huanghe Fashion Town is a wholesale market where one can buy textiles and clothing at the most affordable rates.
The luxury hotels in Dongguan City have in-house restaurants that provide International cuisine for the benefit of overseas tourists. But one can get the real taste of the city by trying out the local specialties. The cuisine of Dongguan City is a wonderful mix of Cantonese, Hunan, Shandong, and Sichuan styles so there is a large variety of dishes.
The food streets lined with snack bars are very popular with tourists. Some of their local specialties are Dongguan sacrificial intestines, Baisha oil duck, burnt goose with noodles, deep fried fish, tom yum kung (Thai-style hot and sour shrimp soup), Thai curry crab, etc. The city’s signature dish is the Three Standing Grains Feast which consists of seafood, game bird, and cereals.