Shawan Ancient Town

Panyu Shawan ancient town was built in the Song Dynasty. It is one of the famous Pearl River Delta towns with long history of prosperity and preserved historic building. The existing vertical and horizontal scattered streets, dotted with historic houses and temples, canopies decorated with carved edge Qiao Liang Fang, brick, stone, wood, gray eagle, colorful murals, deeply reflected the Lingnan Culture and the profound artistic charm. Shawan Ancient Town is a typical southern town surrounded by water. Relying on its beautiful view and rich cultural heritages, it has developed into an attractive tourist destination. Covering an area of 0.6 square miles (153 hectares), the town consists of the east village, west village and north village.

Shawan Ancient Town looks very primitive and elegant. Rows of houses, old streets and long alleys show the features of the ancient style. The most common attractions you can see here are ancestral halls, the number of which has reached 100. Some intangible cultural heritages, such as Cantonese folk music, the lion dance, and Piaose (a kind of folk art integrating play, magic, acrobatics, music and dance), are well preserved. Visitors can not only have an insight into the lives of the local people, but also experience the special folk culture.

Main attractions and sights in Shawan Ancient Town: Liugeng Ancestral Hall

Liugeng Hall is located in the northern part of the village and is one of the most famous ancestral halls in the town. Built in 1275 during the Yuan Dynasty, the original building was destroyed only to be rebuilt in the year 1700 over the course of 17 years during the reign of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty. The building occupies 3334.25 square meters and is an exemplary example of the ancient science of Fengshui with a hall of worship, a drum tower and east-west verandas.

Wenfeng Pagoda

Wenfeng Pagoda can be found in the Guan Alley of the northern village. Built in 1721, this site was once the highlight of the ancient attracting superstitious academics and children from near and far who flocked here in droves to worship the statues inside. The pagoda itself has three stories and six corners.

He Binglin Memorial Hall (Yanqing Hall)

This memorial hall on Anning Middle Street, which was built during the Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty, was originally dedicated to Ho Chi-Ming and his ancestors. However, that honor later went to He Binglin, a 24th generation grandchild of the Shawan He minority, who was a renowned chemist and educator and the first person in China to successfully carry out a test explosion of an atomic bomb. He is acknowledged as the pioneer who kick-started China's ion resin industry and is nicknamed "the father of ion exchange resin".

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