揭阳市

Why this place

Jieyang is the oldest of the Chaoshan cities and a major jade-working centre — its jade market is one of the largest in Asia. It is also a place where overseas Chinese come to trace their family roots, since so many Southeast Asian Chinese families began here.

What to see

• The Yangmei jade market, where jade is cut, sold and traded at scale
• The Jieyang Confucian temple and the old town's lanes
• The Huangqi Mountain and the ancestral halls of the surrounding villages

What to eat

• Chaoshan cooking — the same repertoire as Shantou and Chaozhou, done locally
• The local 'beef ball' and rice-noodle breakfast

Best time

October–December and March–April