梅州市

Why this place

Meizhou is the heartland of the Hakka people — the Han Chinese group who migrated south over centuries and kept their own language, architecture and customs. The walled round houses and the ancestral halls here are the classic Hakka forms.

What to see

• The Hakka round and square walled houses (weiwu) of the surrounding villages
• The Hakka Museum and the ancestral halls in Meixian
• Yingna Lake and the Lingguang Temple, with its 'spirited' pagoda
• The old towns of Songkou and Dabu, on the river trade route

What to eat

• Hakka cuisine — salt-baked chicken, stuffed tofu, and the 'lei cha' (pounded tea) drink
• Meizhou is known for its preserved mustard greens and its rice wine

Best time

October–December and March–April