Population: 5,000,000
Area: 15,925 square kilometers (6,149 square miles)
Nationalities: Han
Administrative Division: 1 district (Meijiang); 6 counties (Meixian, Dapu, Fengshun, Wuhua, Pingyuan, Jiaoling); 1 county-level city (Xingning)
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0753-2243654
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0753-2189389
Location: Meizhou City is situated in the northeast of Guangdong Province, at the juncture of Guangdong, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces. It is about 380 kilometers (236 miles) from Guangzhou, 345 kilometers (214 miles) from Shenzhen and 190 kilometers (118 miles) from Shantou.
History: Meizhou was the residence of Hakka people after they moved from Central China to this region in Qin (221BC-206BC) and Han dynasties (206BC-220AD). It was in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) that prefecture named Meizhou was established for great many plum trees planted here.
Physical Features: The terrain of the city slopes downward from the north to the south. Within its territory, hilly area and terraces occupy the majority of the land, and then mountainous area ranks the second place. Plain region in Meizhou is small in area.
Climatic Features: Enjoying a subtropical monsoon climate, its hottest and coldest days usually appear in July and January. Weather in summer is hot and the temperature in summer and winter varies greatly. The rainfall mainly concentrates on the period from April to September.
When to Go: Meizhou is favorable for visiting at any seasons, especially in spring and autumn.
Special Local product: golden pomelo, Dancong tea, Mei Gan Cai (preserved mustard cabbage)
Scenic Spots:
Lingguang Temple: The temple stands at the foot of Yinna Mountain in Meizhou City, 46 kilometers (29 miles) from downtown Meizhou. Reputed as one of the four famous temples in Guangdong Province, Lingguang Temple has been stood there for more than 1,200 years since it first built in the Tang Dynasty (618-907).
Lianfang Tower and Yinna Mountain: Yinna Mountain, located in Meizhou City, 46 kilometers (29 miles) from downtown Meizhou, is one of the most famous three mountains in Guangdong Province. The famous Lingguang Temple stands at the foot of Yinna Mountain. Lianfang Tower is also known as Huaqiao Weiwu. Weiwu is a kind of vernacular dwelling of the Hakkas inhabited by the whole clan. This building was built by oversea Chinese in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The inner part was constructed according to the structure of traditional besieged tower, Weiwu, but the outer wall was designed to be the western style. It is a combination of traditional Hakka and western buildings.
Other Scenic Spots: Thousand-Buddha Pagoda, Huangfengwo Chashan (Tea Mountain) Tourist Zone
Tourist Tips:
1. Meizhou Meixian Airport is situated in the Sanjiao Town, Meijiang District, only 4 kilometers (205 miles) from Meizhou city proper operating flights mainly to Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Usually, visitors should get to the airport one hour ahead of time. Check-in will cease 30 minutes before take-off.
2. Within the city, several bus stations are served to facilitate visitors' way in and out of Meizhou. Generally speaking, it is about four hours' drive to Guangzhou, three hours to Shenzhen and two hours to Shantou.
Copyright© 1998-2009 TravelChinaGuide.com, All rights reserved.
Travelers' Voices on Meizhou City
1.
Oct. 6,2009 01:11 Reply
Mr.Liew(Malaysia) said:
My ancestors place is Sak San village, Meizhou City. Any one knows where this village is?
Oct. 7,2009 02:19
Mr.Edward Chong(Malaysia) replied:
Hi there, once you in Meizhou, Guangdong, you can ask the ppl there. Most Hakka ppl will know where about. This how we found our vilage in Da Bu, Meizhou. - Edward Chong.
2.
Sep. 9,2009 08:41 Reply
Ms.Susan Yeo(Singapore) said:
I am thinking of visiting Guangzhou and also my ancestor (Hakka) homes in Da Pu (Yong Sheng Ping). Which hotel in Guangzhou is near shopping areas and the subway ? How do I get from Guangzhou to Da Pu ? Are there any tour agency that can help me to arrange visits to Da Pu ?
Sep. 11,2009 21:24
Mr.jeff lee(canada) replied:
hope that u read & write in chinese as it is very difficult to travel in china by yourself. most taxi drivers expect a ride of at least 20 yuan in value .take public bus or [metro]subway train whenever possible. taxi-fare from guangzhou[CAN]airport to downtown area may cost 70-140yuan.if u don't want to visit the city & in transit to other airport. u may stay at pullman guangzhou baiyun airport hotel[phone 020 36068866]for 50-180 singapore dollars per night. this hotel is about 50-100 steps away from the departure area of the guangzhou airport.no need for a bus or taxi. if u want to venture out & visit guangzhou city,u know the above taxi-fare that i mentioned.i believe that the tianhe mall 天河大厦 mapbar.com/guangzhou/search/5af6op5ad5Ec/1 [website]
vicinity [choose a nearby hotel]is a good area to stay and shop. the subway & the long distance bus terminal should be nearby too. da-pu 大铺县 may be more than 100km from meizhou meixian 梅州市 梅县.guangzhou to meixian air-ticket cost approximate 560-590yuan one way-service by china southern airlines only from guangzhou airport[1 hour flight]. all china inland air-tickets & hotels reservations can be done before you leave singapore & should be at a lower cost[choose the discounted air-tickets for others except CAN-MXZ tickets-no discount at most times]. but , for a child's air-ticket at half the regular price- u will need to input the child's date of birth . if u use chinese, the taxes are included,if u use english,taxes aren't included in the prices .if u have time on your hands,visit shenzhen 深圳 & hong kong.
Oct. 7,2009 02:17
Mr.Edward Chong(Malaysia) replied:
Hi there, I just came back from there, Da Bu. But mine village is another 1hr from Da Bu. We hired a van from Shenzhen. The journey from Shenzhen will enter Meizhou & then Da Bu. This journery took 7hrs. I learnt that you can take train from Guangzhou to Da Bu. 2 years ago my parents did take train from Guangzhou to Da Bu. And took appx 7hrs.
- Edward Chong (Da Bu Hakka)
3.
Oct. 4,2009 11:39 Reply
Mr.Zhong / Tjoeng(Indonesia) said:
Dear ALL Members,
any body may give an advice for me, to find a job in Meixian and the regulation of Working permit at there,
also the living costs estimation,
looking forward to your advice and thanks in advance for it.
Best Regards,
4.
Aug. 25,2009 12:07 Reply
Ms.Lee(Canada) said:
is there a hpng kong bank in meizhou city. what is the best way to send money to someone living there? should i send the money in china currency or CND dollar? which is easiest way? is it safe to send money through the mail? what is your opinion on this? thank you in advanced.
Aug. 27,2009 01:06
Mr.Andrew replied:
No Hong kOng bank branch as I know. You can send the money though overseas branches of the Bank of China, I suggest. Not a good way to send monty directly through mail.
Sep. 7,2009 22:23
Mr.jeff lee (canada) replied:
in toronto area , use moneygram[available at some shoppers drug marts' post offices]. check moneygram website for the current fees . fees[service charge] may still be cad 15/- for amount upto cad 2500/- sent.the person in china must have ID to receive the funds[getting money in chinese yuan]. moneygram converts the cad into us$ first at the time that you send ; you must email or phone the receiving person - the exact us$ and cents amount and the reference numbers in your receipt . moneygram in meizhou/meixian uses bank of china as its agents . your funds in the chinese yuan is available within 15 minutes . but the bank of china in meizhou/meixian is closed at the time you sent[through moneygram-agents in toronto . alternately , you may use debit/credit cards online at the moneygram website anytime .
the person receiving in meizhou/meixian gets more chinese yuan than you[in person] exchanging us$ at any bank in china . these are my personal experiences . and i have sent through moneygrams - at least 5 times over 2 years . i was in the main branch of the bank of china-meixian in june 2009 enquiring about opening bank account . the lady welcomed anyone/everyone from overseas to open bank accounts in meixian . & why not ? the bank keeps & uses your money . the toronto bank of china branches operates independently in canada . i believe at this time , the bank of china in canada don't offer interbranch banking across the world . meizhou don't have hong kong bank branches . guangzhou have hong kong bank branches .
5.
Aug. 19,2009 16:56 Reply
Mr.jeff lee(canada) said:
you can easily trust 80% of the china-taxi drivers , but if you happen to get the other 20% of the china-taxi drivers who might take you for a spin across anywhere & everywhere , just hope that you are still in good health & safety . you might be out double or triple amount yuanwise[dollar-wise] . don't use vehicles without a taxi-plate if you are the paying passenger . those vehicles are not any cheaper to ride .
use buses or metro-subway trains wherever possible .
make sure you have proper addresses and telephone numbers in chinese language . most signs[not all] in most places are only in chinese language .
lots of drivers can't read maps[even chinese maps] .
6.
Aug. 19,2009 16:27 Reply
Mr.jeff lee(canada) said:
http://www.google.com/ime/pinyin
first thing is to download the chinese pinyin into your computer if your computer is the english or other versions and not the chinese-version so that you can print out the chinese characters[words] for the 95% of the chinese people inside china-whoever you come across[meet] while you are asking them to assist or direct you to wherever you want to go. just speaking hakka-dialect is not enough . the whole china education-system is using mandarin-chinese and the young & middle-age parents do encouraged their young child[ren] do speak mandarin-chinese even in meizhou[meixian].
lots of materialistic items that are available in north america are not a bargain inside china . don't think that everyday-clothing, footwear & toys to be cheap in china . buy everyday-bottled water to drink . coffee or english-tea are not common , take your coffee & tea-bags with you if you can't go without . fresh milk is scarce , the store-keepers don't keep the running-fridge cold enough for the fresh milk or fresh chocolate-milk . you will have difficulties if you are going to china with children younger than ten & that your children still needs to drink fresh milk daily . I know from visiting beijing,guangzhou,guangzhou-huado,meizhou[meixian]-bingcun zhen in june 2009 . shanghai,shantou,meixian-bingcun zhen,guangzhou,shenzhen, in august 2007 .
7.
Aug. 5,2009 21:06 Reply
Ms.GRACEYANLEE(Afghanistan) said:
Travel information from HK to Meizhou:
by bus,three times daily, 7:30am,1230pm,630pm Contact no 23177900 in HK
by plane,one flight on Monday at 430pm & the other is on Friday at 310pm,duration 1hour,Southern Airline,Flight Number CZ342
Aug. 8,2009 17:20
Mr.Nick(England) replied:
Thank you Ms Graceyanlee for the info.
Aug. 11,2009 02:25
Ms.GRACEYANLEE(China) replied:
It only costs RMB60 for the bus.
Aug. 18,2009 16:54
Mr.jeff lee(canada) replied:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/cx346/FR-CZ342.htm
I believed that hong kong does not have an air-flight route to meizhou[meixian]airport at this time .
guangzhou[can] have at least 1 air-flight daily to meizhou or meixian[mxz] . this month there might have 2 air-flights daily [may only be temporary for this summer months] unless more of us - oversea's hakka wants to fly to meixian than by using bus services .
8.
Aug. 5,2009 13:25 Reply
Mr.Nick(England) said:
Hello, I want to go to Meizhou from Hong Kong... I was told that I can take a bus to go there and it takes about 5 hours...
Can someone please give me more specific direction.
Thanks
Aug. 7,2009 22:01
Ms.sophia replied:
Hi, you could refer to Ms.GRACEYANLEE answer~ Good luck!
Aug. 8,2009 17:21
Mr.Nick(England) replied:
Thank you Ms Sophia...
9.
Jun. 26,2009 17:46 Reply
Mr.William Joseph(UK) said:
I have recently been to Meixian / Meizhou where I managed to find my family from both my father and my mother's side of the family. I was really sceptical when I started on the jouney, particularly with my limited "hakka". I need not have worried. My jouney was plain sailing and I am seriously considering going to live there. I am resident in the UK right now.
Wils
Aug. 5,2009 13:32
Mr.Nick(England) replied:
Hey Wils
Did you go to Meizhou from Hong Kong?
If so, did you take a coach?
If so, can you please give me more specific direction how to get there?
I don't want to fly to Meizhou from Hong kong as I am not sure which day I will be going and there might not be flights on that day.
But I was told that I can catch a coach twice daily, but don't know more details about coach name, place to catch it etc...
Can you help?
Thanks
10.
Apr. 17,2009 13:01 Reply
Ms.Yang(Canada) said:
What are some spots that are worth visiting? I am a Hakka descendent from Moyen and want to visit.
Thanks.
Apr. 18,2009 02:20
Mr.Jamie replied:
I recommend Huaqiao Weiwu. Traditional Hakka residence.
Aug. 1,2009 15:06
Mr.Mak(Canada) replied:
Ms Yang,
I am a Yang from Canada as well.
When you get to Meizhou, ask for Yang world centre,
someone will be helpful.
Land was provided by a Yang from Indonesia, the objective is to have a centre for the Yang diaspora.