Nan'ao Island, Shantou

Nan'ao Island, located in Nan'ao County, Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China, is situated at the junction of Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan Provinces of China, known as "the barrier of eastern Guangdong and the throat of Fujian and Guangdong", and has always been the necessary berth and transit point of commerce along the southeastern coast of China. With "sea, history, temples, mountains" combined with the three-dimensional intersection of characteristics, blue sky and sea, green islands, golden sands, white waves are the main color of Nanao eco-tourism.

Sea: Qing'ao Bay

Nan'ao Island Ring Road is very beautiful, there are many bays along the road, when the weather is good, everywhere in the blue sea and blue sky, beautiful. Among them, Qing'ao Bay is the most beautiful, as well as Zhuqi Tuo Bay, Jiuxi Ao Bay, Qianjiang Bay, Chishi Bay and so on. Qing'ao Bay is one of the rare shallow sea beaches in China, with white sand and clean unpolluted sea water, and is one of the two A-class bathing beaches in Guangdong Province. Nan'ao Island also has some outlying islands, such as Dingpeng Island and Qinpeng Island, which can be visited by boat.

History: cultural relics and monuments

Nan'ao Island has a long history and many cultural relics and monuments, and more than 50 cultural relics and monuments have been found. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, due to the pursuit of the Yuan army, Zhang Shijie Lu Xiufu and others fled to Guangdong with the young emperor and the empress dowager. Passing through Nan'ao Island left some historical stories and relics, such as Song Wells and Lu Xiu Fu's Mausoleum. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Nan'ao became a military stronghold and the throat of Fujian and Guangdong due to the rampant Japanese pirates along the southeast coast. The island has set up a military governor's office, which has served more than 150 chief soldiers. In the scenic area, there is the Fujian-Guangdong Boundary Monument, as well as the stone statue of Zheng Chenggong and the recruiting tree. In addition, there are attractions related to sea defense, such as Treasure Island, Xiongzhen Pass, and the tomb of the former soldier who garrisoned Tai-Peng.

Temples

Where there are Chaoshan people, there must be temples, Chaoshan people's belief in the gods in general is no less than the Western belief in God, in Nan'ao is even more so, small Nan'ao a 100 square kilometers of more than 70,000 people in the county, will have more than 30 large and small temples and nunneries. Nan'ao temples, based on the mountains and the water, unique features of the mountains and the sea, more well-known Ping Shan Rock Temple, stacked rock temple, Shek Tam Temple, Yun Sham Temple and so on. Ping Shan Rock Temple was founded in the Qing Dynasty and rebuilt in 97, located on the Xitianling of Shumao Village, Shumao Town. The Golden Needle Pagoda is the highest point of the temple, with 7 floors and 33 meters, with a wide view from the top. The stone statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, in the release pond in front of the temple is 12.8 meters high, which is the tallest stone statue of Guanyin in Chaoshan. Jishiyan Temple is located in the deep mountains and is known as the Dharma Milk of Tiannan. The Thousand Buddha Pagoda is soaring and solemn, and the viewing pavilion can overlook the whole temple.

Mountain:

The vegetation coverage of Huanghuashan National Forest Park reaches more than 90%, with more than 1,400 kinds of plants. There is Turtle Cheng, which consists of stone turtle sculptures, and Dajian Mountain, the highest peak in Shantou, which overlooks half of Nan'ao Island, and the Nan'ao Bridge and even the Bay Bridge from afar. The entrance fee is 20 yuan. Except for Huanghua Mountain, the whole Nan'ao Island is actually full of mountains, but the attractions are contained in windmills, ancient temples and characteristic villages.

Other must-see attractions or programs

Nan'ao Bridge and Coastal Highway Seascape

Nan'ao Bridge is a cross-sea bridge connecting Nan'ao Island and Chenghai Laiwu, and is the first bridge in China to cross the Tropic of Cancer. You can enjoy the beautiful scenery on both sides of the bridge and see the Bay Bridge in the distance. The Coastal Highway is a scenic road around Nan'ao Island, which is about 80 kilometers long, with several bays and attractions along the way, such as Qing'ao Bay, Zhusu Tuo Bay, Jiuxi'ao Bay, Qianjiang Bay, and Chishi Bay. There are also some characteristic villages and fishing harbors along the coastal highway, such as Hou Hua Yuan Village, Walking Ma Po Village, Sham Au Fishing Harbor and so on.

Songjing Scenic Area

This is a historical site left behind by the Emperor and Empress Dowager when they fled in the late Southern Song Dynasty. There are three ancient wells, namely Dragon Well, Tiger Well and Horse Well. One of the wells still exists, located next to the beach, and it is amazing that it can constantly gush out fresh water, and the water is pure and sweet.

Lighthouses

There are many lighthouses in Nanao, many of which blend in with the green hills and the sea, making them a must-experience sight. Among the popular ones are the two famous lighthouses, Three Chimneys Cliff Lighthouse and Chek Shek Wan Lighthouse, which are located at Three Chimneys Cliff in Sham Ao Township and Chek Shek Wan in Houjia Township respectively.

Nan'ao Wind Farm

Nan'ao Island is particularly rich in wind resources, where the top of the mountain will have windmill formations, and the blue sky and blue sea as a natural integration, constituting an exceptionally beautiful and spectacular scenery, is Asia's first large island wind farm. Nan'ao Island wind farm from the scale and scenery, the best for the Golden Cross Chair, Green Pine Hill and the top of the round mountain three major wind farms.

Visiting Information:

Opening Hours: Most of the scenic spots on Nan'ao Island do not have fixed opening hours, and you can usually arrange your trip freely according to the weather and season. However, some attractions need to buy tickets, such as Qing'ao Bay, Songjing, General's Palace, and Treasure Island, etc. Their opening hours are usually from 8:00 am to around 5:00 pm.

Tickets: Scenic spots on Nan'ao Island are not expensive, usually between RMB 10-20.

Transportation:

• High-speed rail: Visitors from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Fujian and other provinces can take the high-speed rail to Chaoshan Station, then take the special high-speed rail line bus (1-hour drive, RMB 18/person) to Shantou Passenger Transportation Center Station, then take bus No. 161 directly to Nan'ao Peak Daiyuan Station; or take the special high-speed rail line bus (1-hour drive, RMB 18/person) to Shantou Xidi Passenger Transportation Station, and then change to bus No. 105 in the same place directly to Nan'ao Gongqian Daiyuan Station.
• By Plane: Take the airport bus from Shantou Airport (1 hour drive, RMB 20/person) to Shantou Passenger Transportation Center Station, then take bus 161 to Nan'ao.
• Bus: From Shantou city, you can take bus 161 or 105 to Nan'ao.