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CoolVision’s route from Shenzhen to Shantou moves from Dahao Ancient City and old streets to markets, a temple, and the coast of Nan’ao Island. A business-class bullet train starts the journey, and local guide Aiden explains Chaoshan culture and the meaning of “gaginang,” or “our own people.” The traveler samples yugan juice, fish balls, Rushan-style local foods, and marinated raw seafood, while discussing food traditions and risks. The trip includes a Yingge dance at Haishang Food Plaza, Longbei Market, Mayu Island and Mazu Temple, Duck Poop Tea and snacks, beef hot pot, and gongfu tea at toy and drone businesses in Chenghai. CoolVision also test-drives a NIO ES8, visits Nan’ao Island, and learns to observe drone restrictions near wind turbines. The account contrasts Shantou’s slower pace with larger cities and includes encounters with police, local families, and factory workers.
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Leaving Shenzhen for Chaoshan
CoolVision travels by business-class bullet train from Shenzhen to Shantou. The city feels different from Shenzhen’s neon and fast pace, with old streets and historic remains alongside modern commerce. Local guide Aiden leads a visit to Dahao Ancient City, which the source dates to 1717 and describes as China’s smallest walled city, at 10,000 square meters. The route passes family lanterns with surnames and a medicine shop that has remained family-run for decades. Food stops introduce yugan juice, fish maw, and fish balls, including a jet-black squid-ink version. In Shantou’s busy streets, e-bikes dominate transportation because the city has no subway; short rides can be hired for about five dollars. The traveler also sees an energetic Yingge dance based on Water Margin stories at Haishang Food Plaza.
Markets, food, and local life
The trip continues through Longbei Market, Mayu Island and Mazu Temple, and the old downtown, where CoolVision tries Duck Poop Tea and local snacks. The tea is a premium oolong despite its misleading name, and the video even includes duck-poop-tea ice cream. At a Rushan farm, local production is shown alongside food traditions. In the evening, the traveler joins a Chaoshan beef hot pot gathering, where invitations can happen the same day and guests may not know who else will attend. Aiden explains the local use of “gaginang,” meaning “our own people.” CoolVision also meets Kelly and Chase, expatriates living in the countryside on land connected to Kelly’s family history. The story notes that large family homes may stand in rural villages as relatives return from abroad.
Tea, factories, and Nan’ao Island
In Chenghai, the traveler visits toy and drone businesses. Meetings begin with a gongfu tea ritual of exactly three cups regardless of how many people are present. A drone factory is described as producing more than 100,000 units monthly with fewer than 100 employees, and the video also discusses office smoking. A NIO ES8 test drive takes CoolVision toward Nan’ao Island, with a battery swap and a 4D cinema feature among the vehicle details. Sea haze obscures the bridge. A police officer who initially checks the drone setup later helps coordinate permissions, but the traveler is warned that flying near wind turbines and strategic sites can bring serious consequences. The trip ends with reflections on Shantou’s pace, food, customs, and community. The first part of the trip establishes the contrast CoolVision sees between Shenzhen and Shantou. Aiden guides the visit to Dahao and explains how family names, rooftops, and local history remain visible in the old city. At the medicine shop, the traveler hears about calculation methods that predate calculators. Food continues to carry local meaning: yugan juice is described as a throat-soothing remedy, fish maw as postpartum nutrition, and fish balls as a local creation available in different flavors. The squid-ink version is jet black. At Haishang Food Plaza, the Yingge dance draws on Water Margin stories and brings a traditional performance into a modern shopping center. The market visit and the old downtown food stops give the trip more detail before the evening hot pot.
Aiden also explains the word “gaginang,” or “our own people,” while CoolVision meets Kelly and Chase, a couple who built a countryside life on land connected to Kelly’s family’s earlier departure for Thailand. Their village experience includes the observation that some of the largest homes are in rural communities, where families returning from abroad build for multigenerational life. In Chenghai, the factory visits show a different kind of scale: a drone business produces over 100,000 units a month with fewer than 100 workers. Gongfu tea is part of each office visit, with three cups served regardless of the number of guests. The traveler also notes office smoking as a practice reminiscent of 1990s workplaces.
The trip to Nan’ao Island by NIO ES8 includes a battery swap and the vehicle’s 4D cinema chassis. The bridge is partly obscured by sea haze, which the source distinguishes from pollution. The earlier police officer follows up about drone permissions, and the island’s proximity to strategic installations brings strict limits. CoolVision’s closing reflections compare Shantou’s slower pace with the rush of larger cities and recall same-day social invitations, local rituals, and community ties.
FAQs (From the traveler's perspective)
- Q: What makes Dahao Ancient City distinctive?
- A: The source says Dahao was built in 1717 during the Qing Dynasty and is officially China’s smallest ancient walled city, measuring 10,000 square meters. The video shows its preserved walls and describes feng shui symbolism on rooftops in the Chaoshan region.
- Q: What is Duck Poop Tea?
- A: Despite its name, Duck Poop Tea is a premium oolong. The source says the name was used by farmers to discourage theft, and the video shows CoolVision trying the tea as well as a tea-flavored ice cream.
- Q: What happened with the drone on Nan’ao Island?
- A: CoolVision flies near wind turbines while seeking a cinematic shot. A police officer warns that flying toward the turbines could lead to the drone being shot down for national security reasons, and helps coordinate permissions through official channels.
- Q: How does a Chaoshan beef hot pot gathering work?
- A: The beef is sliced very thin, a technique the source says takes years to master, and restaurants receive deliveries twice daily from Guizhou Province. Dinner invitations can happen the same day, and guests may arrive without knowing who else will be there. CoolVision compares that social element to opening a mystery box.
- Q: What did CoolVision learn at the Chenghai factories?
- A: The visits begin with a gongfu tea ritual of exactly three cups regardless of the group’s size. The source describes a drone factory producing more than 100,000 units each month with fewer than 100 employees, illustrating the scale of the business despite unimpressive exteriors.
