Holiday in Dongguan

About Dongguan

Dongguan is one of the cities that embodies China's rise as the world's workshop — and at the same time, it is reinventing itself. The industrial city of nearly 10 million inhabitants, located in the heart of the Pearl River Delta, squeezed between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, was known for decades primarily for its factories: smartphones, shoes, toys, and textiles — 'Made in Dongguan' is found in products worldwide. However, behind the industrial facade lies a city with surprising depth. The Opium War Museum in Humen tells a story that changed world history: right here, at the mouth of the Pearl River, the Chinese official Lin Zexu destroyed over 1,000 tons of British opium in 1839 — the spark that ignited the First Opium War and shaped the relationship between China and the West for centuries. The fortress ruins, the museum, and the historical park by the sea make this place one of the most significant historical sites in China. Dongguan's green side is even more surprising: Songshan Lake, an 8 square kilometer artificial lake surrounded by a technology park and extensive gardens, is a place that combines Silicon Valley and recreational area. Huawei's new headquarters campus at Songshan Lake — a collection of European-inspired building ensembles modeled after Heidelberg, Verona, and Oxford — is architecturally as bizarre as it is fascinating. For foodies, Dongguan offers a distinct version of Cantonese cuisine: the city is famous for its hundreds of dim sum restaurants, its rice noodle factories, and its fruit cake tradition. And as a hub of the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan is the perfect starting point to explore Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong by high-speed train — all three cities are reachable in under an hour.