Xiaogongyuan Historical and Cultural District

Attractions & culture

The Shantou Xiaogongyuan Open Port Area is located at the intersection of Guoping Road, Shengping Road, and Anping Road in Jinping District, covering an area of 724,300 square meters. It is the best-preserved open port district in the Chaoshan region. Centered on the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, the district features a radial layout with streets including the 'Four Yong and One Shengping' and Shunchang Street, integrating functions such as commerce, finance, entertainment, and culture, fully showcasing the prosperous style of a century-old port. The arcade buildings within the open port area are well-preserved, blending European architecture with Southeast Asian characteristics, reflecting the historical traces of Chaoshan overseas Chinese investment and construction. In recent years, through conservation and revitalization projects, the Xiaogongyuan Open Port Area has restored and opened historical buildings, the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion, the Nansheng Department Store, the Post and Telecommunications Building, and the Laomagong (Old Mother's Palace) Stage. It has also established venues such as the Open Port Culture Exhibition Hall, the Qiaopi Cultural Museum, and the Intangible Cultural Heritage Experience Hall, forming a modern distinctive district that integrates history, culture, commerce, and leisure. The district has been selected as a Guangdong Provincial Historical and Cultural District and a National AAA-level Tourist Attraction, becoming a core cultural landmark of Shantou's old city. The Xiaogongyuan (Small Park) Open Port Area is the birthplace and historical-cultural center of Shantou city, preserving a large number of government offices, commercial firms, arcade buildings (qilou), and cultural structures from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China period. The Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion sits at the heart of the district, symbolizing the remembrance of Sun Yat-sen by Chaoshan people and overseas Chinese; the Nansheng Department Store was once a commercial landmark built with investment from Indonesian Chinese, featuring early elevators and the Central Restaurant. The Open Port Culture Exhibition Hall and the Qiaopi (Overseas Chinese Remittance) Cultural Museum showcase the history of Shantou's port trade and overseas Chinese remittances. Shunchang Street and Xidi Street are concentrated display areas for arcade architecture, where visitors can admire the qilou landscape combining European styles with Chaoshan traditional elements. Here, tourists can not only stroll and sightsee but also experience Chaoshan opera, Chaoshan embroidery, ceramics, tea art, and Chaoshan cuisine. The structure of the Xiaogongyuan district is divided into one axis, two cores, and three zones: the axis is the Chaoshan Spiritual Homeland Axis, centered on the Zhongshan Memorial Pavilion; the two cores include the Century-Old Port Culture Core and the Qilou Charm Culture Core; the three zones consist of the Xiaogongyuan area, the Anping West area, and the modern residential area, forming a district pattern that integrates history, commerce, and culture.