The ancestral hometown of many overseas Chinese, known for the UNESCO Kaiping Diaolou watchtowers and the beautiful Shangchuan Island.
Jiangmen is a coastal prefecture-level city in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province, with a population of approximately 4.8 million. It is one of China's most important qiaoxiang (hometowns of overseas Chinese), with millions of Jiangmen descendants living in Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
The city is best known for the Kaiping Diaolou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring fortified watchtowers that blend Chinese and Western architectural styles. These unique structures were built by returned overseas Chinese in the early 20th century who brought back wealth and architectural ideas from abroad.
Beyond the diaolou, Jiangmen offers beautiful coastal scenery including Shangchuan and Xiachuan islands, rich Lingnan cultural heritage, and a distinctive food culture centered around Xinhui chenpi. The city is also the birthplace of Liang Qichao, one of modern China's most influential intellectuals and reformers.
Jiangmen's history is deeply intertwined with Chinese emigration. Since the 19th century, economic hardship and social instability drove waves of people from this region to seek opportunities abroad, particularly in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Southeast Asia. These emigrants sent remittances home and many eventually returned, bringing foreign wealth and ideas.
The most visible legacy of this transnational flow is the Kaiping Diaolou. Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, returned overseas Chinese built hundreds of these fortified watchtowers in their home villages, combining traditional Chinese elements with Baroque, Gothic, and Islamic architectural styles. UNESCO inscribed Kaiping Diaolou and Villages on the World Heritage list in 2007.
Jiangmen was also the home of Liang Qichao (1873-1929), born in Xinhui. A key figure in the Hundred Days Reform and later a leading intellectual, his writings influenced generations of Chinese thinkers. The city played a significant role in modern Chinese history as a source of reformist ideas and overseas connections.
Jiangmen economy is diverse and increasingly dynamic. The city's GDP reached approximately 370 billion yuan, driven by manufacturing, tourism, and the unique chenpi industry.
Manufacturing is the largest sector, with electronics, stainless steel products, textiles, and auto parts manufacturing as key industries. The city's location in the Pearl River Delta provides excellent logistics connections to Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Tourism centered on the Kaiping Diaolou is a major economic contributor, attracting millions of domestic visitors annually. The coastal areas, particularly the islands, also draw tourists for beach holidays and water sports.
Xinhui Chenpi is a unique economic driver. The aged tangerine peel industry includes cultivation, processing, and trading, with high-quality aged chenpi commanding premium prices. The Chenpi Village industrial model has become a nationally recognized case of rural revitalization.
As a major qiaoxiang, Jiangmen also benefits from overseas Chinese investment and remittances, particularly in real estate and business development.
Discover the culinary treasures of Jiangmen, from traditional street food to imperial cuisine.
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