Chuandao Islet

    In the South China Sea across Jiangmen there are many beautiful islets that seem to have spilled into the sea from the mainland. Two of them deserve a closer look – Upper Chuan and Lower Chuan, which are four nautical miles apart and entirely different from one another.

    They were important stopovers for merchants 600 years ago, referred to as "islands of trade" by the Portuguese and "islets of hope" by French people. Today, because of their white beach, a crescent moon-like cove and very agreeable weather year round, people describe the twin islets as the "Hawaii of the East."

    In Upper Chuan, there are actually 12 beaches of different scales. Feisha is 4,800 meters long in a crescent moon shape with very fine sand. It is so clean that viewed from a distance, it could easily be mistaken for a snowscape in China's north. The sand is so fine it can be easily shaken off your clothes without leaving a trace.

    North to Feisha, beyond the Mazu Temple and Lechuan Giant Buddha is picturesque Jinsha Beach with mountains on three sides. It is 5,200 meters in length, overgrown with large trees of a variety similar to cedar. The notably long life expectancy of locals is said to be attributable to the oil they extract from the tree and use in their cuisine.

    Upper Chuan is united by a large and primitive rainforest, a habitat for macaques. At the sound of a worker's trumpet, these macaques would clear the forest and rush towards him from all directions.

    Yinsha is another beach, very spacious, shaped like a giant bird with wings outspread. The first holy water, blessed by the first Italian missionary for use in China, is said to have come from a well here. The strangest thing about the well is that its water remains unchanged in taste even when the sea level rises higher than the water table.

    Apart from this magic well, Upper Chuan has many eerie caves that look like the artworks of supernatural beings.

    Lower Chuan, the other islet, is a carpet of green. The expanse of coconut trees, the amount of sunshine and the water salinity remind people of Hainan. Though the coconut trees are shorter, they yield an equally tasty fruit for less work.

Hot Springs

    Jiangmen has a dozen or more hot springs, like glistening gems on an already beautiful lady.

    Gudou is one of them, built to echo the famous hot spring palace Tang Dynasty emperor Li Longji used in Xi'an over 1,000 ago. The palace that accompanies the natural wonder is embellished by frescoes of flying deities.

    Didu, another hot spring, has been developed into a garden into which the most outlandish rocks have been artfully assembled.

    In every sense, Jiangmen is worth the time and energy to get there, and once you do, you may never leave.