Xinhui, Everything is Chenpi

Take the high-speed train to Jiangmen and get off at Xinhui Station. Xinhui, a name tightly bound with Chenpi, is administratively just a district of Jiangmen, but in the eyes of tourists, it seems to be a complete and independent existence, just like Kaiping, with its own precise perspective and tour routes. Xinhui is a destination that can be very relaxed, lazy, and leisurely. 👀 Although the taxi driver kindly reminded me upon arriving in Jiangmen that it’s best to have a local guide you to buy Chenpi, and I understood that I couldn’t distinguish the quality myself, I still wanted to visit Chenpi Village. Tall towers, large archways, and a spacious square lead into a large Chenpi trading market. Whether it’s a famous brand factory or a small folk workshop, the fragrance of Chenpi is everywhere. Big Red Peel, Second Red Peel, Green Peel, Small Green Tangerine, three years, five years, ten years, the world of Chenpi has complex and intertwined research topics. For an outsider, entering any shop means listening to their explanations, and the standards for judging authenticity can only be based on one’s own experience and knowledge, often relying on luck. If it really comes down to luck, it’s better to choose those old brands with years of experience and certification standards. After all, there’s some baseline. Buying things often depends on fate. This time, I had a good fate with Chenpi. 👀 It was a Monday, not much business, and I casually walked into a shop, unexpectedly meeting the lady boss herself, drinking tea. Gangzhou Chen, Ganpu Tea, the intangible cultural heritage production process, paired with boiled ten-year Chenpi water, drinking cup after cup, made my body sweat slightly, pores opened, and the heatstroke from the previous day’s sun exposure subsided a lot. Drinking tea is truly a wonderful healing experience. During the tea break, whenever a customer passed by, the lady boss would immediately get up to greet them. Although it was her own business and related to profit, her ingrained diligence and resilience remained unchanged, not slackening a bit due to her status. Such qualities are worthy of respect. 👀 Besides the mountains of Chenpi, many derivatives are also born here: Chenpi red bean paste, Chenpi ice cream, Chenpi tea, Chenpi candied fruit, Chenpi with plums. Everything can be Chenpi. I was still very lucky, not missing any of them. 👀 Deep in the Chenpi Hall, there is even a Qiaoxiang Family Restaurant, with a rustic decor, offering various Chenpi specialty dishes. The ribs are fried golden and crispy, sprinkled with sweet and sour Chenpi powder, giving a unique taste. 👀 Leaving the trading hall, walking through the village, the alleys are still filled with Chenpi flags fluttering, and you can see various Chenpi drying under the walls and in open spaces. The weather was too hot, so I found an indoor space to cool off. There is also the former residence of Liang Qichao. Liang Qichao was born in this Cha Keng Zhong Village and spent his childhood and teenage years in Xinhui. Walking into the Yitang Study Room, the scorching sun outside was immediately isolated. Perhaps the full room of book fragrance is the best air conditioner. The newly built memorial hall is a white European-style small building, with spiral staircases, corridor arch windows, and a pool of green water, all elements perfectly fitting the popular check-in style. At twelve, he passed the scholar exam, and at seventeen, he passed the imperial exam. The life of this genius teenager was turbulent and legendary. Beyond the great cause of saving the country and the people, a closer look at his life reveals that he raised nine children, all of whom became successful and shone in their respective fields. This is not a coincidence; Liang Qichao’s educational philosophy is worth studying for today’s anxious and overwhelmed parents. 👀 It was still the lady boss of Gangzhou Chen who recommended going to Gujing, a street full of roast goose eateries. Gujing Roast Goose, a familiar Cantonese dish. Xinhui District, Gujing Town, Tiancai Street, Chenpi as marinade, lychee wood and sealed mud oven for smoking and roasting, Gujing Roast Goose has become a provincial cultural heritage project. A goose opens up the glory of a street, with murals, lightboxes, signs, and wine flags all featuring geese, geese, geese. Gujing Town Pingxiang Roast Goose Restaurant The most concentrated big restaurants at the entrance are almost all Pingxiang’s big brands, with large celebrity photos and TV interview posters everywhere. But inside the restaurant, it’s an old Hong Kong-style tea house atmosphere, without fashionable and elegant decor, everything is simple and down-to-earth. A plate of roast goose is served on a simple stainless steel dish, with a white porcelain teapot in a stainless steel basin beside it, without any marketing tactics targeting tourists, making it very real and enjoyable. As a northerner, I don’t have a sophisticated palate to distinguish the various flavors of roast goose. The skin is crispy with a fragrant aroma, but the meat is a bit dry and tough, probably not freshly roasted. It’s not too amazing but worth a try to complete the authentic Gujing Roast Goose check-in calendar. One-day self-driving tour: Xinhui Chenpi Village - Liang Qichao’s Former Residence - Gujing Town Roast Goose Street 2024.8