One Day in Shenzhen — The Gankeng Hakka Ancient Townlet

The ancient city gate greets visitors with a typical pagoda top with a tiled roof and an arched entrance beneath.


The Gangkeng Ancient Hakka Townlet as it stands now have a history of about three hundred years. The villagers of Gankeng were farmers, and besides agriculture, they also relied on their handicraft of the “cool hat” for a living. As the economy of southern China changed over the decades since the 1950s, the villagers have also begun to work in factories, but Gankeng remained a poor community. The basic facilities of water provision and plumbing were only available here in the 1990s. With Overseas Chinese Town Holdings Company taking over the revitalization of the area in the 2016 (more below), Gankeng finally saw better days.


A leisurely walk in Gankeng will take at least 2-3 hours, especially during the summer. There are many old structures that are exceedingly picturesque. Feel free to get a little lost in the many alleyways, in which you will see many smaller old structures there that are perfect for picture-taking. The landscaping is also well done, especially in the pond area.



The Gankeng Museum was delightful and that was quite surprising to me. The exhibits were well-arranged and the narratives were educated and sympathetic to the Hakka story. The gun tower at Gankeng is a typical structure in many of the ancient villages of Shenzhen. It is built of concrete, with four floors and served the primary purpose of defense against bandits. The villagers also used it for educational purposes. The Gun Tower of Gankeng is attached to the “pai” houses, meaning a row of houses. It was built during the Republican Period.




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Post by Helen Yu (Chestnut Journal) | Feb 11, 2025