Doumen's rural charm beckons families for New Year's

A sojourn to the Doumen District countryside this holiday week will open up a world of family fun, sightseeing, exhibits, delicacies, and cozy B&Bs.

Many activities cater to a variety of age groups and add color to the Doumen Rural Tourism Year.

Shili Lianjiang Agriculture Sightseeing & Experience Garden

(十里莲江农业观光体验园)

Lianjiang Village, Lianzhou Town, Doumen District (斗门区莲洲镇莲江村)

Tuesday-Monday, Feb 5-11

68 yuan ($10) for each adult and child taller than 1.5 m (4.9 ft);

38 yuan ($5.70) for each child between 1.1 (3.6 ft) and 1.5 m (4.9 ft);

38 yuan ($5.70) for senior citizens over 60 (valid documents needed);

free entrance for children under 1.1 m (3.6 ft).

Call 86-0756-6316666

Take the Doumen tourism bus and get off at Shili Lianjiang (十里莲江) or take Bus 401 and disembark at Lianjiang (莲江).

Drive to the parking lot of Shili Lianjiang with GPS navigation.

Carpet of rapeseed flowers

Dozens of varieties of flowers will be blooming on 100-mu (16.5 acres) between Feb 4 and March 16. Greeting visitors will be rapeseed flowers, galsang flowers, chrysanthemums, jonquils, scarlet sages and others, sending a romantic message of spring.

Free museum visit days will expose youngsters to agriculture, insects, and arts. There they can try printmaking, push stone mills, and learn about civil defense.

Shili Lianjiang Folk Street will spotlight folk arts including paper-cutting, creating sugar paintings, and Chinese knot-making from Feb 5 to 10. Participants can also try their hands at weaving fish cages using traditional skills. Hong bao will be given away by Cáishén yé (财神爷), the God of Wealth, on Chinese New Year's Eve.

Making Chinese knots

A 12-m (39-ft) mini electric tourist train, specially designed for Spring Festival, will provide quick daily tours of the garden's most lovely attractions. Jungle karts are also on hand to thrill children.

Kart racing

A wide range of rewarding games such as fish catching, football, and beanbag toss will be organized between Feb 5 and 10. A specialty banquet will offer tastes of Doumen's authentic Preserved Duck Bundles (Ya Zha Bao), Yellow Sand Clams, and cured fish and meat.

Furthermore, Pet Paradise allows close-up views of guinea pigs, raccoons, nutrias (marsh dogs), camels, peacocks, macaques, and other animals. It is also home to elegant black swans.

Black swans

Overnight tourists can spend evenings at the Aibest Shili Lianjiang Holiday Hotel and will be exempted from garden entry fees. Lingnan-style B&Bs, wooden houses, Lianjiang courtyards, and quadrangle dwellings are other options.

Hotel guestroom [Photos courtesy WeChat ID: dmlvyoujv]

Shiyiren Pitaya Farm (十亿人有机火龙果庄园)

Denglongsha Road Intersection to the west of Zhuhai Bridge, Xinmadun Village, Baijiao Town (白蕉镇珠海大桥西新马墩村灯笼沙路口)

Feb 4-March 31

30 yuan ($4.50) per person; free entrance for children below 1.2 m (3.9 ft) and senior citizens over 60

Call 18688162226 (Ms Guan)

13766872611 (Ms Li)

13766576272 (Mr Lyu)

A floral wonderland of games and snacks will be presented at the vast fruit farm where visitors can pick their own favorite fruits while admiring over 100 mu (16.5 acres) of blossoms.

Floral fields

A quality cherry tomato introduced from Taiwan has gained favor among locals as it is untouched by artificial fertilizers or antibiotics. Shiyiren adheres to green plantation methods that use no pesticide, chemical fertilizers, or herbicides. Ticket holders can enjoy a free taste and buy at 40 yuan ($6) per kg.

Mouthwatering cherry tomatoes

Also not to be missed is an additive-free ice cream made of mashed pitayas. International authoritative reports say it has no essence, pigment, curing agent, emulsifier, or sucrose, and is completely healthy. It costs 18 yuan ($2.70) for ticket holders.

Pitaya ice cream [Photos courtesy WeChat ID: syrhk88]

Fishing, quoit, tugs-of-war, and other games are on the schedule, and participants can also try scrumptious local foods at the farm.