The charming old town of Chikan, 10km southwest of Kaiping, has streets of shophouses with arcades on the ground floor flanking the Tanjiang River (潭江). These distinctive qílóu (骑楼) buildings were built by overseas Cantonese merchants in the 1920s. Bus 6 from Yici bus station terminates at Chikan.
The whole area of Chikan was undergoing renovations when we visited. The years-long renovations displaced nearly 4000 households and the whole area has become a ghost town of scaffolding in preparation for a new tourist-friendly town. Some visitors report enjoying this quiet dilapidated state, and the diāolóu remain accessible. Check ahead to see if shiny Chikan 2.0 is ready.
