Twelve primary and secondary students from Taiwan toured Xiguan, which is also known as Saikwan, on Aug 13 along with 13 Guangzhou students to get a glimpse into its profound history, fascinating culture, and month-watering culinary delicacies.

Their first stop was the century-old Chen's Ancestral Hall, the largest and best-preserved traditional ancestral hall in Guangdong province. There, the students admired the decoration art of wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, pottery sculpture, and color painting.

They developed a further understanding of local architectural culture, including that of Qingyun Alley and Tanglong Door, at the Xiguan Folk Custom Museum.

In addition, the 25 students also tried their hand at typography, Wing Chun boxing, and Cantonese paper-cutting at Yongqing Fang and Liyuan Garden, as well as learnt to make dim sum from chefs of Panxi Restaurant.

The students learn to make dim sum from chefs of Panxi Restaurant. [Photo by Chen Qiuming/ycwb.com]

Yang Jiawei from New Taipei said that it is the first time that he came to Guangzhou. However, the city is familiar to him, as the Qilou buildings (arcade houses), ancestral halls, and statues can also be found in Taiwan, with merely slight differences.

Pan Suman, general manager of the Educational Department of United Daily News and head of the Taiwan student delegation, was impressed with Guangzhou's preservation of traditional arts. She expressed hope that the students can feel the cultural cross-Straits connectivity through the visit.