Surrounded by countryside thick with rice fields and mudbrick villages, QINGYUAN is a busy back-road market town on the north bank of the Bei River , about 80km northwest of Guangzhou. Ringed by grimy manufacturing complexes, Qingyuan's centre is none too bad, if crowded by narrow streets and hordes of pedestrians. Its attraction lies in its position as a departure point for day trips 20km upstream to the poetically isolated, elderly temple complexes of Feilai and Feixia , which can be reached only by catching the twice-daily public ferry to Feixia, or by hiring a private boat.

 

Qingyuan's slightly disjointed axes are formed by Beimen Jie, which runs south from the main bus station for 500m to Shifeng Zhong Lu which cuts across it at right angles, then continues as Nanmen Jie for another 200m through the central markets and on to the river. Facing the water at the bottom of Nanmen Jie, turn left (east), the ferry ticket office and docks for transport to the temples is well concealed down a flight of steps about 50m along on the right - look for the blue plastic gate. There are two scheduled services daily at 7.30am and 8am to Feixia (¥25), and one at 12.50pm to Jiankou (¥40), a port upstream beyond the temples. On weekends at least, you can also hire private boats (about ¥40 per person return) from the dockside to Feixia and Feilai which leave when they have enough people to cover their costs - it's a popular day trip with locals, so if you get here fairly early you shouldn't have to wait too long. The problem with the public ferry is that you'll probably have to miss Feilai as, while there's no problem getting dropped off here, there's no guarantee of being able to find return or onward transport afterwards. Private boats, though more expensive, give you plenty of time to look around both temples. Moving on from Qingyuan, there's only one bus a day right through to Shaoguan, and you'll definitely need to buy tickets for this the day before you travel.

For accommodation , Qingyuan's bus station hostel (¥75-100) is reluctant to take foreigners. The best place to try is about 100m down Beimen Jie at the Fengyuan Binguan (look for the English sign; ¥150-200), a standard Chinese guesthouse set in a quiet courtyard; or, if they're full, the noisier, more expensive Overseas Chinese Hotel (¥150-200) farther along on the corner of Nanmen Jie. Both hotels have formal restaurants , with good Cantonese meals available at the Bubuquan, opposite the bus station, or in numerous canteens along the main streets. There's also a popular place with outside tables specializing in fish down on the corner of Nanmen Jie and the riverfront.