Overview
Meizhou is the ancestral home of the Hakka people, a diaspora community scattered across Southeast Asia and worldwide. The city carries the titles Hometown of Culture and Hometown of the Overseas Hakka Chinese.
Architecture · Culture · Day Trips · History
Before you go
Connectivity
Standard Chinese mobile carriers provide coverage throughout Meizhou. Hotels typically offer WiFi. International roaming packages available for visitors staying connected.
Culture
Meizhou holds titles of Hometown of Culture and Hometown of Overseas Hakka Chinese. Hakka folk music celebrates the diaspora community. The Hakka Museum of China provides comprehensive cultural context for visitors.
Food
Hakka cuisine features salt baked chicken (盐焗鸡), yong tau foo (酿豆腐—stuffed tofu), and pickled mustard greens with pork (梅菜扣肉). Street tofu from vendors is recommended. Breakfast specialty is yammien (腌面) with goji leaf soup.
Language
Hakka is the local language and not mutually intelligible with Mandarin or Cantonese. However, most locals are trilingual in Hakka, Cantonese, and Mandarin. Meixian dialect is considered the prestige form of Hakka, making this ideal for language learners. Parts of Dabu and Fengshun counties speak Teochew.
Transport
Meizhou has no metro. Local transport relies on private cars with drivers, trishaws (¥5-6 for short trips), taxis, and motorcycles for hire. Traffic is described as reckless with vehicles on sidewalks and wrong-way driving.