Jiangmen is the only place in China where you can witness the bewitching and bewildering scenes of the Kaiping Diaolou – fortified watchtowers first built in the mid-1500s and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.
These centuries-old fortified watchtowers stand tall amidst the greenery. /CGTN Photo
Jiangmen is the ancestral home of an estimated 3.5 million people living all over the world – hence its nickname, "City of Overseas Chinese." Many of the first generations who set sail from Jiangmen amassed immense fortunes in foreign lands. To protect and parade their wealth upon their return, they built diaolou. The spectacular structures are celebrated for their complex fusion of eastern and western architecture, their splendor and their harmonious relationship with their bucolic surroundings.
(Aerial footage from Travelogue's Pearl River Series: Mouth to Source)