Taiping Road (Paifang Street)

Updated 2026-05-11

The heart of Chaozhou Ancient City, an open-air museum of stone arches, colonial arcades, and living tradition

太平路历史牌坊街.jpg

Running like a spine through the ancient city of Chaozhou, Taiping Road also known as Paifang Street 牌坊街, is the city's central axis and an open-air museum of Teochew culture.
Chaozhou was once boasting over a hundred memorial arches throughout its history. The old local saying goes:

桥顶吃炒面
大街看亭字

"Eat fried noodles atop the bridge, view the stone tablets on the main street."

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Today, Taiping Road lives up to its honorific title as The N°1 Memorial Archway Street in the World with 23 restored archways standing in majestic procession.
Most of these arches were originally erected to honour jinshi (illustrious scholars) zhuangyuan (top scholars), and ministers of state, so each one has its own story and whisper the Confucian values that shaped this city (learning, loyalty, and filial piety) : the Four Jinshi Archway, the Zhuangyuan Archway, the Royal Historian Archway...

The archways you can see today are faithful reconstructions built according to original designs, materials, and craftsmanship.

Life on Paifang Street

As you wander Taiping Road, you are invited to experience the full spectrum of Teochew culture:

• 潮绣 Chaozhou embroidery
• 潮剧 Chaozhou opera
• 潮菜 Chaozhou cuisine
• 工夫茶 Gongfu tea

Paifang Street is more than a tourist street, it is the living, breathing heart of Chaozhou's cultural identity and alos a beloved venue for community celebrations.

潮州大锣鼓（杨宏镇 摄）.jpg

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