Introduction
Since relocating to Asia, we have taken any and every opportunity to hunt down the many exquisite desserts that the region has to offer. In China specifically, we are making it a mission to hunt down desserts outside of the main Beijing-Shanghai tourist route. So far, we have admired exceptional pastry craftmanship at two luxurious afternoon teas in Shenzhen, compared historical and modern Chinese desserts in Xiamen and Quanzhou, and stumbled upon a most enchanting underwater high tea in Hainan. In this latest volume of our China dessert travel adventures, we return back to Shenzhen for a weekend getaway and to a much older district of the otherwise ultra-modern city.
Gankeng Hakka Old Town (甘坑客家古镇)
We consider Gankeng Old Town a “hidden gem” of Shenzhen, not because it is “hidden” per se, but because it is not that close to the city centre. It is over an hour away by train from Shenzhen’s Futian area, or about 40 minutes by Didi car, and consequently, it does not feature on every daytripper’s immediate must-see list. In fact, it took us about four visits to Shenzhen before we ventured over to Gankeng. And as far as “ancient Chinese towns” go, Gankeng is not – in truth – that “ancient.” It is in fact, approximately 300 or so years old, with its restoration completed around 2016, about a decade ago.
As with many old Chinese towns, a large stone gateway of commanding presence stands at its frontage. Beyond this, Gankeng turned out to be significantly more expansive in area than we expected. One can follow a broad tree-lined avenue to the centre of the town, or one can slowly meander through picturesque alleyways that twist and turn around beautifully restored dwellings built long ago by the local Hakka community. We lost count of the number of photos we took of little shopfronts and houses embellished with potted peonies and bamboo, archways of wisteria and jasmine, and all manner of greenery elegantly draping down the upturned eaves of buildings. If you are inclined to dress up in Chinese hanfu costume or Republic Era qipaos, there are a number of such stores at the entrance of the town that are very happy to oblige there. As the town is not as crowded as other ancient Chinese towns that we have been to, Gankeng is an ideal spot for that type of portraiture photography too.
In further contrast to other ancient Chinese towns, especially for example, Dali Old Town, Gankeng also possesses a much less commercialized character. Instead, the old and new are very tastefully combined. A smattering of modern stores sit unobtrusively adjacent to older-style street food stores, altogether evoking what a bustling ancient Chinese town might have been like so many years ago. Of these street food stores, we particularly loved the coconut almond pudding that arrived in a cup bejewelled with colourful pearl jellies. With one of these puddings in one hand, and a Chagee milk tea — our favourite Chinese milk tea brand, by the way — in the other, we had desserts that were very much like the town itself – old and new seamlessly integrated together, rather than incongruously apart. And during a day that saw the temperature climb to around 35 degrees Celsius, and almost triple that in terms of humidity, they both made for a most refreshing respite in the middle of an old Chinese town at the outskirts of ultra-modern Shenzhen.
Dessert adventure checklist
- ☑ Dessert destination: Gankeng Hakka Ancient Town, Shenzhen, China.
- ☑ Budget: $.
- ☑ Sweet irresistibles: Coconut almond pudding.
- ☑ Travel notes:
- How long? Shenzhen is versatile – you can see the main highlights in a daytrip, or spend a full week exploring a city that is home to over 18 million people.
- How to get there? We typically take a high-speed rail train from West Kowloon in Hong Kong to Futian in Shenzhen. The train journey takes 15 minutes, although it is about 1.5-2 hours door-to-door when you account for passport and security checks and waiting time.
- Where to stay? On the occasion that we choose to stay the weekend in Shenzhen, we love the Shangri-la Futian hotel. It is conveniently located right around the corner from Exit 10 of the Futian high-speed rail station, and is also within walking distance to Coco Park Shopping Mall and PingAn Tower. The hotel’s buffet breakfast is one of the best we have encountered, albeit a degree less extravagant than the one we had in Hainan.
- Pro tips? Avoid Shenzhen in July-August, which is peak humidity and typhoon season.
Dessert Correspondents 