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A street scene on Qiaogang Street in 2016; shops and streets may have changed

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Qiaogang Street

侨港风情街 · Qiaogang Town, Yinhai District, Beihai, Guangxi, China

Photo: 热血小亮 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Start from the returned overseas Chinese community and its fishing history, then get to know Qiaogang's food street today.

Know before you go

  • Do not enter residential courtyards to take photos or follow residents with your camera, and do not describe all Qiaogang residents as having the same origin or the same food tradition. The commercial street represents only one part of Qiaogang, and the history of the returnees should not be reduced to an "exotic" consumer label
  • before ordering seafood, do not skip confirming the price and weight.

This article is Not yet verified. Please check official announcements for prices, opening hours and dates.

Culture

Culture & customs

Background

The formation of Qiaogang Town is directly tied to the resettlement in 1979 of overseas Chinese returning from Vietnam; the fishing commune and the later neighbourhood are the result of several generations of residents rebuilding their lives. Today the street sells seafood and Vietnamese-style snacks, but the commercial street is only one part of Qiaogang, and the history of the returnees should not be reduced to an "exotic" consumer label. Residents' homes, the fishing port and the markets still serve everyday functions, so respect community life when you visit.

Local customs

  • Please regard Qiaogang as a community where residents still live, and leave room for house gates, fishing work and market passages
  • ask for consent before photographing residents, fishers or restaurant staff. Before eating, check the posted prices and how seafood is charged
  • when queuing, do not block neighbours' way, and dispose of rubbish as the neighbourhood requires.

Religion & beliefs

  • Qiaogang Street is a commercial and residential street in a returned overseas Chinese community and has no common religious worship procedure. Residents may have different faiths and family customs, so no single cuisine or decoration can characterise all returnees
  • if you enter a specific religious site, follow that site's own visiting rules.

Etiquette & taboos

Etiquette & taboos

Rules that apply here

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: At Qingming tomb-sweeping, no burning paper or open flames in wooded areas

Do

  • Check whether the cemetery requires a reservation before you go
  • Stay quiet while laying flowers, bowing and observing silence
  • Consider flowers, tree planting or online memorials instead of burning paper
  • Dress soberly for tomb-sweeping
  • Take offering wrappers and rubbish with you when you leave

Don’t

  • Don't burn paper, incense or candles, or set off firecrackers, in woods or grassland
  • Don't talk loudly or joke around in the cemetery
  • Don't block cemetery paths for long to take photos

During fire-prevention periods, burning paper, incense and candles is strictly banned in forest and grassland fire zones, and anyone who starts a wildfire may be held legally liable. Whether and where a cemetery allows burning is set by its own rules on site.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Xinhua: Two departments deploy safety measures for the Qingming holiday

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Go through security before the metro, and park shared bikes in marked zones

Do

  • Cooperate with the security check at the entrance and put bags through the scanner
  • On the platform, wait beside the doors and let passengers off first
  • Register with your real name in the app before riding a shared bike
  • Park in a marked bay or an app-designated spot, and make sure the lock clicks shut
  • If the brakes or lock don't work, switch bikes and report it in the app

Don’t

  • Don't linger in the doorway or force your way through closing doors
  • Don't leave bikes in traffic lanes, fire lanes or on tactile paving
  • Don't let children under 12 ride shared bikes

If you refuse the security check you will not be let into the station. Badly parked bikes are removed, and riders may face action under local rules and the operator's terms.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: People's Daily Online: Beijing issues standards for shared bike technology, services, parking

Essential restrictionsPublic transportCountry-wide guidance · China

China: No smoking anywhere on high-speed trains, and no phone calls in quiet carriages

Do

  • Sit in the carriage and seat shown on your ticket
  • Put large luggage in the racks at the carriage ends or overhead
  • Use headphones for videos and music
  • In a quiet carriage, step outside to make or take calls
  • Before getting off, check around your seat and take your rubbish and belongings

Don’t

  • Don't smoke anywhere on the train, including toilets and vestibules
  • Don't take someone else's seat
  • Don't choose a quiet carriage when travelling with babies or toddlers (12306 advises against it)

Smoking on a bullet train can set off smoke alarms and slow or even stop the train. Smokers are fined by the police and, according to reports, may also be barred from buying bullet-train tickets; official rules prevail. If someone breaks the quiet-carriage rules, tell the train staff.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Travel China Guide: Smoking on Chinese trains

Essential restrictionsSafetyCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Stay on open sections of the Great Wall and never carve the bricks

Do

  • Walk only on open sections and marked routes
  • On steep stretches, stop and steady yourself before taking photos, and watch your step
  • Wear non-slip shoes, carry enough water, and turn back if you are tired
  • Carry your rubbish down or put it in a bin
  • Check opening arrangements before you go; official announcements prevail

Don’t

  • Don't carve, write on or prise loose the bricks
  • Don't climb over fences or onto closed, crumbling walls and watchtowers
  • Don't run or push on steep sections

Carving the Great Wall counts as damaging a cultural relic: one visitor who carved his name at Badaling was given administrative detention and a fine by the police and was blacklisted by the scenic area. Closed sections are not maintained and can be dangerous.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China News Service: Man detained for five days and fined 200 yuan for carving on the Badaling Great Wall

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: book popular sights in advance, under your real name, through official channels

Do

  • Check the booking rules on the site's official website, mini program or account before you go
  • Enter every companion's ID details in advance and pick an entry time slot
  • Children, seniors and others with free or reduced tickets also book as required and show ID
  • Book early for holidays and summer; popular dates often fill quickly

Don’t

  • Don't trust third parties offering to grab tickets or sell 'insider' tickets
  • Don't assume a free ticket means no booking is needed
  • Don't count on buying tickets at the gate on peak days

Once a popular date is fully booked, you may be turned away. China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires sites to keep in-person ticket windows and to accommodate seniors and others, but on-site quotas are limited; booking windows, release times and visitor caps are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: China Daily: Ministry of Culture and Tourism requires all scenic areas to keep ticket windows

Essential restrictionsEntryCountry-wide guidance · China

China: set up mobile payment before you go; hotels and tickets are booked under your passport

Do

  • Link a foreign bank card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before departure
  • Carry some cash in yuan for small stalls, remote areas or payment glitches
  • Expect real-name checks at hotels, for train tickets and popular sights; use your passport
  • Make sure the name and number on bookings match your passport exactly
  • If a station gate cannot read your passport, use the staffed lane

Don’t

  • Don't wait until you arrive to set up payment; verification can take time
  • Don't assume cash alone or a bank card alone will work everywhere
  • Don't book with details that differ from your passport

Without a working payment method, or with mismatched ID details, you may be unable to check in, buy tickets or enter sights. Payment limits, fees and platform rules are subject to official announcements.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Gov.cn: Payment services for foreign visitors to China

Essential restrictionsEveryday mannersCountry-wide guidance · China

China: Queue, don't smoke where banned, and never carve on heritage sites

Do

  • Wait your turn in line, and follow staff directions when it's crowded
  • On buses and the metro, let passengers off first and offer seats to those in need
  • Book popular sights and museums in advance, under your real name, through official channels
  • Sort your rubbish into the right bins
  • Use serving chopsticks and spoons, and order only what you can eat

Don’t

  • Don't cut in line or walk side by side blocking the way
  • Don't smoke where it is banned; many cities ban smoking in indoor public places and on public transport
  • Don't carve or write on historic buildings or ancient trees, or climb on or touch relics
  • Don't use flash or tripods in exhibition halls
  • Don't talk loudly or play music out loud in public places

Staff will stop you from queue-jumping, smoking where banned or marking relics, and smoking in no-smoking areas or damaging relics can also lead to fines under the law. Fine amounts, booking methods and opening hours are as officially announced.

Verified Oct 19, 2026Source: Palace Museum official site: Visit

Don’t DON'T

  • Do not enter residential courtyards to take photos or follow residents with your camera, and do not describe all Qiaogang residents as having the same origin or the same food tradition. The commercial street represents only one part of Qiaogang, and the history of the returnees should not be reduced to an "exotic" consumer label
  • before ordering seafood, do not skip confirming the price and weight.

Locals appreciate DO

  • First learn about the resettlement of returnees since 1979, the fishing industry and how the neighbourhood took shape, then try local food at the open markets and food street. You can observe the links between seafood, Vietnamese-style snacks and life on the Beibu Gulf, but keep a respectful distance from residents' daily lives
  • it is more relaxed to eat in the evening and visit Silver Beach as a separate part of the day.

Plan your visit

Practical info

Travel tips

  • Allow about 1.5–2.5 hours for walking the neighbourhood and a meal
  • to take your time over the markets and community history, allow half a day. Qiaogang is in Yinhai District, Beihai
  • from the city you can take a bus, taxi or ride-hailing, allowing a buffer of about 30–60 minutes depending on traffic
  • Silver Beach can be visited the same day, but travel between the two still needs to be counted separately. Business hours, seafood prices and fishing-port work vary with the season, so check the day's prices before ordering
  • a public street being open does not mean homes and work areas can be entered. You can make the Old Street a half-day on the modern treaty port, Silver Beach and Qiaogang a coastal half-day, and plan Weizhou Island separately with a ferry and an overnight stay. Seafood, alcohol and some snacks may contain shellfish, peanuts or other allergens, so ask about ingredients when ordering.
Sources & verification notes

Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council: Establishment of Qiaogang Town and returnee fisheries

National Ethnic Affairs Commission: Qiaogang resettlement and food memory

Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangxi: Beihai and Qiaogang routes

OpenStreetMap: Representative point of the street's commercial area

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