GUANGZHOU · SHENZHEN · GUANGDONG
Most foreign travellers pass through Guangzhou and Shenzhen on the way to or from Hong Kong, and few think of staying in a temple here. This page lists the two residential options in Guangdong that we have checked, the trains that reach them, the temples worth a quiet morning in each city, and how close Hong Kong’s retreats are.
Nanhua Temple, Shaoguan Photo credits
Updated ·
Two stays lie within reach: Donghua Chan Monastery near Shaoguan, 46 minutes to 1 hour 9 by train from Guangzhou South, takes lodging applications for days of early liturgy, work and sitting; FangYuan TaiChi Centre near Jieyang teaches tai chi and qigong in English from US$999 a week. Hong Kong’s retreats are 14 minutes from Futian by train.
Ask us about a stay near Guangzhou and Shenzhen| Place | Type | Getting there from Guangzhou and Shenzhen | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donghua Chan Monastery, Wengyuan | Chan monastery with a volunteer residence | Wengyuan county, Shaoguan. High-speed trains from Guangzhou South reach Shaoguan in 46 minutes to 1 hour 9 (59 trains on 14 November 2026; G1312 at 08:02 arrives 08:53), from Shenzhen North in 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 52. The monastery publishes no transport page; agree the stay and the way on from Shaoguan with the guest office in advance. | Not published. Lodging is granted on application, with work in the fields or the kitchen as part of the day; meals are taken in the refectory. | Not stated. The guide admits ages 20 to 60 with an identity document; when we telephoned in October 2026 the guest office said it was not taking foreign volunteers, so ask before travelling. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Guangzhou and Shenzhen | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FangYuan TaiChi Centre, Jieyang | Residential tai chi and qigong centre | Xinling village, Jiedong District, Jieyang, in eastern Guangdong. Trains from Guangzhou South reach Chaoshan in 2 hours 7 to 2 hours 59 (32 trains on 14 November 2026), from Shenzhen North in 1 hour 30 to 3 hours 16; the centre says it is about 40 minutes from Chaoshan station and 20 minutes from Jieyang Chaoshan airport, 2 hours 25 from Hong Kong West Kowloon, and includes the transfers. | One week US$999, two weeks US$1,899, four weeks US$3,699, with about 20 hours of training a week, a private premium room, full board and transfers; open dates, arriving on a Sunday. | Yes: Master Ping and the coaches teach in English. |
The oldest monastery in the city, at 109 Guangxiao Road in Yuexiu, where Bodhidharma is said to have stayed and the Sixth Patriarch Huineng was tonsured and ordained; the main hall in Tang style, the pagoda over his hair and an iron pagoda from the Southern Han survive. The city government’s page gives the address and history but no hours; the temple announces them on its own channels, so check before going. Checked 11 November 2026.
Inside Fairy Lake Botanical Garden at 160 Xianhu Road, Liantang, in Luohu district. The temple’s own site gives the guest office on 0755-25737095 and lists buses 27, 57, 113, 214, 218, 220, 311, 333, 336 and 381 among the routes to the garden, which you enter on the garden’s ticket. Each December the temple announces a winter Chan Seven and a Buddha-recitation week (21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026 last time); no 2026–27 notice had appeared by 11 November 2026, and the notice says nothing about lodging or passports.
The Sixth Patriarch’s monastery at Caoxi in Qujiang district, south of Shaoguan city, where the Platform Sutra was spoken; the same trip north as Donghua. The temple publishes its hours, tickets and booking on its WeChat account 南华禅寺, which we could not read, so confirm them there. Checked 11 November 2026.
Hong Kong is the obvious next stop: high-speed trains reach West Kowloon from Futian in 14 to 16 minutes, from Shenzhen North in 18 to 32 minutes and from Guangzhou South in 47 minutes to 1 hour 17 (14 November 2026). From there the Lantau retreats on our Hong Kong page, Lotus Pond Temple, Dhamma Muttā and Fa Hong Monastery, are a bus or ferry away. Compare more places to stay and practise in our guides:
We have not visited these places. Travel times are the timetable figures for the date shown; confirm dates, prices and admission with each host.