The area can be reached from Liwan Plaza, Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street or directly from Hualinsi Buddhist Temple station of line 8.
Note: You can download either Baidu Maps or Amap and navigate through the buttons below. You can also directly order a taxi through the App. Learn more in this Guide.
Hualinsi Historical Neighbourhood
Hualin Jade Street
Hualin Jade Street in Guangzhou is an market for retail, wholesale, and jade and jewelry processing, with roots tracing back to the early Qing Dynasty. Spanning an area of 10,000 square meters, it hosts hundreds of jade stores, making it a central destination for jade traders in the city. The market accounts for over 90% of Guangzhou’s jade sales, boasting an annual turnover exceeding RMB 100 million.
Located centrally, Hualin Jade Street enjoys convenient access and is near popular spots like Shang Xia Jiu Pedestrian Street and the Temple of the Chen Family. Visitors can find a range of jade items, from small trinkets costing a few yuan to rings, bangles, pendants, and sculptures priced from RMB 100 to tens of thousands of yuan. Most sellers process their own products, sourcing rough jade from Yunnan Province and refining it in the suburbs of Guangzhou before selling the finished items.
Hualin Jade Street, a well-known jade distribution center in China, stretches nearly 500 meters and features thousands of jade shops and stalls. Renowned for its abundant goods, fine craftsmanship, and competitive prices, it attracts millions of merchants and tourists annually. The jade market extends across Xilaizheng Street, Hualin Xin Street, Hualin Temple Front Street, Maolin Zhi Street, and Xinsheng Street, offering a dazzling array of jade items in various colors, including emerald red, emerald green, purple yellow, white gray, and dark green.
Hualin Temple
Hualin Temple, located on Xilaizheng Street in the Liwan District of Guangzhou, has a rich history dating back to its predecessor, Xilai Temple. Before the Sui Dynasty, the site was on the banks of the Pearl River. In 526 CE, during the reign of Emperor Liangwu of the Southern Dynasty, the eminent Indian monk Bodhidharma arrived in China and established Xilaiyan at this landing site. Bodhidharma, revered as the founder of Zen Buddhism in China, made this location historically significant.
Today, Hualin Temple is located near Huanlin Jade Street.
Inside the temple grounds, visitors first encounter the star rock towers and a row of bungalows to the south, housing the Hall of Merit. Adjacent to this is the First Patriarch Bodhidharma Hall, which contains a full-length statue of Bodhidharma. This statue was relocated to the hall upon its completion in 1997, further cementing the temple’s dedication to the venerated monk.
