The Kaiping region are clusters of Diaolou structures that were solidly built with masonry and/or reinforced concrete so that they are strong enough to prevent break-ins by local bandits that roamed this area back in the early to mid 1900's. The Kaiping region is very meaningful to me in that this area was where my parents were born and raised, but not in the "luxury" areas. Around about 1930 to 1950 time period, many of the residents of the Kaiping area had "abandoned" the area for a "better life" elsewhere. Many of these Kaiping residents had moved to the USA - including my parents, uncles, aunts and cousins. The Chinese government (along with UNESCO) had recognized the historical significance of this area and the unique architecture of the Diaolou buildings. UNESCO had designated four (4) different Diaolou clusters in Kaiping as UNESCO recognized historical sites - however, the Kaiping Garden (or Liyuan Garden) Diaolou clusters did not received the UNESCO designation which is a shame because It is probably the most colorful and photogenic of the different clusters of buildings. Upon entering the Kaiping Garden (Liyuan or Li Garden) Diaolou cluster area, there is a very nice Visitor Center and Museum. The Museum has interesting information about the history about the Kaiping area and it people. It also has information about various families who had migrated from Kaiping to the USA and/or Canada. After exiting the Museum, the pathway leads to a very lovely Garden area that is beautiful and relaxing to walk through. Past the Garden area is where the Diaolou buildings are located - some single level and some multi-level. The multi-level structures are much larger in size and are for the "wealthy" families of the area. This area is very nice to walk around and explore - go inside the open Diaolou buildings to see how they look like back then. Very worthwhile and interesting to visit the Kaiping Garden area - especially if you know what happened to the people who had once lived in this area.

This place has quite a history and some of the representative watch towers of the region. However, strangely, it is not part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nonetheless, definitely should be part of the visit to the area.