52 Hours in Shantou: Beef Hotpot, Old Town Chaos and a Scooter-Powered City Romance

Stop four of the 9-city sprint through post-COVID South China.

This visit to Shantou came with some personal feelings.
A lot of the students from my first job were from here.

So before I even got on the train, I already had a few keywords in mind:
• Beef meatball 🥩
• The chaos of Chaozhou dialects 🌀
• Rice rolls 🥢

The high-speed train pulled in just as the night settled.
I was the only foreigner at the station.
But I wasn’t fazed.
I came here with hunger. 😈🍽️

—

Stop 1: Baheli Beef Hotpot

This hotpot spot is basically a food temple for Chaoshan locals. 🥩🔥
The moment you walk in, the aroma hits you.

I ordered like I was prepping for the imperial exams:
Tender beef, shrimp, veggies, tofu...
This was Qing dynasty-level banquet behavior. 🧑‍🎓📜🫕

I cooked and live streamed at the same time. 📱🔥
That first bite of beef? Soul ascension.

—

Next, I rented an electric scooter.
Camera up recording the streets—I was the main character. 🎧🛵

Destination: Shantou Old Town
• Colonial-era arcades like forgotten film rolls 📽️
• Aunties folding history into rice rolls at alleyway stalls
• Menus all QR codes, old dudes stared at me like I was an alien

But I didn’t panic—
I was the alien. Mandarin-speaking, sun-soaked foreigner. 🛸📛🫠

—

Drink Fail vs Sunset Redemption

I bought a bottle of “Shaju Juice.”
Label said: Slight bitterness at 3 seconds, sweetness at 5.
After 5 seconds, all I got was a crash in blood sugar and social dignity. 🧃😵‍💫

But then came the river walk.
Sat on a bench, sweat-soaked shirt, belly full,
Watching the sun slowly sink—it felt like remembering something that never happened. 🌇🌊🧘‍♂️

Shantou, in that moment, wasn’t just a destination.
It felt like the kind of city you accidentally fall in love with—and don’t want to leave.

—

Final Verdict:

Shantou gave me:
• 🥩 A beef ball spiritual experience
• 🛵 A scooter-powered life movie
• 🧃 A betrayal by bottled citrus
• 📛 A crisis of confidence in Chaoshan dialect
• 📸 Peak old town atmosphere
• 🌇 A sunset that felt like enlightenment

I came with curiosity.
Left with 5 extra kilos—and a touch of homesickness. 🥹

—

This is Part 4 of the “52 Hours in X City” series:
A flash-travel log across post-pandemic China.
One city 🏙️, one story 📖, 52 hours ⏱️ of overlap.

Next stop: Xiamen.
Keyword clues: ferry failure, one broken foot, and paranormal supermarket activity.