嘉禾望岗，广漂青年的应许之地 #guangzhou #story #纪录片

嘉禾望岗，广漂青年的应许之地 #guangzhou #story #纪录片

Let’s do a little survey, Northerners living in Guangzhou, Have you ever secretly imitated this voice, Using Cantonese to announce subway station names? Anyway, I’ve done it. And among all the subway stations, The one with the most stories Is probably Jiahe Wanggang. As a transfer station, It’s the starting point to the airport and high-speed rail station, Representing farewell. As a destination, It can also represent new hope. Jiahe Wanggang, And even the entire Baiyun District, Are the holy land for young Guangzhou drifters to start a new life. As soon as you exit the subway turnstile, You feel the abundant atmosphere of making money. Young guys ambush in two rows, Smashing cups as a signal when someone passes by, To promote ride-hailing apps. Outside the subway station, Motorcycle taxi drivers wait for opportunities, All are good signs, Inevitably making one suspect, There must be a lot of young people here, And it’s a place with high traffic. In many urban village subway stations in Haizhu and Tianhe Districts, Such scenes are rarely seen anymore. Other vacant lots near (the station) Will be developed into high-rise residences in the future, And a Sam’s Club supermarket. If people from other cities suddenly buy a house here, They might not be used to the nearby urban villages, But undeniably, This is the original appearance of Baiyun District in 2025. Urban villages are like a spectrum Connected into patches, Hard to separate. Our destination is on the west side of Jiahe Wanggang Subway Station, I will cross through Pengbian Village and Wanggang Village, To fully appreciate, Why Baiyun District’s urban villages are more livable. Coming out of the subway station, After walking 200 meters, you see a “small river”, This small river is actually a flood discharge channel, Its source is the Modaokeng Reservoir on Baiyun Mountain, Also known as Baiyun Mountain South Lake, The water quality shouldn’t be too bad. Rounding it up, This can be considered the Pearl River, So the nearby houses are river-view apartments, This area is particularly interesting, It’s roughly a small square about 150 meters long, Rather than calling it an urban village, It’s more like a rural community. Because it’s very neat, Roads are straight and level, The spacing between buildings is wide enough for trucks to enter, Many buildings exceed 9 floors, The taller ones can reach 12 floors. The interesting thing is, This place, It belongs to Wanggang Village, In previous urbanization constructions, It first turned from a piece of farmland Into an agricultural and livestock products trading market, And later was completely cut off by a widened road. So now it looks, Like an enclave of Wanggang Village, Leaving traces of urban changes. Before the nearby residential complexes were built, Villagers built rural apartments, To accommodate migrant workers from other places. Snow King Coffee offers a free cup, Raw coconut latte for only 8 yuan, Snow King for Strivers, coffee made for hustlers. Now on my left is a school, On my right is a particularly tall building, With 13 floors, This building is probably equivalent to Shenzhen’s former Kingkey Tower, Or New York’s Central Park Tower, It’s tall enough to overlook all of Jiahe Wanggang. I estimate you could live here for just over 1,000 yuan a month. A price ordinary workers can afford, To experience the joy of a successful Manhattanite, Pretty awesome. From the Kingkey Tower, turn a corner, And you enter the real urban village. This road is called Hemuling Street, Still part of Wanggang Village, The street layout is a bit like a ribbon fish. On both sides of the main road are small alleys leading to apartments, But these alleys reach a dead end after a few steps, At first glance, it’s no different from a typical urban village, But after wandering a bit, you’ll notice there are a lot of new buildings, And the apartments are prettier. Obviously, Private capital is voting with its feet, Betting heavily on Jiahe Wanggang, Strolling here, Gives a sense of thriving vitality. Look at how great these apartments are, Every room has a balcony, And the security bars are prettier too. The building next door is also being renovated, Once it’s all finished, It’ll probably be similar to this apartment. I’d like to ask, how much is the rent around here? — The one I rent is 1,100. Is it a one-bedroom, or with a living room? — It’s a large single room. Oh, that (price) is alright. — Yeah, and one-bedroom here… wait, there aren’t any one-bedrooms? No one-bedrooms, mostly with living rooms? — No… Oh, they’re all large single rooms, right? — Right, large single rooms, and a few two-bedroom units on the top floor. The top floor is probably more expensive, since it’s two-bedroom? — Yes, yes, two-bedroom units are a bit pricier. How much for a two-bedroom? — It was 1,800 before. My parents rented one when they visited. Oh, I see. Alright, thanks, sorry to bother you. — This (place) was probably converted from an apartment, so it might be pricier. — Those private houses are cheaper, some are a few hundred yuan. There are some for a few hundred? — Yeah, those private houses, like the ones with signs (contact info), you can check the signs. Got it, got it. Thanks. It seems that better-renovated apartments Cost over 1,000 yuan, Do you think this price is expensive Or cheap? Leaving the alley, Back to Hemuling Street, I chatted with an old man at a convenience store, His shop just opened recently, The old man used to be in Kangle Village in Haizhu District, Now he’s come to Jiahe Wanggang to work, According to his own estimate, It’ll take about a year and a half For his store to break even. Any friends familiar with convenience stores, What kind of level is this break-even period? Among Guangzhou’s urban villages, It should rank pretty high, right? Keep walking forward, And you’ll reach the main road. Let’s turn left, To check out Pengbian Village, These two buildings are also tall, The one on the right is about 10 or 11 floors. The one on the left seems to have been renovated, It used to have windows, Later, they probably changed the layout and bricked them up. Venturing deeper, There’s a cluster of takeout restaurants, Featuring cuisines from all over, Including the rare-in-Guangzhou Old Beijing takeout, Beef pancakes with casserole noodles, I’ll have to try the authentic version in Beijing someday. Over here, it’s all Old Korean takeout, This must be the narrower alley of Hemuling Street, Not much different from other villages, But the road is very straight. Emerging from the alley, You reach Shangsheng East Street, This road runs parallel to Hemuling Street, Still part of Wanggang Village. Continuing across a wide road, Called Pengshang East Street, This road is quite interesting, The apartments on both sides are especially nice, All equipped with balconies, Much like university dorms. But next to the apartments are some factories, See how this building connects to the factory next door, This is one of Jiahe Wanggang’s unique features, Let’s keep going, This feature becomes even more apparent. Pengshang Park—the dividing line between Pengbian Village and Wanggang Village, For some people, It’s also the boundary between work and life. The road at the park’s entrance leads to an industrial park in the village, This park spans over 100,000 square meters, About the same size as Pengbian Village’s core area. And outside the factories, There’s another area of apartments and residential complexes. The industrial park is like the ketchup in a burger, Sandwiched between the urban village’s residences. There are factories in the village, With residences next to the factories, This scene was once common in Tianhe and Haizhu, And in Panyu District’s urban villages, During early urbanization, The village outskirts had space for planning, Making it easier for industrial parks And neater residences to emerge. In short, Whatever the market needs, That’s what the urban village becomes. It’s precisely because these urban village “free trade zones” Are located near the outer edges of the area, And property rights are more centralized, So in the later stages of urbanization, (These areas) are more likely to be demolished first, Leaving behind scattered property rights, And chaotic “handshake buildings,” Eventually surrounded by skyscrapers, This is the typical lifecycle of Guangzhou’s urban villages. For example, Shipai Village in Tianhe District, Is now surrounded by high-rises, Like a maze. But because it evolved from a natural village, It has preserved many ancestral halls, Maintaining the village’s original social relationships. Jiahe Wanggang is Shipai Village’s past, And Shipai Village Could be one possible future for Jiahe Wanggang. Leaving the industrial park to check out the residential area, This road is actually quite spacious, But the buildings on both sides are tall and dense, Making the visual proportions feel exaggerated, If you add more neon lights, It feels like being in Hong Kong. Hi, hello, I’d like to ask, how much is the rent around here? — Depends on what you’re looking for. Like one with a balcony, but the room doesn’t need to be too big. — Do you want it to have sunlight too? Yes. — A one-bedroom with a living room, right? Yes, yes, yes. — 1,700, 1,800. That’s not cheap. — Pretty expensive. — If you want sunlight, it’s expensive, but the lighting is good. Are jobs easier to find here than in other districts? — Are you taking photos? I’m not photographing you, I’m shooting other places. — Jobs are easy to find. Jobs are easy to find? — Yes. No wonder, it feels more expensive than Haizhu. — I just went to check out a place, it felt pretty nice. Easy to find? — It’s easy to find, but it depends on how high your standards are. That’s true. — If you want good lighting, you’ll have to pay more. Alright, thanks, I won’t bother you, bye. High housing prices are actually a good thing, It means the people living here Have rising incomes, And the couple I just talked to also thinks Baiyun District has better job opportunities. I didn’t ask what industry they’re in, My impression is that Baiyun District’s beauty, fashion, e-commerce, and cross-border industries are quite developed, All highly competitive fields nowadays, But also suitable for young people to take a chance on. Since we’ve arrived at Old Pengbian Village, Let’s take a stroll through the alleys here. Twisting and turning, it’s easy to get lost. While wandering around the nearby village, I got a bit lost, I can’t find the exact location of this community park now. It’s still quite interesting, Deep in the village, There are surprisingly such facilities, And two buildings under construction, (The ground floor) already has wall tiles installed. Such building materials are rarely seen in urban village apartments, I estimate they make up less than 10%, Because people are usually reluctant to use them. The landmark of Sunset Park—Liu Clan Ancestral Hall, Ancestral halls have feng shui considerations, They need to be built near mountains and water, In places with open views. So, when villages become urban villages, There will be squares, parks, and ponds near the ancestral halls, Turning into public activity spaces. In Pengbian Village, I also saw the Ye and Peng clan ancestral halls, Both near the main roads, The Peng Clan Ancestral Hall happened to be open, So I took a look inside. According to the inscriptions, The Peng clan of Pengbian came from Maogang Village in Huangpu, Via Longyandong, Modaokeng, and Qianbu, Finally settling in Pengbian. I hadn’t heard of Qianbu before, It’s probably near Jiahe Wanggang, But Longyandong is likely Longdong, And Modaokeng is probably the one at the foot of Baiyun Mountain. The Peng clan ancestors might have followed this route From Huangpu to Baiyun. The ancestral hall is solemn and grand, With a large courtyard, And a fishpond in the courtyard, Inside, many elderly people are playing chess and chatting, This is a common scene in urban village ancestral halls, Usually a place for leisure activities. In a bit, we’ll head to Wanggang Village across the road, The ancestral hall there has some unexpected features. My first impression of Wanggang Village is still the very tall buildings, From this square, The nearby village houses even have A bit of that beautiful yet chaotic Hong Kong street vibe, Very much like tenement buildings. Actually, Hong Kong’s tenement buildings and Guangzhou’s urban villages Do share some similarities, They were both developed before professional real estate developers arrived, By private investors for tiny plots of land, But the difference is, The property rights of Hong Kong tenements are more complex than those in Guangzhou’s urban villages. In Guangzhou’s urban villages, one building belongs to one household, While in Hong Kong tenements, each unit belongs to different owners, So redeveloping or demolishing tenements Is extremely troublesome. This also makes some Hong Kong neighborhoods visually Somewhat like a low-density version of Guangzhou’s urban villages, Making the street scenes more human, More cyberpunk, Each tenement is a fossil of the city. So if we think from another angle, As long as you’re bold enough, You can totally imagine Jiahe Wanggang as a stand-in for Hong Kong and Macau. This road is particularly distinctive, Wide enough for two cars side by side, With very narrow sidewalks on both sides, Much like the streets of Macau, It’s quite pleasant to stroll (if there’s no traffic). If the neighbors put up some traditional Chinese signs, And add more neon lights, Open a few coffee shops or cha chaan tengs, Sell some pork jerky, It might just take off. Walking to Wanggang Kindergarten, Then turning right, You can enter the depths of Wanggang Village from “Macau Road,” This lifting pole is like a customs gate. There are too many construction sites in Jiahe Wanggang, Newly built houses are everywhere, Look at the cluster of buildings in the distance, Like a microchip, Densely packed with buildings. But take a closer look, There are two particularly beautiful buildings, With balconies and floor-to-ceiling windows, Overlooking the night market business district. These two buildings look quite new, The ones next to them are a bit older, So in Guangzhou’s urban villages, Construction can happen anywhere, You need to be mentally prepared, And tolerate the noise, Let’s give everyone a sense of the sounds here. Wanggang Village’s ancestral halls are also very distinctive, There’s an inner loop road in the village, About 1.8 kilometers long, Walking a loop along it, You’ll come across nine Li Clan ancestral halls, I visited four of them, Two of these are called Li Clan Grand Ancestral Halls, Usually, if it’s called a Grand Ancestral Hall, Then it’s a main ancestral hall, Representing the highest-level ancestral hall in an area. So, are the other seven ancestral halls in Wanggang Village Branch halls dedicated to later ancestors? Not necessarily, I visited Kangling Li Ancestral Hall and Dingxing Li Ancestral Hall, The deities enshrined in these two are still founding ancestors, Not later ancestors, In other words, these two ancestral halls Are also main halls. As a northerner, I was particularly confused, It took a lot of effort to finally figure it out. Here’s an imperfect analogy, Wanggang Village is a bit like Hogwarts, Once, eight founding ancestors established the village here, After hundreds years of development, The descendants of these eight founders Became the current native residents of Wanggang Village, So Wanggang Village once had eight ancestral halls. These eight ancestral halls And the kinship communities they represent, Are like the houses of Hogwarts, Each house is independent, But culturally, they share the same origin. Together, They form a larger community. In 2005, Only five of the eight ancestral halls remained, Wanggang Village is far more expansive and prosperous than 700 years ago, Migrant workers from other places live here, Spend money here, Continuing to write the epic of Wanggang with the villagers. Sihuo gatherings are a Lingnan specialty, Roughly referring to folk music gatherings, Usually featuring traditional music. I heard there’s something called a Sihuo gathering here, right? — Sihuo gathering? Hey! We’re done for the day! — Haha! Done for the day! Done for the day?! I just watched a good bit, it was awesome. As the Sihuo gathering wraps up, The workers also finish their shifts, The streets immediately become bustling, Street vendors set up their stalls, It gets even livelier at night. Basically, all the main roads Turn into night market streets. Roadside stalls, Even extend to the roads outside the village. Every inch of the road is used for business, Set up a rack, And it’s a clothing store, With two chairs and a table, You can open a nail salon. Life in Wanggang Village is far from upscale, But in reality, It’s already a relatively good urban village. At the end, let’s experience The crowded streets here, And wish those living in Jiahe Wanggang, And those who once lived here, Good luck in the future.

嘉禾望岗是广州最有名的地铁站，甚至有歌曲直接以“嘉禾望岗”命名，早在2010年代，这个地铁站就被广州人视为“离别”的象征。
但在另一面，这个地铁站也代表着希望，超过20万人住在这个地铁站附近的城中村，这里“平民窟”的居住条件比核心城区更好，于是逐渐成为打工人的天堂，成为青年广飘的应许之地。
视频拍摄了嘉禾望岗地铁站附近的彭边村、望岗村，村落的原住民与外来人口共处同一个空间，这空间是二元的，非常有趣。

00:00 嘉禾望岗概况
01:30 江景房与城市变迁
03:12 荷木岭街
08:02 城中村的生命周期
09:40 路人说找工作容易
11:21 彭边村小巷子
12:47 日落公园与祠堂
15:22 望岗公寓与香港唐楼
18:01 望岗祠堂与霍格沃兹
20:31 晚安嘉禾望岗

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