Chikan Ancient Town

Funded by overseas members of the Situ clan in the 1920s, this library's rooftop mechanical clock sparked a friendly cultural rivalry between two leading families.

Raised in 1931 with money from Guan clan emigrants answering their neighbors, this library with a German clock shows off red brick, a dome and Roman columns.

With a shop in front, storage behind and living quarters upstairs, this three-story arcade mansion recreates daily life for Republican-era overseas Chinese merchants.

Baroque and Lingnan styles meet along about three kilometers of arcade-fronted streets in Chikan, a key filming location for The Grandmaster.

During the early Qing Dynasty, the Situ and Guan clans established settlements along the Tanjiang River, developing Chikan into a prominent river port and commercial hub in the Wuyi Overseas Chinese heartland.

In the 1920s, overseas clan remittances funded the construction of the Situ and Guan clan public libraries and landmark clock towers, forging an iconic architectural and civic cultural heritage along Chikan's arcade waterfront.