Shantou's 1930s arcades, walked outward from the pavilion to where the paint stops

In Shantou's old port quarter, the streets leave a small pavilion like the ribs of a fan. The first stretch of each has been repainted; keep walking and the 1930s return, unrestored and still lived in.

Begin at the pavilion, then leave it

The quarter is called Xiaogongyuan (小公园, Small Park), though the park is a roundabout with a memorial pavilion at its centre. Around it stand qilou (骑楼), arcade buildings whose upper floors ride out over the pavement on columns, most built in the 1920s and 1930s when Shantou was a working treaty port. The seven-storey Nansheng building, finished in 1932, still anchors the circle.

Where the paint stops

Take Anping Road or Shengping Road away from the circle. Within a few blocks the fresh cream plaster gives way to grey walls, wooden shutters and balconies hung with laundry. Ground floors hold hardware sellers and tea-leaf merchants rather than souvenir counters. Some facades are braced with steel, so keep to the open arcades and outside anything fenced.

骑楼底下，日子照旧。

What to eat under the columns

Near the Laoma Gong (老妈宫) temple, a long-standing shop sells zongqiu (粽球), a leaf-wrapped rice dumpling with a savoury half of pork and mushroom and a sweet half of bean paste. It is sold hot and is easily shared between two. Come after four, when the heat lifts and stools appear along the pavement; Shantou Station is on the high-speed network, and a taxi to the pavilion takes about twenty minutes.