Paifang Street (牌坊街) is the main pedestrian artery of Chaozhou's old city, lined with dozens of stone memorial archways that were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties to honour scholars, officials, and virtuous widows. The archways are inscribed with the names and titles of those honoured, creating an outdoor catalogue of local achievement across six centuries. It is a peculiar and genuinely impressive streetscape — a city that decided to turn its main thoroughfare into a permanent public monument.
The street is also a good place to eat and shop: the ground floors of the flanking shophouses are occupied by snack sellers, tea shops, and vendors of Teochew craft goods, including the iron teapots and clay cups used in kung fu tea preparation. In the evening it fills up with locals doing what Teochew people do best — eating slowly and drinking strong oolong.