Understanding Shilong
"Shilong" is a name that appears in several parts of China, so the first practical step for a visitor is to confirm which one you are heading to. The best-documented destination for travellers is Shilong Town in Dongguan, Guangdong, which sits in the Pearl River Delta and is served by cross-border coaches as well as local buses. There is also a Shilong District in Pingdingshan, Henan, and a Shilong town in Jingshan County, Jingmen, Hubei. The guidance below focuses on Shilong in Dongguan, since that is where the available transport information is concentrated.
Arriving by Cross-Border Coach
For visitors coming from Hong Kong, Macau or the Zhuhai border area, the most useful entry point is the Shilong Hotel cross-border bus station. It operates as both a departure and an arrival point, so you can use it in either direction.
- Station name: Shilong Hotel
- Address: Yifang Hotel (formerly Fulin Hotel), No. 28 Xinqiao Road, Shilong Town, Dongguan
- Phone: 0769-86623888
- Operator: CTS BUS (China Travel Service) cross-border routes, bookable through GoByBus.hk
- Connections: Cross-border services link Shilong Hotel with Macau and other regional destinations, including Hong Kong Airport, Shenzhen Bay, Macau, Zhuhai and Guangzhou
If you are arriving from Hong Kong or Macau, booking a cross-border coach to Shilong Hotel is the most direct option, and it drops you in the town itself rather than at a distant transport hub. Nearby cross-border alternatives include Gongbei Port and Portas do Cerco Gongbei, in the Macau–Zhuhai border area, which you can use if your itinerary takes you through that crossing instead.
Local Buses
Local bus service is the main way to move around the area on a day-to-day basis. Guangzhou Bus Group operates routes that pass through Shilong, and fares on these services are inexpensive and paid on board.
- Example route: Guangzhou Route 472, operated by Guangzhou Bus Group – 2nd Bus
- Fare: ¥2
- Service hours: roughly 06:30 to 22:00 in both directions
- Route endpoints: Daling Village Bus Terminal and Jianggao (Dasonggang) Bus Terminal
- Nearby stops: Langtoucun and Shilong Dangpu Jie sit on either side of the Shilong stop
Route 472 passes through a string of local areas, including Daling, Shenshan, Wufeng, Langtou, Maoshan, Hebucun, the Baiyun Campus of Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University, and Jianggao. This makes the bus a practical choice if your destination is one of those neighbourhoods rather than the town centre. Because fares are low and paid in cash on board, keep small notes or coins handy.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
In the wider Pearl River Delta, app-based ride-hailing is widely used, and it is a sensible fallback for short trips, late arrivals, or when a bus route does not reach your exact destination. Have your destination written in Chinese characters to show your driver, since place names can be ambiguous.
Rail, Metro and Trams
No rail, metro or tram network is documented for Shilong in the available material. Note that "Shilong Road station" on the Shanghai Metro is in Shanghai and is unrelated to Shilong in Guangdong. For longer journeys, the practical approach is to use the cross-border coach network described above, or to connect via the larger regional hubs such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Zhuhai, which the cross-border services already link to.
Walking
Walking is a reasonable way to cover the immediate area around your accommodation and the Shilong Hotel bus station, particularly for reaching nearby shops and local streets. Beyond that, the town spreads out and the documented transport options are bus and coach, so plan to combine walking with a bus or a booked transfer for anything farther afield.
Getting In from the Airport
That gives you a direct, bookable option if you are flying into Hong Kong.
- From Hong Kong Airport: use the CTS BUS cross-border coach service to Shilong Hotel, bookable via GoByBus.hk
- From other regional gateways: cross-border routes also link Shilong Hotel with Shenzhen Bay, Macau, Zhuhai and Guangzhou, so you can route in via those hubs
- On arrival: the coach sets you down at the Shilong Hotel station on Xinqiao Road, from which you can continue by local bus or taxi
Practical Tips
- Confirm which Shilong you are travelling to before booking, since the name is shared by places in Guangdong, Henan and Hubei.
- Book cross-border coaches in advance through GoByBus.hk, especially around peak travel periods.
- Carry small change for local buses, as fares such as the ¥2 on Route 472 are paid on board.
- Keep the Shilong Hotel station details handy — No. 28 Xinqiao Road, phone 0769-86623888 — as a reference point for drivers and for planning your onward trip.