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The city of Guangzhou,
Guangdong province’s populous capital in southern China is more
popular to the West by its former name of Canton. For
foreigners, the word “Cantonese” popularly points at both the
local language and the admired cuisine. As a major sea port and
a part of the "Maritime Silk Road" that linked Chinese trade
with South-East Asia, India, the Middle East, and Africa
Guangzhou was a prominent entry point for overseas culture in
history. Continuing into the present day, the city’s capacity to
generate more job opportunities coupled with its proximity to
Hong Kong and Macau has made it more cosmopolitan than other
provincial cities. Consequently travelers feel more at ease in
this warm subtropical city. Guangzhou is a wonderful port on the
Pearl River and is navigable to the
South China Sea.
 On
account of being one of the first cities to be benefited from
the Reform and Opening Up policy in 1978, Guangzhou has been one
of the fore-runners of Chinese economic development in the last
decades. With thousands of large, small and medium-sized
enterprises, Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub of
the Pearl River Delta; mainland China's leading commercial and
manufacturing belt. The China Import and Export Fair, also
called "Canton Fair" is a major event held every year in April
and October by Ministry
of Trading.
Guangzhou is famous for its unique local handicrafts which
include ivory carvings, intricate Jade sculpture, Cantonese
enamel ceramic pottery, embroidery and antique wood sculpture. A
visit to galleries and exhibition spaces is a must for an
understanding of Cantonese arts. Traditional arts like Cantonese
opera, an art form involving music, martial arts, acrobatics and
acting is popular in this part of the country. The city has
stretches of green spaces in the form of urban parks in between
residential blocks which serve for cultural recreation and
ecological tourism. Like each city has its different faces the
traditional neighborhoods of old Guangzhou are unlike the
industrial Guangzhou and moves at the laid back pace of a
provincial town with families often sitting and chatting
outdoors. A rich variety of fruits grow in this province giving
it the national acclaim of “ Hometown of Fruits”.
There are a lot of opportunities to explore and experience for
the new traveler - the Pearl River night cruise and the Yuexiu
park, the Sun Yat Sen memorial being a few. Travelling in the
city will be particularly easy with the Guangzhou underground
train service. Guangzhou is the fourth city in China to have an
underground railway system, behind Beijing, Tianjin and
Shanghai. Another highlight of the city is its famous cooking.
Cantonese cuisine enjoys a great prestige among the eight great
traditions of Chinese cooking. It is therefore advisable for the
tourists to try this unique cuisine made from meat, vegetables,
dried plant items and seafood which is either steamed, stir
fried or deep fried. Sauces are generally lighter and less spicy
than those used in other regions of mainland China.
1.
Visit
Guangzhou’s biggest manmade urban park, the Yuexiu Park
Yuexiu Park, named after Yuexiu
Mountain is the largest urban park in Guangzhou covering an area
of 860,000 square meters (212.5 acres). Built in 1952 this
man-made park is a tribute to the contemporary concept of
ecological tourism and Giangzhou’s traditional culture built on
local history and folklore. The park is made up of three
artificial lakes and seven hills of the Yuexiu Mountain. The
pristine greenery and the lakes impart a certain serenity to
this place that a city dweller will come to enjoy.
Historical sculpture and popular
folklore has contributed to the indigeneity of the structures
like the stone sculpture of the Five Rams, Zhenhai Tower, the
Ancient City Wall of the Ming Dynasty or the Zhongshan Monument.
These structures came up different periods in Chinese history.
The sculpture of Five Rams is the symbol of Guangzhou. Legend
has it that five gods wearing robes of five different colors
came to Guangzhou on the backs of rams carrying sheaves of rice
in the ram’s mouths and gave it to the Guangzhou people so that
the raging famine might end. The Zhenhai Tower sits atop the
last remaining piece of Guangzhou's city wall. It provides one
of the clearest view of the city and the neighboring Baiyun
mountains. Originally built in 1380 during the Ming dynasty, the
tower has seen much upheaval, resulting in it being destroyed
and rebuilt a total of five times.
2.
Stopover famous Buddhist temples
– Get a picture of Guangzhou’s cultural heritage
 One
of the definite cultural attractions in Guangzhou is its
Buddhist Temples and monk retreats. Breathing an
atmosphere of exotic oriental culture and Zen Buddhism,
these temples with their unique architectural styles,
their colorful designs and golden Buddhas offer a peek
into the present day practices of this living religion.
Going back 1400 years in history, the Temple of the
Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist
temples in Guangzhou. Originally built in 537 A.D., the
shrine has been rebuilt and renamed several times, from
Changshou Temple (meaning Longevity Temple) to Jinghui
Temple to its present name. The Six Banyan Pagoda or the
Flowery Pagoda is stunning in its structural design. The
roofs curving upwards are fashioned in the shape of dark
red petals of a flower. The tip of the pagoda is like
the stamen while the whole edifice looks like a huge
stigma in the air. It is a pagoda of Buddhist relics.
Guangxiao Si or the Bright Filial Piety Temple is
one of the grandest Buddhist temple and pilgrimage
sites. The famous Chan (Chinese Zen) master, Hui Neng,
practiced here during the Southern Song Dynasty in the
7th century. The many noted monks and sutra-translators
who have resided here have contributed greatly to the
spread of Buddhist culture in and around China. There
are unique Buddhist sculptures and hallways in this
temple complex, each symbolizing an ideal of Buddhism.
In 1961, the Temple was designated by the State Council
as a Key National Cultural Preservation Site.
 One
of the five largest Buddhist temples in Guangzhou with a
large following of monks, the Hualin Temple was built
during the reign of the Southern Dynasties. Legend has
it that the temple was built after the arrival of the
Indian monk, Dharma, hence the original name Xilai
(literally "visitor from the West") Temple. The temple
has Indian Jain and Buddhist influences. In 1654 the
temple was expanded and renamed to Hualin Temple. The
Five-Hundred-Arhat Hall was built in the last year of
Emperor Daoguang in the early 19th century. A Pagoda is
erected to the Indian King Asoka, who was responsible
for the spread of Buddhism in the Southeast Asian
nations. There is also a statue of Marco Polo, the
Italian explorer who came to China in the 13th century.
The Dafo Temple is one of the most famous
Buddhist temples in south China. Aged more than a
thousand years this temple was built during the Southern
Han Dynasty it reached prosperity during the Qing
Dynasty. The Dafo Temple houses the first Buddhist
public library in Guangdong province. 664 square meters
with more than 40,000 books and 8,000 volumes, the
library is a modern facility. It is a professional
Buddhist library, occasionally offering Buddhist courses
or discussion classes for young people and Zen courses
3.
The Pearl River runs through it!
 China’s
third longest river the Pearl River, measuring 2,129
meters in length runs through Guangzhou imparting a
singular beauty to the city. Many famous scenic spots of
Guangdong are located along the river. The prosperous
urban landscape of high rises and shopping malls makes a
walk through the ‘Scenery Corridor' along the river a
refreshing experience. The evening cruise on the Pearl
River is one of the tourist highlights in Guangzhou.
With city lights shimmering on the clear dark waters,
the Pearl River’s splendor at night is no less than Hong
Kong's Victoria Harbor. The cruise section from the
White Goose Pool to Guangzhou Bridge is the best part of
the Pearl River cruise.
4.
Take a relaxing trip up to Baiyun
Shan
The White Cloud Mountain, Baiyun
Shan in Guangzhou's northeastern suburbs is a nice
relaxing getaway . It is the ending range of the Dayu
Mountains in the south. Standing up over the flat area
of the Pearl River Delta it is a natural reserve with
rich resources of wild animals and plants. Only about 17
kilometers north of Guangzhou, Baiyun Shan is best known
for its scenic natural beauty. Wreaths of cloud encircle
this lush mountain after sunny spells following rain
giving it this evocative name. This natural park has
forest coverage of almost 98.5%, boasting a natural
wealth of 1,991 kinds of plants, age-old trees, exotic
flowers and wildlife. The mountain is like a transition
watershed from the semi-tropical climate of the northern
China to the warm temperate zone of south China.
The
White Cloud Mountain stretches for 28 square kilometers
and has more than 30 peaks. Moxing Ridge (Star-Scraping
Ridge), known as 'The first peak under the southern
sky', is about 382 meters high. You can stand on the
summit and have a great view of the city and the Pearl
River. The road to the top is restricted to park trams
and pedestrians. You can get to the viewing point in
cable cars to the top or walking up on mountain trails.
Along the way you shall find places to rest and take
refreshments. Six areas of this natural phenomenon are
particularly appreciated by tourists. Bright Pearl
Building Park, the San tailing Summit Park, the Bird
Spring Valley Park (Mingchun Valley), the Santailing
Park, the Luhu Park and the Fei'eling Park. The Yuntai
Garden at the foot of the mountain is famous for its
wide variety of rare flowers and trees. Every year there
is a beautiful 3-D flower exhibit.
Travel from
Kunming to Guangzhou
Kunming to Guangzhou is about a day’s journey by train.
There are also cheap non-stop flights to Guangzhou.
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