A Weekend in Guangzhou

Guangzhou is more known as a city for traders, being a gateway between seafarers and the rest of China. Yet, Guangzhou is not just a trading stopover. In fact, it has a lot of tourist destinations that most people know little of.

When in Guangzhou, try the authentic Chinese food. Formerly known as Canton, this city thrives on delectable Chinese cuisine. In fact, it offers cheaper but more sumptuous meal than Hong Kong.

Get a bout of history with a visit at Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. For just RMB10, you can enter the hall and stroll around its grounds. Take a walk to nearby attractions like the museum and the people's park.

One thing that Guangzhou is rich of other than food are the parks. They're almost everywhere. The best park so far is the Yuntai Garden which brings you closer to nature and a cable ride away from Baiyun Mountain.

Baiyun Mountain and Yuntai Garden are good venues to retreat from the hustle and bustle of city life. Although Guangzhou is an urbanized city, it still has a touch of simplicity that attracts locals and travelers alike. Be on top of Guanzhou at Baiyun Mountain where it gives you a majestic view of the city.

Shopping is also a favorite pastime in this capital city of Guangdong province. Cheap buys draws tourists to local markets. The small boutiques at Luju Road are the cheapest so far from the other shopping destinations I've visited.

If you want to get friendly with animals, the Guangzhou Zoo and Ocean World provide a welcome respite to city dwellers.

Don't miss the Shishi Stone Cathedral. It's the only church that offers English masses. Moreso, the facade looks magnificent.

Quick Tips:

Most locals do not speak English and some signs are written in Chinese. Better if you have a map with you with the English and Chinese names of the places as well as a Cantonese phrasebook that has the Chinese characters.

Money changers are nowhere to be found. To exchange your dollars or your own currency to Yuan, you can only do so at Bank of China which opens Mondays to Sundays from 9:00am till the afternoon only, or at the one in the airport. Bank of China offers a better rate because money changers at the airport charges an extra fee.

Since it is hard to communicate with the locals, be sure to ask everything you need to know at your hotel desk before you embark on your day's journey. Police officers couldn't speak nor understand English as well. If you want to inquire from strangers, better to ask from university students who are more adept in English than the elders.

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro subway is the best way to get around. You can get a stored value card with just a RMB30 deposit. Be wary though because refunding your deposit is a bit difficult. The card is accepted in taxis, buses and in the metro.

Should your destination is not along the metro route, take a bus. You can ask help from a local since signages are written in Chinese. If you want a more convenient life, you can take the taxi but they may charge you higher than the standard or take you for a ride.

If the places are just near each other or near the metro station, walking is the healthier and cheaper option.

Hostelling in China is very easy. With its wide network, you know that you have an affordable and safe place to stay. The Riverside Youth Hostel is located near a market, the bar street, a Bank of China branch, the metro station and the Pearl River. In short, it was the perfect place to be in Guangzhou.

For just RMB160 a night for a room for two, you can sleep in a comfortable bed with TV and clean bathroom with hot shower. The lobby is very homey with sofa where guests can hang out. It also has an internet corner for guests wanting to get connected. Food offered in RYA is also affordable. If you want to go around Guangzhou on a bike, there are some available for rent at the hostel.

The hostel staff members are also very friendly and helpful. Business cards are available at the information so you can easily ask a local how to get back to the hostel. Reading materials are also found at the counter. You can inquire or make your bookings by sending them an e-mail. info@rsyha.com or qiqi@rsyha.com

A wonderful architectural landmark, a grand hall, and the giant statue of Chinese leader Sun Yat Sen await every visitor in this compound. Getting inside the Sun Yat Sen grounds costs a mere RMB10. You’ll find interesting trees and plants in its grounds. But the breathtaking view is the octagonal-shaped hall that is in itself a work of art.

People behind the building of the hall really put a lot of effort, skill and talent into what now is known as the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. It pays tribute to the Chinese leader and other Chinese who are genius builders.

International and national performers perform in the great hall. Thousands of people can be accommodated in this venue. The hall also exhibits the works of Sun Yat Sen.

We went to Yuntai Garden for the purpose of getting to Baiyun Mountain through cable car. Unknown to us, Yuntai Garden is like a European scenery in Chinese shore. At the entrance, a cascading fountain greets visitors enticing them to take a look around the magnificent garden. Green grass and colourful flowers with the mountain and the blue sky seen at the background.

Entrance to the garden is just RMB10. At an affordable price, visitors can tour the large expanse of the garden. A giant teapot, a glass house, a man-made lake and a rose garden are just few of the attractions inside Yuntai.

You can find a spot, sit under a tree and just delight on the view that Yuntai Garden has to offer. Families come here for a picnic while others come to commune with nature or practice tai chi. For plant and flower lovers, Yuntai Garden is like Eden, a Shangri-la, a paradise in the side of a mountain. No wonder it is dubbed as the "the Pearl of the Flower City of Guangzhou". True enough, it’s definitely one of a kind in China, if not in Asia.

The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus or Sacred Heart Cathedral is more known as Shishi or Stone Cathedral. It covers 2,700 sq. meters and made of granite. Mandarin, Cantonese and English masses are held here.

Located at the northern part of the Pearl River, Shishi Cathedral is very near the shopping district of Haizhu market.

Built during the Qing Dynasty (sometime between 1863 and 1888), the Sacred Heart Cathedral provides a Gothic touch in the Chinese cityscape of Guangzhou. Because of its size, the cathedral is known as the largest Gothic building in China.

Shopping, anyone? Who wouldn’t love to go for cheap buys? Guangzhou has lots of cheap markets but I found better buys at Luju Road. Since it was the start of the year and the cold breeze was still making its presence felt, most products sold at Luju Road were still in winter fashion.

Sweat shirts, jackets and mink coats are seen in every corner. But you can also find cosmetics, shoes, bags, grocery items, television sets, cellphones, electronic gadgets and other things you’d think of bringing home. Imagine a hard-covered traveling bag with wheels at only RMB50.

Luju Road is right at the B2 exit of Fangcun station of the subway. If you come here at night, the stalls are open and more restaurants are available to sate your craving appetite. A cheap hole in the wall serves a bountiful meal at just RMB5. At the end of Luju is Changdi Road which is a fave nightspot with its Barstreet and the magnificent view of the Pearl River.

In the morning, the park along Changdi Rd. is open to families with some colourful gym and exercise equipments ready for the public.