Museum sights in Guǎngzhōu
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Guangzhou City Museum
Near the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King is Yuexiu Park. Within, you’ll find Guangzhou’s Five Rams Statue, a statue of the five immortals attributed to Guangzhou’s founding. On top of a hill in the park is the red-walled, five-storey Zhenhai Tower (Zhènhǎi Lóu), which houses the Guangzhou City Museum. The museum boasts an excellent collection of exhibits that trace the history of Guangzhou from the Neolithic period. On the east side of the tower is the Guangzhou Art Gallery, showcasing Cantonese embroidery, carved ivory decorations, and (oddly) displays outlining Guangzhou’s trading history with the West.
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Mausoleum of the Nanyue King
Begin your tour of Guangzhou in Yuèxiù District and lose your sense of time in the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, a superb mausoleum from the 2000-year-old Nanyue kingdom now turned into one of China’s best museums. A highlight is the burial suit of Zhao Mo (second king of Nanyue), made of thousands of tiny jade tiles, gold jewellery and trinkets.
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Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is a spectacular ancestral shrine built in 1894 by the residents of 72 villages in Guangdong, where the Chen lineage is the predominant family. The complex encompasses 19 buildings with exquisite carvings, statues and paintings. Throughout, ornate scrollworks depict stories from Chinese literature and folklore.
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Whampoa Military Academy
Holding much interest is Whampoa Military Academy on Changzhou Island (Chángzhōu Dǎo; 长洲岛 ). Established in 1924 by Kuomintang, the academy trained a number of military elites for both Kuomintang and the Communist Party, who went on to fight in many subsequent conflicts and civil wars. The present structure houses a museum dedicated to the revolutionary history of modern China. Take metro line 2 to Chìgǎng station, then exit C1. Then board bus 262 on Xingang Zhonglu to Xīnzhōu Pier ( 新洲码头; Xīnzhōu Mǎtou). Ferries (Y1.50) to the academy depart every 40 minutes past the hour from between 6.40am and 8.40pm.
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Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-Sen’s Mansion
For buffs of modern Chinese history, Guangzhou has several significant ‘revolutionary sights’. The recently restored Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen’s Mansion, on the other side of the river, was where Sun Yat-sen lived when he established governments in Guangzhou in 1917 and 1923. This beautiful complex consists of two Victorian-style buildings exhibiting the history of Guangzhou during the revolutionary era and Sun’s office and living room. A taxi from Shamian Island is around Y20. Or take bus 182 on Zhongshan Wulu and get off after five stops. Change to bus 24 and then get off on Jiangbin Lu.
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Guǎngzhōu Museum of Art
The Guǎngzhōu Museum of Art has an extensive collection of works, ranging from ancient to contemporary Chinese art and sculpture, including artists such as Guan Shanyue, Li Xiongcai and Lai Shaoqi. Other interesting exhibits include a fantastic room on the top floor with displays of rare Tibetan tapestries. Another highlight is the room devoted to Liao Bingxiong, a political cartoonist of the 20th century. Take bus 10 or 63.
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Peasant Movement Institute
The communists had a stronghold in Guangzhou once. The Peasant Movement Institute was established in 1924 by the Communist Party. Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai both taught here, before the school closed in 1926. You can see Mao Zedong’s recreated personal quarters.
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