Sights in Guǎngzhōu
- Sort by:
- Popular
-
A
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.
reviewed
-
B
Shamian Island
To the southwest of the city is the leafy oasis of Shamian Island. It was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars and is now a peaceful respite from the city. Shamian Dajie, the main boulevard, is a gentle stretch of gardens, trees, and old men playing Chinese checkers. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, built by the French in 1892, is on the eastern end of the thoroughfare. Travellers recommend Shamian Traditional Chinese Medical Centre, at the western end of the island, for its massage (Y68 per hour).
reviewed
-
C
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is an impressive twin-spired Roman Catholic cathedral built between 1863 and 1888. It was designed by a French architect in the neo-Gothic style and built entirely of granite.
reviewed
-
D
Guangxiao Temple
The Guangxiao Temple, or 'Bright Filial Piety Temple', about 400m west of the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, is the oldest temple in Guǎngzhōu and dates back to the 4th century. By the Tang dynasty, it was well established as a centre of Buddhist learning in southern China. Many prominent monks came to teach here, including Bodhidarma, the founder of Chan (Zen) Buddhism.
The temple complex originally contained over 19 halls and several restorations later still feels elegant and spacious. Most of the current buildings date from the 19th century. The most impressive building is the main hall, with its double eaves. Inside is a 10m-high statue of the Buddha. At the back o…
reviewed
-
E
Yuexiu Park
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.
reviewed
-
F
Orchid Garden
Across from Yuexiu Park on Jiefang Beilu is the charming Orchid Garden famous for its blossoming orchids. With its winding paths, arched stone bridges and willow-fringed ponds, you may forget you're even in Guǎngzhōu. Each admission ticket includes a pot of tea at one of the many teahouses, and if you pay Y20, you can see a traditional tea ceremony.
The western edge of the park sits on the site an old Muslim cemetery, supposedly the burial site of Abu Waqas, the uncle of the Prophet, who is credited with bringing Islam to China. His tomb is in a plain stone building oriented towards Mecca. The cemetery is currently closed to non-Muslims.
reviewed
-
G
Qingping Market
Just north of Shamian Island, what is bizarrely translated as 'Peaceful Market' has vast displays of medicinal herbs, dried mushrooms and other plants, live birds, and tubs of squirming turtles, fish and frogs. Much harder to stomach, though, are its cages of live animals, including kittens and puppies, and more exotic creatures such as bats, owls and monkeys - all put out for human consumption, and some in the most pitiful distress. It is one of the most notorious markets in China, and though it has cleaned up its act in the past several years it remains a disturbing place and is not recommended.
reviewed
-
H
Temple Of The Five Immortals
Not far from the mosque is the Taoist Temple Of The Five Immortals . It dates back to 1377 and is named after the mythical founders of Guǎngzhōu. A statue of the immortal five depicts three men and two women riding their legendary rams through the clouds. The temple includes a main hall, built in typical Ming fashion. To the east of the hall is a small pond with a foot-shaped depression, said to be the footprint of one of the immortals.
reviewed
-
I
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.
reviewed
-
J
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.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
K
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees was built in AD 537 to enshrine Buddhist relics brought over from India.
reviewed
-
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.
reviewed
-
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.
reviewed
-
L
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
To the southwest of the city is the leafy oasis of Shamian Island. It was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars and is now a peaceful respite from the city. Shamian Dajie, the main boulevard, is a gentle stretch of gardens, trees, and old men playing Chinese checkers. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, built by the French in 1892, is on the eastern end of the thoroughfare.
reviewed
-
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.
reviewed
-
Temple of Bright, Filial and Piety
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees was built in AD 537 to enshrine Buddhist relics brought over from India. Located about 400m west is the Temple of Bright, Filial and Piety, the oldest temple in Guangzhou, dating back to the 4th century. Many prominent monks came to teach here, including Bodhidarma, the founder of Zen Buddhism.
reviewed
-
M
Memorial Garden to the Martyrs
East of the Peasant Movement Institute, on Zhongshan Sanlu, is the Memorial Garden to the Martyrs, dedicated to those killed on 13 December 1927 under the orders of Chiang Kaishek. The massacre occurred when a small group of workers, led by the Communist Party, were gunned down by Kuomintang forces; over 5000 lives were lost.
reviewed
-
N
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.
reviewed
-
O
Mosque Dedicated to the Prophet
The Mosque Dedicated to the Prophet dates from the Qing dynasty, but the original building on the site is thought to have been established in AD 627 by Abu Waqas, one of the Prophet Mohammed’s uncles, making it the first of its kind in China.
reviewed
-
P
Guangdong Museum of Art
Art lovers may find Guangzhou disappointing, but the Guangzhou Museum of Art (3 Luhu Lu) and Guangdong Museum of Art are good places to see contemporary Chinese artworks.
reviewed
Advertisement
-
Q
Guangzhou Museum of Art
Art lovers may find Guangzhou disappointing, but the Guangzhou Museum of Art is a good place to see contemporary Chinese artworks.
reviewed
