Sights in Guǎngdōng
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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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Shāmiàn Island
The leafy oasis of Shāmiàn Island , which was acquired as a foreign concession in 1859 after the two Opium Wars, is a peaceful respite from the city. Back in the 19th century, the British and French were granted permission to set up their warehouses on this 'sand surface island'. The sandbank was connected to the mainland by several bridges, with iron gates that prohibited any Chinese from entering the island. Major renovation has restored some of the buildings to their original appearance, transforming them into chic restaurants and hotels.
Shamian Dajie is a tranquil stretch of gardens and trees. The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, built by the French in …
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Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
The French were granted permission to build this cathedral after the second Opium War. The twin-spired Roman Catholic cathedral was designed in the neo-Gothic style and built entirely of granite, with massive towers that reach a height of 48m. Take metro line 2 to Haizhu Sq.
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Guāngxiào Temple
The 'Bright Filial Piety Temple', about 400m west of the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, is the oldest temple in Guǎngzhōu, dating back to the 4th century. By the Tang dynasty it was well established as a centre of Buddhist learning in southern China. Bodhidarma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, once taught here.
Most of the current buildings date from the 19th century. The most impressive is the main hall, with its double eaves. Inside is a 10m-high statue of the Buddha. At the back of the hall sits an equally impressive statue of Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy. Take metro line 1 to Xīmén Kǒu station.
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Yuèxiù Park
You'll find gardens, shaded wood paths, historical monuments and museums in this vast urban park. On top of a hill in the centre of the park is the red-walled, five-storey Zhènhǎi Tower (Zhènhǎi Lóu), built in 1380. It was used as a watchtower to keep out the pirates who once pillaged China's coastal cities. In 1928 the tower was rebuilt to accommodate the Guǎngzhōu City Museum, which has an excellent collection of exhibits tracing the history of Guǎngzhōu from the Neolithic period. There are sweeping views of Guǎngzhōu from the top storey. On the east side of the tower is the Guǎngzhōu Art Gallery (Guǎngzhōu Měishùguǎn). In addition to Cantonese embroidery a…
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Orchid Garden
Across from Yuèxiù Park off Jiefang Beilu is this charming 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. An old Muslim cemetery sits on the western edge of the park, supposedly the burial site of Abu Waqas, the uncle of the Prophet, who is credited with bringing Islam to China. The cemetery is closed to non-Muslims.
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Dapeng Fortress
East of Shenzen is Dapeng Fortress. This preserved walled town, still a lively village, was built 600 years ago and was a key battle site in the Opium Wars in the 19th century. To get here, board bus 360 at Yinhu bus station; the bus also stops near China Regency Hotel at Sungang Lu. The journey takes about 90 minutes. Alight at Dapeng bus station (Dàpéng zǒngzhàn; 大鹏总站 ) and change to bus 966. Faster and easier is the Sha Tau Kok Express ($60, 90 minutes, hourly departure between 7am and 6.30pm) at Suffolk Rd (MTR Kowloon Tong, exit C). At the Dapeng bus station change to minibus 966.
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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.
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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.
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Tángjiā Temple
On your way to the Tángjiā Public Garden, detour to visit this 300-year-old temple. A highlight is the grim-looking Buddha statue brought from India when the temple was founded. Board bus 10 on Yingbin Dadao and alight at Tángjiā Market (Tángjiāshìchǎng).
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Mausoleum of the Nanyue King
A must on your itinerary in Guǎngdōng, this superb mausoleum from the 2000-year-old Nanyue kingdom, accidentally discovered in 1983, is now one of China's best museums.
The mausoleum houses the tomb of Zhao Mo, second king of Nanyue and grandson of the fabled Qin general Zhao Tuo, who was sent south by the emperor in 214 BC to quell unrest and established a sovereign state with Guǎngzhōu as its capital. Shortly after Zhao Mo's death, the Han plundered the kingdom, claiming the territory as their own. One of the mausoleum's highlights is Zhao Mo's burial suit, made of thousands of tiny jade tiles – jade was thought to preserve the body and make one immortal. The English a…
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Chen Clan Ancestral Hall
This enormous compound is an ancestral shrine, a Confucian school and a 'chamber of commerce' for the Chen clan, built in 1894 by the residents of 72 villages in Guǎngdōng; the Chen lineage is the predominant family. The complex encompasses 19 buildings of the traditional Lingnan style (southern Chinese style). All buildings contain exquisite carvings, statues and paintings, and are decorated with ornate scrollwork throughout. Take metro line 1 to Chénjiācí station.
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Minsk World
Some 12km east of Shenzhen City a 40,000-ton decommissioned Soviet aircraft carrier and military theme park called Minsk World, complete with choppers, MiG fighter planes, and a troupe of Russian dancers in military costumes (and hot pants) performing bizarre erotic dances.
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Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
This Buddhist temple was built in AD 537 to enshrine Buddhist relics brought over from India. The relics were placed in the octagonal Decorated Pagoda (Huā Tǎ). The temple was given its current name by the exiled poet Su Dongpo in 1099, who commemorated the banyan trees in the courtyard with a poem. The banyan trees are long gone but you can see the characters (liùróng) he wrote hanging above the temple's gateway. To get here, take bus 56.
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OCT East
Some 20km east of Shenzhen City, a whopping Y3.5 billion went into making OCT East, an upmarket and incredibly beautiful theme-park-cum-resort that will certainly awe you. It feels like a supersized Universal Studios plus Chinese Disneyland, with a mock Swiss village, a golf complex, a tea valley and luxurious hotels to keep you entertained and pampered. The park offers some stunning views that make it worth a couple of days to explore, and you can rent a car from inside the park to tour around. To get here, an express bus (Y65, one hour) leaves hourly at exit E, Kowloon Tong MTR station in Hong Kong, between 8.15am and 5.15pm. In Shenzhen, Sightseeing Bus 1, which leaves…
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Whampoa Military Academy
Day tripping on Chángzhōu Island (长洲岛; Chángzhōu Dǎo) is simply fun. Apart from a dozen of relatively undisturbed villages, the highlight on this island is this academy. Established in 1924 by the Kuomintang, it trained a number of military elites for both the Kuomintang and the CCP who went on to fight in many subsequent conflicts and civil wars. It was destroyed by the Japanese in 1938 and the present structure was restored in 1965. Today the complex houses a museum dedicated to the military history of modern China.
Take metro line 2 to Chìgǎng station, then exit C1. Board bus 262 on Xingang Zhonglu to Xīnzhōu pier (新洲码头; Xīnzhōu Mǎtou). Ferries (Y1.50) to the…
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Tángjiā Public Garden
On the outskirts of Zhūhǎi are some lesser-known sites that have nonetheless played vital parts in Guǎngdōng history. To the north is the labyrinth-like Tángjiāwān (唐家湾), where this private estate of the first premier of the Republic of China, Tong Shaoyi, was created in 1900. Now it's a garden preserving various old-growth and rare species from south China.
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Former Residence of Tong Shaoyi
To the north of Xiāngzhōu, two sites are worth discovering in the labyrinth-like suburb of Tángjiāwān ( 唐家湾 ). Tangjia Public Garden was a private estate of the first premier of the Republic of China, Tong Shaoyi, in 1900. Now it is a tranquil garden preserving various old growth and rare species from South China. Take bus 10 on Yingbin Dadao and alight at Tangjia Market (Tángjiāshìcháng). A taxi from Gǒngběi to here is around Y60. The ticket to the garden includes admission to the nearby Former Residence of Tong Shaoyi, where this statesman was born. It’s accessible from the south gate of the garden.
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Memorial Museum of Generalissimo Sun Yatsen's Mansion
In Hǎizhū district, this beautiful Victorian mansion was where Sun Yatsen lived when he established governments in the then Canton in 1917 and 1923. Take metro line 2 to Shì Èrgōng station (the Second Workers Cultural Palace), and then take a taxi (Y9).
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Dr Sun Yat-Sen Residence Memorial Museum
The small village of Cuiheng (Cuìhēng; 翠亨 ), 33km north of the border with Macau, is the site of the Dr Sun Yat-sen Residence Memorial Museum, where the revolutionary hero and founder of the Republic of China was born in 1866. A solemn place of pilgrimage for Chinese of all political persuasions, the museum recreates the house where Sun grew up, and the village compound includes a remarkable collection of period furniture. To get there, take bus 10 in Zhuhai on Yingbin Dadao. Alight at the terminus and change to bus 12. Or pay Y100 (one way) for a taxi from Gǒngběi.
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Baishi Street
More off the beaten track is Baishi Street, literally 'white stone' street, on Qi'ao Island (Qíaòdǎo; 淇澳岛), where local villagers drove the British off the island on the eve of the First Opium War and used the proceeds of a British indemnity to pave a path with white stones.
Today the village preserves a 700-year-old shrine and an old fortress. To get there, board bus 10 on Yingbin Dadao at Gongbei and alight at Tángjiāshìcháng. The journey takes 45 minutes. Then change to minibus 85 to Qi'ao Island and get off at the terminus. This takes another 15 minutes.
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Yang's Ancestral Hall
Yang's Ancestral Hall at Beishan Village (Běishāncūn; 北山村), Nánpíng (南屏), is a shrine built in 1868 and the largest Lingnan architecture representative of its kind in Zhuhai.
To get there, take bus 34 near the landmark Vanguard Department Store on Yingbin Dadao. Alight at Beǐshān (the 2nd stop after crossing Qianshan Bridge). Cross the road (be careful!) to Sinopec gas station. Take the path beside it to Beishan village. Go straight down and turn left till you see a basketball court.
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Shēnzhèn Museum
A good introduction to this incredible city is this hulking new complex. Through spectacular life-sized dioramas and massive interactive multimedia presentations, it showcases the city's short yet dynamic history of social transformation before and after Deng Xiaoping's policies of reform. Take metro line 4 to Shìmín Zhōngxīn station (Civic Centre Station), exit B.
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Tangjia Temple Complex
in the labyrinth-like suburb of Tángjiāwān ( 唐家湾 ) is the 300-year-old Tangjia Temple Complex, dedicated to Lady Golden Flower (a local deity of marriage and pregnancy), the God of War and Literature, and the Buddha. The highlight is a grim-looking Buddha statue brought from India when the temple was founded. The temples are a bit difficult to find; just ask the friendly villagers where Sānmiào is.
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Meixi Royal Archways
Zhuhai has a number of lesser-known sites that nonetheless played vital parts in Guangdong’s history. To the northwest of downtown is Meixi Royal Archways at Qíanshān ( 前山 ), originally a residence of the legendary philanthropist Chen Fang. The archways were bestowed by Emperor Guangxu, but one was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The mansions beside them display wax works, archway models and photos.
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