Things to do in Guìzhōu
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People's Square
At People's Square , north of the train station, you'll find one of China's largest, glistening-white statues of Mao Zedong, as well as two new Louvre-like glass pyramids, which mark a massive subterranean Wal-Mart (a major outing for locals). It's a madhouse here on Friday or Saturday nights when crowds are so thick it can take a whopping 45 minutes to get from one side of the store to the other.
Outside on the square itself, things are more pleasant, with lots of families and people flying kites or visiting in the small gazebos. Weekday mornings the square is often flooded with people practising taichi.
reviewed
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Provincial Museum
The exhibits at this low-tech museum are a truly bizarre mix, with the ground floor given over to a seemingly random collection of firearms. Head to the 2nd floor instead for the section on Guìzhōu's minorities, which features trad- itional clothing and musical instruments. There are some English captions.
reviewed
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Huangguoshu Falls & Longgong Caves
Huangguoshu Falls & Longgong Caves ; %586 4898; 28 Yan'an Donglu; h09:00-18:00; around Y240.) There are organised tours to Huangguoshu Falls and Longgong Caves that leave daily from People's Square or the long-distance bus station. Many of the hotels also organise day tours, as does the Guìzhōu Overseas Travel Company, although they are infrequent off-season. Tours cost from around Y240 per person and include transport and admission fees and sometimes lunch.
reviewed
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Cuìwēi Yuán
On the other side of the river to People's Square is Cuìwēi Yuán , a collection of several small pavilions set in a charming garden of bonsai trees, Chinese stones and miniature plum blossoms. The garden was originally a Buddhist abbey built during the Ming dynasty (1425-35), however nowadays it's essentially home to a group of shops selling traditional Miao embroidery; they're interesting to browse through but extremely pricey.
reviewed
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Dongjia Family Restaurant
Specialising in minority cooking from all over Guìzhōu, this is a friendly joint with fake trees in the dining area to give it that authentic country feel. For once, the pictures in the book-sized menu don't lie; the food here is very nicely presented and comes in ample servings.
reviewed
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Chìshuǐqíng Jiǔjiā
Chìshuǐqíng Jiǔjiā is casual but beautifully decorated and specialises in dozens and dozens of types of bamboo dishes. So much care has gone into the menu and décor, that the unpleasant wait staff comes as both a shock and a huge disappointment. However, the rest works so well, foodies looking for something a little different may still decide this place is worth taking a risk on.
reviewed
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Hóngfú Temple
Located inQiánlíng Parkin the north of the city, Hóngfú Temple is perched near the top of 1300m Qiánlíng Shān and dates back to the 17th century. It's an easy 40-minute walk to the temple, or there's a cable car. The monastery has a vegetarian restaurant in the rear courtyard. From the train station area, take bus 2.
reviewed
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Riverside Promenade
Just north of People's Square, wander along Yangming Lu, cross a large roundabout, and follow a set of stairs down to the riverside. This walkway is filled with older people playing cards and mah jong. At the end, another set of stairs leads you up to the bridge on which rests Jiaxiu Pavilion (甲秀楼; Jiǎxiù Lóu).
reviewed
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Guiyang Art Museum
This Guiyang Art Museum opened quickly but seems to have closed just as fast. Its doors were shut when we dropped by and the lobby was filled with construction materials, though it's not clear if they were for renovations or a change in line-of-work. Drop by when you're in town to see what happened. Enter on Zhongshan Xilu.
reviewed
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Guizhou Long Seafood
This place is positively palatial (seriously, there's a huge staircase just inside the entrance like something out of Gone with the Wind) and has a huge array of seafood dishes to choose from. There's no English menu, but the bible-sized Chinese one is loaded with pictures to guide your choices.
reviewed
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UBC Coffee
There's an extensive coffee and tea menu here, along with the ever popular zhēnzhū nǎichá (珍珠奶茶; pearl milk tea). It's a relaxed, friendly place with slightly tacky décor and a grand piano.
reviewed
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Wenchang Pavilion
Heading north from People's Square up Wenchang Beilu brings you to the Ming-dynasty Wenchang Pavilion. It and the old city walls around it have been beautifully refurbished and the pavilion now houses a very popular local teahouse.
reviewed
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Hequan Lu Bar Strip
At the time of research, about a dozen bars, lounges and clubs had just opened on Hequan Lu north of Qianling Lu. The area hasn't quite taken off yet but it's worth checking out when you're in town to see if things have picked up.
reviewed
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Yawen Restaurant
This is popular with locals for its Sìchuān, Guìzhōu and Cantonese dishes. The food can get expensive but it's first rate. The only downsides are a stark white dining room and overly giggly waiters.
reviewed
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Qianling Park
Qianling Park in the northwest of the city is more forest than park. It's a great escape from the crowds and city noise and has some lovely paths up to the Hongfu Temple. From the train station area take bus 2.
reviewed
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Foreign Languages Bookshop
Has a selection of city maps and it's grooming its English collection quite nicely with up-to-date titles: everything from Sex in the City to Malcolm Gladwell's Blink.
reviewed
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Xinhua Bookshop
Marginally better in the map department than the Foreign Languages Bookshop; Chinese-language tourist mapshere are helpful for navigating bus routes.
reviewed
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Aroma Bakery & Café
The buffets at Aroma Bakery & Café get much better reviews than those at New Zealand Western Restaurant, but are far more expensive.
reviewed
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Hebin Park
Compared to Qianling Park, Hebin Park is nowhere near as impressive, but it's a nice downtown respite, not too far from People's Square.
reviewed
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Temples
Zūnyì has two active Buddhist temples. Built in the 1920s, the very well maintained Xiāngshān Temple (湘山寺; Xiāngshān Sì) is situated on a small hill in a lively part of town. Báiyún Temple (白云寺; Báiyún Sì) is more rundown but still quite charming.
reviewed
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Sìhéyuàn
Every Guìyáng local (and expat) knows this place – a boisterous, frenetic, labyrinthine spot with most typical local dishes you could imagine, all very tasty. It's tough to find – walk west along Qianling Xilu off Zhonghua Beilu and keep your eyes peeled for a Protestant church on the right; the restaurant is down a small alley opposite. No English menu.
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People's Commune
A friendly CCP-themed, bamboo-built bar, with an outside terrace, pictures of Mao and Zhou Enlai on the walls and patriotic songs on the jukebox. Only beer is served here, in utilitarian tin cups, as cocktails are far too bourgeois. It's down an alley on the west side of Hequn Lu, just before the junction with Qianling Xilu. Look for the sign.
reviewed
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Other Sights
Begin at Rénmín Square (人民广场; Rénmín Guǎngchǎng) and take a gander at one of the nation's largest Mao statues…as he salutes Wal-Mart across the street (guess which site the locals are visiting more?).
Walk north across the river, turn right (east) onto Yangming Lu, cross a roundabout, descend to the river and follow it to the triple-roofed Jiǎxiù Pavilion, Guìyáng's most famous landmark
Across the river is Cuìwēi Gōngyuán, an erstwhile Ming-dynasty temple which has picturesque pavilions and some pricey Miao souvenirs.
Backtrack across the bridge and walk north along Wenchang Beilu to another Ming-dynasty speciality: Wénchāng Pavilion (文昌阁; Wénchāng …
reviewed
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Lǐxiǎng Miànshídiàn
This modest eatery serves simple dishes such as wonton soup and noodles, and is handy for a morning meal pre-village-hopping. It's been busily run in a friendly fashion forever.
reviewed
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Lǐxiǎng Miànshídiàn
This modest eatery serves simple dishes such as wonton soup and noodles, and is handy for a morning meal pre-village-hopping. It's been busily run in a friendly fashion forever.
reviewed
