Lianne Baaij
Guangzhou, a city full of history and at the same time very modern, is a fascinating destination in southern China. As a stopover on transit or as part of a round trip through China. Direct to fly in from Amsterdam and visa free! I just came from there and am happy to report on this fun city.
In late February 2024, I had the privilege of exploring Guangzhou with my husband for four days as a participant in a promotional trip organized by China Southern Airlines and GZL International Travel Service Ltd. This trip is an elaboration of the global Ni Hao China campaign, which focuses on showcasing the diversity and richness of Chinese culture and highlighting modern developments and progress in China. Because of my work history in the tourism industry and my network, I was invited to this trip. Together with a total of 80 people from the global travel industry, surrounded by masses of press and photographers, we were treated to a colorful program, delicious food, fun workshops and lots of information.
I’d like to take you through a personal account of four intense days in multi-faceted Guangzhou, the capital of the southern province of Guangdong.
China Southern Airlines
In 11.5 hours we flew non-stop with China Southern Airlines (CZ), from Amsterdam to Guangzhou. Perfect flight times, we left at 9:40 p.m., and after a light meal, a movie and a nice night thanks to a sleeping pill, we arrived at the modern Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, CZ’s home port, at 3:55 p.m. the next day. In just over half an hour we rode in a ready car to our hotel, the Dongfang Mandarin Hotel.
Our first impression; what an order on the road, almost only electric cars. Our driver was able to tell us that in the city 75% of all cars are electric, recognizable by the green license plate. The temperature was lovely (27 ⁰), especially after weeks of gray and rain in the Netherlands. Greenery and flowers everywhere you looked, even on the flyovers hung hundreds of meters of flower boxes with blooming roses. The kapok trees with bright red flowers happily peaked above them. And how beautifully the city was decorated for Chinese New Year!
Dongfang Mandarin Hotel
The Dongfang Mandarin Hotel is the city’s oldest 5-star hotel with nearly 700 rooms. Built in 1960, it has the allure of an old state hotel because of all the marble, large banquet halls and huge chandeliers.The rooms are fine, the location perfect, the breakfast buffet endless and all the facilities. There was a surplus of staff, so we were at our beck and call.
The first thing we did after arriving and freshening up was to seek out Cantonese cuisine. A friend had tipped me to go to one of the city’s oldest restaurants, recommended by Michelin: Beiyuan Cuisine. Both outside and inside, it is beautiful; typical Chinese architecture around a beautiful courtyard garden, and a classic Chinese interior style. The menu was like a candy store. We skipped the idiotically expensive sea cucumbers and shark fin soup, but for less than €100 we feasted on seven top dishes such as deep-fried softshell crab and stuffed bamboo rolls. It was quite an expensive restaurant but just as well packed with entire families in their regular attire loudly enjoying each other’s company and the great food. The city is full of restaurants like this. Over the following days, we were served the most delicious dishes at every meal, with Hainan chicken including the decoratively placed chicken head with comb as a regular treat. Guangzhou presents itself as a Tasty City, and it’s true!
Downtown, with e-sim, Alipay and Wechat
The first day we had no program yet and went roaming the city on our own. I was well prepared and had already installed a Chinese e-sim via the app Airalo at home, so that I could access the Chinese Internet effortlessly. I had linked my credit card to Alipay so I could pay digitally everywhere without any problems, although sometimes cash was still handy if it did not work for a while because not everywhere the settings are geared to foreign users. I have Wechat on my phone to communicate easily and all kinds of useful apps like Baidu maps to navigate, Pleco to translate and Didi to catch a cab. With these, we could enjoy a day wandering around the city and witnessing daily life. Two Dutch travel companions from TUI did not have internet and apps and they therefore did not get further than a block around the hotel…
Our findings: People live close together but make themselves comfortable; mahjong groups on the street, men playing Chinese chess noisily, lavish stores, a lively temple. In between we took a massage and a bubble tea on a terrace. In the evening we visited the Lantern Festival in the Yuexiu Park next to the hotel. A true spectacle with the most insane light sculptures culminating in a giant dragon in the pool of neon tubes. The Year of the Dragon is well welcomed! All in all, a very fine day. Actually, that is still the best part of traveling, just mingling with people, chatting (if you speak Chinese then), observing, participating, tasting life in Guangzhou. Don’t be bothered by all the cameras, because there are six of them on every corner. Just experience it as safe, so do the Chinese. The official program kicked off with an evening program full of demonstrations of the local Lingnan culture. Lingnan is the region of China’s three southern provinces: Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan. In addition to its distinctive Cantonese language, varied cuisine and typical architecture characterized by beautiful ornamental gardens and elaborate decorative details, Lingnan culture also includes a wealth of arts and crafts. We were given previews of traditional art forms such as calligraphy, painting, paper cutting, fan making and sugarcane molding. During the program we saw a lot of Lingnan culture, mostly unfortunately in newly built parks and museums; the old architecture has had to give way to the city’s progress and expansion. The failure to care for monuments did bother me, but the guide assured me that the municipality now realizes the value of old culture and policies are in the works.
Baiyun Mountain
We headed the next day with our buses to Baiyun Mountain, literally translated the “White Cloud Mountain,” with an altitude of 382 meters. The mountain is covered with lush forests, making it a popular destination for hikers. The view of the city is amazing! We visited the Yuntai Botanical Gardens. A sort of kitchen garden (also really with Dutch tulips!), very touristy, but it was nice to see the Chinese enjoying the floral displays and especially taking pictures of each other.
The nearby Shennong Herb Gardens, a museum of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), was interesting. After all, TCM has been deeply rooted in China’s traditional philosophy for thousands of years. It was a flash visit and unfortunately the guide couldn’t properly explain the principles to us so quickly, but with more time, it’s worth getting to know the healing power of TCM better. With a well-stocked goodie bag with all kinds of spreads and oils, we boarded the bus again.
Pearl River Cruise
No exploration of Guangzhou is complete without a cruise on the Pearl River, the Zhu Jiang. As the boat gently glided across the water, we could enjoy the picturesque view of the Guangzhou skyline, illuminated by colorful neon lights and twinkling skyscrapers. The Canton Tower was beautifully lit, then pink, then green, then rainbow colors. By now the weather had turned, with 13⁰ and light drizzle, it was typical Dutch weather, even though we left in the morning with 27 ⁰.
Chen Clan Academy
The next day’s program took us to the Chen Clan Academy, a masterpiece of Lingnan architecture from the Qing Dynasty. This complex, once an academy for preparing for imperial examinations, now houses the Guangdong Folk Art Museum. The buildings are richly decorated and many fine artifacts are on display. The dragon collection was especially beautiful! We asked the guide why only a small part was still authentic and most was newly rebuilt. He took us aside for a moment and told us that only the side wing had survived the Cultural Revolution because the Chen Clan had tactically housed a Red Book printing shop there. They were unable to save the rest from the demolition hammer at the time. That demolition hammer has destroyed much in the city through history and progress, but awareness of lost cultural assets has sunk in, as evidenced by the many renovations and recreations of old architecture in Guangzhou, such as the Guangzhou Cultural & Art Centre. And so is the nearby neighborhood of Yong Qing Fang, where the prosperous Xiguan houses once stood, now completely rebuilt in old style. Not authentic but you can do some really nice shopping there now!
The Canton Tower
A symbol of modern innovation and architectural grandeur, the Canton Tower dominates the Guangzhou skyline as a contemporary masterpiece. The tower was designed by Dutchmen Mark Hemel and Barbara Kuit. With a height of more than 600 meters, we had a breathtaking view of the city.
On the observation deck is also a photo spot with glass floor, very instagrammable but deadly!
You can also treat yourself to dinner at the revolving restaurant, but we had to move on for a stroll around Huacheng Square below. Guangzhou’s business district is housed here in the hippest skyscrapers, sparkling with a carnival of lights. Fifteen years ago there was nothing here!
Beijing Road Pedestrian Street
The next day we visited the bustling pedestrian shopping street Beijing Lu. It is a historic street that dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and has since become an important commercial and cultural hub in the city. Once again, we were escorted by many photographers and, this time, security guards. An uncomfortable status, that VIP happening.
Canton Temple Fair
Like true VIPs, we got to watch the Guangfu Temple Parade from a place of honor, still surrounded by photographers and security guards, a parade of drummers, costumes, floats, lion dancers, acrobats, Gongfu practitioners, all in honor of Chinese New Year. The media portrayed us heavily and I wished the city another very nice Dragon Year on Guangzhou TV. All of Guangzhou seemed to have turned out to see this spectacle, and we got to be at the front. This Parade is held seven days in a row every year during the Lantern Festival. How lucky we were to be able to see this
The program concluded with an elaborate Chinese banquet, with the Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Municipality as our host. And hosts they can do like no other!
On the observation deck is also a photo spot with glass floor, very instagrammable but deadly!
You can also treat yourself to dinner at the revolving restaurant, but we had to move on for a stroll around Huacheng Square below. Guangzhou’s business district is housed here in the hippest skyscrapers, sparkling with a carnival of lights. Fifteen years ago there was nothing here!
The program concluded with an elaborate Chinese banquet, with the Deputy Secretary General of the Guangzhou Municipality as our host. And hosts they can do like no other!
