GUANGZHOU
Guangzhou, known in the West as Canton, is the capital city of the huge province of Guangdong. Guangdong and its residents are regarded with a mixture of suspicion and fascination by their northern counterparts. This intrigue is partly due to Guangdong's fame as a dirty, noisy and dangerous city. Although the area has a fairly buoyant economy, the crime rate here is high and there are multitudes of migrant workers from out of town who hang about Guangzhou on the look out for money. Guangdong people are also famously aggressive and noisy. Many visitors to the city however, find this kind of enthusiasm refreshing and passionate as opposed to threatening and it is this attitude which laid the foundations for the revolutionary beliefs that the city has harbored in the past. Indeed, the revolutionary sights are among the more interesting aspects of Guangdong and the Communist Party Academy is a fascinating insight into the foundations of the PRC's political party.

There is also a colonial side to Guangzhou that has a relaxed and laid back feeling to it. Many of the buildings and churches on Shamian Island are well maintained and rather pretty, especially compared to the high rises and granite buildings on the other side of the river.

Perhaps the best thing about Guangzhou however is eating. The Chinese saying "Born in Suzhou, eat in Guangzhou and die in Liuzhou" is a fitting way to describe the wealth of great food available here. (Apparently if you are born in Suzhou you have a beautiful mother, and if you die in Liuzhou you will be buried in the finest coffins!) Eating is certainly the main pleasure for the local residents here and there are literally hundreds of good restaurants serving up authentic Cantonese cuisine. The atmosphere in many of these places is great and not unlike the city itself- lively, friendly and very very noisy!

Tourist Attractions in Guangzhou:

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family
The Guangzhou Study House of the Chen Family is commonly known as the Ancestral Temple of The Chen Family. It is now the site of the Guangdong Folk Art Museum.The 100-year-old temple was once the ancestral temple and study of 72 Chen families in Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty. It is now the largest and best preserved and decorated ancient architecture existing in Guangdong Province. 

It was designated as an important cultural relic under the State protection by the state Council in 1986.
Covering an area of 15,000 square meters, the temple, having a rectangular structure as its main building, comprises 19 buildings. It is known for its beautiful decoration, which combines wood carving, brick carving, stone carving, clay sculpture, ash sculpture, brass and iron foundry, grotto, new year ainting and other art forms. The special historical, art and scientific values have made it an important attraction in Guangzhou.



Baiyun Mountain (Outside Guangzhou)
Baiyun Mountain (Baiyun shan) makes a pleasant half day trip away from the traffic and congestion of Guangzhou. The Mountain (known locally as White Clouds Mountain) is approximately 15km north of the city and is part of the Kun Shan Mountain range.
This is a pretty spot with pagodas, monasteries and tea houses dotted about the mountain park. The mountain has some nice scenery and is refreshingly lush and green. It can get busy here, and the Chinese are particularly keen on this mountain but, it is large enough to enable you to lose the crowds. The peak, "Star touching hill" (Moxing Ling) is a three hour walk from the base and affords spectacular views over the surrounding countryside and city. The view at sunset is especially nice.

Communist Party Military Academy (Central Guangzhou)
The former Peasant Movement Institute (Nongmin yundong jiangxi suo) is situated in the Huangpu district of Guangzhou. This was the training site for Communist Party members and Sun Yat Sen, Zhou Enlai and Mao Zedong both lectured here.
The building today houses a revolutionary museum and the rooms here have maintained their characteristically spartan appearance.

Five Immortals Temple (Central Guangzhou)
The Temple of the Five Immortals (Wuxianguan) is located on Huifu Xi Lu. This Temple was built in the tenth year of the reign of Emperor Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1377) as a temple for worshipping the five immortals believed to be responsible for good (or bad) harvests and the symbol of the city. The temple gate faces north, which is considered good fortune for religious constructions. This is a well maintained building and there are some delicate and intricately carved steles inside. To the east of the back hall there is a bare layer of red-colored sand, on which are footprints. Legend has it that these are the marks left by the immortals.

Huaisheng Mosque (Central Guangzhou)
Located on Guangta Lu, Huaisheng Mosque (Huaisheng guangtisi) was the first mosque to be built in China. It currently boasts over 40 prayer mats in Chinese and Arabic dating from the Tang Dynasty to the fall of the feudal empires.
Many Muslims believe a temple was first constructed here in the 7th Century. The Mosque is held in high regard by Muslims today. The Mosque is not usually open to non-Muslims but the building's impressive symmetrical architecture is worth admiring from outside.

Liuhua Lake Park (North Guanghzou)
Liuhua Lake Park(Liuhuahu Gongyuan) consists of a huge artificial lake dotted with a few islands and walkways and situated in the north of the city. This is a fairly unspectacular site although in the week it can be relatively peaceful. At weekends it is almost unbearable as the crowds of families and couples swarm to play around the lake.
There are numerous facilities here including a Badminton court, tea house, restaurant, nursery and a good sized aviary.