James Little

Travelling to Guangzhou by train – apparently one of the largest cities in the world in 1800. Guangzhou Wikitravel.

Guangzhou is famous for foreign trade and business, and holds China’s largest trade fair, the Canton Fair. However, in between the seemingly endless skyscrapers, shopping malls and building sites there is a lot of culture and history, and while Guangzhou is not usually high on the list of Asian tourist destinations, it is amazing how much the city actually has to offer.

To see in Guangzhou:

• Yuntai Garden - is situated at the foot of Baiyun (White Cloud) Mountain and is famous for its wide variety of rare flowers and trees.
• Yuexiu Park - is the largest urban park in China and is a lush green area that flows over acres of hills and includes several lakes. It includes the Ming Dynasty Zhenhai Tower (镇海楼) zhèn-hǎi-lóu. Also here in the park is the Stone Statue of the Five Rams (五羊石像), the symbol of Guangzhou.
• Pearl River dinner cruise - This is a one to two hour cruise in the evening and a great way to see the Guangzhou skyline along the Pearl River, including a light show at Bai-E-Tan. But perhaps it is better to eat and then find a cruise?