Welcome to my hometown, Guangzhou, a metropolis in South China. Guangzhou is located close to Hong Kong, and shares the same language and a similar culture. 

If you are planning to visit Guangzhou, here are four places I highly recommend:

Pearl River Night Landscape

Walk in the city center, enjoying the city lights and shining skyscrapers along the river. Since the river is quite long, a good choice is to cruise across the river, feeling the cool breeze blowing from Pearl River estuary. 

Although Guangzhou has a humid subtropical monsoon climate (a sunny and warm  weather with little cold in winter and abundant rainfall), there are many trees in the city center, and the sea breezes are strong at night which helps people feel cool during the hot summer. 

But what I recommend most is to ride bikes with your best friend or partner along the river. It is the most free and casual experience! And don’t worry about how to get a bike to ride, because you can grab a share-bike almost everywhere in the downtown area. Besides, the rental fee is also cheap. Even if you rent it for a whole day, it won’t cost more than the bill for taking a taxi. As a person living here for many years, it is the best and economic way to blend in local environment to ride a bike along the river and traverse the bridge after bridge, feeling the wind against your face and hearing the sound of swaying leaves, but also appreciating the urban agglomeration on the opposite side of the river. 

Canton Tower

Canton Tower, standing at 600 meters, is the highest tower in Asia. It is also one of the highest landmarks of Guangzhou, and features a sleek and elegant design with the beauty of geometry. 

Once you have bought the ticket for going up to the tower, be mindful of your ears, because you may feel a little under the weather due to the atmospheric pressure decreasing as the elevators rise quickly, which is akin to the experience when a plane is flying. But fear not, this symptom won’t exist for too long. Your ears will adjust soon.

After reaching the peak, there is an area with a transparent glass floor. If you are full of adventurous spirit and courage, you can try to walk on it and test how brave you are, at 600 meters altitude above the ground with drifting clouds closely.  I also have experience of it. Like many others, I thought I was so brave and wanted to try it, but so soon I realized that I couldn’t make it. My legs became too weak to support me to stand, even though I thought I was not afraid. From a scientific perspective, it seems a deeply instinctive reaction of human beings to such a dizzying and frightening height. 

There are also several different revolving restaurants at the midpoint of the tower, including western and traditional Chinese-style restaurants. However, these restaurants cannot be counted as cost-effective options offering local specialties, so feel free to go downstairs and wander along the street, seeking the delicious food waiting for you there.

Nightfall is the best time to sit by the window with your friend, enjoying the pinkish-yellow sunset in the far west and the floating clouds nearby the tower. After about 20 minutes, the sky goes completely dark, and the lights of buildings start to illuminate the surroundings. It is a romantic evening to stay with a loved one or a super excellent site for making a proposal.

This photo was taken at a building opposite Canton Tower.

Local Cuisine

Cantonese dishes are famous for their flavors of subtle sweetness and freshness. The cuisine features light but not plain tastes. One of them is claypot rice, including the ingredients of rice, Cantonese-style sausage, green vegetables, and a secret sweet savory sauce. Some restaurants may add crabs and shrimp to make its color look better.

Shrimp dumplings, compared to common dumplings, have a thinner and more elastic wrapper. Because the wrapper of dumplings is thin, when it is steamed or cooked, it shows a little transparent texture. The succulent and tender shrimp inside, when you bite it, your mouth will be packed with the juice of shrimp and fresh seafood flavor. 

Roast goose and duck are classic dishes in Canton. The preparation of roast goose is complex, including marinating the meat with soy-sauce, sugar, oyster sauce, and then roasting them with a cover of honey, which allows the crispy skin but tender and juicy meat inside. The tantalizing aroma and mouthwatering flavor attracts countless people.

Baiyun Mountain

Baiyun Mountain, located in the heart zone of Guangzhou City, is fascinating and charming. The mountain peak is 382 meters, which is not too high. Find a dry and straight enough thick branch to serve as a walking stick to help you walk through picturesque scenery, peaceful and protected natural ecology. 

There are many paths to the top, including the blacktop for driving and riding, flagstone staircase or wooden plank road for people to walk, and some lanes hiding in the woods (perhaps some adventurous people would like to try that way).

Here, you can wander in the dense and vigorous forest, listen to the gurgling streams and springs. As the backyard garden of Guangzhou, when you reach the highest summit of Baiyun Mountain, you can enjoy the panoramic views of the entire city and the wonders and marvels of nature. The cooling breeze whips your hair and face, and the beautiful scenery makes a lasting impression on you. 

Jade Deng is an extroverted girl from Guangzhou, China. She is full of the spirit of adventure and loves to learn new things. She loves to explore a new city and is glad to share worthy places to visit with others.