I spent my last two available weekends in China going on overnight train rides to cities far away from Shanghai. If anything, it was due to poor planning, because for two consecutive Fridays, I brought my bag pack in to work and left slightly early to take an evening train, which reached its destination on Saturday morning. Then I would take the Sunday night overnight train, reach Shanghai on Monday morning, and head straight to work with the bag pack again. Welcome to the Guangzhou entry.
This time I had money to Di-di (LOL), but I didn’t want to risk the evening rush hour traffic, so I changed four metro lines to get to Shanghai Hongqiao (上海虹桥) station for my train at 20:05. In retrospect, I should have at least tried the beds in the sleeper carriage. But that would cost more than a plane ticket, so my primitive brain decided it was worth it to sit for the whole 11.5h journey.
To my fellow light sleepers, the train ride to Guangzhou was a nightmare. Babies were crying, and people were watching videos without their earpiece in. In the morning, nearly the entire train alighted at Shenzhen, two stops before Guangzhou, scaring the living lights out of me. I reached Guangzhou South (广州南) station on Saturday at 07:24, then took the metro to Dengba International Hostel.
Guys, this hostel is by far the best one I have stayed in in my short life so far. The hallways looked like a hotel’s, and the curtains by the bed were super effective in blocking out light. Seriously, once I drew them, it felt like I was in my own capsule suite. I would also like to add that I am not sponsored.
Back to the trip, today I had a local friend I was meeting to show me around. Yay to international friends. We went to Dian Dou De (点都德) for yum cha, which is brunch with tea and dim sum. I did not realise that it is one of the highest rated restaurants in Guangzhou. Afterwards we walked to Sun Yat-Sen Library (which I could not enter). Lu Xun Memorial Hall (鲁迅纪念馆) is beside it; admission is free.
Lu Xun Memorial Hall was the site of the 1st National Congress of the Kuomintang hosted by Sun Yat-sen back in 1924. It used to be the auditorium of a high school, then it became the former site of Sun Yat-sen University. Today it commemorates Lu Xun’s time in Guangzhou where he headed the university’s Chinese literature department in 1927. Mao Zedong was a lifelong admirer of Lu Xun, who was a prolific writer and communist sympathiser. It was here where he made contacts with the Kuomintang and Chinese Communist Party.
Then we walked 20 minutes to Beijing Road (北京路), which is a pedestrian shopping street. The street has been around for a thousand years; the archaeological artifacts on the basement level of a shopping mall will show you. Otherwise, we got our bubble tea fix here.
Next, we took the metro to Shamian (沙面), an area by the Pearl River that is divided into the French and British Concession. The concessions were a result of the Opium Wars, in which those foreign powers won against the Qing Dynasty and gained territories from it. Today, Shamian is a nice place for a walk alongside colonial European buildings, that is, if it wasn’t so damn humid.
Afterwards, we took the metro to Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (陈家祠). Entry for students is RMB5. This could have been personal for me because I am half a Chen (but patriarchal naming conventions dictate that I am not), however my ancestors do not hail from this part of the country anyway.
When some Cantonese of Chen lineage returned from America before the 1900s, they raised money from Chens abroad and around Guangdong to build this temple to worship their ancestors. It also served as an academy to train their junior clansmen for the imperial examinations, which was abolished by the Qing Emperor a decade after. Later, it became a school for members of the clan. Today, it is also the site of the Guangdong Folk Art Museum (广东民间工艺博物馆).
What a treat this entry is for you foodies. We stopped by some roadside stalls for mid-afternoon tea. Hey remember a time when drinks were put in glass bottles they didn’t belong in. I think the food above on the right is zhaliang (炸两), which is a Cantonese dim sum made from rice noodle roll wrapped around youtiao (fried dough).
Oh gosh, I’m even more clueless what this is. I think this is ginger milk curd or milk pudding, a dessert that originated from Guangzhou. There’s a weird phenomenon where explaining dishes from your culture is more difficult than explaining someone else’s, no? Just me then.
Then we walked to Liurong Temple (六榕寺), a Buddhist Temple in the middle of the city with 1500 years of history. Entry is free.
The last stop for the day was the CBD of Guangzhou. There is a slightly cool, completely novel place call K11 Art Mall, which houses high end brands, art exhibitions and installations (as seen above) all in a, mall? Artsy folks should check it out.
The main draw in the CBD is probably Canton Tower, once briefly the tallest building in the world. Locals nickname it “slim waist”. I mean, look at that hourglass figure. Like the skyscrapers in Shanghai, Canton Tower lights up at night which looks better than in smoggy daytime. I was too tired to wait till after sunset, so I bid my friend goodbye and I went back to my sweet, sweet hostel to crash.
After one of the best sleeps in my life, I headed to the huge YueXiu Park (越秀公园), the most famous tourist attraction in Guangzhou. The elderly here have a very active retirement. Often, you can hear them singing in choruses somewhere in the park before seeing them. It was also here where I saw the origin of chapteh, aka jianzi (毽子), which has been played since the Han dynasty 2000 years ago.
On top of YueXiu Hill stands Zhenhai Tower (镇海楼), which houses Guangzhou Museum (广州博物馆). Entry is RMB5 for students. You can see YueXiu Stadium at the top, which was a venue for the 2010 Asian Games.
Guangzhou’s most famous Five Rams Sculpture is in the park, an emblem of its nickname “City of Rams”.
So this is the third Chinese city I have been to which still has a part of its ancient wall intact. Built in the Ming Dynasty, 1km of the City Wall of Ancient Guangzhou lies within the park. Further, Sun Yat-sen’s presence is omnipotent throughout Guangdong, his hometown.
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (中山纪念堂) is right next to YueXiu Park if you find the right exit. Entry is RMB5 for students. Go if you can’t get enough of Dr Sun. I’ve said his name to many times in this entry.
I took the metro to Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street (上下九步行街), another shopping pedestrian street but this one has European-influenced architecture. As with every other pedestrian street, my only purchase was bubble tea.
Then I walked half an hour to Sacred Heart Cathedral (石室圣心大教堂), the largest Gothic style cathedral in China. If you are wearing shorts, the volunteers will give you a robe to cover up before you enter.
On my way to the cathedral, I was surprised by the prevalence of Africans in the area, who were not merely tourists. A quick Google search informed me that the late 90s economic boom brought about an influx of African traders and businessmen to Guangzhou.
I was told that Sun Yat-sen University (中山大学) is amongst the most beautiful universities in China and that I should go check it out. Sadly when I went there, the entrances were gated and only students with their school cards could enter. I also could not reach the attraction that had the latest closing hours in time for visiting, which was Guangdong Museum at 5pm (why so early?).
So I went back to my hostel to pick up my bag and headed to Guangzhou South to wait for my train at 19:24. The train passed by Xiamen enroute back to Shanghai. On board were people speaking the dialect and I felt so special for being able to understand it. In retrospect, I kicked myself for not visiting any part of Fujian province during my time in China. Urghhh, one day I will return to the motherland.
I did not sleep for the entirety of the ride, except for a doze off between Hangzhou and Shanghai, which if you are familiar with Chinese geography, is not a very long distance at all. I reached Shanghai Hongqiao at 06:50 on Monday morning, took the bus back home to take breather, then cycled to work.
Hi! I am Joey, a University student from Singapore, attempting to show my appreciation for the world’s most powerful passport by literally milking its visa-free benefits one country at a time. I describe my travel budget as shoestring and travel style as audacious.
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