The first time I visited Guangzhou must have been in the early 1990's, before I got married. Back then, I had to lead a global project team from the US and Brazil on a field trip so we were on the road a lot, visiting customers' homes.
Now after more than 20 years, I got to visit Guangzhou again. This time around, I travelled with my siblings and a couple friend of theirs. We were lucky enough to have Jean with us. Having lived in Guangzhou for 5 years, she was familiar with the area. She had everything planned for us. So there was no need to worry about transport or where to eat and shop. We went to places that only the locals would know, and that was really nice.
One of the things that struck me this trip was how clean Guangzhou was. When I first visited, we arrived at the airport and once outside, it was a sea of red dust. The moment we got outside, there were people surrounding us, offering to take us to our destination. I was in a group of about 8 pax so I happily accepted this guy who had a van. With my limited Cantonese, all I could say after the price had been agreed was "Hou la, hou la". My American colleague heard that and thought it was very funny, repeating "Hola, Hola!"
Guangzhou today is so modern, with all its impressive buildings. I was truly impressed with how the buildings in the business district were lit up at night.
Pollution, not surprisingly, was bad and from the hotel room, you couldn't see very far. So here's some photos of the view from my room. The first photo contrasts with the rest as it was taken off the internet, without the smog.
The other thing that struck me was the lack of the army of bicycles. Back then, bicycles was the most popular mode of transport and everywhere we went, the streets were filled with bicycles, especially during the rush hours.
I remember shopping at the Guangzhou Friendship store. It was the closest thing to a department store and there used to be lots of Chinese arts and crafts. Today, the Friendship store bears no resemblance to the store I first went to. Next to the Four Seasons Hotel, it's all swanky now.
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One thing that has not changed and which I love is the tree lined streets. For a city that has grown so fast, with so many tall buildings everywhere, it was such a treat to still see so much green. And I just love how the old parts of the city are still intact, where the locals shop and eat.
And I just love looking at all the old buildings in the more residential areas. There's also the electric bus.
Guangzhou is so organised that there is a specific area for everything...pets, dried goods, antiques...For leather goods, it's like a whole city for it!
As mentioned, Guangzhou is now so clean, it's hard to believe you are in China. The market (atas one, of course) was so clean, even cleaner than the ones in Singapore.
Guangzhou is the food capital of China. Over our 5 days there, we ate non-stop, from simple congee and freshly made cheong fun to exotic village food to high tea at the Four Seasons Hotel. Price-wise, we paid anything from 90 yuan for breakfast for 6 pax to 1050 yuan for dim sum breakfast at White Swan Hotel. Can you imagine having steamed fish for 30 yuan? At the same time, we had high tea at the Four Seasons Hotel at about 52 yuan per pax. Eating as a local is extremely affordable but if you choose to live like an expat, be prepared to pay close to Singapore prices.
An interesting dinner we had was at a village restaurant. Tucked deep inside and with no signages to guide us, it was a secret that only locals know about. The food was simple but so good - very different from what we you'd normally get in restaurants.
While walking along a small street, we saw a dessert shop where the owner ground the sesame seeds by hand. Something we had never seen before. And of course we had to try it out!
I had never known that there were little islands in Guangzhou. So it was a pleasant surprise that we went to the White Swan Hotel which was located on Shamian Island, overlooking the Pearl River and facing the White Swan Pool. The hotel is reached by its own private 635-meter causeway. The Hotel had been closed for 3 years for renovation and reopened in July 2015. Going to the island was like going back in time, with the majestic colonial buildings.
We had a lovely dim sum breakfast at the newly renovated luxurious hotel. It was a pity that the pollution was so bad or we would have had a beautiful view of the Pearl River.
Apart from all the eating, we did our usual shopping. Guangzhou is a good place to get curtains made as it's a fraction of the cost in Singapore. So that's what we did. We had brought my dad's shirts to be made into patchwork quilts for the grandchildren as a remembrance and I really hope they turn out well. Waiting anxiously for the finished product ...
We went with 3 luggage and returned with 9. Successful trip? You bet! Will I go back again? Very likely. Next time I know what to look for. And we will need more than 5 days :)
Oh and one last thing - must remember to bring toilet paper as not all toilets have toilet paper :( And not all have doors (still)!
