Being a Tourist

With our April rush of visitors here in Guangzhou, we took the opportunity to be tourists within our own city. Guangzhou is a huge city with many diverse neighborhoods and area. It is not, however, where people think of visiting when they go to China. When you think of China, everyone thinks of Beijing and Shanghai with a stop in Hong Kong, not Guangzhou. You will not see the Great Wall of China here. You will not see the ancient terra cotta warriors of Xian. You will not see Tiananmen Square. You will not see the bustling cosmopolitan city of magazines. Instead, you will see a city that has exploded in the last ten years. You will see a city of migrants. You will see a city of old and new built practically on top of each other. You will see a city of change.

While Guangzhou isn't heavily frequented by western tourists, there are a lot of cool things to see and do here. We love the Chen Clan Academy, the historic "dorm room/hostel" of the Chen clan for those who were coming to take the Imperial exams.

One has to check out the Qing Ping market with all its fun items for sale, including scorpions, turtles, assorted paws and hooves. Rumor has it Qing Ping used to be where one would go to buy the most hidden delicacies such as tiger's paw and assorted reproductive organs.

There is the Canton Tower. We have yet to venture to the top of the Canton Tower as it is quite expensive, but we certainly will one day.

There are markets here for everything. Some of the most popular ones, for tourists anyway, are the jade market and the pearl market.

No visit here would be complete without checking out Shamian Island, the former foreign concession.

Finally, the food. Oh the food. It is a delightful mix of traditional, fusion, and imported. There is northern food, southern food, western food, and everything in between.