Even if you've never been to China but you have been to Chinatown, Guangzhou should strike a familiar chord. That's because so much overseas Chinese culture is the legacy of immigrants from Guangzhou—formerly known as Canton—and the surrounding Guangdong Province countryside.
Located at the apex of the Pearl River Delta, Guangzhou forms a golden triangle with financial powerhouse Hong Kong and upstart Shenzhen. The Delta has become the world's factory floor and recent years have been prosperous. The city has experienced its share of growing pains—namely pollution and congestion—but today is settling into a new phase of its life as a 21st-century Chinese metropolis complete with a well-manicured riverfront, renovated colonial buildings and flashy high-tech skyscrapers.
Beneath the ranks of new glass and steel towers, the famed port retains its soul, and it isn't hard to find the pulse of traditional Cantonese culture in steamy dim sum eateries, bustling markets and ancient streets.
History
Setting aside the story of the five immortals who long ago descended upon the site of Guangzhou on rams and planted sheaves of grain in the name of peace, the city's history begins some time in the 3rd century B.C.
Originally known as Panyu, the city quickly became a key trading center, with visiting merchants arriving from distant lands as far-flung as Rome showing up in the historical record as early as the 2nd century A.D.
By the 8th century, Middle Eastern traders had established themselves in Guangzhou, and by 1511 the Portuguese were a major factor, though they would soon be displaced to nearby Macau, where their influence is still strongly felt.
Ships from around the world followed and throughout the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, Dutch, English, French, American, Danish, Swedish and Australian flags could be seen flying above trading vessels in the harbor.
Foreign influence helped make Guangzhou a focal point of change in Qing Dynasty China, as commercial, social and political pressures from abroad combined with the imposition of military force to wrest one concession after another from a weakening Beijing.
Things came to a boil with the Opium Wars, which officially began after Qing Commisioner Lin Zexu ordered the seizure of all opium in the possission or British traders in Guangzhou and then destroyed over a year's worth of shipments. The British responded with military force, forcing the cession of Guangzhou and other "treaty ports," including long-term rights to Hong Kong, to the Crown in 1843 with the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing.
In the 20th century as in Lin Zexu's day, Guangzhou was key to the assertion of China's soveriegn rights, as the locally born and raised revolutionary Sun Yatsen organized resistance to both the feeble Qing and the predations of foreign powers in Guangzhou, which also attracted its share of communist revolutionaries in the years leading up to the 1949 victory of Mao Zedong and his comrades.
Today, capitalism has returned to this city of savvy entrepreneurs and traders in a major way, sheparding a healthy portion of the world's consumable goods out of Guangdong's factories and down the Pearl River to the sea.
Climate
Guangzhou has a subtropical climate, is warm year 'round and experiences distinct rainy and dry seasons. May through August is very wet with daily rains and temperatures in the lower 30sºC (upper 80sºF). Fall and spring are drier and quite pleasant. The coldest temperatures bottom out in January and February around 10ºC at night (low 50sºF).
The Cantonese are famous for their food, from dim sum to... just about anything and everything.
Huge meals consisting of a veritable parade of small dishes are the Cantonese ideal, with both famliar and less-familiar once-living things filling plates and stomachs, including a variety of amphibians, reptiles and insects on the menu.
Funny thing is, bugs and snakes generally taste great swimming in delicious sauces—it's just that many of us can't get over the initial shock of eating animals we might expect to see in a zoo but not on a menu. Generally, it's worth trying almost anything, but do note that unscrupulous (or perhaps simply ingnorant) restaurateurs sometimes serve up endangered species—hardly a recipe for a good social conscience.
Despite the managerie reputation, Guangzhou's traditional cuisine features more famlilar staples of seafood and pork, often braised or barbecued , along with refreshing tropical fruits.
As a port city, Guangzhou has also long had access to cuisines from around the world. Alongside dim sum and barbecue, you can find excellent Thai, Indian, Vietnamese and Italian food, and the diversity of offerings is only growing as the city becomes increasingly cosmopolitan.
Guangzhou is definitely an eater's city—it's been known that way for centuries and many an adventurous gourmand finds it a top-ranking culinary vacation destination.
Getting Around
Subway
The subway system is comprised of Lines 1, 2, 3, 4 (partially), covering most of the major destinations in Guangzhou. Subways run from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Fares range from 2 RMB to 6 RMB, depending on trip length.
Taxi
Currently Guangzhou has more than 16,000 taxies running in the city. Different taxi companies are represented by different colored cars, but most of them are blue or green. Fares start at 7 RMB during the day for the first 3 kilometers; each additional kilometer is 2.8 RMB, but after 30 kilometers, each additional kilometer is 5.9 RMB. You can try bargaining with drivers in the evening. Many taxi drivers are new to town, so make sure you know how to reach your destination if at all possible to save yourself time and money.
Tourist Bus
Guangzhou has several types of tourist buses, among which the most popular are Line 1 and Line 2 (2 RMB):
Line 1 (Tianhe Public Bus Station – Zhongshanba Road): Sport Center, Time Square, Baiyun Cableway, Yongfu Road, Huanghuagang, Nonglinxia Road, Lieshi Tomb, Nongjiangsuo, Jiniantang, Sanyuangong, Panfu Road, Haizhubei, Liurong Temple, Chenjiaci, etc.
Line 2 (Zhongshanba Road - Tianhe Public Bus Station): Chenjiaci, Hualin Temple, Nanfang Plaza, Wende Road, Dashatou, Xinghai Music Hall, Xiancun Road, etc.
A new tourist bus goes to Disneyland in Hong Kong from Yitai Square on Jiefangbei Road. There are 18 more tourist lines at Yuexiu South Station, providing long-distance transportation services.
To and from Guangzhou
Air
Guangzhou Xinbaiyun Airport is 28 km from the city center (Haizhu Square), or about a RMB 100 taxi ride.
A shuttle bus runs between the airport and Zhuhai every hour from 10:00 a.m. to midnight, departing from Arrival Hall A/7 Exit and Arrival Hall B/10 Exit. Charter bus service is available to Dongguan; tickets can be purchased at the same exits.
For more information on airport transportation, visit www.baiyunairport.com and for easy online purchase of both flights in China and international flights to and from China, try Ctrip.com.
Train
Guangzhou Railway Station is located on Huangshi West Rd northwest of the city. It can be reached by Metro Line 2 and public buses. Guangzhou is on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, the main north-south line through China. The Guangzhou-Maoming Railway and Guangzhou-Shantou Railway run east-west through Guangdong Province.
Guangzhou East Railway Station mainly serves trains headed to Shenzhen and Shantou. It is also the east terminal station of Metro Line 1. Trains run between Guangzhou and Shenzhen everyday, every 15-30 minutes.
Bus
The public bus system in Guangzhou is improving rapidly, utilizing several new highways, bridges and tunnels. The long-distance bus station services a variety of nearby cities, including direct buses to Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Guangzhou has always been about commerce, and as such, it boasts some of the planet's best shopping. Hard-core comparison shoppers, however, will want to hit the Pearl Delta's other commodity hotspots, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, to make sure they've covered all the bases and found the best deals.
While Hong Kong still rules the roost when it comes to imports and brand names and Shenzhen sometimes seems like the world's biggest clearing house, Guangzhou provides bargain-seekers with a nice balance between luxury labels, local flavor and cut-rate factory-floor deals.
Expect to find a lot of China's famous fakes on the street, some of remarkably good quality and others not worth the trouble. Manufactured goods and textiles—both "real" and fake—make up most of the shopping in Guangzhou, with more and more of it is happening in Western-style malls.
If you're looking for something more unique pay a visit to Qingping Market, known for its wealth of exotic plants, herbs and animals. Antiques are big in Guangzhou, too, and the White Swan Arcade on Shamian Island is a fine place to start looking for antiques as well as arts & crafts, books and jewelry. Just be on guard against fakes, no matter where you go, and drive a hard bargain.
Guangzhou's nightlife is growing, as more and more bars, pubs, clubs and cafes pop up. Many new arrivals on the scene strike something of a Western pose, but the dominant notes are Guangzhou all the way.
Get a room in a KTV joint and sing your heart out, head to a "hot and loud" Cantonese eatery and take your time dining and drinking, hit a club for pounding international DJ beats, hit an opening at a hip unmarked art space or take in a traditional Cantonese opera... the choices are many and seem to be multiplying every day.
If you just want to bar hop, try the Baietan Bar Street in the Fangcun District (you can take the metro to the Fangcun Station) and take your pick of neon-lit nightspots.
For a quieter interlude, join the couples strolling in the evening along the Pearl River, reflecting the lights of the city and creating a languidly romantic atmosphere that surprises many accustomed to the non-stop commercial hustle and bustle of day-time Guangzhou.
For the latest A&E listings, check out a copy of That's PRD ("PRD" as in "Pearl River Delta"), generally available around town wherever expats are likely to gather.