Zhuhai is to Macau as Shenzhen is to Hong Kong. That's to say, like Shenzhen, it was designated a Guangdong Special Economic Zone in the 1980s in order to capitalize on its proximity to a long-time foreign colony. And just as laid-back Macau has always played second fiddle to high-powered Hong Kong, Zhuhai is a far more relaxed place than booming Shenzhen. Today, modest Zhuhai is popular with tourists for its green expanses, decent beaches, intriguing offshore islands and laid-back vibe. It's also the site of a major border crossing into Macau and its Gongbei Port is a great place to find bargains on a bewildering range of goods. Within easy reach of metropolises like Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Zhuzhai (which translates as "Pearl of the Sea") makes for a pleasant side trip from its better-known Pearl River Delta neighbors.  Home to se... more >>

Although the city is relatively unknown to tourists, as there's little to keep them here, Zhongshan is known to practically every Chinese person in the country. Why? Once called Xiangshan, the city was renamed in honor of the father of modern China, you guessed it - Dr. Sun Zhongshan, more widely known as, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. If you happen to sojourn here for a day or two there are only a couple sights to keep you busy. As you can imagine, there's no shortage of pavilions and museums dedicated to Sun Yat-sen. You'll find a memorial pavilion dedicated to Sun Yat-sen in spacious Zhonghan Park, near Fufeng Wenta (Fufeng Pagoda), a seven-story structure erected in 1608. You'll also find the Sun Yat-sen museum in town, as well as Sunwen Memorial Park, home to the world's largest bronze sculpture of Sun Yat-sen. A city of leafy parks and wide boulevards, Zhongshan is one... more >>

Ancient city walls... the misty limestone peaks known as the Seven Star Crags... China's finest inkstones... the forested slopes of Dingshu Shan... Guangdong's highest pagoda, Chongxi Ta... ancient city walls.... All this and a fascinating history featuring 16th century Italian priest Matteo Ricci, one of the first Europeans to live in China make the modest city of Zhaoqing a pleasant surprise for travelers who make it to central Guangdong. Some 110 km west of Guangzhou, Zhaoqing is still a bit out of the way for many, making it all the more worth visiting if you're looking for something a bit off the beaten path.    more >>

Shunde (顺德), a small city outside of Foshan, itself  a large city outside of the mega-city of Guangzhou, is known throughout southeastern China for its unique (and delicious) take on Cantonese cuisine, its importance to the history and practice of kung fu, and for having one of the best Dragonboat Festivals this side of the Himalayas. Main attractions include Mt. Taipingshan, an ancient spiritual site topped by the early 10th century Baolin Temple, and Qinghui Garden, considered one of the most beautiful in the Guangzhou region. more >>

One of China's newest metropolises—and its fastest growing—Shenzhen (Shēnzhèn, 深圳), offers travelers great insight into contemporary China, though it lacks much in the way of historical and cultural artifacts. Indeed, it's a very now place, brimming with migrants from provincial China hoping to pull themselves up a few rungs on the financial ladder and flush with business-driven expats and foreign investment. The steady influx of cash has combined with Chinese industrial might to make a major economic powerhouse out of a city that barely existed twenty-five years ago. It can be an uncanny place, where history—largely absent in any tangible or authentic way—is garishly represented by replicas of such world-famous sights as the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal and the Great Wall at the Window of the World theme park—an as... more >>