3 Day Itinerary for Guangzhou – Day 1
This is Part I to my 3 day Itinerary for Guangzhou. Part II (Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area) can be found here. Part III (Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum and Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall) can be accessed via this link.
THE OLD AND THE NEW
Canton Tower
One great way to start of a trip to Guangzhou is to begin near its heart at Canton Tower. The tower is 604 meters tall and is the fourth tallest structure in the world and arguably offers a great view of the city. While it is a great location to go to whether you are travelling alone or with family, I went there for a different purpose. At the ground floor of the tower is Shang Dian, a dim sum restaurant that is rather popular on Tripadvisor. This is a perfect spot for some local breakfast before starting your day. Before 11am, I believe there’s a 20% discount on items in the menu. Do be mindful that the portions here are typically larger than normal. I had some difficulty finishing my meal.
After having breakfast, you have the choice of visiting the tower (150 RMB). I decided to skip it and instead headed off to my next destination: The Site of Nanyue Kingdom Palace.
The Site of Nanyue Kingdom Palace
Guangzhou as a city goes back to the Qin dynasty (i.e. more than 2000 years ago) as part of the Qin empire before becoming a vassal state to the Han and subsequently being annexed after a failed revolt.
The remains of the Nanyue Kingdom Palace is a testimony to this ancient past.
The location is easily accessed by metro and alighting at Peasant Movement Institute 农讲所 station. From hereon the rest of the other attractions for the day are within walking distance (at least from the perspective of a healthy and fit traveler). Of course, you can always flag a cab if you get tired.
The site is free to visit. You just have to approach the counter to obtain a free pass by producing your passport. Yes, its free to visit!
Having collected your tickets, continue along the building to the main entrance. Passing through security, you will see a brief introduction of the attraction before being led into a sheltered area covering the actual dig site of what appears to be the Royal Gardens. There, you can see the different layers showing the different periods and different man made features (e.g. ponds, wells, waterways, drainage etc.) attributed to a particular time period.
Following the path, you will be directed towards a flight of stairs and to what appears to be an open courtyard. This courtyard is significant as it houses not only a Qin shipyard but also the actual location of the Nanyue Royal Palace. Both sites have been reburied to protect them from the weather. There are however replicas built on site to give a sense of what they would have looked like. The actual foundation stones are also marked out by square patches of grass which indicate where they are buried.
You will be led to another building that also functions as a shelter for yet another dig. This dig site appears to reveal the actual palace compound. You will see tiled pathways, narrow pathways running between walls, and also specially designed ceramic tiles with butterfly and pony patterns.
This is the last dig site.
After which you will be directed into a museum showcasing models of the old city and also other relics found during the excavation of the surrounding area. The relics are quite varied and includes mythical creatures that adorn the palace roofs, special bricks so huge that they must be specially prepared to avoid cracking when being heat treated:
Beijing Lu (Beijing Road)
Once you are done exploring the palace grounds, the exit will place you close to Beijing Road. Beijing Road is a shopping street that makes for a perfect short break. There’s both shopping and eating to be done. When you are there, be sure to look out for glass platforms in the center of the road. These glass platforms reveal further excavations showing the original footpath from what I believe to be the Song dynasty.
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Next stop is the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees which is apparently named after the six banyan trees that once existed in the temple compound. The entrance fee is 5 RMB.
The temple compound isn’t too big. However, the pagoda makes a good photo or two. While I don’t know whether the trees in the compound are also banyan trees, I thought it would be somewhat poetic if you take a picture of the pagoda with some reference to the trees:
Sacred Heart Cathedral*
The Cathedral offers a big contrast to the Six Banyan Trees Temple and perhaps is even a more popular attraction. It is free to visit.
Personally, it felt as though I was in some part of Europe. In fact, the Cathedral reminded me of Notre Dame. Other than the steeples and also the intricate carving above the doors, the overall design appears to be rather similar. The back of the Cathedral also share the similarity of having buttresses as part of the overall structure and design.
The interior is also spectacular:
Once you are done visiting the Cathedral, you can consider perhaps dropping by to the nearby Onelink International Plaza. I decided to pop into the mall despite having some concerns that I would be wasting my time (well, the impression I got from the signs is that it is some kind of a games/toys mall). I was glad that I did. The mall is more than just games and toys and appears to be a collection of different wholesale sellers. Furniture, home decorations, paintings, electronics and whatever else you might want can be found there.
*This attraction can be swapped out with Dr. Sun Yat-sen’s Memorial Hall which will be featured in a later post. If you choose to include the Memorial Hall, you can consider also including Nanyue King Wen’s Mausoleum. This is suggested for visitors who are tight on time and are trying to squeeze their visit to down to just two days.
That’s it for now. If you enjoyed reading this, please remember to like and follow for more.