The good and the bad in Guangzhou
By Elena Torrijos
Few people thinking of taking a trip to China have probably ever said, "I should go to Guangzhou!" Most want to go to Beijing or Shanghai, not to a city known mainly for smog and factories.
But Guangzhou, the capital of the industrial province of Guangdong, does have its charms, as I found out from a brief trip.
From the perspective of someone who was only on her second visit to mainland China, here are some of my observations that might help prepare a first-time traveller to the city.
Guangzhou is in a constant haze. (Yahoo! photo/Elena Torrijos)
One, on the bad side, yes, Guangzhou is hazy. Forget deep blue skies and fresh air, and say hello to a whole lot of dust. If you're a runner, hitting the treadmill at the gym is going to be far better for your lungs than going outdoors.
Two, most of the female toilets are of the 'squatting' variety. The ceramic bowls are depressions of the floor and you have to, well, squat to do your business. The toilets can also get very dirty. I had to go to a public female washroom, and though I chose one at a department store with high-end brands, two out of eight cubicles were unusable and could have been scenes out of a horror movie.
Three, many vendors will accost you. I was walking along Beijing Lu (lu means road in Mandarin), a strip of shops and department stores, and at least three men approached me, two of which were showing me laminated pictures of what were supposedly designer handbags. Another was offering eyebrow tattoo services, and though I kept shaking my head and waving him away, he walked along with me for about a hundred metres before giving up.
Fish, meat and poultry are cooked in the porridge in the centre, shabu-shabu style. (Yahoo! photo/Elena Torrijos)
Four, on the bright side, you can shop till you drop. The city has a lot of shopping centres offering both familiar and unfamiliar brands. While clothes, bags and shoes were cheaper than in Singapore, books were the standout bargain. I don't read Chinese, but companions on the trip said the books they got were 25 percent to 50 percent the price they would have had to pay back home.
On a side note, when receiving change, don't be surprised to get notes rather than coins for cents, particularly for ten cents and fifty cents.
Five, the city is surprisingly clean. Strolling along the walkway by the Pearl River, I couldn't see the amount of litter that I've seen along the beach of the East Coast in Singapore. The river was brown, but didn't emit a strong, foul odour unlike that of the rivers running through some of the less developed countries in Asia.
Take the river cruise, but skip the buffet on the boat. (Yahoo! photo/Elena Torrijos)
Six, there are a good number of attractions. A cruise of the Pearl River in the evening is a must. From the boat, you can see a lot of well-lit, newly-constructed residential and office buildings bordered by lines of trees. Most of the trees facing the river are equipped with lights to make the trees glow a constant Christmas green, or blink festively in white or other colours.
The Liwan district has many buildings under conservation. (Yahoo! photo/Elena Torrijos)
If you want to steep yourself in a little history, go to the Liwan district. It boasts of old temples and historic sites that stood witness to the lives of some of the most important people in China's history. You may also want to take a mini-cruise of some of the waterways a la Venice or eat at one of the many large restaurants that serve food lauriat style.
The Guangzhou Tower is one of the most remarkable buildings in the city, sporting a much different look than the TV towers cum tourists sites in other cities around the world.
Unless you speak Mandarin or better yet Cantonese, it'll probably be best to see the sights in Guangdong via a tour group. Not many people speak English and you don't want to be in a spot where you have to ask directions from the man on the street.
