【Guangzhou Check-in】An Unexpected Side Trip on Business
【Before the Trip】
I came to Guangzhou for a business trip and never expected to have a few days of free time. Playing around while on the clock—what a sweet deal!!
But I wasn't in the best shape this time. I'd just been to Beijing for the Forbidden City's 600th Anniversary Exhibition, and as soon as I got off the plane, I had to rush nonstop to Guangzhou. I was dead tired!!
If I had to choose a travel destination, Guangzhou might never be my ideal spot, because I just can't get used to its food, and the cultural and natural attractions aren't particularly rich~ But this trip did change my mind a bit, breaking my previous impressions of Guangzhou. Let me tell you all about it~
Harbin—Guangzhou, November 3, 2020, Flight CZ6261 10:40–15:00
Guangzhou—Harbin, November 7, 2020, Flight JD5165 13:40–18:00
Auston Select Hotel: Baiyun International Airport, Baiyun District, Guangzhou
Yaduo Hotel: No. 165, Sanyuanli Avenue, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Excluding transportation and accommodation, other expenses totaled 1178 yuan.
November in Guangzhou felt like summer in Harbin—so hot I was suffocating. Dress as cool as possible.
【Itinerary】
Day 1 [Nov 3] Business
Day 2 [Nov 4] Business—Guangzhou Tower (Chuanzhi Chaoshan Hotpot)
Day 3 [Nov 5] Shamian (Jueba Restaurant)—Chen Clan Academy (Chaoyun)—Fengma Folk Bar
Day 4 [Nov 6] Chimelong Safari Park
Day 5 [Nov 7] Business
Day 1 [Nov 3] Business
Nothing much to say about the work stuff. What I found remarkable was that Guangzhou people don't try to force drinks on their guests like Northeasterners do, where not getting drunk means you haven't been properly hosted. In Guangzhou, there's no alcohol on the table at all—just soup. The soups and broths in Guangzhou are really delicious~
On weekday evenings, my buddies and I would order food too~
Day 2 [Nov 4] Business—Guangzhou Tower (Chuanzhi Chaoshan Hotpot)
After two days of work, we were free. We couldn't wait and went straight for a Chaoshan hotpot meal.
Chuanzhi Chaofan Beef Shop (Beijing Road Branch)
Address: No. 201-203, Zhuguang Road (60m south of Exit A, Beijing Road Metro Station)
Luckily we went early and got a table right away. We ordered their specialty diaolong meat, chiren meat, beef bone marrow, and dry-fried beef rice noodles (guotiao). Diaolong is the beef tenderloin from the back—the leanest part of the cow, silky and with a nice chew.
Chiren meat comes from the area below the neck, close to the ribs. Because it's connected to the neck, it has firm muscle with thin tendons running through, higher fat content, and is incredibly tender. Just 10 seconds in the hotpot—so good!
The fried guotiao—I even looked up what guotiao is: flat rice noodles, a food of the Chaozhou and Minnan people.
Well-fed and happy, it wasn't far from the restaurant to the Pearl River. The map showed that the "Little Slim Waist" (Canton Tower) wasn't too far, but who knew it'd take almost two hours on foot~
Tianzi Wharf, known as "Guangzhou's No. 1 Wharf"
Halfway there I was dead tired, so I rented a bike. Using the Canton Tower as my landmark, I met up with my friends at the foot of the tower~
We strolled and paused, slowly soaking in Guangzhou's laid-back vibe.
I always thought the Pearl River Delta, as one of China's economic powerhouses, would be as prosperous as Shanghai, but judging from the night view, the gap is not small.
Disappointed by the nightscape, I didn't even go up the tower. After a short rest, we headed back.
Day 3 [Nov 5] Shamian (Jueba Restaurant)—Chen Clan Academy (Chaoyun)—Fengma Folk Bar
Woke up naturally, planned to visit Shamian, but first we needed to fill our bellies.
Out of the metro, we strolled along the Pearl River to the restaurant. The daytime Pearl River had a different charm.
Jueba Restaurant Address: No. 174, Binjiang West Road
Jueba is the most famous "jue bao" (clay pot dish) in Guangzhou, one of the city's signature dishes, and a must-have at street food stalls. "Jue jue" is actually an onomatopoeia: ingredients placed in a clay pot are scorched at extremely high heat, causing the sauce inside to rapidly evaporate with a sizzling "zi zi" sound, which in Cantonese sounds like "jue jue," so locals cleverly named it jue jue bao.
Osmanthus-aged ice plum sauce braised chicken wings in a clay pot
Jue-braised kale (with ginger wine)
In Guangzhou, you can't skip the soup. We ordered two kinds: lily lung-cleansing soup and coconut-stewed black-bone chicken soup. Both were delicious.
To satisfy a craving, we also had an authentic ginger milk tea. Not bad, quite acceptable.
Right across the river from the restaurant is Shamian. Shamian is a fascinating part of Guangzhou, mainly visited for its architecture.
Shamian (free entry) was once called Shicui Zhou. It's a sandbank formed by the Pearl River's alluvial deposits, hence the name Shamian (sand surface).
The buildings here showcase 19th-century European charm in Guangzhou. The scenery is gorgeous, perfect for a leisurely stroll or for arty types to snap photos.
Shamian's streets and lanes are dotted with statues, pavilions, flower beds, wooden benches, fountains, and other Western-style street elements. The island has over 150 European-style buildings, including 42 distinctive ones in neo-Baroque, imitation Gothic, arcade, neoclassical, and Chinese-Western fusion styles—a European architectural ensemble full of exotic flavor. It's a bit like Kulangsu~
We wandered around Shamian for a long time, then found a cafe to enjoy some petty-bourgeois leisure.
On the metro back to the hotel, I looked up Chen Clan Academy. One look at the photos and I had to see it for myself~
Chen Clan Academy (10 yuan admission) was built from donations by various Chen clans across Guangdong. Construction began in the 14th year of the Guangxu reign (1888) and was completed in the 20th year (1894). It served mainly as temporary lodging for Chen clan members taking imperial exams, awaiting official appointments, paying taxes, or handling lawsuits in the provincial capital. In return for their contributions, the clans could place their ancestors' tablets in the academy's shrine. It's Guangdong's largest, most ornate, and best-preserved traditional Lingnan ancestral hall, covering 15,000 square meters, with a main building area of 6,400 square meters, consisting of 19 individual structures.
The most magnificent and splendid part of the Chen Clan Academy is the ceramic sculptures and ridge ornaments on the roof ridges. Designed for a dramatic effect from a low viewing angle, they are sculpted from clay, glazed, and fired at high temperatures, then installed on the roof. The sculptures mostly depict scenes from traditional Cantonese opera, flanked by auspicious patterns, with symmetrical composition and elegant colors. The roof is the most dazzling, eye-catching part of the entire complex—almost every inch of the ridge is heavily decorated.
Chen Clan Academy has twice been selected as one of the "Eight Sights of Guangzhou" in the new century under the name "Ancient Academy Fragrance" and is hailed as "Guangzhou's cultural calling card."
In the evening, a friend of a friend arranged a dinner for us—another round of Chaoshan cuisine.
Not satisfied with just drinking, we moved the party to a local folk music bar to continue.
Day 4 [Nov 6] Chimelong Safari Park (240 yuan)
Today was the day I was especially looking forward to—finally going to Chimelong Safari Park. The metro makes it super convenient. From the metro station, take a cab directly to the North Gate (I learned from experience that starting from the North Gate really avoids a lot of detours). I bought the ticket in advance on Ctrip and just scanned the QR code on arrival.
Chimelong Safari Park (No. 593, Dashi Section of National Highway 105, Dashi Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou) features large-scale free-ranging animal populations and drive-through viewing. It houses over 500 species and more than 20,000 rare animals. Many animals I'd only seen in books or on TV, I got to see with my own eyes this time—pure joy~
The park has many shows, and you can plan your route based on showtimes as soon as you enter. But we had no particular plan and just wandered around~
Right after entering, we lined up for the safari train (free, unlimited rides). The train takes you deep into the jungle and grasslands to see the free-ranging animals~
Friendly tip: If possible, sit on the right side of the train—you'll see more animals and get better photo angles.
Although I can't go to Africa for the great migration yet, this hyper-realistic zoo was just as good~ On the train, I was thrilled to bits, jumping and shouting with excitement, and even the sharp-beaked animals I usually dread didn't feel so scary~
The train ride is about half an hour long. Many herbivores get so close you'd think they could almost sniff you. The whole experience was so fun that if time permitted, I'd have queued up for another ride~
After the train, we followed the map to find the koalas~
The Golden Monkey Kingdom was closed, so I missed seeing the golden snub-nosed monkeys I love!
On the way to the koalas, we passed many interesting spots.
Fennec fox babies, native to the Sahara in North Africa—the little guys from Zootopia who sell popsicles with Nick~
Common marmosets, living in the Brazilian forests.
A baby anteater munching away in a corner.
Red ruffed lemurs, from the rainforests of Madagascar.
White tiger diving show, every half an hour.
After the diving, we headed to Tiger Hill to see the big tigers and cubs.
The elusive cheetah—now you see it, now you don't.
The world's most adorable giraffes~
After wandering around, we finally found the koalas. Very lucky to see one awake~
I just couldn't get enough of their ugly-cute faces.
A family of three, the baby elephant still a bit wobbly.
This rock-like thing is temperature-controlled—ice-cold in summer to cool the pandas.
After watching an African dance performance, we queued for the cable car (free), which lets you see the animals from above. We boarded at Panda Paradise, circled the zoo, and got off where we started~
On the way from the cable car to see the mandrills, I stumbled upon meerkats and immediately thought of the Madagascar movie.
The mandrills live in a big habitat with trees, water, fish, and swans; they squabble over food.
The alpha mandrill, built like an athlete.
Capybaras, mainly from South Africa, adorably goofy~
Tick off the Instagram-famous flamingos.
Black spider monkeys, like acrobats, with tails that hook onto things.
It was almost 4 p.m., and we'd covered pretty much the whole park, though we inevitably missed some spots. We sat down at Monkey Hill to wait for the parade.
Monkey Hill has a great environment, with monkeys all over the mountain.
The float parade started punctually at 4:30. I thought there'd be animals in it, but it turned out to be a wacky dance troupe—so hilarious!
Many park staff are African; they were super enthusiastic and interacted a lot with kids.
After the parade, before the crowds surged out, we grabbed a cab to the metro station and headed to the Chen Clan Academy area to eat and drink.
We bought iced lemon tea from an old local shop. After a whole day at the zoo snacking on our own pastries, we were really thirsty.
We also tried the locals' boxed meals: four meats and one veggie for only 17 yuan.
Ordered pork trotter and shrimp wontons with fresh meat. The noodles were a bit hard and fishy.
I was dead tired after these few days, so my friends went on exploring while I went back to the hotel for a massage.
Day 5 [Nov 7] Business
Today was the return trip. Originally, I planned to have a proper morning tea at a restaurant, but I just couldn't get up. Another day of ordering delivery.
A rushed few days, many places left unvisited: Whampoa Military Academy, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou Museum, and more. If I have another chance, I'll come back to check them off.
Always a little sad at the end of every trip~
