Experience the Local Life in Guangzhou

Different from other travelers, I like enjoying local customs and practices more than visiting scenic spots during my travel. Several days ago, I had the chance to be a Cantonese, which is really an unforgettable experience thanks to my excellent Chinese guide. I summed it up to the following 10 attractions.

First, drinking morning tea is a very typical customs in Guangzhou. It equals breakfast, but it is far from the bread and milk as I do at home. Tea houses mostly hide in high buildings, where are always noisy with voices and steam rises. On the tea table is usually a cup of Pu'er Tea, snacks, spare-ribs, chicken feet and shrimp dumplings. My guide told me that the best tea house should be Guangzhou Restaurant, Banxi Restaurant and Lianxiang Building which are all time-honored Brands.

Second is watching Guangdong opera while drinking tea. It is said to be the most popular entertainment in the past in Guangzhou. What a pity that there is few tea house equipped with platforms for opera performance nowadays. Operas are often performed during the afternoon tea and audience is mostly senior Cantonese, among which there are theatergoers who have watched the opera for years. Datong Restaurant on Yanjiang and Aiqun Building are the most well-known.

Third is cold tea. Cantonese have been in love with it for a long time. There is a saying that if you haven't drunk cold tea in Guangzhou, you haven't actually been to Guangzhou, even if you have. Usually, old-fashioned cold tea shops are located in the old lanes, specializing in serving for the neighborhood.

Fourth is touring Zhujiang on ferryboat. Most senior Cantonese have ever lived a life on ferryboats. At present, there is a ferry every 10 minutes from 05:30 in the early morning until midnight at most of the ports in Guangzhou. Visiting the White Goose Pool on the ferry at night is actually a special travel for tourists. Accompanied by my guide, I had a pleasure ferry tour from the White Goose Pool to Huangsha, but what I paid was just CNY 1.0 (ticket is CNY0.5 per person) which I think is most worthwhile in my life. Besides, the Euro-style Bar Street near the port is also fascinating.

Fifth is traveling the Old Xiguan on foot. Old Xiguan has recorded Guangzhou’s past. Go through the downtown and walk on the stone path full of old-style buildings and stores, you were entering a different world. The heavy gates were creaked as if narrating the stories of Guangzhou’s past. Meanwhile, it is also worthwhile visiting Baohua Road, Fengyuan Road, Duobao Road, Wenchang Road and Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street.

Sixth is the Western-style restaurants, where is the dating places of the bourgeois. Taipingguan is said to be the earliest and most well-known one, because most celebrities had ever been there such as Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Yu Dafu as well as Premier Zhou Enlai with his wife. I had tasted their famous dish Premier Set.

Seventh is the street side food at night. In Guangzhou, most of the restaurants provide 24-hour service besides the street side stalls. midnight snack usually begins at 21:00. I have had a midnight snack at Jiangwanqiao where is full of eaters with all sorts of foods such as porridge, barbecue, seafood, stir-fried dishes, noodles, desserts as well as drinks like beer, beverage or wine. It was so cheap that I just spent CNY 10 in enjoying myself.

Eighth is touring Shamian at night. Shamian is one of the earliest Concessions in China, where nearly 20 foreign countries have ever established their consulates. There are many churches and Euro-style architectures there. What attracts me most is the carriage bar set up in an old railway head of Germany. It is a real railway station in it with trains, wheels, signal lamps and other elements relevant to a train. Eating in a carriage is just like you were on a train trip.

Ninth is the Hualin jade article street. It is a 547 yards long street, but stands with nearly one thousand stores. It is a jade trading market between Chinese and Taiwanese, Hong Kong people and Korean people.

Last is the ancient ancestral temple which is an important part of Guangzhou culture. Ancestral temple is the representative of Guangzhou architecture. Most of them have been built foe over 100 years with characteristics entirely and partly.