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GUANGZHOU ATTRACTIONS:
Guangzhou Homepage |
Guangzhou Attractions:
Six Banyan Temple |
Chen Family
Temple |
Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall
|
South China Botanical Garden |
Zhenhai Tower |
Orchid Garden |
Foshan |
Bright
Filial Piety Temple |
White Cloud
Mountain
| Yuexiu Park
Guangzhou
Six Banyan Temple
Six Banyan Temple is situated on the Liu Rong Road. Built in 537, it is a
renowned Buddhist cultural site. The temple enshrines three large Buddhist
statues - the biggest copper Buddhist statues existing in Guangdong province. The
thousand-Buddha copper pillar cast in the
Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) is kept on
the top story of the Pagoda. The 184 ft Pagoda appears to have nine stories;
inside, however, there are 17 levels. Because of the colorful exterior carvings,
it is popularly known as the Flower Pagoda. The temple is known as Liu Rong Temple in Chinese. Situated inside the city and
first built during the Five Dynasties period (907 - 960), it was originally called Baozhuangyan Temple. It was renamed in the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) as Six
Banyan Temple after Su Shi, a great writer of the Northern
Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD), was found to have written the two characters of Liu Rong
when he saw the six ancient banyan trees there on a visit to the Temple.

The Chen Family Temple
The Chen Family Temple, also known as
"Guangdong Folk Art Museum", was built in
the 1890s and has nine halls and six courtyards. Its windows, door frames, and
pavilions are lavishly decorated with intricate carvings and sculptures. It is
now the largest and best preserved and decorated ancient architecture existing
in Guangdong province. The decoration combines wood carving, brick carving,
stone carving, clay sculpture, ash sculpture, brass and iron foundry, grotto,
new year painting, and other art forms. The special historical, artistic, and
scientific aspects of the temple have made it an important attraction in
Guangzhou.

Sun-yat
Sen Memorial Hall

Sun-yat Sen Memorial Hall, built in 1931, is a famous commemorative structure of
the Chinese revolution of 1911. It was designed by the well-known architect of
modern China, Lu Yanzhi, who was also the designer of the Sun-yat Sen Mausoleum
in Nanjing. The building complex is composed of the arch over the gateway, the
auditorium, and the several-storied buildings to the east and west. The
auditorium is octagonal; in the shape of the palace hall.

The South China Botanical Garden
The South China Botanical Garden is one of the world's largest botanical
gardens. Situated at Longdong in the northeastern suburbs of Guangzhou, it has
over 5,000 species of tropical and subtropical plants introduced from home and
abroad. Its displays include a collection of palm, bamboo, orchid, pteridophyte,
and shade plants.

Zhenhai Tower
Standing on the top of Yuexiu Hill in the northern suburbs, the 28m high,
5 story tower, Zhenhai Tower (also known as the Five-Story Pagoda) was built
on the orders of Zhu Liangzu, the Yongjia Marquis of the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), to flaunt his power and the obsession that he was able to shake the
seas and mountains. A magnificent building, it commands a bird's-eye view of the
whole city. The Tower now houses the City Museum; its exhibits chronicle the
history of Guangzhou from Neolithic times till the early part of the 20th
Century.

The Orchid Garden
The Orchid Garden, located across the square from the main railway and bus
terminals, offers a wonderfully convenient retreat from the noise and crowds of
the city. There are almost 10,000 pots of orchids and over 2,000 species of the
flower. The blooming flowers are a special delight for orchid lovers.

Foshan
Foshan, a bright pearl in the Pearl River Delta, is a historical and well known
city, composed of Nanhai, the ancient city, Shunde, the hometown of flowers,
Sanshui and Gaoming, the new riverside cities. It has a total area of
3,813.64 sq. km and a total population of 3.1 million people. Foshan is a well
known hometown for overseas Chinese. Foshan's history can be
traced back to the Jin Dynasty and it gained its present name in the
Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). During the Tang and
Sung Dynasty (960-1279 AD) it developed into a town of commerce
in South China. Being the same well known cities with Hankou in Hubei Province, Jindezhen in
Jiangxi Province and Zhuxianzhen in Henan Province, Foshan was one of "Four
Famous Towns". Since the ancient time, Foshan has been praised as
"the center of Guangdong Gauze", "South China Ceramics City" and "the Source of
South China Medicinal Herbs". Foshan is "the hometown of delicious food" of the Pearl River Delta, "Eating in
Foshan" is a great praise for Foshan in history. Foshan has fertile soil,
crisscross network of river and abundant goods of air-land-water. No matter the
animals living in the way of flying, crawling, drilling or swimming, but also
the fresh vegetable can be made into delicious foods under the cooks'
elaborately concoction. The dainty foods and snacks are refined in accord
with the different districts and tasks. Foshan Zhuhou Food and Fengchong (Daliang)
fried food are famous for a long time. Foshan snacks, such as Foshan Manggong Cake, Pricked hoof, Daliang
Pheasant roll, Fried Milk, Double leather cheese, Xiaofeng biscuit, Nanhai
Living Fish, Dafu cake, Jiujiang Fried Biscuit and Sanshui Gouzi Duck, etc. are
famous for their excellent tastes.

Bright
Filial Piety Temple
The Temple of Bright Filial Piety on Guangxiao Road is one of the oldest
Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and was the mansion of Prince Zhao Jiande of the
Nanyue Kingdom during the Western
Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). The Temple of
Bright Filial Piety was first built by an Indian monk during the Eastern Jin
Dynasty (317- 420) but the present temple, occupying an area of 31000 sq. m, dates from the
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD). The temple has an important
place in Buddhist history as Huineng of the Zen Buddhist sect was a novice monk
here in the 7th Century. The Sixth Ancestor Hall in the temple was built in
memory of Huineng, the sixth master of the Zen Sect of Buddhism, who was also
the most influential monk in the history of Chinese Buddhism. In the temple
there is also a pagoda where Huineng's hair was buried. Other ancient structures
in the temple include Sakyamuni Hall, Samgharama Hall, the King of Heaven Hall,
and two iron towers. Admission: ¥1. Opening Times: 06:00 - 17:00

White Cloud
Mountain

People like to describe the natural beauty of Guangzhou as the "pearl sea
and white cloud". White Cloud Mountain refers to the mountain range located 7.5km northeast of Guangzhou. As an offshoot of Dayu Ling, the main mountain range
of Guangdong province. White Cloud Mountain consists of some 30 peaks, covering
an area of 28 sq. m. The highest peak, Moxing Ridge (Star- scraping
Ridge) stands in the center of White Cloud Mountain, and is 382m high, and
regarded as "the First Peak under the Southern Sky". The name of the mountain is
derived from the white clouds that fly over it and gather around its base. The
magnificent scenery and abundance of historical relics have made this a famous
scenic spot in Guangzhou since ancient times. White Cloud Mountain is a park
with natural hills and waters, ideal for sightseeing and as a summer resort,
with a history of development of over 1,000 years. Locations such as Wind
Soughing in the Pines on White Cloud Mountain, Pujian Spring, and Looking Afar
in the Evening from White Cloud Mountain, the Returned Monk at Jingtai, the
Splendid Mountain of Cloud, etc. are all famous scenic spots in this mountain.
Renowned poets and scholars of past dynasties, such as Sushi, Yang Wanli, Wang
Shizhen and others once came here and recorded their experiences in poetry and
prose for posterity. Described as the premier spectacle of Guangzhou by some
brochures, the site is also widely known for the well ordered traffic
conditions. In good weather, traveling there is really rewarding and peaceful
for those who choose to walk. In recent times new tourist attractions have been
created and these include facilities for water sports, a golf course, botanical
gardens and a sculpture park. Admission: ¥5. Open Time 09:00 - 16:45. Cable
Car: ¥15.

Yuexiu Park

The largest park in Guangzhou, Yuexiu Park covers an area of 93 hectares.
Besides a number of artificial lakes and a huge swimming pool, the Park is
renowned for its Zhenhai Tower and the Sculpture of the Five Rams. The Zhenhai
Tower stands on the top of Yuexiu Hill in the northern suburbs, the
28m high five-storey tower - also known as the Five-storey Pagoda - was
built on the order of Zhu Liangzu, the Yongjia Marquis of the
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD), to flaunt his power said to be able to "shake the seas and
mountains". It is a magnificent building, commanding a bird's-eye view of the
whole city. The tower now houses the City Museum, with exhibits which describe
the history of Guangzhou from Neolithic times till the early part of this
century. British and French troops occupied the tower during the Opium Wars on
account of its strategic location. The 12 cannons in front of the tower are from
that time. Now the City Museum is situated in the tower. To help you learn
something of the history of Guangzhou, you are sure to find the exhibits dating
from Neolithic times to the early part of this century in the museum of great
interest. The Sculpture of the Five Rams, the symbol of Guangzhou, was erected
in 1959. A beautiful legend said that long, long ago there were five celestial
beings, who wore robes of five colors. One day they rode rams through the air to
Guangzhou, each carrying a stem of rice. They presented to the people the
auspicious sign from heaven and told them that the area would be free from
famine forever. Later, according to the story, the city took a name: City of
Rams, or just Goat City. Its official name Guangzhou, however, means 'broad
region" in Chinese. Admission: ¥2. Opening Times: 6:00 - 21:00.
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