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Baiyunshan (White Cloud Mountain)
This section of the range of hills that runs through Guangdong Province is right outside town and can sometimes be a peaceful escape from Guangzhou's traffic and buildings. You will not, however, be the only one with this idea and, on the weekends especially, the hills are alive with the sounds of Cantonese. The hike to the highest point should take a little over an hour, but there is the requisite cable car that can do the work for you. Temples, tea houses and lookouts will make sure you never feel alone in the wild, and the views of the city are great and somewhat comforting.
Chen Clan Academy (Chen Jia Ci)
Also known as the Chen Clan Temple (Chen Jia Ci), this unique complex is a fascinating monument to South China's unique culture ... and to anyone from Guangdong Province with the common surname Chen.
Built in the late 19th century with funds gathered from Chens throughout Guangdong, the Chen Jia Ci served as a gathering place, hall of ancestral worship and school.
The province's many Chens put a lot of money into their namesake academy, and today the complex's series of courtyards and marvelously decorated rooms provide visitors with a vivid sense of what life was like in the latter years of the Qing Dynasty.
Guangzhou Museum of Art
Guangzhou's new art museum claims to be the largest modern art museum in China. It is a working museum, which aims to collect and preserve recent works of Chinese art. It's a large and lovely space with 12 exhibition halls, a tropical atrium and large auditorium. If contemporary art is your thing, devote at least a half day of your Guangzhou stay to exploring the museum.
Qiangang Village
Qiangang Villiage is one of some 200 ancient villages in the region and, thanks to recent archeological efforts, is one of the best examples of Guangdong's traditional Lingnan culture, known for its music, singing, dancing, painting and festivals.
Founded by a Song Dynasty (960-1279) official, the village retains a number of authentic structures, which archeologists have been working to preserve.
A visit to Qiangang presents a unique opportunity to gain both a deeper understanding of Guangzhou's cultural roots and to witness the fruits of China's efforts to preserve a prime example of its rich heritage.
Qingping Market
The "Peaceful" Market used to be the place for exotic animal trade and the sale of various ground up herbs, antlers and mushrooms full of medicinal promise. It was anything but peaceful and the melee of squawking and feathers drew a lot of attention during the SARS scare. The venue has been cleaned up with the vendors occupying clean, clinical-looking stalls, but there are still plenty of mind-blowing ingredients for sale and the market retains much of its mystical charm. Besides, the display of live animals is a free alternative to the lackluster Guangzhou Zoo.
Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall
Situated in China's largest urban green space, Yuexiu Park, the Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall stands on the spot where the man many consider to be the father of modern China took his presidential oath in 1912.
Like so many other sites associated with the man known as Zhongshan, Guangzhou's Memorial Hall is a site popular with patriotic Chinese. For the rest of us, it's a pleasant attraction, well worth visiting while exploring Yuixiu Park and a nice stop on a circuit including other park highlights such as the Five Rams Statue, Municipal Museum and Three Purities Temple.
Constructed between 1929 and 1931 on the site of a former presidential palace, the Memorial's blue-tiled roof and blend of traditional and early 20th-century modern Chinese architecture are surrounded by well-tended gardens. Inside, a large auditorium hosts performances, concerts and other events.
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees (Liurong si)
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is a wonderful place to get a sense of Buddhism's long history in China as well a vivid picture of what contemporary Chinese Buddhism looks like.
The temple, given its present name in 1110 AD by famed Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo (960-1279 AD), was established in 479 AD. Its primary feature is the Flower Pagoda (Hua Ta), a 17-tiered structure that towers 57 meters (almost 190 feet) over the ancient site.
The pagoda, which houses ancient relics from India, is decorated with a myriad of carved animals and holy figures. For an extra RMB 10 you can climb the spiral staircase, gaining some excellent views of the city along with close-ups of Buddhist icons and artwork.
Several halls feature additional artwork, including a stature of the Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, notable for being featured in numerous photos Western families with newly adopted Chinese children, among other things (Guangzhou is a major point in the Chinese adoption network).
The small streets and alleys surrounding the temple are worth exploring for the stalls and shops vending jade trinkets, amulets, incense, plastic spinning musical electric mandalas and other religious bric-a-brac.
Xiguan Residences
An area featuring traditional Qing Dynasty-era Cantonese merchant houses, Xiguan residences provide a unique view on Guangzhou's rich past.
Built of timber, stone, marble and brick and featuring ornate decorations and architectural features designed to signal wealth and success, the buildings extend through numerous rooms, halls and courtyards, each of which originally had a specific traditional function.
There are around 100 Xiguan residences remaining today. Some are well preserved; others have certainly seen better days.
Yuexiu Park
Guangzhou's largest public park features the usual green space but also houses a small city museum, remnants of the old city wall, a statue of the city's five founding rams, the 14th-century Zhenhai Tower and some manmade lakes. The entrance fee is a steal compared to most of China's city parks, so take advantage and while away a few hours in this touted "ecological and cultural wonderland."
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