The People's Republic of China is a kaleidoscope of emotions and discoveries, a piece of the Earth in which the past and the present are connected and where every tourist will find something interesting and memorable for himself. A rich history, exotic cuisine, profitable shopping, modern buildings - this and much more awaits travelers in the Middle Kingdom. The territory of the PRC includes several units of the provincial level: provinces, autonomous regions, cities of special subordination and special administrative regions. Every corner of China is unique in its own way: wonderful nature, man-made monuments and, of course, people who preserve centuries-old traditions and culture of the country. Today we will get acquainted with the province of Guangdong (China), which is called a place of contrasts, ancient and progressive at the same time.
Geographical position
Guangdong Province (China) is located on the coast of the South China Sea and is the gateway to the special administrative regions of the PRC - Hong Kong and Macau. Its area is 178 thousand square meters. km
The climate of Guangdong is subtropical, monsoon. The average January temperature does not fall below +8 ° C, and the average July temperature does not exceed 28 ° C. The province is the warmest region of the Middle Kingdom and has a beautiful nature: full-flowing rivers, evergreen forests, a chain of relatively high mountain ranges in the north, west and east, and in the south and in the center - plateaus, hills and plains. The distribution of precipitation varies from north to south in the direction of increase and ranges from 1300 to 2500 mm per year. The province includes approximately 750 islands.
Historical reference
The first tribes living in the province were Yue, which later became the basis of Chinese society - the Han people. Yue is an abbreviation for Bayue (one hundred yue), the collective name of the peoples living in the province. The first emperor of China, Qin Shihuang in 226 BC. e. He conquered the territory of the province, and the hieroglyph “guan”, by which the district was designated, meant “space” or “huge”. During the conquest of the Chinese states by the Mongols, the province was subordinate to the conquerors. Starting from the 16th century, European peoples settled in the territories of China, which also influenced the situation of the province. Only from the middle of the 20th century, Guangdong completely came under the control of the PRC and until the end of the 70s remained a territory with a low standard of living. The new political and economic course radically changed the situation: the coastal province, which in the past served as the main trade route, as well as emigration and revolutionary springboards, has become a place of concentration of export-oriented enterprises.
The current state of Guangdong
Currently, Guangdong in China is one of the most economically developed provinces, the locomotive of the Chinese economy. The main areas of activity are industry, agriculture, the extraction of certain minerals and the service sector. The province is divided into 19 urban districts and 2 cities of sub-provincial significance - Guangzhou and Shenzhen. In Guangdong, more than 50 nationalities live, the bulk of which are the Han. Residents of the central regions of the province speak Cantonese, which differs from Putonghua - the main dialect of China - in lexical, phonetic and partially grammatical terms. Moreover, this dialect is unofficial in Hong Kong and Macau. It is used even by politicians and is popularized with the help of modern songs and cinema. Religions practiced in Chinese Guangdong are Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism. The main cultural sites of the province are located in cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan.
Guangzhou (Guangdong, China)
Guangzhou City is the capital of Chinese Guangdong. It is the fourth largest city in China after Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Guangzhou is the center of southern culture of China, the largest commercial and industrial city. It was founded in the 3rd century BC and because of its location attracted foreigners from the very beginning. The famous Silk Road passed through this city as well. Guangzhou is attractive for its skyscrapers, beautiful nature, well-developed infrastructure, Cantonese cuisine and impressive night lighting. The city has many parks and places for shopping, as well as buildings that carry in the distant past.
Guangzhou TV Tower (Canton Tower)
The second tallest television tower in the world (610 m) was built for the 2010 Asian Games. The tower has a non-standard design: the interweaving of steel pipes forms a mesh shell, crowned with an elegant spire. The TV tower resembles a refined female figure, for which it is unofficially called a “supermodel”. Entrance to the TV tower is paid and depends on the level at which it is planned to rise (there are 5 in total: from A to E). All levels have their own entertainment: attractions, restaurants, 4D theater and other options for a memorable trip around the tower. At the top (the very last level), there is an observation platform from which a beautiful panorama of the city opens. At night, the TV tower is highlighted with all the colors of the rainbow and looks very impressive.
Central City Square (Huacheng Square)
In the city center on the banks of the Pearl River, one of the most beautiful places in Guangzhou is located - Hua Cheng Square, buried in dozens of skyscrapers and greenery of alleys and squares. It is an ideal place for walking, shopping and photographs, the concentration of the most modern architecture of the city. At night, the “Flower City”, as the square is also called, fascinates with billions of lights and leaves no one indifferent.
Guangzhou Twin Towers Twin Towers
Skyscrapers The Guangzhou International Finance Center (IFC) and the CTF Finance Center (CTF) are among the tallest buildings in the city.
Their heights are 439 m and 530 m. These are beautiful and functional buildings: elegant design, glass panels and lighting create an external appeal to the twin towers, and inside there are a large number of shops, restaurants, food courts, and most importantly, there is an observation deck, which is an alternative to the TV tower Guangzhou
Original buildings
The architectural ensemble of the city center consists of not only skyscrapers directed at the sky, but also buildings with an unusual interesting design. This is what the 9-story Guangzhou Library looks like - one of the largest city libraries in the world.
The futuristic building of the Guangzhou Opera House (reminiscent of Guangzhou Opera House), reminiscent of a spaceship, looks no less impressive. Designed by the world famous designer Zaha Hadid, the theater is one of the largest in the country. Of particular interest is the interior of the theater, which is estimated by many to be even higher than its appearance. Excellent visibility from any place and high-quality acoustics provide a complete immersion in the performance, so all lovers of beauty should definitely visit Guangzhou Opera House.
Another original building is the Guangdong Provincial Museum. This is a modern exhibition complex, offering visitors to plunge into the history and culture of Guangdong province for free. A huge building with an area of more than 40 thousand square meters. m resembles a traditional Chinese casket, inside which real jewels are a unique collection of artifacts that reflects the life of this region of the country.
Guangzhou Yuan
The round building located next to the Pearl River is literally translated as the "Guangzhou Ring" and in shape corresponds to the Eastern worldview, which is characterized by completeness, isolation. Not without numerology: the Italian designer Joseph di Pasquale, when creating the building project, determined that, together with the reflection in the Pearl River, the building will form the number 8, which is lucky for the Chinese.
Temples of guangzhou
All lovers of antiquity should definitely pay attention to the temples of Guangzhou. The Hualin Temple complex, founded in the 6th century, was built to spread Buddhism in China. In the temple are images of 500 arhats, who are considered disciples of the Buddha who have reached enlightenment. Those who profess Buddhism consider them to be saints, which is why Hualin is also called the temple of five hundred gods. The symbol of Guangzhou can be seen in the Temple of the Five Immortals (Eng. Temple of the Five Immortals), located in the largest park in Yuexiu city (Eng. Yuexiu Park). According to legend, five saints went down on five goats and each brought to Guangzhou a sprout of rice, people began to cultivate this culture, and the city forever forgot what hunger is. Grateful residents erected a temple, and five goats turned into a stone statue, which is today the hallmark of the city. The highest pagoda in Guangzhou can be seen in the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.
Those wishing to imbue the spirit of Taoism philosophy should visit one of the oldest Taoist temples in Sanyuan Palace, the culture of traditional Chinese Buddhism can be felt in the Guangxiao Temple, and the Dafo Temple is especially interesting to watch. in nighttime.
Also in Guangzhou is the oldest in the world Huaisheng Mosque (English Huaisheng Mosque), made in the Chinese style. The largest Christian temple in China is the Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart Cathedral (English Sacred Heart Cathedral), completely made of granite in the neo-Gothic style. There are many parks in Guangzhou, including entertainment, museums and shopping centers, so no one will be bored in this city for sure. Moreover, you can plan trips to neighboring cities of the province, which also have their own unique flavor.
City of parks and skyscrapers
Shenzhen (Guangdong Province, China) is a dynamically developing city of the southern province, which in a short period of time from an ordinary fishing village has turned into a large industrial and financial center of the south of China. The city is buried in skyscrapers, and the infrastructure is well developed here.
For travelers, all the conditions for a comfortable stay, entertainment and shopping. Of particular interest are the numerous theme parks of Shenzhen. You can visit different corners of the planet in the Window of the World park, where small copies of world famous architectural structures are presented, and in the Splendid China Folk Village Folk Village park. Chinese sights are collected, as well as the life and cultural traditions of the peoples of China are reproduced. For a family holiday, the Happy Valley amusement park is perfect, the amazing underwater world can be seen in the Xiaomeisha Sea World park (Shenzhen Xiaomeisha Sea World), and in the Safari Park (Shenzhen English) Safari Park) ride through the Valley of the predatory beasts. The city has a lot of green areas. The Xianhu Botanical Garden (Eng. Shenzhen Xianhu Botanical Garden) is striking in its scale and variety of unique plants, Lianhuashan Park (Eng. Lianhuashan Park) is the hallmark of the city, a place of relaxation from the bustle of the city, and you can enjoy the freshness of the sea and at the same time enjoy views of Hong Kong in coastal Mangrove Ecopark (born Shenzhen Mangrove Nature Reserve).
Chinese Montmartre
The Dafen village in Shenzhen (Guangdong, China) is known not only in the Middle Kingdom, but also throughout the world. Once upon a time, artists from all over China began to flock here and engaged in the reproduction of famous paintings. Today, in addition to copies in the village, you can buy works of any genre, including traditional Chinese ink drawings. The streets of Dafen are full of paintings and resemble an open-air gallery. You can even watch the work of masters who create in real time.
City in the Pearl River Delta
Dongguan (Guangdong, China) is one of the oldest cities in the southern province. It is a progressive industrial center that combines modern architecture and medieval buildings.
An open-air museum, immersed in the history of ancient China, is Nanshe Village, on whose territory there are ancient buildings of the Qing and Ming era, Buddhist temples and numerous sculptures. Also in the city you can look at a part of the ancient defensive fortress known as the “Gate of Fortune”, find out the details of the opium wars at the Opium War Museum, look at the city from a height of 30 meters from the Jinao Tower, take a walk through the real Keiyan imperial garden. The infrastructure of Dongguan is well developed: transport links, hotels, supermarkets, shopping centers, restaurants, cafes - all this is in the city.
Homeland teacher Bruce Lee
In the center of the southern province is the ancient Chinese trading city of Foshan (Guangdong, China), which is appreciated by tourists for its picturesque nature, parks, a china village, a pottery workshop, one of the most ancient Taoist temples of Zumiao (English Zumiao), in which there are two halls dedicated to Kung Fu masters born in Foshan, Huang Feihong and Yip Manu. The latter is known as the teacher of the legendary Bruce Lee. Foshan is also considered a city of furniture: the largest furniture wholesale market in the world is located here, and furniture tours to Foshan are becoming more and more popular.
Afterword
Tourists who visited the south of the Middle Kingdom, for the most part, bring positive impressions. The local flavor, picturesque landscapes, ultra-modern buildings, ancient monuments of architecture - this and many others can boast of Guangdong in China. A few tips from travelers:
- In summer and early September, in Guangdong, it is very hot and often typhoons arise.
- The most favorable time for a trip is October-December, because during this period in the province it is warm, dry and sunny.
- Guangdong cities host various international events. Especially large ones can be accompanied by a large influx of guests, so if you do not want to get to the peak, it is best to know in advance about the planned events in the province.
- Thanks to the well-developed transport network, you can not limit yourselves to visiting one city in Guangdong, but plan a trip to several cities in the province in order to fully experience all the advantages of the south of China.