Guangzhou - what to visit in the city of tradition and future

By Mirjana Vlaisavljević, Air Serbia

Since 30 September 2024, Air Serbia has been flying directly between Belgrade and Guangzhou in the People's Republic of China. The third most populous city in China, Guangzhou is home to just over 18 million people. You can learn a lot about Guangzhou by searching the web, but you will only learn the most important things when you spend a few days there. We had the opportunity to spend a week in the southern part of China. Those seven days gave us an unforgettable experience and taught us that in China you can feel at home and see a lot, but it is very important to be well informed in advance and plan everything in detail.

Our preparation started in Belgrade. We researched the main tourist spots, marked on Google maps what we wanted to visit and downloaded alternative maps just in case. We installed the Alipay app, added our payment cards, entered our passport information, and bought train tickets to all the cities in southern China that we planned to visit.

We left Belgrade on a Monday, 20 minutes after midnight on flight JU988. After eleven hours, we arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. Although large, the airport was easy to navigate, as was the entry procedure. Serbian citizens do not need a visa for China, but on the plane the crew gave us forms to fill out and submit to the border police along with our passports.

We arrived in Guangzhou around 19:00 local time and decided to go to the hotel by taxi, which we easily found in front of the airport building. For taxi drivers who usually do not speak English, it is good to have the exact address of the hotel in Chinese with you. Our hotel was in a central area of Guangzhou, and in the early evening it took us about 30 minutes to get there.

Exploring the city the next day, we started from the Cultural Park. From there, ten minutes of easy walking brought us to the Shangxiajiu Commercial pedestrian zone. What Knez Mihailova is to Belgrade, this street is to Guangzhou. Famous international restaurants stand right next to stalls with traditional Chinese dishes, and shops with world-famous brands intertwine with grocery stores selling wares from unknown suppliers. There is something for every pocket. By force of will, we resisted the onslaught of colours and smells and continued walking towards the old educational temple named Chen Clan Ancestral Hall. Unfortunately for us, the temple was closed when we arrived, but its exterior was charming.

On we went to the city quarter of Liwan, distinguished by the fantastic Li Wan Hu Park. The traditional Chinese atmosphere and the lakes full of blooming water lilies make the park a spot you want to return to every day. We also took the opportunity to visit the Liwan Museum and there we could feel the spirit of Guangzhou from the past.

The evening found us in front of Bruce Lee's house. His neighbourhood is extremely lively and full of interesting things that are not on Google's map, which is a shame because you can easily miss them, and they are unforgettable. There is also a Tik-Tok attraction, a bridge illuminated so that it reflects a crescent moon in the water. A magical place teeming with tourists. They all want to steal at least one moment for themselves by the bridge and take a photo as a souvenir. We did it too.

Being in Guangzhou and not visiting at least one of the many temples would be a great shame. We opted for two temples in the Yuexiu district. As the Six Banyan temple closes at 17:00, we headed there first. This was a good choice, because this holy place inspires visitors to find calm, at least for a moment. This is the same with the Dafo Sushige temple, which is paradoxically surrounded by a large number of shopping malls and illuminated adverts. Opening at 17:00, Dafo Sushige Temple provides an opportunity to get away from the hustle and bustle of a multimillion-dollar city and learn about some of the Buddhist practices that are still alive here. If you loved Mulan, you will also love Dafo Temple and you will hope, just like us, that one of the dragons on the roof will come to life right there in front of you and turn into the famous Mushu. We weren't so lucky, but don't let our experience discourage you.

An evening in Guangzhou is best spent at Huacheng Square. Although the entire square is surrounded by tall skyscrapers, it offers a fantastic view of the Canton Tower. We have hundreds of photos, but none can faithfully convey the magic that we experienced on the spot. The play of lights strategically positioned along the several hundred meters long square made the place special. We also saw it during the day, but the night version is closer to our heart.

We climbed the Canton Tower one cloudy morning, but that didn't spoil our impression. From a height of 460 metres, we watched Guangzhou as if in the palm of our hand. A special experience was riding "balls" around the edge of the building. When you step into the ball, it seems that you are on the roof of the world and that you can reach with your hand the planes that constantly fly over the city. Even those who are afraid of heights say that it was an unforgettable experience that they would love to do again.

Towards the end of our stay in Guangzhou, we visited Shamian Island in the heart of the city. If it weren't for the famous red Chinese lanterns hanging from the trees and amateur musicians performing live traditional music every day, you'd hardly know you were in China. Shamian's architecture stands out from the rest of the city and most resembles Europe. This wonderful combination of diversity makes the island one of the must-see spots in Guangzhou.

To leave you your own space to explore Guangzhou, we will stop here. The purpose of this travelogue is to motivate you to travel to the city on the Pearl River yourself. There are exactly as many reasons for this as there are residents of Guangzhou, and the three additional reasons (if additional reasons are needed at all) are called Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Macau, just about a hundred kilometres away, little more than an hour by comfortable fast trains.

Enjoy your trip!