Putuo Mountain, Zhoushan - Home of Guan Yin

普陀山 Putuo Mountain (Buddhist Mountain) home of Guan Yin Goddess - Zhoushan China.
more info at www.mtputuo.com

( avoid February 19, June 19, and September 19 when it welcomes millions of people for the celebration of the birth of Guanyin, . These times of the year this place is super packed ).


A truly rewarding experience, visiting the Kuan Yin Sanctuary at Putuo Mountain, walking to the different temples and shrines and contemplating the beauty of the landscape too!

It's an island that has a lot of buddhist monasteries. I go here every year to worship and pray. It's our family's yearly tradition and ritual. It's truly a blessed journey to go here and also a very sacred place

there are many legends surrounding the establishment of Putuoshan as a Buddhist sanctuary, the most-repeated is that during the ninth century, a Japanese monk making his way from China back to Japan carrying a statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, was caught in a storm. The Goddess appeared and told him to leave the statue and guided him to safety at Putuoshan where he erected a temple (Puji Si) in her honor.

Putuo Mountain (Buddhist Mountain) - Giant Size Guanyin
Putuo Mountain (or Putuo Shan), a national “AAAAA” class tourist scenic spot, is one of the four holy Buddhist Mountains (the others are Mt. Emei, Mt. Jiuhua and Mt. Wutai. If you have a free weekend, we recommend spending it here.

Huiji, Fayu and Puji Temples are the three largest temples on Nt. Putuo. Huiji Temple is on Foding Peak and is also called the Foding Peak Temple. It is hidden in the mountainous forests. Looking down at the peaks and islands makes it easy to immerse oneself in the serenity of this place.

About three kilometers down the mountain, you will find the Puji Temple. It was built during the Song Dynasty(960 – 1279) and covers about 11,000 square meters. Besides the figure of the Goddess of Mercy Kwan-yin herself, there are 32 reincarnations of her helping people of different appearances and identities.


Getting There: i suggest you take a high speed bullet train from shanghai to yiwu or hangzhou and travel from there. or take a flight to Ningbo.
from shanghai:
Mt. Putuo (admission fee: CNY 160.00) is in the middle of the Zhoushan Islands offshore from the city of Ningbo. The best way to get there is take the overnight ferry departing from the Shanghai Wusong Port every evening (at 19:20/20:00 – arriving the next day at 07:00/07:30). Tickets are available at the ferryboat agency (No. 59 East Jinling Road; Tel: 021-63283120; business hours 07:00 – 17:30) two days prior to departure. Passengers should note that boarding is at the Wusong Passenger Transportation Center (Tel: 021 – 56575500), not Wusong Port itself.

By air

Mount Putuo (Putuo Shan) airport is conveniently located on Zhujiajian island, a very short ferry ride away from Mount Putuo. Note that this local airport is also known as Zhoushan airport.

Following is a list of the routes currently served by the airport:

Shanghai, daily
Beijing, Wed., and Sat.
Xiamen, daily
Hong Kong, Thur., and Sun. (maybe charter)
Jinjiang, daily
Wuyishan, Wed. and Sat.

Schedules may vary. Please check with travel agents before making travel plans.

Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Xiamen are major air hubs. The international airports in these cities offer frequent international connections.

For air tickets please call 86-580-2027129, -2026799, -3019337 or -3019200, or contact local hotels: Xilei Villa 86-580-6091931, Xiling Hotel 86-580-6093101

By land
Most tourists arrive Port of Shenjiamen by land and then take a ferry or speed boat to Mount Putuo. Shenjiamen is the traditional gateway to Mount Putuo, and it takes as little as 15 minutes to reach Mount Putuo from Shenjiamen. Zhujiajian island is connected with Shenjiamen by a bridge. It is also convenient to reach Mount Putuo via Zhujiajian.

There are frequent tourist bus services available from Shanghai, Hangzhou and Ningbo to Shenjiamen, and these tourist buses may name their destination as Mount Putuo (Putuo Shan), although the buses actually stop at Shenjiamen near the ferry dock to Mount Putuo.

The comfortable bus rides take about 6.5 hours from Shanghai and less than 5 hours from Hangzhou. Currently the buses are ferried between mainland and Island of Zhoushan, and the above travel time includes this 45-minute ferry ride. The cost of the bus is currently about 140 Yuan ($19) per person one way from Shanghai.

Note that the coastal area near Mount Putuo is being rapidly developed, and new routes to Mount Putuo are expected to be added in near future.



By sea

Shanghai (Lucao harbor at Nanhui District) to Mount Putuo, scheduled speed boat service. Travel time is about 3 hours.

Shanghai (Port Wusong) to Mount Putuo. Regular passenger ship service. Travel time is about 12 hours.

Ningbo (Daxie harbor) to Mount Putuo. Speed boat dispatches every 30 minutes during day time. Travel time is about 1 hour.

Shenjiamen (Bansendong dock) to Mount Putuo, frequent speed boat service. Travel time is about 15 minutes.



Zhujiajian to Mount Putuo, speed boat service. Travel time is about 6 minutes. Zhujiajian island is where Mount Putuo (Putuo Shan) airport is situated. Zhujiajian is connected to Shenjiamen by a bridge.

join Putuoshan Tour via shanghai

Putuoshan Tour
ADD: Suite 1002, Guangfeng INT'L Building, 79# South 2nd Ring Rd, Xi'an, 710068, China

Tel: +86 (29) 6865 0391 (9:00am to 7:00pm)
Fax: +86 (29) 8526 2670
Email: info@china-tour.cn
Website: www.china-tour.cn

Tour Code: CCT-CZJT02S
Tour Price: From $130 USD exclude ferry price from shanghai

Destinations: Putuoshan
Tour Class: Standard
Tour Departure: Flexible


Day 1 (L, D)
Meet you in the hotel lobby and transfer to Shanghai pier for the fast ferry (10:00 AM/12:00PM) to Putuoshan. After lunch, take a visit to Puji Temple. Originally built in Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), Puji Temple is the largest and most spectacular temple on Putuoshan. Next you are escorted to visit Fayu Temple where is famous for the delicate wood carvings and ancient architectures. Continue to tour around Huiji Temple which was built on the top of the Foding Hill. Only in Huiji Temple is Buddha Sakyamuni worshiped. And there is a rich collection of ancient brick carvings portraying Kwan-yin Bodhisattva. After dinner, rest in local hotel.


Day 2 (B, L)
Morning tour takes you to explore Purple Bamboo Forest. There you can visit the Cave of Tidal Sound. It is not a real cave but a huge vertical gash in the cliff face. You can hear the thundering sound of the tide day and night, hence its name. Then take a visit to the Temple of Kwan-yin Who Refuses to leave which is the oldest and most important temple in Putuoshan. After lunch, take the fast ferry at 13:30PM to Shanghai. Transfer back to the hotel and service ends.



Prices of this tour
Group Size Quotations Single Supplement

10 Person or up USD130/Person USD40/Person
6-9 Person USD170/Person USD100/Person
2-5 Person USD250/Person USD100/Person

The quotations include:
1. Hotel accommodations with daily breakfasts.
2. Meals with multi-soft drinks indicated in the itinerary.
3. Admission fees for the sightseeing spots listed in the itinerary.
4. English-speaking local guides and private air-conditioned vehicles.
5. Governmental taxes inside China within the tours where applicable.


The quotations exclude:
1. Shanghai arrival & departure transportation.
2. Single Supplement.
3. China visa handling fees.
4. Tips and personal expenses.

Remarks:
*Children age 3-11 and infants aged 1 year and under are free of charge, providing they sit with an accompanying adult.

China's largest film studio: Hengdian World Studio in Zhejiang.

横店影视城 China's largest film studio: Hengdian World Studio, Dongyang, Zhejiang (near Yiwu Wholesale) 

more info at :  http://www.hengdianworld.com/

China's largest film studio: Hengdian World Studio,Zhejiang.

Hengdian World Studio is China's largest film studio. Also photos of Hengdian Film Industrial Park. Located in Zhejiang Province. Many famous movies have been shot there e.g.: The Opium War, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero

Hengdian is a small town in Dongyang City, Zhejiang Province. But in this 10 square kilometers land, lies the largest Movie and Television Base in Asia – Hengdian World Studios. This trip will take you an amazing dreamlike fantasy.

Hengdian World Studios consists of 8 theme parks - Guangzhou Street / Hong Kong Street, Emperor Qin Palace, Qing Ming Shang He Tu, Riverside Town in South China, Palace of Ming and Qing Dynasties, Dazhi Temple, Rocky Grottos and Pujiang Shen Li Gorge. The constructions were built and styled according to the major periods of China's history, from Qin Dynasty to the Republic of China. If you rent a set of costume and dress like the ancients while visiting, it is like reliving the history in a time tunnel.

How to Get there:

from shanghai - You can take bullet train from Shanghai to Yiwu first and the train journey takes about 2-2.5 hours. Upon arrival in Yiwu, you may take bus no. 805 at the square of Yiwu Railway Station to Jiangdong Coach Passenger Transport, where you can take bus to Hengdian World Studio.

Stuido Entrance Fees:

where to stay:

Hengdian World Studios Movie Star Hotel  about rmb250 (3 star hotel)

source:  english.ctrip.com

The studio consists of 13 shooting bases with a total area of up to 330 hectares and building areas of 49,5995 square meters. It is the largest shooting base in China and one of the largest in the world. It is sometimes called "Chinawood ". Unlike a typical movie set, the structures in Hengdian are made up of full-scale buildings and not facades. There are also two high-technical shooting studios there. There are no earnings from rentals of the sets and back lots, because free access is given to all productions, domestic or foreign.

The studio also functions as a theme park, so tourists can see replicas of famous structures, as well as locations of their favorite movies and TV shows.

The studio is divided into these theme parks:
Guangzhou and Hong Kong streets
Emperor Qin Palace
Qing Ming Shang He Tu
Riverside Town in South China
The Forbidden City of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Dazhi Temple
Rocky Grottos
Pujiang Shen Li Gorge
Residential Houses in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
The Center of Chinese Essence

I found this studio more interesting than studios in Hollywood because I could watch shootings of many films. On a typical day, there are about 10 crews shooting on the various lots. Both in Hollywood and Hengdian I would like to see an exhibition about the process of filmmaking from an idea to marketing. Also books and magazines about filmmaking for sale. It could be very interesting for both professional and amateur filmmakers. There could even be clubs linked to the studios.

Many famous movies have been shot there e.g.:
The Opium War - Directed by Xie Jin. Considered even-handed treatment of the war, though it is about a very shameful part of British history.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - Directed by Ang Lee and won 4 Oscars in 2001.

Hero - Directed by Zhang Yimou

Emperor and the Assassin - Directed by Chen Kaige and won the Technical Prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - Directed by Rob Cohen.

The Forbidden Kingdom - Directed by Rob Minkoff with two famous Kung Fu actors, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

Because of the many films shot there, the studio has provided employment for many in the area as extras. Today it pays more to play a farmer than to be one. Still the salary is much lower than e.g. in Hollywood, but many enjoy it very much. I understand it well because I am sometimes an extra in films. When Wen Jide was 62 years old he became one of the thousands farmers who became an extra and has since acted as a chancellor, governor and an emperor. He had never acted before but drew on his experience in a singing and dance group in his village.

Many major Hollywood studios have shot films there e.g. because of historical sets and very low costs. "The advantage here is obviously economic. The stunt crews are amazing, and the work hours are very flexible," said Jeremy Bolt, producer of "Dead or Alive," which is a Kung Fu film based on the video game of the same name.

In the Hengdian Film Industrial Park are about 320 enterprises and I saw many creating props for films.


The Warner China Film HG Corporation is a joint venture of Warner Bros. Pictures, the Chinese Film Group Corporation, and the Hengdian Group. It’s the first Sino-foreign joint venture of film production. The purpose is to create films and television programs for the Chinese market.

Some film companies have had financial problems e.g. because of to slow money returns and too much film production prepayment. They could not get loans from banks because small amount of real assets. The Bank of China's Zhejiang Branch therefore introduced the "Ying Shi Tong Bao" product, which allows small and medium-sized film and TV cultural enterprises to use the copyright of TV programs as a pledge for loans.

The history of the man who build the studio is quit impressive. Xu Wenrong, was born in Hengdian and left school when he was 13-year-old. A state-run silk factory there was shutdown because of a crisis. In 1975 he got a loan from the township government to set up the Hengdian Silk Factory. He later became a multimillionaire and his Hengdian Group Company became one of the most powerful private enterprises in China with major industries of electronics, pharmaceutical, chemical, film and entertainment.

He describes himself as "a farmer turned entrepreneur". In his opinion, farmers are great. It is the laboring people who created the world and history. He was elected as the deputy of the 8th National People's Congress and won the "Golden Award of the 4th National Career-starting Award of Entrepreneurs" and "National Outstanding Private Entrepreneur ". He has been conferred the honorable titles of "National Model Worker", "the 1st Top 10 Innovation Man of News of Chinese Privately- Owned Enterprises" and the "Person of Chinese Top 25 Meritorious Brand". The TV series of "Peasant Representative" which was written according to the development history of the Hengdian Group, gained the "Five First Project" Award in Zhejiang Province. The Japanese NHK TV station shoot TV documentary, "Asian Celebrity Xu Wenrong" about him.

When director Xie Jin in 1996 was looking for someone to build a giant set for his film "The Opium War." Xu Wenrong decided to do it. He brought in 120 construction crews and built the 20-hectare set in three months. That feat impressed the filmmaker so much that he recommended the location to Chen Kaige, who was then scouting for his film: "The Emperor and the Assassin" and needed a Qin Dynasty palace. He asked Xu to help and eight months later, a palace with 27 buildings had been built.

Xu Wenrong handed the reins of the company to his son Xu Yong'an in 2004, who has said that he wanted to set up a fund, like the Sundance Institute, which was created by Mr. Robert Redford, to support film makers. The films do not have to be made in Hengdian, but they could be scripted, financed and promoted there. He also wanted to have a special film festival to promote them.

Hengdian Group is both exporting to Europe and cooperating with European companies for the sales of their products and services to the Chinese market, e.g. Segafredo coffee shops in Shanghai and some leading fashion brands. The group is also interested in promoting collaboration with European partners in the film and entertainment industry.

To improve the internationalization, Hengdian Group set up in 2007 a subsidiary company in Milan, Italy. The General Manager of the company Mr. Airaldo Piva received the "National Friendship Award of China", which is the highest national award granted to foreign experts who have made outstanding contributions to China’s economic and social progress. The winners are selected by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs. The company was awarded the "China-Italy Investment Prize" of Sino-Italian Foundation in 2009.

The Hengdian Group has established many enterprises in poor regions such as Anhui, Henan, Hubei and other provinces to help the locals pave their way towards prosperity. The Group also provides funds to build primary schools for the Hope Project and children's palaces in the western poor regions. It established the Hengdian Polytechnic School, the Zhenjiang Hengdian Science Institute, Hengdian Group Kindergarten, Zhejiang Aviation and Sports School, Hengdian Senior High School and Dongyang Tourism School. The Group set up the Hengdian Group Hospital and Sino-Finnish Wenrong Hospital, which is based on the cooperation with Finland medical organizations. The Economic Forum of Chinese Counties was also established by Hengdian.

Guangzhou Making house curtains

Making House Curtains in Guangzhou

Guangzhou Highsun Fabric Market 海印布匹市场---where you can pick the material you want and get custom made shirts, business suits, beddings and curtains for a tenth of the cost that you would get it for in most of the western countries.

Highsun Fabric Market - pick your materials and has your curtains made on the spot

How to get there
Address:  Guangzhou Yan Jiang Dong Lu 429-431
广州市沿江东路429-431号，即海印桥西北引桥侧

By metro: Take line 1 to Martyr's park, take exit B3 and get a taxi from there.. Taxi will cost around 10 RMB
By bus: Bus stop Dashatou.

Highsun market is in a single building with 4 floors and over 100 shops on each floo

Guangzhou Highsun Fabric Market（海印布匹市场）---where you can pick the material you want and get custom made shirts, business suits, beddings and curtains for a tenth of the cost that you would get it for in most of the western countries. You can get fabric of sundry materials and patterns that can be imagined, of course, of different grades of quality.


Not like Hoi An, where almost every shop provides selling and tailoring at the same time, here, most of the shops are specialized for cloth selling or tailoring, which makes them more professional in the particular service. Labels of production place are tagged, as well as the price, so you don’t need to worry about the hassling bargain, but they will lower the price if you buy more, and the wholesale price is about 60% of the retail one.


Many of the curtain shops sell the textures and process the curtains for free. Multifarious styles of curtains can be found there, the classical one in elegant color and design, the modern one such as double curtain, and the folded one in oriental style. You can choose the textures and have them process in a shop, and you just have to pay the textures and the accessories. A set of (2m*2m) medium grade jacquard fabric curtain, with the lace and other ornaments, is about $16. You may have a better price when you buy more. The wholesale price is also around 60% of the retail one.



Jin Xiang Underwear wholesale Square is the a professional wholesale market. It is China's largest underwear and socks wholesale market. Guangzhou Jin Xiang sock&Underware wholesale Square is located in Zhan Qian Road near Guangzhou Railway station, adjacent Chinese Export Commodities Fair. Guangzhou gathered a lot of underwear and socks manufacturer, zombies production underwear, socks manufacturers most of the endless variety of styles.

Guangzhou Zhongda FABRIC MARKET
ADDRESS:海珠区新港西路中大国际轻纺城 XINGANG XI LU

Zhongda Fabric Market together includes 4 different Zones: Fabric Zone, Fur zone, Support material Zone and Curtain/hometextile Zone, So any kind of fabric(warp or weft kintting fabric or weaving fabric of any material) for any kind of clothes or hometextile, we could find out there. Also lace, ribbon, embroidery, braid, elastic belt, bra cup, button, ironing diamond or small hardware for clothes could find out there well. So for lowering your fabric cost, why not try to source there in Zhongda. Many booths display out their products, so more competition, more price discount.

Opposite to the shopping area you will find many shops that sell curtains and bed clothes. I have been to HuaJia fabric plaza and to Dong Men Curtain World. When you get off the bus at Dong Men stop and walk towards the footbridge you will see HuaJia fabric plaza. Inside HuaJia on the 2nd and 3rd floor there are many small curtain shops. Curtain World is located behind HuaJia. On the 3rd and 4th floor many fabrics are sold to make your own clothes or curtains. On the 5th and 6th floor there are many small curtain shops again. We bought our curtains there. Prices range from 15Y to 50Y per square meter.


in SHENZHEN to make curtains,  it is near  EAST GATE shopping areas
Dong Men Pedestrian Street, Luohu District, Shenzhen,

Opposite to the shopping area you will find many shops that sell curtains and bed clothes. I have been to HuaJia fabric plaza and to Dong Men Curtain World. When you get off the bus at Dong Men stop and walk towards the footbridge you will see HuaJia fabric plaza. Inside HuaJia on the 2nd and 3rd floor there are many small curtain shops. Curtain World is located behind HuaJia. On the 3rd and 4th floor many fabrics are sold to make your own clothes or curtains. On the 5th and 6th floor there are many small curtain shops again. We bought our curtains there. Prices range from 15Y to 50Y per square meter.


Here is a map of DongMen shopping area:

GuangZhou - Sightseeing

Guangzhou - Sightseeing

Canton Tower or TV station (world's tallest 1500 ft high)
Canton Tower

Canton Tower is also known as the Guangzhou TV Tower, and is approximately 600 meters high. The tower provides a great bird’s eye view of the night scenery in Guangzhou. You can also enjoy a meal at a restaurant in the tower and take the world’s highest Ferris wheel for panoramic views of Guangzhou.

The Canton Tower is the tallest TV tower in the world with a total height of 600m (1500 ft). The Tower was built using the latest engineering technologies, but inherits 2000 years of Canton Culture. It displays Guangzhou’s vision and determination to the world. The Tower offers an observation deck with a spectacular view, several top-notch restaurants and catering services, 5-star exhibition, convention and entertainment facilities. All these enable you not just to enjoy the magnificent scenery of Guangzhou, but also to experience the excitement of adventure at great heights.

Entrance fee for Canton Tower: 50 yuan per person for 32 floors, 100 yuan per person for 66 floors, 150 yuan per person for 84 floors.   Ferris Wheel ride is 130 rmb per person.

Canton Tower World's Highest Ferris Wheel 1500 ft high

Top of the canton tower is The Ferris wheel, world tallest ferris wheel at about 1500 ft high. entrance price is 130 yuan per person.

Passengers were set to ride in see-through capsules perched on top of the 450-metre-high Canton Tower, also known as the Guangzhou TV Tower. The 16 pods - which hold a total of 96 thrill seekers - each measure just over three metres wide. 

An elliptical track has been constructed around the edge of the tower's roof, and the 16 transparent 'crystal' pods take between 20 and 40 minutes to go round the track.

Canton Tower is near Exit A of Chigangta Subway Station (赤岗塔站) of Subway Line 3, which runs between Airport South Station at Baiyun Airport and Tiyuxi Station at Tiyu West Road (体育西路).

Night cruise on the Pearl River

Night cruise on the Pearl River

A night cruise on the Pearl River takes about two hours. Along the cruise, you can enjoy a general view of Guangzhou. Water and very simple snacks are available on the cruise ship. You can buy a ticket and board at Tianzi Pier (天字码头), which is about a five-minute walk from Haizhu Square Subway Station (海珠广场). cost about rmb30

Chen Clan Academy 陈家祠

Chen Clan Academy

In the late of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), a man named Chen got the third place in the highest imperial examination and had conferred upon him a distinguished office title which made the Family Chen well-known. Later someone suggested that all the Chen's families raise money to build a temple to sacrifice to the ancestors and encourage their offspring likewise to study hard. Therefore, the temple was finished in 1894 with the money donated by Chen's families in 72 counties of Guangdong Province as well as some overseas members of Family Chen.

The most impressive attractions in the temple are various superb carvings extolling nature. They are in the forms of wood, brick, pottery, stone, lime and things like that, of which wood carving especially fully demonstrates the great achievements of the art of carving in Guangdong Province. Stories of historical celebrities and scenes are also vividly represented in the temple.

The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world. A pair of stone drums in front of the entrance door, measuring 2.55 meters (about 8.36 feet) in height and two colored drawing pictures of door-god of four meters (about 13 feet) height are said to be the best in Guangdong.

The compound was constructed in the traditional Chinese symmetrical style and the main hall, the Juxian Hall is in the center of the temple. Juxian Hall was once a place for clansmen to assemble before the establishment of the temple and now it is used as an ancestral hall. In front of the hall is a stone gazebo surrounded by stone balustrades. In the hall there is an exquisitely carved folding screen which is an excellent example of woodcarving.

  

Admission Fee: CNY 10
Opening Hours: 08:30 -17:30
Recommended Time for a Visit: 45 minutes

How to Get There: Subway :Take Guangzhou Subway Line 1 to Chenjiaci Station(Chen Clan Academy). Leave from Exit C to Chenjiaci Square or Exit D to the main entrance. you will see the Chen Clan Academy.

Bus Routes: Take 17, 85, 88, 104, 107, 109, 114, 128, 133, 181, 193, 204, 233, 250, 251, 260, 268, 286, Tourism Bus Line 1 or 2 and get off at Chenjiaci Station.

FREE entry one day each month:
Notes: Every month, the ancestral temple will be open free of charge for one day. So, ticket free on Jan. 13, Feb. 24, Mar. 17, Apr. 14, May 18, Jun. (National Cultural Heritage Day), Jul. 14, Aug. 18, Sep 15, Oct. 13, Nov. 17, Dec. 15.

Temple of 6 Banyan Tree

Temple of 6 Banyan Tree
Having a long history of about 1,400 years, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou and located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). It has a rich collection of cultural-relics and is renowned both at home and abroad.

Originally built in 537, it has been rebuilt several times, and the name has also been changed several times from Changshou Temple (meaning Longevity Temple) to Jinghui Temple and finally the current name. It is a name given by the great liiterateur Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). It is said that he visited there while returning to the north. During the visit, he found six banyan trees there particularly striking. The vitality of the trees put him in a good mood and cheered him up. When the abbot of the monastery invited him to suggest a name, Su Dongpo wrote down its present name. Finally, its former name (Jinghui Temple) was changed to the present one, Temple of the Six Banyan Trees. A pagoda inside is known variously as Six Banyan Pagoda or Flowery Pagoda.

After entering by the mountain gate, the Tianwang Hall is the first hall you will see. The Laughing Buddha is there with smile all over his face to welcome visitors. Behind it is the Weituo Hall. According to legend, Weituo was a general who recaptured the Buddhist relics which had been stolen. He keeps a straight face, looking very serious and frightful, in distinct contrast with the Laughing Buddha.

The architecture that catches the visitors' eyes most is the Six Banyan Pagoda. It is a pagoda where Buddhist relics are placed. Its roofs curve upwards and look like dark red flower petals. The tip of the pagoda is like stamens, while the whole construction looks like a huge stigma high in the air. Therefore, people like to call it the Flowery Pagoda. The pagoda not only has a nice appearance, but also provides visitors a good place to overlook enchanting scenery around.


Admission Fee: CNY 5 (the temple); CNY 10 (Six Banyan Pagoda)

Opening Hours: 08:30 to 17:00
Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour

Route: Take Subway Line 1 or Subway Line 2 to Gongyuanqian Station and get out from Exit B. Walk five minutes and it can be reached.

Take bus 12, 215 to Liurong Road Station or 74, 85, 88, 102, 104, 107, 193, 233, 250, 286 to Zhongshan Liulu Station.


Yuexiu Park (5 Rams)
Yuexiu Park (famous  ram statue)
960 Jiefang North Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou 510000, China

Getting there:  take the metro to Yuexiu Park, the park is opposite the MRT.

A huge park. There are many locals there in the morning to do their excercise. There are many attractions to visit. You can also take an electric cart to tour the park if you do not have enough time on your hands. You can also but fish food to feed the fish in the park. All in all, excellent place...

Lingnan Impression Park (old guangzhou town)
Lingnan Impression Park
Waihuan West Road, University City, Panyu District, Guangzhou 510006, China

If you have an interest in Guangzhou and its culture beyond food and shopping, you will find this a worthwhile attraction. Despite being out of the way, the subway and a walk/motorbike ride will get you there. The park resembles an old town, with beautiful traditional buildings, a lake with a shadow puppet pavillion and a main street full of attractions, including an open air opera house. While many of the buildings are for hawking things, the objects they sell usually are tied in with local culture. It is worth exploring any open door since some exhibitions may be located a bit off the main street. There are art, history, food displays and live shows from opera to puppet theatre. Plus some off-beat things to delight you, such as rooms with optical illusions or displays of Chairman Mao memorabilia. I would recommend spending half a day there so you can soak it all in. You will definitely be enriched in your understanding of the roots of modern Guangzhou and maybe surprised by its rich cultural background.

Guangzhou BaiYun Mountain
Baiyun Shan, or White Cloud Mountain, lies just North of the city and is one of the 'Eight Sights' of Guangzhou. It has been a scenic spot for a long time and has inspired poets, artists, and scholars, and on a rare clear day you can see the whole of Guangzhou. The park consists of 30 peaks and covers 28 km2, with Moxing Peak being the hightest at 382 metres.

The mountain can be reached by taking buses 24 and 36, and a bus going directly to the peak also available at Guangwei Road. The Baiyun Cableway is the first bicable ropeway in the country, and has 80 cars seating 6 passengers each. The lower station is located east of Yuntai Garden and the upper station is at the Peak Park, a difference of 198 m (650 ft) in altitude and are located 1,672 m (5,486 ft) away from each other.

Bad Tour Experience

we have bad experience joining a one day tour despite booking from the hotel travel agency.

the tour price ranged from rmb68 to rmb150 depend which hotels you are staying and DO NOT cover the entrance ticket price. visit 2 places only and jade factory and electronic shops.

the guide wanted additional rmb160 for 2 entrance tickets. i paid rmb80 for one place only (i found out from the ticket counter the entrance is at rmb60)

in addition, they bring you to several shopping shops. Conclusion it is not too difficult or expensive to visit guangzhou on your own or you can hire a car with driver or travel via MRT.

Guangzhou China - best eating place and cusine

My favourite eating places in Guangzhou

Shang Xia Jiu Lu Pedestrian Street 上下九步行街 (a MUST visit place for famous foods and shopping) 4 famous old restaurant and several famous eating house. - your first stop in Guangzhou 

Directions: Take MTR to Changshou Lu station. 15 minutes walking distance away from Dishifu Road. Suggest you asked how to get to Shang Xia Jiu Lu.

Shangxia Jiu Lu Pedestrian Street is located in the Liwan District. On this street lie more than 200 stores, and guangzhou famous restaurants and teahouses. Shangxia Jiu Lu is restricted to pedestrians only.

Be sure to go to Shangxia Jiu Lu. Even if you don't buy anything, just walking along it you will feel the cultural atmosphere.

Famous Restaurants and Eating place in Shang Xia Jiu:

Guangzhou Restaurant 广州酒家 (Strongly Recommended)

Guangzhou Restaurant 广州酒家 (RECOMMEND)

Daily 7am-3pm, 5-9pm. (crowd started queing at 4pm)

Guangzhou Restaurant owned 19 subsidiaries. The specialties include Wen Chang Chicken, Kapok Duck, Deep Fried Duck Palm, and Three-colored Lobster. Besides, the moon cakes of Guangzhou Restaurant are also very famous.

Guangzhou Restaurant was founded in 1935, with operating Cantonese famous, known as "Eating in Guangzhou's first" reputation, the main business catering services and food industry, the company was the Ministry of Commerce as "China's top ten food and beverage brands." , has won the "old Chinese", "National Customer Satisfaction service enterprises", "advanced unit of spiritual civilization", "National Labor Award" and other honors, in 2012 was awarded the "China famous Brand" title.

Famous Sausage Shop Huang Shang Huang Beside Guangzhou Restaurant

Beside Guangzhou Restaurant is the famous Huang Shang Huang Shop (皇上皇腊味店, well-known for its sausage meat and others)

Taotao Ju Jiujia (陶陶居 Restaurant)

Taotao Ju Jiujia (陶陶居 Restaurant)

Add: No. 20, Di Shi Fu Lu, Guangzhou

Tao Tao Ju built in year 1880 already exists for more than 120 years. It is the earliest luxury restaurant in Guangzhou. A summerhouse at the top of the building was the best place of Guangzhou to admire the beautiful moon for a long time. There are a lot of famous and great persons have been to this restaurant such as Lu Xun-the founder of modern baihua literature, Ba Jin-one of the most important and widely-read Chinese writers of the 20th century, Cheng Can Yun, Liu Hai Su and so on. The signboard was beautiful calligraphy of Kang Youwei-a famous Chinese scholar noted calligrapher and prominent thinker and reformer of the later Qing Dynasty. Tao Tao Ju restaurant can enable you have the most authentic Cantonese cuisine. The specialty here is "Tao Tao Ginger and Shallot Chicken". Tao Tao Ju is not only for dishes, but also for its cookies. It has made cookies for more than one hundred years.

Taotaoju Restaurant is one of the most famous tea restaurants in Guangzhou and has a history of more than 100 years. Among the various dim sums available, highly recommended are the shrimp dumplings (虾饺), crispy durian cakes (榴莲酥), chicken claws (凤爪), steamed creamy custard buns (奶黄包), stewed milk bean curd (双皮奶), and beef meatballs. China Highlights advises that you order in advance if possible.

Great Dim Sum also their famous foods

Lian Xiang Lou Restaurant

Lian Xiang Lou opened in 1889 and sits in the west part of Guangzhou city. It is reputed as the "mooncake No.1 for Lotus Seed Paste and a famous restaurant beside the shop". Lian Lian Xiang Lou is one of the most famous places for moon cakes. Its moon cakes sell far away to other countries to South Asia, America,

Shang Xia Jiu pedestian street famous eating house:

Nanxin Eating House

Nanxin Shuang Pi Nai Eating House 南信双皮奶 (China, Guangzhou), also great for noodles and etc

Nanxin Shuang Pi Nai 南信双皮奶 is a dessert made from a mixture of milk (water buffalo to be exact), egg white and sugar. Apparently, water buffalo milk is used because only water buffalo milk can coagulate when cooled.

Jiang Zhuang Nai 南信姜撞奶 or Ginger Milk Curd RMB10 ($2). The Ginger Milk Curd is made by pouring milk into ginger juice at a certain temperature. Once this is done properly, chemistry reaction (between the milk and ginger) takes place and the milk (liquid) starts its transition and becomes solid (pudding like). it is best taken in winter and is known to help get rid of cold.

Nanxin Shuang Pi Nai 南信双皮奶 (China, Guangzhou)

47号 Dishifu Road, Liwan

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Tel: +86 20 8138 9904

Location

another famous eating house in Shang Xia Jiu 荔湾名食家 -  opp Singapore Bee Cheng Heng Shop

荔湾名食家

Liwan Famous Food Restaurant
99 Dishifu Rd, Liwan, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

荔湾区第十甫路99号1楼 (近上九路)

+86 20 8171 2580

Strongly recommended:  10 ingredients porridge, black rice desert. and more (see menu those with a red star beside the foods)

For an authentic slice of Cantonese life, try Liwan Famous Food Restaurant. Dishes served are staple Guangzhou favourites including porridge, wonton and changfen

西关人家 Xi Guan Ren Jia in Shang Xia Jiu Lu

西关人家 Xi Guan Ren Jia
Dim Sum Restaurant and Chinese Restaurant

at Dexing Rd. & Kangwang Rd. (at 4/F of Liwan Plaza North Tower), Guangzhou, Shang Xia Jiu area

Xiguang Ren Jia is the paradise of Guangdong snacks. It is a very nice Cantonese flavor restaurant with reasonable price. 

The famous chicken dish here is "Qing Ping Chicken". Well known Guangzhou dim sums are the specialties here such as Double Skin Milk, Ji Di Zhou (congee), Yuntun Mian (wonton) and Jiang Zhuang Nai. Some dim sum has a history of one hundred years.

 

dont forget to visit following in shang xia jiu pedestrian street:

Lianxiang Lou (莲香楼), Qingping Restaurant (清平饭店), Wenchang Chicken (文昌鸡), Huangshanghuang Sausage (皇上皇腊肠), Nanxin Desserts (南信甜品), Yin's Canteen (银记), Quxiang Cakes and so on.

Hua Lin Street near shang xia jiu. This street was built in the year 1870 and is a jade ornament street. It is home today to some of the most popular jade markets in China and has more than a thousand shops selling jade at several different price ranges. Hualin Temple is another attraction on this street. It is a Buddhist temple that was built in the year 527 AD and is known best for the Five Hundred Arahats Hall that houses 500 Buddha statues in various forms. While the temple once used to be quite large, it is much smaller today due to the expanding business area

Lao Xiguan Food City 老西关美食城 (famous congee in boat)

老西关美食城 (near hualin temple)
Lao Xiguan Food City
293 Kangwang South Rd, Liwan, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China ‎
tel: +86 20 3102 2070 ‎

Metro to Liwan: Line1, Line5 and Guangfo Line across the entire Liwan District.

Old Xiguan Food City, 3/F Huanlin Jade Plaza B Hall, 293 Kangwang Nan Rd.

Their dishes are rooted in a venerable culinary tradition unique to the area, one which demonstrates both the ingenuity and spirituality of their ancestors. Meals such as the Pan Tang Wu Xiu, a buttery seafood salad composed of five sacred ingredients, originate in fertility foods believed to speed the birth of son. Besides, the famous Boating Congee, for example, began by turning small, unsalable fish into a rich, creamy stew. Other noted desserts are: egg tarts and ginger-milk pudding, which are both made with yak's milk from a private farm in the suburb; the most popular Dim sum include: dumplings with prawn, rice rolls with either vegetable or pork, glutinous balls made from sweet potato or sweet corn, and many more.

 

 
Wenji Yixin Restaurant - famous for chicken
WenJi Yixinji Restaurant

文记壹心鸡
Opening Hours: 1100-2300 Daily
Wenji Restaurant (文记壹心鸡), 10 Boahua Road, Liwan District (荔湾区宝华路旋源桥10号) (Exit A Metro 1 Changshou Lu; Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street), ☎ +86 20 8172-8887.

Wenji Yixin (Single-hearted) Chicken – (formerly known as Qingping Chicken)
Qingping Chicken was the signature dish of the Qingping Restaurant in Guangzhou's historic western downtown area, ranked in the top 10 provincial chicken dishes in 1993. Qingping Chicken is cooked in seasoned brine, which gives lively flavors to the skin, meat and even the bones.

This is a fresh chicken, but not chilled or frozen. Skin is thin and there is no jelly fat between skin and meat layers. Meat is naturally bouncy, juicy, and rich in chicken flavour.

Some years ago the Qingping Restaurant closed down, but its kitchen team went en-masse to the newly-established Wenji Restaurant in Baohua St., keeping Qingping Chicken alive under a new name, "Wenji Yixin Chicken".

Beijing Lu Pedestrian Street 北京路步行街  - Foods Street and Shopping

Crossing over the north end of Beijing Lu stretches Zhongshan Wu Lu (中山六路), a lively copy of Beijing Lu that has not been pedestrianized. There, the Xindaxin Department Store and newly-built Mayflower Plaza (五月花广场) – a bustling connection to the Gongyuanqian (公园前) subway station – feature a variety of vogue merchandise and fashionable brands.

For more ahopping destinations in Guangzhou check out gzhopper.com


Xihu (西湖) and Huifudong (惠福东) are two other Beijing Lu crossings that offer many shopping options, including the Mingsheng Mall (名胜广场) on Xihu and a large selection of children's stores on Huifudong.

Running parallel to Beijing Lu lies Wende Lu (文德路), an area packed with shops carrying copies of paintings, photos, frames and various other items for home decoration.

Beijing Lu
South of the intersection where Zhongshan 5 becomes Zhongshan 4.

How to go there:
Metro: get off at gongyuan qian station and head out exit C and walk straight for 2 short blocks

Tip:
1. Avoid individuals who solicit pirated DVDs and imitation goods or lot of Fake watches that they will show you, in fact most of the fake watch is from the Guangzhou watch market, low price, but they sell the people with high price. Don’t follow anyone into the small dark alleys in between buildings to see their goods.

2. Remember to visit Mayflower Plaza (五月花广场 wǔ-yuè-huā-guǎng-chǎng) at 68 Zhongshan 5 Lu (中山五路68号), at the northern end of the Pedestrian Street. This is a place where young people hang out and shop. (Metro 1, 2 Gong Yuan Qian station – Exits C, D)

3 .However many sellers give discounts so don’t be shy about haggling.（how to barging in Guangzhou）

Beijing Pedestrian Street - Famous Foods - Lemon and Tiger Prawn Vietamese Restaurant

Lemon and Tiger Prawn Vietamese Restaurant - Best Vietamese Restaurants in Guangzhou
大头虾越式风味餐厅 Tiger Prawn Vietnamese Rest.

惠福东路548号, Guangzhou, Guangdong
548 Huifu East Rd, Yuexiu, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
+86 20 8319 1277

Hong Xing Seafoods - Guangzhou famous live-seafood restaurant

How to go there ?

Line 2 at Haizhu Square Station , Exit A, Turn Left ,about 3 minutes .

Address: No. 2 Qiaoguan Road Yuexiu district 越秀区侨光路2号

Booking no: (020) 83301138

Beijing Dong Lai Shuan Famous HOTpot in Guangzhou

Beijing Dong Lai Shuan Famous HOTpot in  Guangzhou
http://www.donglaishun.com/
Beijing Dong Lai Shun Restaurant

Daily 11am-2.30pm, 5.30-10pm. No cards.1)Mei Zhon Blg, 338 Heng Fu Lu
(8358 6998 ext 3578); 2)408 Bin Jiang Zhong Lu, Hai Zhu District (3428 3431)

广东广州店 广州天河区恒福路338号梅州大厦二层 020-83586596


广东珠海店 珠海市吉大情侣南路453号九洲花园正门侧

Shenzhen Famous Hotpot little lamb - branch in Guangzhou

广州桥南店 广州番禺区市桥桥南街南郊路199二层 020-39292558

http://www.littlesheep.com
Branches in Guangzhou:
广州大北店 广州市番禺区市桥镇环城中路99号小肥羊 020-84886185
广州林乐路店 广州市天河区林和街317号(耀星华庭）二层小肥羊连锁 020-38217746
广州五羊店 广州市越秀区五羊新城寺右新马路131号深华大厦小肥羊连锁 020-87395778
广州小北店 广州市越秀区小北路185号鹏源发展大厦2楼 020-83544158
广州东晓店 广州市海珠区东晓路小肥羊广州市海珠区东晓路38号东银大厦三层 020-34289078
广州盈丰路店 广州市海珠区盈丰路9号201房 020-61238932
广州哈街店 广州番禺区市桥桥南街南郊路199 二层 020-39292558
广州远景路店 广州市白云区远景路14号201A房 020-36747268
广州丰乐南店 广州市黄埔区黄埔东路266号城建怡港大厦2楼


Hong Kong Famous Roast Meat Restaurant with branch in Guangzhou
Guangzhou Tai Hing 太興 (www.taihingroast.com)
地址： 硚口区中山大道238号凯德广场4楼(近武胜路)

电话： 027-83621129

take train to huangsha station and exit to metropolitan plaza (4th floor)

From a small fast-food eatery serving siu-mei (roast food), Tai Hing Roast has grown into a restaurant chain with over 30 shops all around Hong Kong, China (Guangzhou, Shenzhen) and Singapore, including Tai Hing Roast Restaurant and Tai Hing New Century. Be surprised by elements of modern dining fused with the essence of traditional cuisine, and enjoy their signature roasts meat as well as milk tea, Western dishes and Chinese specialties.

Da Tong Restaurant - Opp Pearl River
Da Tong Restaurant is located on the Changdi Avenue, a bustling section of Guangzhou.

Adress: No. 63, Yanjiang Rd., West, GZ
Tel: 020-81885933

Occupying all eight stories of an old riverfront building with an open terrace on the top floor, this restaurant is popular with locals all hours of the day, so arrive early to be guaranteed a seat. The atmosphere is chaotic and noisy, but the morning and afternoon dim sum is well worth it, especially for the low prices. Famous dishes include stewed chicken feet (delicious, we'll have you know), crispy-skin chicken, and roasted duck.

signature dishes of Da Tong Restaurant are Crisp-skinned Chicken and Golden Roasted Sucking Pig. The Da Tong Custard Tart is the most famous among its pastries.

Nan Yuan Restaurant 南园酒家

Nan Yuan Restaurant 南园酒家
142, Qianjin Rd, haizhu district
海珠区前进路142号
Tel: +86 20 8444 9211

Nan Yuan Restaurant is located on Qianjin Street in the Haizhu District. It is one of the three garden-style restaurants in Guangzhou and was founded in 1958. Its specialties are in Cantonese and Chaozhou cuisine and dishes include protect country dish, Buddha jumping over the wall, stewed wild goose, bean paste chicken, sliced beef, brined vegetable pork steak soup, and bamboo cream chicken.

Pan Xi Restaurant 泮溪酒家

Pan Xi Restaurant
151 Longjin West Rd, Liwan, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
Tel: +86 20 8181 5718, 8172-1328, 8172-2788

Pan Xi Restaurant offers many different types of dim sum. It is a large-scale garden-style restaurant, located on the bank of Li Wan Lake. It occupies an area of 12,000sqm and is the site of Chang Hua Garden, an imperial garden of the Nan Han Dynasty. The scenery of the park is elegant and refined, described as a 'Complete symphonic poem of eastern architectural art'. Pan Xi Restaurant ranks the highest of the three garden-style restaurants in Guangzhou.

This restaurant was where all foreign dignitaries and Chinese Government Leaders would go. Including Deng Xiao Ping. It has a history that predates a number of dynasty before it was transformed into a restaurant over 80 years ago.


It is set on a lake and part of one of Guangzhou's more famous eat streets. Close to antique street and Ren Wei Temple its very popular with tourists.

Its a very large restaurant with over 3000 seating however there is still a line up on weekends. Famous for its Yum Cha and Dim Sims, its defintely worth a visit. If your lucky book a table in one of the private dining rooms that still have the same decor from over 80 years ago, where a number of leaders have had their banquets.

Guangzhou Bei Yuan Restaurant 北園

Guangzhou Bei Yuan Restaurant 北園
202 Xiaobei Rd, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
越秀區小北路200-202號(近小北花圈)
Tel: +86 20 8356 3365
Hours: 11:00 - 14:30, 17:30 - 22:30 / Weekends and holidays 9:00 - 10:45

Bei Yuan Cuisine (北園) is known as one of the three garden restaurants in Guangzhou, China. The other two are Panxi (泮溪酒家) and Nan Yuan (南園).

The Cantonese seem to be the most raucous of all Chinese, and the main restaurant choices for classic Cantonese food, or for dim sum, are bedlam.
The Bei Yuan Restaurant dates from the 1920s, although the current two-story building with courtyards is newer, built around a garden and pond. There’s dim sum here all day (about ¥4/50¢/25p per steamer) and a generous menu of Cantonese classics, with some English translations. Try huadiao zhu ji (chicken cooked in yellow wine — although some might argue this is really a Zhejiang dish), tang cu su rou (sweet-and-sour pork), and jiuhuang rou si (sliced pork with yellow chives). There is a separate dining hall serving Chiu Chow cuisine from eastern Guangdong: it goes in for piquant sauces and its chefs have a famous way with goose and duck.

It claimed that it wanted to be the garden for people of Guangzhou; after being renovated, everything such as its unique classic style structure, its pavilions, and its ambiance are still the same, but not its food quality which is greatly reduced.

The typically garish carpets, screens, and chandeliers are in odd contrast to a central green space. There are twin entrances — the left is for the traditional Cantonese dishes; the right is for a Chaozhou (Chiu Chow) restaurant, with the roast goose dishes typical of that area of northeast Guangdong.

The specialties of Bei Yuan Restaurant are Oiled Shelled Shrimp. Suburbs Fish Head, Duck Palm in Oyster Sauce, Fried Chicken Breast, Sweet-Scented Balls Roasted Goose, Sauted Chicken in Rice Wine, Fish with Pine Nuts, and Fragrance Fulfill the Jug. The special pastry include Lingnan Litchi, Mint with Lotus, Jade Pineapple, and Watermelon Cream Jelly. The flavor is really wonderful.

more info at:  http://letstalkfoodandetc.blogspot.sg/2013/03/bei-yuan-cuisine.html

Guangzhou Bing Sheng (炳勝品味)
Bing Sheng (炳勝品味) (天河分店)

Flag ship Restaurant:
Add: At the southern foot of Haiyin Bridge, 33, Dong Xiao Rd., Haizhu District
海珠区东晓路33号
Tel: 020-34286910, 34286911

Tianhe Dong Branch
Add: 168, Tianhe Rd. East , Tianhe District
天河区天河东路168号
Tel: 020-87518683, 87518682

Wufeng Branch
Add: 1-4 F, Wufeng Hotel, 438, Jiangnan Dadao Blvd South . Haizhu District
海珠区江南大道南438号五凤酒店1-4楼
Tel: 020-84472844, 84244611

Website: www.bingsheng.com

more info at: http://letstalkfoodandetc.blogspot.sg/2013/03/bing-sheng.html

First and foremost, remember to make a reservation if you’re planning to dine here

Bing Sheng is a wonderful Cantonese Restaurant that has multiple levels for different functions: private dining, group dining, dining in main area with everyone else, and a nice lounge. The service is great and the food fantastic! I really like how their menu has pictures of almost everything they have on offer making it actually even more difficult to decide on something because everything looks (and actually are) delicious!

Order the dual Cha siu - the darker version served with the lighter version. The darker version has the white pork meat, a layer of fat and the caramelised crust. The light brown version is predominantly fat. It comes at rmb 68 and serves 2-3. Arrive and order by 6:30 pm as it sells out fast. All the best for your Cha Siu order.