First Taste of Mainland - Guangzhou

Expectations for my first trip to mainland china were not high. My ideas of China were filled with overcrowded, polluted streets and rude, pushy people trying to sell you anything at any price...Almost all of my ideas of mainland were smashed with my trip to Guangzhou. My first amazement was traveling along the organized, American like highway system. For some reason, thinking of mainland I imagined poorly maintained roads, almost like dirt roads in the countryside. As our super aggressive bus driver incessantly honked and weaved his way through traffic, I was amazed to see true country side, filled with farms and mountains as far as the eye could see. Being in Macau\HK, open space is a refreshing sight from the never ending concrete jungle. To be somewhere where all you can see is green is such a treat. Traveling on the highway was a distant memory from America that came to life while in China. For five months, I have not once travelled along an actual freeway, so being on that bus to Guangzhou was completely surreal and reminded me of home. I never quite realized how much time we spend in our cars till I came to China. I could easily say that I spend 20% of life in my car driving in America. Now living in the small town of Macau, a distance of more than 20 minutes on the bus seems incredibly far away. This is amazing considering that I would commute to Cupertino from SF on a daily basis without even thinking about it. Cars on the 'proper' side of the road

So my first impression of Guangzhou was the sheer size of the city. Probably 2-3 times the size of entire country of Macau, the city has a similar skyline of HK with towering skyscrapers dotting the sky. The massive streets, with four lanes for each direction, was absolutely daunting at first when the widest street in Macau is two lanes. Despite the obvious signs of industrialism, there remained pockets of piece and quiet in the city. Our hotel was located on Shaiman Island, which despite the name is actually not an island but just a small neighborhood in the heart of the city. Its a former British Colonial outpost. Many of the buildings have maintained their historical charm. The quiet, tree lined streets were another refreshing change from the incessant hoards of tourists you must maneuver through down every Macau street. Another pleasant surprise is the cleanliness of the streets, which I attribute to the obvious prosperity of Guangzhou. I would say Guangzhou is even cleanlier than Hong Kong and Macau.

Shaiman Island- former bristish outpost

We did get to visit a few 'historical' sites. Many of the buildings I thought would be dated much older were actually just a hundred years old or less. I think coming to China I vaguely knew about the Cultural Revolution. Being in Guangzhou, I was in awe of the modernity of the entire city despite the thousands of years of Chinese history. As I visited from temple to temple, there were virtually no remants of anything prior to the 20th century. Mao's purging of all historical artifacts and monuments was his attempt to destroy the 'old way of thinking'. I never quite understood the impact of the 'revolution' till this trip. Thousands of years of history destroyed in a few years because of one man. It makes me soooo sad to think of all that was lost because of Mao.

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall

Narrow, high walled alleys reminiscent of ancient China
Pagoda from the Guangxi Temple

On a brighter note, Guangzhou's food is beyond amazing. The quality, diversity and cheap price make for an unbelievable dining experience. Eating at a four storied dim sum restaurant was just the tip of the iceberg for Guangzhou's varied dining options. Dim sum, which originates from Guangdong province, is not just a meal, its a way of life....

Outside the most AMAZING dim sum restaurant

One of Tat's favorite snacks from childhood