this place is amazing. a kiln that dates back to the 1000 century that has not lost its fire. there are actually 2. they are called the twins. the ceramic sculpture along the walls took me back into time. they have little shops located in small alleys. the shop keepers speak English (little) which helped during my visit. there is a small fee to enter, but well worth it.

Yuyin Garden (Yuyin Shanfang or literally Yuyin Mountain House) is located on North Street, South Village Town, Panyu District in Guangzhou, 11 miles (17 kilometers) from the city center. Built in 1864, it was originally the private garden of Wu Bin, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). Covering an area of 1,911 square yards (1,598 square meters), it boasts little and dainty features and a very well-organized layout. It is one of the four famous gardens in Guangdong Province and a level 4A scenic spot.

Small as it is, it is complete with everything: pavilions, bridges, lotus pool, rock hills and beautiful flowers. Bas reliefs and decorations on the buildings are all made by experienced craftsmen. A few minutes’ walk after entering the main gate, you will see the entrance to the inner garden with a Chinese couplet on it describing the lovely scenery – ‘flowers spread all around the small yard like red raindrops; trees shade every corner like green clouds’.

There is an arch bridge named ‘Huan Hong Kua Lv’ (Red Flowers with Green Trees) in the middle of the garden. When shadows of moon, arch bridge and people appear together in the lotus pool below, the scenery is called ‘Hong Qiao Ying Yue’.

The West Part of the Garden
Separated by the arch bridge, the western part of the garden is centered by a rectangular lotus pond made by stone. North to the lotus pond is the main hall named Shenliu Hall (Willow Hall), while to the south is the Linchi Pavilion (Waterside Pavilion). Shenliu Hall, as the main building of the whole garden, was used to receive guests. Well-decorated by a number of gems, such as a 32 piece mahogany fan painting and fine wood carvings, etc, it is of typical architectural style of Guangdong Province. In the front there is an old tree on both sides. When flowers are in full bloom, they seem like red raindrops which are very attractive. The Linchi Pavilion was a study of the host in the past. The host liked bamboo very much, but the garden is small. Finally, the owner came up with a good idea: planting bamboo between walls to conserve land and control the overspreading of bamboo as well. Thus it can also protect the garden from any dust coming from outside.

The East Part of the Garden
The octagonal pool, being special for its shape is in the middle of the east part. Situated in the pool is an octagonal pavilion named ‘Ling Long Shui Xie’. It used to be a place for writing poems and drinking wines. There are windows in each of the eight directions, so it is the best place for visitors to view the scenery. All eight angles of the roof are decorated by different carved ornamentations. To the southeast of the pavilion are rockeries along the walls of the garden; to the northeast are two small pavilions and to the north is ‘Wo Piao Lu’, a place for resting. Around the pool, there are many old trees such as chimonanthus tree and metasequoia glyptostroboides.

Yu Garden
Yu Garden, also known as Ladies’ Building is located to the south of Yuyin Garden. It was built by Wu Zhongyu, the fourth-generation grandson of Wu Bin in 1922. Now, it is a part of the Yuyin Garden. It was a place for ladies to play the Zheng and paint, etc. The first floor is a boat hall; the second floor is a glass floor from which you can overlook the whole scenery of the Yuyin Garden.

Near the Yuyin Garden, there is the ancestral shrine of the Wu’s family to in memory of the ancestors.

The South Sea God Temple (Temple of South Sea God) is situated in Miaotou Village, Huangpu District in Guangzhou on the southern coast of China, facing the South China Sea. It was built in 594, and is the only preserved, and the most complete and biggest group of buildings among the four ancient temples of the sea god in China. In ancient times there was a dock nearby. As an important site of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and a place for worshipping Zhu Rong, the God of the South Sea, the temple attracted many merchants from both home and abroad who stopped at the dock and offered sacrifices to the god for safety and good luck. Emperors of all dynasties also dispatched their officials to offer sacrifices. Today, each year between February 11th and 13th according to the lunar calendar, the temple fair attracts thousands of people, and is thus one of the biggest temple fairs in Guangzhou. Visitors coming to Guangzhou usually go there to worship.

Shawan Ancient Town is situated in the center of Panyu District in the south of Guangzhou. Originally built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127 - 1279), it has a history of over 800 years. Characterized by the architectural style of south China, the history and culture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911) and the Republic of China (1912-1949), Shawan Ancient Town is a typical southern town surrounded by water. Relying on its beautiful view and rich cultural heritages, it has developed into an attractive tourist destination. Covering an area of 0.6 square miles (153 hectares), the town consists of the east village, west village and north village.

Shawan Ancient Town looks very primitive and elegant. Rows of houses, old streets and long alleys show the features of the ancient style. The most common attractions you can see here are ancestral halls, the number of which has reached 100. Some intangible cultural heritages, such as Cantonese folk music, the lion dance, and Piaose (a kind of folk art integrating play, magic, acrobatics, music and dance), are well preserved. Visitors can not only have an insight into the lives of the local people, but also experience the special folk culture.

Recommended Touring Route
Daxiangyong Road - Qingshui Well - Renrang Gongju (Administrative Bureau) - Yanqing Hall (Memorial Hall of He Binglin) - Chebei Street - Gaoyao Alley - Youqi Hall - Chichang Hall - Huiyan Alley (Former Residence of He Shaoxia) - Guanyin Hall - Dunhouli - Ancient Wall - Yuxu Palace - Liugeng Hall - West Square - Dama Alley - Agriculture Life Museum - Wenfeng Tower - Study Room - Zhennan Ancestral Hall - Sanren Hall - West Anning Street

Facing the Lingdingyang (Lingding Ocean), the mouth of the Pearl River, Nansha Tin Hau Palace is a mazu temple on the southeastern slope of the Dajiao Mountain in Guangzhou City and covers about 100 hectares (247.1 acres). The architecture combines both the style of the Forbidden City in Beijing and the sublimity of Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Mausoleum in Nanjing. It is the largest palace compound of its category in the world. It is reputed as the 'First Tin Hau Palace under Heaven' and the biggest Mazu Temple in southeastern Asia.

It was built to worship the Goddess of sea, also called Mazu (or Tianhou in Chinese, literally meaning Heavenly Empress) by the people, whose real name is Linmo (960-987). There are many touching stories about her helping people in shipwrecks, so she was thought to be the incarnation of the goddess of sea and was paid homage by over 100 million believers in more than twenty countries.

This palace was first built in the Ming Dynasty, then was renovated during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1737-1795) in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), but was later ruined. The one we see now was rebuilt in 1994 and completed in 1996.

When you arrive there, you will first reach the Tin Hau Square which covers an area of 1.5 hectares (about 3.7 acres). At the center of the square stands a huge statue of the Goddess. The statue faces the Lingdingyang and is about 14.5 meters (about 47.6 feet) high, made of 365 pieces of granite. It symbolizes that mazu could bless fishermen and bring favorable weather for the whole year.

Behind the square is the memorial archway, on which the name of the palace is written over the top, and some inscriptions written on both sides. Once you have gone through it, you will come to the main gate where honored the statues of two legendary immortals, Clairvoyance (thousand-mile eye) and clairaudience (wind-accompanying ear).

Walking up the flagged path after entering the gate, you will come to the Hall of Blessing where a statue of the heavenly empress is honored. She is guarded by four Dragon Kings (the Gods of the sea) holding up a jade tablet and standing at each side. Then comes the Main Hall, the center of the whole palace. In the hall, two statues of the Goddess are honored in a shrine. One is 3.8 meters (about 12.5 feet) high, plated and carved from the fragrant sandalwood. The other is known as 'soft-body' statue, whose hand and foot joints are movable. The entire Main Hall is filled with a sense of benevolence and majesty, rectitude and holiness. Behind it is the Resting Hall, the living room of the Goddess, where a sitting sculpture of the goddess is displayed together with some simple instruments of her daily life.

At the very back of the palace is the Nanling Tower, an 8-storey building. It rises to a height of 45 meters (about 148 feet) and is the highest point of the whole palace. There is an unwritten folklore spread widely among Chinese people that the code of a God is singular, while that of a Goddess is plural. Because of that, the number of all stories, steps and tiles there is plural.

In addition, there are seven forts together called Dajiao Mountain Forts in the palace, which have been listed as national priority cultural relic protection sites in 1982. Additionally, the Free Life Pond is also worth a visit, where tourists could set free small creatures. Every year, this place attracts a lot of visitors by its charming scenic beauty and classical buildings. It definitely deserves a visit on your trip to Guangzhou.

The Huaisheng Mosque in Guangzhou, also named the Light Tower Mosque or the Lighthouse Mosque, is located at No. 56, Guangta Road. With an area of 3,547 square yards (2,966 square meters), it is the oldest mosque existing in China, confirming its remarkable position among the four oldest mosques in the coastal areas, with the other three being Quanzhou Kylin Mosque, Yangzhou Crane Mosque, and Hangzhou Phoenix Mosque. Huaisheng Mosque was first built in 627, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Islam was introduced to China for the first time. It was invested and constructed by some Arabs and named as Huaisheng Mosque, meaning ‘remembering the sage’, in honor of Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Generally speaking, Huaisheng Mosque maintains its original Arab architecture style. Walking into a narrow entrance, a screen wall can be seen, which prevents visitors from seeing the inner courtyard. But passing through the screen wall, the quaint buildings come into view.

Moon Tower
Walking through three doors, tourists come to the Moon Tower, which is a square gate tower with a red sandstone base built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and a double-eave roof renovated in the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). The tower is used to observe the moon to decide the time for the Fast and Ramadan.

Prayer Hall
Going forward, a larger courtyard appears. At the two sides of it, Covered Corridor can be seen, where some Islamic texts are posted. Right in front of the courtyard locates the Prayer Hall, which is the center of Huaisheng Mosque. When worshiping, followers face the direction of Mecca. The color and decoration in the hall is based on the west Asian style. Non- Muslims are not allowed to enter into the Prayer Hall, but just appreciate the architecture from the outside.

Lighthouse
The most outstanding building inside the mosque is the Lighthouse (minaret). It cannot be sure that when the tower was built, but it is believed to be the oldest existing Islamic architecture in China. Lying at the southwest of the mosque, the round Light Tower with a pointed tip is about 118 feet (36 meters) tall. It is from the tower that the mosque itself gets another name - Light Tower Mosque. The tower features the typical characteristics of Arab architecture style with pointed tip on the top. A muezzin would climb up to the tower to call out to followers at prayer times. It is said that the minaret was used as a beacon to lead directions for ships passing through the river. Besides, sailors often climb up to the tower to observe the weather conditions.

Huaisheng Mosque also houses other scenic spots, such as the Exhibition Hall, the Ancient Well and flourishing trees. Walking in the mosque, tourists can see many historical relics and tablets with inscriptions, too.

Situated within Guangzhou Zoo, the Ocean World covers an area of 13,000 square meters (about 139,931 square feet) and has more than 200 kinds of fish and many other rare ocean creatures. It is a high-tech exhibition hall serving sightseeing, entertainment, research and education purposes.

Exhibitions

Guangzhou Ocean World is divided into different areas to exhibit the marine world from all aspects.

Before entering the exhibition hall, visitors are first greeted by the Ocean Square. It tells evolution stories of aquatic lives in the form of relief sculptures. Then, visitors enter the exhibition hall through a tunnel with elevators, where they will see colorful fish swimming around in a coral thicket. The coral thickets are so close to visitors that it is as if one can touch them and even have eye contact with the inhabitants.

The International Museum Day (May 18) of 2010 is the opening day of the new Guangdong Provincial Museum. It is situated in Zhujiang New Town and can be easily accessed by subway. This is a culture and art square in the new downtown area. The new museum is in the neighborhood of Guangzhou Opera House and the city's Library. Its south side faces the Pearl River. It is a large modern square building, like a 'treasure box of moonlight', which is the name of museum building favored by local people.

Being built in 1959 and located at 215 Wenming Lu, the museum is a round-topped three-storied building with a hall in the center which is surrounded by corridors. The big yard of the museum was originally the Gongyuan (the imperial examination centre) of Guangdong in the Qing Dynasty  (1644—1911). Inside the yard, there are several national cultural heritage sites, such as the Site of the First National Congress of the Chinese Nationalist Party (including the Revolution Square), the Red Mansion, the Astronomical Observatory of Zhongshan University and the Lu Xun Memorial Hall.

A new display building with modern facilities was constructed at the end of 1992. This new building covers an area of 13,200 square meters (3.26 acres) and the exhibition hall is about 6000 square meters (1.48 acres). It has thirteen exhibition halls, two procedures rooms and an academic lecture hall. The Provincial Museum's new display hall considers historic folk, art and nature as its three main exhibition aspects. As one of the three landmarks of cultural facilities in Guangzhou, it plays a very important role in strengthening the international culture communication and developing the city into a modern international metropolis.