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.

Guangzhou Zoo is one of the three largest urban zoos in China. With an area of over 103.7 acres (42 hectares), there are more than 4,500 animals of 450 species, including rare animals like giant pandas, south China tigers, lions, golden monkeys, and black-necked cranes. It contains three sightseeing districts: Central Area of mammals, Bird's Paradise, and Panlong Park with about 200 amphibians and reptiles. In addition, many entertainment activities are also provided. Visitors can watch the animals performing acrobatics, or have a close contact with the cubs in the Children's Jungle.

Giant Pandas House
There are two giant panda sisters living here, Yali and Wenli. They were delivered from Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding in 2013. Wenli is the elder sister with the pointed face. Yali is very active and has two conspicuous freckles on her nose. They are fed three times a day with carefully prepared cornmeal buns and fresh bamboo. Sweets are the two sisters' favorite. They like apples very much and 300 grams of apples a day is very necessary.

Tigers Hill
Three south China tigers, Huazai, Tongtong and Junjun, are raised in the zoo. Huazai was born here in 1998. Tongtong and Junjun are younger and were introduced from Shanghai and Fujian respectively.

Lions Hill
There are a couple of African lions and two white lions. They eat 6-7.5 kilograms of meat a day. If the lions are fed a few minutes later than their meal time, they will impatiently walk around the cage and growl. After eating and drinking, they usually lie down on the ground and sleep drowsily.

Guangzhou Ocean World
Situated inside the zoo, it reveals the colorful underwater world with splendid scenery and many marine animals. Visitors can enjoy three great shows of the aquarium: graceful mermaid show, interesting seal performance, and thrilling Dancing with Shark. Visitors can also feed the fish, turtles and seals.

Goldfish Garden
The Goldfish Garden exhibits nearly 100 species in total of 10,000 famed and precious fishes, including goldfish, koi, and freshwater tropical fish, like angelfish, arowana, and silver arowana. Children can have an experience of scooping fish and angling in the Goldfish Garden.

Animal Performance
Animal Performance has performers like lions, tigers, monkeys, dogs and horses. They are trained to perform acrobatics and other interesting shows, like riding bikes, and playing scooters.

Guangdong Museum is a first-rate provincial museum in China, containing 166,000 items, including calligraphy, paintings, ceramics, woodcarvings, and gemstones. Covering an area of 721,182 square feet (67,000 square meters) in downtown Guangzhou, it looks like a jewel box from the outside with five floors above ground and one floor below. There are five permanent exhibitions in the museum: Guangdong History and Culture, Chaozhou Gilded Woodcarvings, Natural Resources, Ceramics, and Duan Inkstones.

Guangdong History and Culture
With an area of 43,056 square feet (4,000 square meters), this exhibition displays over 1,500 items, including relics, pictures, oil paintings, sculptures, and models. Using multi-media and reproductions, it presents the history of the province. The Liede Dragon Boat, Ivory Carving Tiered Food Carrier, and many other precious items can be seen in this exhibition.

It is divided into four sections according to a time line. The first section demonstrates the origin of the local people, the ethnic fusion process, and covers three main ethnic groups: Cantonese, Hakka, and Chaoshan People. Many rare items are displayed, such as a Maba Man Skull (the ancestors of local people), a Nanyue King Oil Painting, and Chaozhou Clay Sculptures. Tourists will be transported in the second section to the Maritime Silk Road to experience the wonderful course of this region's opening up to foreign countries with various exhibits, such as ceramics, Cantonese faience, Cantonese sculptures, and trade paintings. The third section reviews the contributions local people made in many important historical events in China's Modern History (1840 – 1949), while the fourth part presents their bravery during the Sino-Japanese War (1937 – 1945) through a large number of black-and-white photos.

Chaozhou Gilded Woodcarvings
Chaozhou Gilded Woodcarving is a famous traditional craft school in China, popular in the east of Guangdong Province. It is renowned for its complicated patterns, exquisite and delicate designs, and glorious gold lacquering technique. More than 200 items are displayed here, such as shrines, censers, lunch boxes, and wooden screens. Traditional halls, bedrooms, and studies are reproduced to immerse visitors in the cultural atmosphere of Chaozhou.