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| The Five Rams statue park celebrates a legend about five celestial beings who blessed the countryside with abundance |
Perhaps you’ve read Amitav Ghosh’s masterly River of Smoke and imagine Canton to be an Oriental entrepot with Chinese and Indian traders and European adventurers wandering around the docks all out to make a killing. Or maybe you have visions of sampans and majestic sailing ships in Canton Harbour.
Now banish those images. Standing on top of the Canton Tower, the fourth tallest structure in the world, I gazed down on a city — now renamed Guangzhou — that radiates glittering newness. The 600m-high Canton Tower itself is a sparklingly new engineering marvel that overlooks the River Pearl and became operational only two months before the 2010 Asian Games.
I am at the centre of the 21st century world’s economic powerhouse —the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province. The region includes two megalopolises — Guangzhou and Shenzhen and also a third giant urban area Zhuhai. China decided to create a manufacturing zone in Guangdong that would combine with the economy and influence in Hong Kong and have the world beating a path to the region.
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| The cute Bubble cars go sedately round the Canton Tower to give visitors a 360° view of the city |
If you’re expecting oodles of natural beauty this region isn’t a world-beater. But if you want to see the 21st century at its most dynamic this is it. Everywhere we went I saw huge shopping malls, sprawling highways, and spaghetti-like flyovers. And, yes, being smart planners the Chinese have made sure to throw in lots of manicured greenery in this city of 12.78 million.
The Canton Tower is a good place to take in the city. I had a panoramic view from the Observation Deck on the 108th floor. There’s also the Spider Walk, an open-air staircase that wraps around the tower from 170m up to 350m. I opted for the more sedate Bubble cars, which go around the structure slowly to give visitors a 360° view of the city.
Our next stop was the Five Rams statue park, one of Guangzhou’s most scenic spots. The park is bang in the middle of the city and has a massive statue celebrating a legend that long ago five celestial beings came down from the heavens riding on rams and presented the people with rice stems — a sign that the area would be free from famines forever. The city then took the name City of Rams, or Goat City.
In the evening we got a different view of the city as we cruised on the Pearl. From our boat I looked up at the Canton Tower, bathed in multiple colours during the night. Our boat also passed other landmarks like the famous Xinghai Concert Hall and the Haizu Peninsula Garden during our two-hour cruise.
Another attraction is the Chime-long Circus that showcases artists from around the world, who perform incredible stunts, state-of-the-art laser shows and colourful dance acts.
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| The Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) in Shenzhen is a theme park that offers awe-inspiring man-made waterfalls among other novelties |
From Guangzhou it’s a two-and-a-half hour drive to Shenzhen, another giant urban conglomeration. Shenzhen’s growth can be attributed to the fact that it’s just 18km from Hong Kong. As we drove, miles of lush paddy fields began to give way to factories and then to tall, glittering glass and concrete buildings.
Shenzhen was where the Chinese economic miracle was really born. It was the first city to open up to the world in the late 1979 and is also one of the country’s most successful Special Economic Zones (SEZs). “On your left, is the world’s 14th tallest building, Shun Hing Square. On your right, the International Trade Centre, the tallest steel structure in the world,” my tour guide hollered into the mike.
My preferred destination though was the Lou-Hu Market, famed for its cheap electronic goods. The market is famous for selling copies of almost every gadget made on the planet. The trick is to bargain fiercely. The shopkeepers will type out a price on a calculator. That’s your cue for grabbing the calculator and quoting a counter-price. There are rip-offs of everything from bags, shoes, glasses, dresses — all bearing the names of the world’s most famous brands. I got a fake Rolex watch down from 250RMB to 30RMB. But, do check the currency the shopkeepers give you. You can’t return it once you’ve pocketed it.
The Overseas Chinese Town (OCT) is another attraction. Located in Dameisha, Shenzhen, OCT is a theme park with amazing rides and breath taking man-made waterfalls.
We had one more stop on our trip. Zhuhai, yet another SEZ, was built to capitalise on its location near Macau. It’s smaller than Guangzhou or Shenzhen but has the same shiny, new feel. The territory also includes 146 islands, some of which are closer to Hong Kong than Mainland China.
We stayed at the Metropark Resort which has a world class hot spring. Famous for its colourful nightlife, Zhuhai is celebrated as ‘the city of lovers’. It reminded me a bit of Las Vegas with its palm trees and open spaces. You can end your journey with a soothing bath in a hot spring to wash away the fatigue. And then sit back and enjoy the beautiful two-hour long musical act offered by the resort every night. Simply because you are worth it!
