Liuhuahugongyuan 流花湖公园– Guangzhou, China

        Park is one of the vital components of a city for it helps reduce pollution and maintain the city's temperature. No wonder Guangzhou is known as the city of flowers for it has many public parks scattered over the city area. Unfortunately, parks are rarely found in the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta. Jakarta is already too packed with fossil-fueled vehicles without being sustained with a good management of public parks. So, the local government must take immediate actions to rejuvenate the city's face to avoid further damage.

        Out of so many parks in Guangzhou, there is a less famous park at the South of West Road across the Dongfang Hotel, called Liuhua Park. Comprising of an area of 54.43 hectares, the Liuhua Park consists of 60% lake area with 88% of the remaining area characterized with precious greenery. The lake was named Zilan lake in the Qin dynasty. The name of the park originally derives from a local legend. It is said that in the past royal princess after getting dressed threw flowers into the water, and the flowers became the present Liuhua lake.   To solve the city’s sewage disposal problems, the local government mustered volunteers to make four lakes, which one of them was the Liuhua lake. The lake functioned as a reservoir for water conservation and flood control. It was then turned into a park. Besides functioning as flood storage, other touches were added to the park such as leisure and entertainment, making it a comprehensive amusement park for sightseeing, touring, entertaining and relaxing.

     

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Tianhe Waterfall 天河飘绢– Guangzhou, China

        What do you usually do in the evening? If you stay in Guangzhou, you might not want to just stay in your apartment watching TV. That would be your last choice right? As a travelholic, I could not just quietly rest in my room. One day, I decided to take my mom and brother to see how the city looked like at night. Based on the information from the travel guide book of Guangzhou, I found that one of the interesting scenes in Guangzhou is a place called Tianhe waterfall, located in Tianhe district. That night, my mom, my brother and I decided to visit that place out of curiosity.
        It was not easy to find the place for people rarely went there only for specifically visiting the waterfall. But thanked God, finally we could find it. The first time I saw it, it was just a simple waterfall flowing over a glass building in a large park surrounded with beautiful tall buildings. People like to gather here at night to just enjoy the city’s nightview or to talk with friends. There was nothing good to do there unless you want to stay around. So, I decided to take some pictures, crossed the road and went to IKEA, a special store selling household equipments. After strolling around, we went home at 9 pm by MTR from Guangzhou East Railway Station to our apartment in Dongshankou.

  The waterfall looks beautiful at night

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Shangxiajiulu Pedestrian Street 上下九路商业步行街 – Guangzhou, China

        If you ask me what country impresses me most, I would confidently answer “China”. Although I have heard some people say they do not really like China because of its dirty toilets and rude people, the astonishing fact is I feel such a very strong attachment with the country. Honestly, although I am an Indonesian, I never love a country like I love China. I love everything about China; the history, the language, the culture even the people. No matter what people say about how rude the Chinese people are, I would always be able to bear that fact and in return adapt with the situation. I just love the people as if they were part of my long-lost big family and on the contrary find their rude behaviors a challenge to show what we call “true love”. Everything about China always charms me. 

        Out of so many places I have visited in China, the city that leaves me with deepest impression is Guangzhou. Since I got back last year, I have always missed the atmosphere and situation of Guangzhou city. I love the city so much not only because I used to study and live there, but because there are so many good things about it that make it really hard for me to forget all the good memories I had there. It was in Guangzhou that I learned many new things and underwent character process.

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Shamian Island 沙面岛 – Guangzhou, China

 

        After visiting Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall and Chen Clan Academy, my friends and I continued our journey to a small island called Shamian Island. We took MTR and stopped at the Huangsha station and went to exit D. We crossed the  pedestrian overpass and soon reached the spot. The island is relatively small but it has very unique characteristics, with the most obvious one is its colonial architecture. Although it is only separated with a series of bridges from the rest of the city, the island has a completely different face in terms of building architecture. The structures of the buildings on this island follow European style.

        If you travel to Guangzhou, a visit to the Shamian island is a must. The island was originally a merely sandbank on the Pearl River in Liwan district and an outpost for the city, which name literally means “sand surface” in Chinese. It was not a real island, but reclaimed in 1859 and became a concession area. The island is located a few yards from the rest of the city and is connected by a series of bridges closed at 10 pm for security reason.

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Martyrs’ Park 广州起义烈士陵园 – Guangzhou, China

 

        Besides the Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs, Guangzhou also boasts another modern martyrs memorial called Guangzhou Insurrectional Martyr Cemetery Park. Together with two friends, I decided to explore this site out of curiosity. The site is located not far from my relative's residence and is easily accessed by bus or MTR. If you take MTR, just stop at Martyrs’ Park station. I still remember passing by this place every time I took public bus to go to Yidelu. As I observed the site from inside the bus, I thought it was a grand Buddhist temple since it has red gates or a cultural park since it covers a massive area.

        The park indeed offers solemn and beautiful view, making it such a grand place to pay tribute to the martyrs. Situated in an area of 186,000 square meters, the park is divided into two zones – the memorial and the garden. In many memorial buildings of the park, epigraphs by Zhou Enlai, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping,Ye Jianying and other leaders can be found. Some interesting points in the park include the Main Entrance Gate, Memorial Avenue, Guangzhou Insurrection Monument, Tomb of the Martyrs of Guangzhou Commune, Four Martyrs’ Tomb, Comrade Ye Jianying Monument, the Blood Sacrificed Xuanyuan Pavilion, Sino-North Korea Friendship Blood Sacrificed Pavilion, Sino-Soviet Friendship Blood Sacrificed Pavilion and other sites like Senior Citizens Activity Area, Children Playground, JianMei Sports Center, Skating Ground, Flower Hall and Land of Wonders. The best time to view the park is in the morning when the sun rises. As you watch the sun rises, you could see the monument is bathed with sun’s rays as if it carried the rising of revolutionary spirit.

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