Western Han Nanyue King's Tomb Museum 西汉南越王博物馆 – Guangzhou, China

        Are you a museum traveler? I am, and you might consider me a bit awkward since unlike girls in general, I prefer going to museums instead of malls. Yes, indeed my hobby is a little bit extraordinary.. haha.. Every time I asked my friends to visit a museum, they would refuse with various excuses. They were not interested to go there for they regarded museum as a boring place where there are only ancient artifacts and no entertainment at all (oopps… correct me if I’m wrong guys.. hehe). Is it 100% true? I don’t think so. Although museums display ancient things, they offer another side of entertainment to those who have special taste for history and culture. It is the place where you could see directly ancient stuff and catch a glimpse of past history.

        In summer 2009, I took my mom and my brother to visit a museum since I believe they were the only people willing to accompany to visit “museum”.. haha.. That museum did not look strange to me since I had passed it several times whenever I took public bus to go to Guihuagang, the wholesale center of bags. Each time I passed it, I wondered what that red building really was. After I searched on the map, I found out that that red building is actually a museum called the Western Han Dynasty Nanyue King Museum. Mmh.. what a long name for a museum.. The admission fee to the museum was only 12 Yuan.

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丽江的白水河

 

 

六月暑假时我跟妈妈和弟弟跟着团一起去云南旅游。我们参观了三个城市，昆明，大理，和丽江。但是，对我来说，丽江的自然风景是最漂亮的。导游带着我们到一个地方去看丽江最著名的河，称为白水河。

上面的图片展示丽江的白水河。白水河的风景特别漂亮。虽然是夏天，但是那儿的天气很凉爽，也可以说有点儿冷。从上面往下面看，可以看到众多绿绿的圣诞树被雾遮盖的景色。它们如同大观众正在往下看欣赏河水的美丽。河水的颜色是白跟蓝色混在一起，好像在大地散开的茫茫蓝天空，显得 很干净， 真让人羡慕。 白水河的水一点也不动，看起来像一位入睡的公主那样安静。不管在它的周围有多么吵闹，它却依然不吭声。河的周围有些牦牛吃青草，还有各式各样的石头，便加强白水河的美丽。

当你到这个地方时，闭上眼睛，深深得呼吸，你一定会呼吸到那儿的爽快空气，而且感受到上帝的伟大，然后可以卸下来自己生活的担子。总之，丽江的白水河是一个值得去参观的景点。

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Shaoguan Danxia Mountain 韶关丹霞山– Guangdong, China

        Have you watched the famous Korean movie called “Winter Sonata”? Do you like it? Do you like summer or winter best? I love winter for it suggests a romantic experience. Winter 2009 has left me a precious memory I will never forget. It was the first winter I spent in China. Before that, I never knew what winter felt like or how cool it would be. Indeed, winter in Guangzhou was freezing although it was not snowy like the southern part of China (Beijing and its vicinity).

        On one winter day, when I just got back from Shenzhen, my friends directly asked me to go with them to visit a relative's friend in Shaoguan. Shaoguan is still part of Guangdong province and is regarded as the north gate of Guangdong with Hunan in the north and Guangzhou in the south. Because of my great passion to explore China, I responded my friends’ request with excitement and finally agreed to go to Shaoguan despites my tired body. I soon prepared my clothes, winter jacket and some food, ready to set off to Shaoguan.

 

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Chimelong Crocodile Park 鳄鱼公园 – Guangzhou, China

 

        It is a normal thing to kiss a kid or your spouse, but I do not think people would normally want to kiss a crocodile, right? Have you ever seen someone putting his lips on the lips of a crocodile? If you want to see this scene, come to the Chimelong Crocodile Park. To reach the site, take subway and get off at Hanxi and Changlong Station, and then take exit E. After that, take a free shuttle bus operating every 30 minutes that will bring you to the park. 

        Summer is the best time to explore interesting places for you do not need to worry to get wet because of the rain or capture blurred pictures because of the thick cloud. In summer 2009, I went to Chimelong Park for a second time, but this time I went there with my mom and brother. We bought package tickets for the zoo and the crocodile park (croco park). After exploring the zoo, we went to the croco park. I thought  the park is located close to the zoo, but I just knew that we had to take another bus to reach there. We were waiting for almost half an hour to get in the bus. Many people were also waiting for it. When the bus came, it was soon filled with people. Many of them were standing because there was no enough seat. We were on the bus for almost half an hour before we reached the park. Thanked God, we did not walk there. The park is closed at 5 pm. By the time we reached there, it was already almost 3 pm. So we hastily took a look inside and explored the park.

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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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Peasant Movement Institute 农民运动讲习所旧址 – Guangzhou, China

        One shiny day, I asked two friends to have an adventure with me to a place called “Peasant Movement Institute” or “Nong Jiang Suo” in Chinese. Every time we took the MTR, we always heard the name of this place mentioned as one of the stations. I was just curious to know what it was like. I was pretty sure there was something special about the site and I was right. When we arrived at the main entrance, only a few people were there including the ticket officers. There was no admission fee to enter the site. From a glimpse, the site looked like an old place and it seemed there was nothing special about it. Yes, it was just an old building but it played an important role in the history of Guangzhou’s revolution.

 Main entrance to the Peasant Movement Institute

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Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs 黄花岗公园 – Guangzhou, China

        Do you like taking pictures at a cemetery? Not everybody likes to visit it or even take pictures there. However, if the cemetery has historical values, I think visiting it would be worth it. Guangzhou is a witness to the development of political revolution of China. One of the remnants of the hard struggling of the Chinese revolution can be seen in the Mausoleum of 72 martyrs. This place might not be attractive enough for foreign visitors, yet if you are into history and things alike, you might want to visit this place to capture some insight of a small fraction of Guangzhou's history.

        Located in a serene green park area of 160,000 square meters in Huanghuagang at the south foot of Baiyun Mountain in east of Guangzhou, an imposing building called Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs was built in 1912. Mausoleum of 72 martyrs was constructed to commemorate the unsuccessful Guangzhou uprising in 1911 and was dedicated to the 72 martyrs who died during the revolutionary uprising. It is an appreciation to the martyrs' bravery and sacrifices that represents high spirit of freedom and democracy.

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Guangzhou Zoological Garden 广州动物园 – Guangzhou, China

       Guangzhou zoological garden is less famous than Chimelong zoo because it covers smaller area and has fewer animals on display. Personally I do not really like the zoo for it is not well organized compared to Chimelong zoo. I and my brother decided to go there on our own for we were curious to know what the zoo was like. Anyway, it is stated in the tourist map. When we reached the entrance and queued in front of the ticket counter, I was not impressed with the service of the ticket clerk for they did not give clear information about the zoo and the animal performances. Yes, indeed the admission fee is much cheaper than the one in Chimelong. It only costs 20 Yuan compared to Chimelong that costs around 100 Yuan. In China, price really affects quality. Yi fen qian yi fen huo…

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Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall 中山纪念堂 – Guangzhou, China

        Visiting historical sites has always been my great interest for I believe those places will not only refresh my mind but also give me insight of what ever happened in the past. The valuable thing of learning history is you could always learn from past experience and apply the positive things. One of beautiful historical places in Guangzhou is Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall or Zhong Shan Ji Nian Tang in Chinese. It was the first historical monument I visited with my friends. As far as I remember, there was no admission charge. However, if you want to enter the main hall, you have to buy a ticket. Unluckily, when I went there, the hall was closed for public because it was being used to hold a national conference attended by important people.

         Beautifully erected at the foot of Southern slope of Yuexiu hill, the memorial hall was built to commemorate Sun Yat Sen, the forerunner of Chinese democratic revolution against the Qing dynasty. Sun Yat Sen (孫中山, Sun Zhong Shan) is considered the Founding Father of modern China by China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Born on November 12, 1866 at Cuiheng village of Guangdong province and reputed as the leading figure and the first President of China, Sun Yat Sen was well known for his Three Principles of the People - nationalism, democracy, and social well-being. He believed these principles are the guidelines to establish a modern China. He was passionate about his dream and dedicated his whole life to accomplish this task.

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Chimelong Zoological Park 长隆香江野生动物世界 – Guangzhou, China

        Do you like to go to zoo? How many times have you visited zoo in your country or city? Do you like being among wild and tame animals, watching their funny behaviors even unexpected ones? I personally have visited Safari zoo in Puncak, Indonesia for several times. However, the zoo that gives me deepest impression is the one in Guangzhou, called Chimelong Zoological park.

        In Taman Safari, you could watch wild animals in an open space but you must sit inside your private cars and are not allowed to open your window for your safety. However, in Chimelong, you could freely travel around the park on foot with all wild animals in an open natural setting without worrying about being attacked by them because there are thin wires containing high electricity that surround their dwelling. This makes the wild beasts do not jump toward the visitors.

        Situated in Panyu district, almost an hour journey from the heart of Guangzhou city, Xiangjiang Safari Park enjoys a reputation as the largest zoological park in China mainland even in Asia, and is China's leading zoo. As one of the most interesting tourist places in Guangzhou, the zoo gains reputation as 5A class Tourism Attraction level, which is the highest level a zoo could obtain.

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Haizhu Bridge 海珠桥 – Guangzhou, China

        Where would you go when you feel depressed and have no more room to express your anger, disappointment and rage? There is a place in Guangzhou you might want to visit if you are in that kind of situation; it is called Haizhu bridge. The bridge itself is just an ordinary bridge located in Haizhu square area with a very old history. However, it offers a serene atmosphere for those who wish to retreat from the hectic life and relax for a while.  “If I can’t express my sadness, I will go to a quiet place like this bridge and shout as loudly as I could”, said one of my friends who went with me. That could be one of her ways to release life’s burden. Indeed people have their own unique ways to relieve themselves. I personally would turn to prayer as a getaway from my problems.

        That night I did not plan to go out. However, my friend urged me to accompany her to visit an old bridge located in Haizhu square, called Haizhu bridge. Haizhu bridge was built in 1929 by American companies with total length of 356.67 meters. However, it was bombed by Kuomintang in 1949, and renovated in 1950. Due to the economic development of the country, the bridge was expanded in 1975.

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Yuntai Garden 云台花园 – Guangzhou, China

        Most girls like flowers, but I do not. You might wonder why. Although I look somewhat feminine, I do not really like girl's things, including flowers unless someone special gives them to me.. hehe.. However, my visit to Yuntai Garden has changed my perspectives about flowers and given me deep impression.  

        During my stay in Guangzhou, I visited many tourist places, including gardens. Guangzhou is a city of flowers where gardens become most popular spot for people to relax. Although there are many gardens in Guangzhou, there is only one most beautiful garden that has won my heart, called Yuntai garden.

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Baiyun Mountain 白云山 (White Cloud Mountain) – Guangzhou, China

        Guangzhou is most famous for its white cloud and pearl sea. The white cloud refers to the White cloud mountain or Baiyun shan in Chinese that is situated 17 kilometers to the northern outskirt of Guangzhou. The mountain is not only reputed as one of the most famous spots in the past but also the present, and is one of the oldest mountains in Guangdong province. The mountain is the ending range of Dayu mountains in the south, which is also called the first mountain of Southern Yue. It has a rectangular shape stretching as far as 7 kilometers from south to north and 4 kilometers from east to west.

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Orchid Garden 兰圃公园 – Guangzhou, China

        Not all infamous places are not interesting. This idea applies to Orchid garden in Guangzhou. Although most tourists are not interested to visit this relatively small park, it indeed offers a rich experience for those who like to study green plantations and enjoy  their beauty in a unique way. In summer 2009, I took my mom and brother to visit this park. The park looks small from outside and almost unnoticeable by pedestrians compared to its counterpart, Yuexiu Park, which is located just across it.

        The park is located in the Yuexiu area. Just take an MTR to the Yuexiu station. Follow the direction on the exit board, and walk straight until you reach the spot. If you are lost, you could ask people who walk by or consult your map..

 

        Orchid garden as its name suggests is a garden dominated by orchid flowers. Occupying an area of 3.9 hectares near the western entrance of Yuexiu Park, the garden was originally a botanical garden, but it was rebuilt in 1957. You could enter the garden through two gates. The first gate is located in the south, near the intersection of Jiefang Beilu and Liuhua Lu, while the other one is in the north, near the intersection of Jiefang Beilu and Huanshi Xilu. It is open from 8 am – 5 pm with the admission fee is 8 Yuan. 

         The garden is absolutely a convenient retreat in the midst of the busy metropolitan Guangzhou, which provides a calm oasis for those who wish to draw back from the business of a city’s life. The place is especially quiet even though it is located in a busy downtown noisy area. It is because the bamboo, rare trees and tropical foliage filter out the noise of the city. Therefore, it offers a serene atmosphere where you could relax and immerse yourself in its natural beauty and tranquility. Accompanying you is a soft and relaxing classical Chinese music played repeatedly.

        As you stroll in the garden, you could feel an immediate sense of serenity. The garden covers a vast area made up of exotic plants and traditional Chinese architectures including some greenhouses, classical Chinese teahouses and impressive small and large pavilions. It has winding paths, corridors, pagodas, sculptures, ponds, flower sheds, green grass, bamboos, artificial mountains, arched stone bridges and willow-fringed pools, with the major attractions are pavilions, temples, and gardens. It has 10,000 pots of orchids and over 2,000 species of flowers. Although orchids are the star of the garden, there are also other 300 species of creepers, rare flowers, luxuriant bushes and sleek bamboos decorating the garden’s path and rocks. The garden has three greenhouses that showcase 200 varieties of orchids including cattleya, cybidium, dendrobium, oncidium, and vanda.  The pavilions inside the garden include the Hall of Exquisite Fragrance and the Aromatic Flowers Garden.

 

Orchids inside the greenhouse

 

  Various flowers inside the greenhouse

 

 

 

        Lotus pond

 

        The eastern part of the park has orchid sheds and other cultivations that consist of Gold Mouth orchid, Silver Mouth orchid, Spun gold Horsetail orchid, Parrot orchid and song plum orchid, etc. All the varieties are expensive and rare. The western part consists of halls, pavilions, terraces, and towers where you can enjoy yourself by sipping a cup of tea while watching the view.

The pavilions include the Tongxin Hall, the Bajiao Pavilion, the Mingjing Pavilion and the Fanghua Garden. Besides that, there are also waterfalls and springs. The green view of the garden and the twittering of the birds add to the beauty of the park. The fragrance of the orchids and other aspects of the garden even help rejuvenate a wearied self.

 

  Classical Chinese pavilion

 

        If you wish to see the magical sight of the garden, the best time to visit is May and June, when the flowers are in full bloom. Unless you are a flower lover or scientist, I do not recommend you to go to this place since there are only green plantations as far as your eyes can see, which could bore you easily. In short, Orchid garden is a perfect place for a flower lover who likes to have a short getaway from the noise of a city’s life. So, come and visit this tranquil garden and get refreshed.  

Sources:
Personal experience and additional information from other online articles

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Million Sunflower Garden 百万葵园 – Guangzhou, China

        Sunflower is among beautiful flowers ever exist on earth with a life span of 50 days. The fresh feed of sunflower is a good remedy for acne sufferers. If you are a sunflower lover, you might find Million Sunflower Garden in Guangzhou the most stunning place to enjoy the beauty of sunflowers. In summer 2009, my friends and I took quite a long journey to the Million Sunflower Garden. Not many tourists know this ecological garden since it is less famous compared to other tourist spots. However, it is regarded as one of the most interesting places in Guangzhou as spotted in the Guangzhou travel map. So, visiting the garden will give you a totally different experience from other common tourist visitors.  

        The Million Sunflower garden is situated in the Panyu area, which needs two-hour trip from the central Guangzhou. Take MTR until you reach the Jinzhou station.  From that point, continue by taking a cab or a special bus that takes visitors to the park. On weekends and holidays, you could take a shuttle bus that usually runs from Guangzhou Zoo to the site, which operates at 9 am – 5 pm. The park is open everyday from 9 am to 5 pm with the admission fee of 68 Yuan for adults.

 

 

 

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Yuexiu Park 越秀公园 – Guangzhou, China

        The school bell rang and I rushed to the MTR station to meet with my friends. We were about to go to the largest park in Guangzhou, called Yue Xiu Park. I had actually planned to visit the park with some other friends, but unfortunately at that time it was holiday and the site was absolutely packed with people queuing on the ticket counter. So we called off our plan. Thank God on the day I visited the park for the second time, it was less crowded.

        Yue Xiu park is so famous not only because of its massive area, but also because it has the statue of five rams on top of the mountain which has been regarded as the symbol and emblem of Guangzhou city by the local people. You could even find the picture of the statue printed on the MTR card. The park is accessible by bus, MTR or taxi, with the fastest of all is MTR. So, take MTR until you reach Yue Xiu Park station, and just follow the directions on the board until you get there. The admission fee to the park is 5 Yuan, with an additional of 5 Yuan if you would like to buy the tourist guide map. With the map, you could know the name of the sites you visit and it prevents you from getting lost in such large park.

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