Guangzhou plays an important commercial role in southern China and is traditionally mentioned in parallel with Beijing and Shanghai. In addition, it is a city full of culture and great food, especially great food. (Yes I said it twice.) Egg tart and stream rice roll are among those things that I dreamt of at night.
Our favorite neighborhood of the city is Shamian, a small island once colonized by Britain. After being exhausted by the inescapable crowds in commercial districts, we found Shamian such a refreshing place to slow down and enjoy the history and crossover of oriental and western architecture.
It was worth mentioning that the Starbucks here is by far the only store we hit in China that serves its Reserve coffee. Located in a renovated old building, it merges perfectly into Shamian’s decor style.
The tiny island is just 10 feet away from the mainland, but feels somehow like another world. It was peaceful and lively, and the good old lifestyle didn’t get destroyed by the urbanization. Instead of the traffic noise, all you can hear are birds’ tweeting, cicadas’ calling and kids’ playing.
Come here for a relaxing break if you are in Guangzhou.
