To be honest, Guangdong is not a favorite tourist destination. The geological position allows Guangdong to be the most economically developed province in China. It has a rich history of trading and culture diversity as Guangdong is considered as the Chinese window to the world.
The economy and trading development here are much better than tourism development, yet it doesn’t mean that there is nowhere to visit or travel. Guangdong is a fantastic combination of modern beauty and distinctive Chinese culture. As a result, there are definitely lots of spots to discover and experience. I have experienced the beauty of Guangdong, and I want to share my viewpoint with you.
Basic Information
| Land area | 179800 square kilometers | |
| Island area | 1592 square kilometers | |
| Coastline length | 3368 kilometers | |
| Population | 104,303,132 | |
| Capital city | Guangzhou | |
| Other cities | Shenzhen, Chaozhou, Foshan, Heyuan, Jiangmen, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jieyang, Meizhou, Quingyuan, Maoming, Shantou, Shaoguan, Shanwei, Yangjiang, Zhanjiang, Yunfu, Zhaoquing, Zhuhai, Zhongshan | |
| Time zone | GTM+8 | |
| Area code | Guangzhou | 20 |
| Shenzhen | 755 | |
| Zhuhai | 756 | |
| Shantou | 754 | |
| Foshan | 757 | |
| Dongguan | 769 | |
| Zhongshan | 760 | |
| Shaoguan | 751 | |
| Jiangmen | 750 | |
| Maoming | 668 | |
| Zhaoqing | 758 | |
| Huizhou | 752 | |
| Meizhou | 753 | |
| Shanwei | 660 | |
| Heyuan | 762 | |
| Yangjiang | 662 | |
| Quingyuan | 763 | |
| Chaozhou | 768 | |
| Jieyang | 663 | |
| Yunfu | 766 | |
Guangdong’s advantage is the diversified economy. It has Guangzhou and Shenzhen, which are considered as the most populous cities of China. Guangdong meets Hong Kong in the south that helps this province take advantage of this financial hub. What makes this province has such a rich and powerful economy are manufacturing, importing, and exporting since the early 1990s.
Weather condition
The average temperature in Guangdong is quite nice and enjoyable. The winter is dry and short, while the summer is wet and long. The coldest time of the year is January with 13 °C as the average temperature. Every climate element is the mark of subtropical to the tropical climate of Guangdong. The spring is between March and May; the summer is from June to September; Autumn lasts from October to December, while the winter is from January to March. I suggest tourists visit Guangdong in the autumn as the weather is cool and suitable for some outdoor activities and sightseeing.
How to reach Guangdong from Beijing
Train
The train is the most common and favorable transportation in China. As Guangdong is a developed province, railway network is extremely advanced and demanding. When going to Guangdong from Beijing, you will depart at Beijing West Train Station. You can arrive at either Guangzhou or Shenzhen.
Your arrival stations in Guangzhou could be one in these three stations: Guangzhou, Guangzhou East, and Guangzhou South. If you are transferred by high-speed train, your duration will be at least 9 hours. If you have lots of spare time, you can choose to go by normal train with cheaper price, and it takes you about a day to get to Guangzhou. The seat types on high speed train are the soft sleeper, hard sleeper, and hard seat, while with the normal train, there are 1st class seats, 2nd class seats, and business class seats. The price ticket is changeable base on your seat type as well as departure date and time.
If you want to visit the second largest and most populous city in Guangdong, you can choose to arrive at Shenzhen Station, Shenzhen (Futian) Station, and Shenzhen North Station. The distance between Beijing and Shenzhen is shorter than between Beijing and Guangzhou, so the duration is shorter. You have to spend 8 hours to one day sitting on either high speed train or normal train to reach Shenzhen.
Aviation
The similarity to train, if you choose to go by aviation, you can land in 2 cities: Guangzhou and Shenzhen. There are 5 airlines provide the flight from Beijing to Guangdong including Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China United Airlines, and Hainan Airlines. It takes you over 3 hours to reach Guangzhou and more than 5 hours to reach Shenzhen. The flights are always available for booking online with a discount, so you should consider booking a ticket on the Internet.
Guangdong Transportation
Guangdong is the most prosperous city in China. As a result, transportation here is well developed and can be easily accessed by highway, railway, air, and waterway.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou along with Shenzhen Baoan International Airport in Shenzhen are the only 2 international airports in Guangdong. Every day there are various national flights and international flights in these 2 airports. Besides, Guangdong has some civil airports placed in Zhanjiang, Zhuhai, and Shantou.
Buses are common transportation in Guangdong. You can travel to some of its neighbors such as Jiangxi province, Hunan province, Macau, Hong Kong, etc. by bus, departed in Guangzhou Provincial Passenger Bus Station. There are many tourists who has plenty of time before going to Hong Kong have chosen to stay in Guangzhou some days, then take a deluxe bus to Hong Kong.
In Guangdong, there is the Pearl River Delta, so there is no doubt about how various the waterways are. The waterway is also a favorable gateway to enter Hong Kong and Macau.
Attractive Tourist Destinations
Regarding an economically developed city, Guangdong does not have many highlighted natural attractions. However, you will surprise a lot by how harmonious the combination between ancient and modern elements is in every tourist destination here. You can admire both Chinese culture and Chinese development at the same time.
Some highly recommended tourist spots for travelers are:
– Mount Danxia Global Geopark: This Shaoguan’s natural attraction is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site with a distinctive natural red stone formation. It is a red bed characterized by steep cliffs.
– Dameisha Beach: It is the longest beach in Shenzhen with elegant scenery and various outdoor activities to enjoy. You can swim, sunbathe, ride horses, and parasail in Dameisha beach.
– Window of the World: Here is the place where the most famous attractions in the world are reproduced. There are replicas of Sphinx, pyramids, Eiffel Tower, Tower of London, Leaning Tower of Pisa, etc. You can experience more on festival occasions such as Cherry festival, Chinese National Day, or Indian Cultural Week. It is open from 9 a.m to 22 a.m, and I recommend you pay it a 4-or-5-hour visit.
There are a lot more to discover such as Baiyun Hill, Xiangjiang Wildlife Park, Star Lake, Quingxin Hot Springs, Mount Xiquiao, Nanling national forest park, etc.
Special Guangdong Dishes
Guangdong cuisine is the widely served style in the world. Guangdong cuisine’s name is Cantonese cuisine or Yue cuisine. The key flavors are mild, slightly sweet, and fresh. Guangdong cuisine tends to use aniseed, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sugar and ginger as essential seasonings in their dishes. Some famous special dishes of Cantonese cuisine are:
– Chinese Steamed Eggs
– Youtiao
– Zhaliang
– Shahe noodles
– White cut chicken in Panxi Restaurant
More: Gansu province, China: The origins of the ancient Silk Road
