Complimentary Tours
Our hosts have provided a number of complimentary tours to help delegates explore Guangzhou. The tours will take place on Saturday 15 September. Booking for the tours is now closed.
Tour 1: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall—Chen Clan Academy—Shamian Island—Pearl River Night Cruise
Full day
The tour will begin at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, situated on the southern slope of Yuexiu Hill. The hall was constructed between 1929 and 1931, a monument to Dr Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of Chinese democratic revolution, by the people of Guangzhou and overseas Chinese.
Delegates will continue on to the Chen Clan Academy, which was built during the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Tang Dynasty. Built between 1890-1894, the Chen Clan Academy is the largest, best-preserved, and best decorated ancient architecture existing in the Guangzhou province.
Delegates will then visit Shamian Island, an area with great historical significance. The island is home to a number of colonial-era buildings, including a restored French Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes; its British Protestant complement, the Christ Church Shamian; and many former hotels, embassies, trading houses, and residences. The tour will then continue to Shangxiajiu Shopping Street, which is located in the Liwan District and is one of the four downtown districts of Guangzhou.
The tour concludes with a night cruise down The Pearl River, the third longest inland river in China. Delegates will be captivated with the charming views of historical sites and unique architecture that the city has to offer.
Tour 2: Lingnan Impression Park—Canton Tower—Haixinsha Island—Pearl River Night Cruise
Full day
The tour will begin at Lingnan Impression Park. This magnificent park covers more than 40 acres and epitomises the design culture of the Lingnan area. Delegates will be able to enjoy visit the Lingnan style architecture, culture and customs and visit the elegant, Cantonese style houses and temples in the park.
The next stop will be the Canton Tower, located at an intersection of Guangzhou New City Central Axes and the Pearl River, directly opposite Haixinsha Island. At 600 metres high, Canton Tower is the highest tower in China and the third highest tower in the world. The tower's dynamic architecture was built to represent the spirit of Guangzhou as a welcoming city which embraces the world.
Delegates will then be able to visit Haixinsha Island, which was the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2010 Asian Games. The island is bordered by the new CBD on the north and the Pearl River on the south. Besides allocating a piece of land to the military, local government reportedly compensated another 1 billion in order to acquire land of the island.
The tour concludes with a night cruise down The Pearl River, the third longest inland river in China. The beauty of the Pearl River at night can be compared with that of Hong Kong’s Victoria Park. The cruise section from the White Goose Pool to Guangzhou Bridge is the highlight of the Pearl River cruise. Scenery along this part is so fascinating, with jade-coloured water, coloured lights on shore.
Tour 3: Nanyue King Museum— Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall—“Red Boat” Pearl River Night Cruise
Half day
The tour will begin at the Nanyue King Museum, which houses the 2,000-year-old tomb of the Nanyue King Zhao Mo. The museum, which opened in 1988, has been named a Major Historical Site and is renowned for its assemblage of rare funerary artifacts.
Delegates will then visit the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, situated on the southern slope of Yuexiu Hill, was constructed between 1929 and 1931, a monument to Dr Sun Yat-sen, the forerunner of Chinese democratic revolution, by the people of Guangzhou and overseas Chinese.
The tour concludes with a night cruise down the Pearl River, one of the tourist highlights in Guangzhou. The “Red Boat” cruise combines both the Pearl River cruise and a Cantonese Opera performance. The performance on the “Red Boat” lasts for about an hour and includes three parts. In the first part, stories of Cantonese Opera performers are told by drama, songs and dances, acrobats, and sound and light shows. In the second part, it is a play-within-a-play, a newly organised Cantonese Opera performance “Blossoms Under The Full Moon”, a classic love story showing the original charm of Cantonese Opera. In the third part, audiences can enjoy magnificent night view of the Pearl River and feel the charm of modern Guangzhou.
Tour 4: Lingnan Impression Park— Pearl River Night Cruise
Half day
The tour will begin at the Lingnan Impression Park. This park resembles an old town, with beautiful traditional buildings, a lake with a shadow puppet pavilion and a main street full of attractions, including an open air opera house. While many of the buildings are for hawking things, the objects they sell usually are tied in with local culture. It is worth exploring any open door since some exhibitions may be located a bit off the main street. There is art, history, food displays and live shows from opera to puppet theatre.
The Pearl River or less commonly, the “Guangdong River” (Yue Jiang), is China’s third longest river (2,200 km, after the Yangtze River and the Yellow River), and second largest by volume (after the Yangtze). The evening cruise on the Pearl River is one of the tourist highlights in Guangzhou. The beauty of the Pearl River at night can be compared with that of Hong Kong’s Victoria Park. The cruise section from the White Goose Pool to Guangzhou Bridge is the highlight of the Pearl River cruise. Scenery along this part is so fascinating, with jade-coloured water, coloured lights on shore.