Guangzhou/Liwan

Liwan is a district in Guangzhou. It has two parts, separated by the Pearl River:Xiguan - literally meaning "Westgate", the parts of old Guangzhou located west of the old walled city Fangcun - a larger area, once known for its flower cultivation, now the site of modern development

Get in

Liwan district is served by Line 1, Line 5, Line 6, Line 8 and Guangfo Line of the Guangzhou Metro. Cultural Park Bus Terminal serves as the terminus for some bus routes. These buses often labelled Huangsha as the destination.

See

Temple of 500 Genii Huá Lín Sì) Metro Line 8 Hualinsi Buddhist Temple).This Is the temple where the Indian monk Bodhidharma, who brought Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China, first settled when he arrived by ship from India. Free.
Renwei Taoist Temple Rén wēi zǔ miào, Pantang Road Metro Line 5 Zhongshanba).Historic Taoist temple built in the traditional Cantonese architectural style, with many intricate carvings and mosaics on the roof of the temple buildings. Unlike the Chen Clan Academy, this is still an active temple. Free.
Liwan Museum
Cantonese Opera Art Museum, 127 Enning Road.
JinLun Guild Hall
Liwan Lake Park.
Guangzhou Railway Museum, Zone D, Yujing Road No. 1, 3~~5 Yujiang Road ( 3~~5 D Metro Line 6 Ruyifang), toll-free: +86 20 6135 3886. 09:00-17:00, no entry after 16:00, closed on Mondays. The museum occupies what used to be the Guangzhou South Railway Station, a station on the old Guangdong-Hankou Railway, which used to be known as Huangsha Railway Station. It is the largest railway museum in South China. Free.

Buy

Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street Shàng-xià-jiǔ) Metro 1 Changshou Lu Exits D1, D2).This shopping area is also a showcase of traditional Cantonese architecture Qilou. It is particularly pretty at night when lights are lit up. Prices here are generally lower than Beijing Road's, but prepare to bargain.

Qingping Market, Qingping Road north from Shamian Island. Metro 1 Huangsha Exit D).It is a great place to go for exotic goods. The modern front of the market has quite a few stalls selling dried herbs used in Chinese Medicine. The real charm here lies just behind the modern exterior. The modern exterior is built onto a series of old historical narrow alleyways with shops selling herbs. You may see exotic animals for sale.
Liwan Plaza lì-wān-guǎng-chǎng, 9 Dexing Road, at the east end of the street. You will find a good selection of crystal here.
Link Plaza Guangzhou, No. 8, Huangsha AvenueMetro Line 1, Line 6 Huangsha, toll-free: +86 20 3101 8088. 10:00-22:00. Free entry.
Yong Qing Fang, No. 99, Enning Road.09:00-22:00. Free entry.

Street markets

Qingping Marketin Liwan. A great place to go for exotic goods, especially dried herbs used in Chinese Medicine.
Xiguan Antique Street, near Liwan Park.
Flower Street, Baohua Road.
Jade Street /, Changshou Road and Wenchang Road, near Shangxiajiu Pedestrian StreetMetro 1 Changshou Lu.
Sea products, Daxin Road.
Toy Street and Dried goods and snacks Street and, Yide Road Metro 2 Haizhu Square.

Traditional

Pan Xi Restaurant, 151 Longjin West Road, ☏ +86 20 8181-5718. Located in the heart of the Old Guangzhou, this Cantonese Restaurant serves dim sum next to trickling streams and stunning architecture. Try one of their famous dumplings shaped like a rabbit's head.
Guangzhou Restaurant, 2 Wenchang South Road Metro 1 Changshou Lu, ☏ +86 20 8138-0388. This Cantonese family restaurant is famous for its signature dishes Wenchang Chicken and special baby pig. It has several branches in the city. Other locations include 20 Binjiang West Road and 112 Tiyu East Road.
Jianji Noodles, 299 Changshou E Rd, Liwan Qu. Famous traditional noodle place. Famous for fried noodles and wonton noodles.
Taotao Ju Restaurant, 20 Dishifu Road Metro 1 Changshou Lu; Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, ☏ +86 20 8138-9632. This is the oldest traditional dim sum restaurant in the city but nowadays, their food not up to standard as their chef left for high end restaurant in Hong Kong. Dim sum hours are still busy, so reservation is recommended. Specialty includes moon cakes and other traditional Cantonese pastries.
Wenji Restaurant, 10 Boahua Road Metro 1 Changshou Lu; Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, ☏ +86 20 8172-8887. As the place was established by the former chefs from Qingping Restaurant, they have the original Qingping Chicken on the menu.

Vegetarian

Foo Yau Yuan Vegetarian Restaurant, 1 1 Fu'er Road, Xinfu Xincun, Liwan RoadMetro 1 Chan Clan Academy Exit D, ☏ +86 20 8125-0428. 6:30AM–3PM, 5PM–10PM.This place serves creative vegetarian dishes with dim sum served in the morning. Most dishes are between ¥30 and ¥50 each.

Southeast Asian

Lan Kwai Fong, 5 Shamian South St Metro 1 & 6 Huangsha, ☏ +86 20 8121-6523. This tourist friendly restaurant offers good curries and polite service on the quite Shamian Island.

Western

Lucy's Cafe & Restaurant3 Shamian South St Metro 2 Huangsha, ☏ +86 20 8121-5106. Located near the White Swan hotel, Lucy's Cafe & Restaurant is an established American restaurant on Shamian Island. They serve everything from burgers to pasta to Tex-mex, and portions are large. This is a favorite for adoption families who stays on the island.

Budget

Guangdong Youth Hostel, 2 Shamian 4th Street Across from White Swan Hotel, Metro 1 & 6 Huangsha Exit D, ☏ +86 20 8121-8298. This place offers around 15 dorm beds. There is a lounge, which is a small spare room with free access to computers and internet, TV, microwave oven and refrigerator until midnight. Wi-Fi is available and basic English is spoken. Despite excellent location, the place is an ordinary Chinese hotel, rather than a hostel that provides a socializing environment. Only foreign passport holders are accepted in the dorm. Dorm room ¥60, singles ¥200.
Guangzhou Riverside Youth Hostel, 15 Changdi Street Metro 1 Fangcun Exit B1), ☏ +86 20 2239-2500. A waterfront hostel located on the south side (less developed) of the Pearl River. It takes a 15-20 minute walk to the metro station; also accessible by river ferry (until 10PM. Spacious common areas but limited kitchen facilities. Some rooms are not equipped with lockers and theft reports are frequently heard. Doubles ¥178, dorm bed ¥65; ¥96 Canton Fair.

Mid-range

Guangdong Victory Hotel, 53 Shamian North Street Metro 1 & 6 Huangsha Station Exit D, use pedestrian bridge to Shamian Island, ☏ +86 20 8121-6688. The hotel is located on Shamian Island, and the Guangzhou's Grand Old Hotel. It was founded in as the Canton Hotel 1888, and acquired by the British in 1895, who re-named it the Victoria Hotel. It was re-named to its current name in the 1950s following the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, and the nationalization of the hotel. The original building is today the East Wing, while the West Wing was converted from the former HSBC building that dates back to the 1920s.¥420.
Nan Fang Da Sha Hotel, 34 Xidi 2nd Road Across from Cultural Park. Get off at Guangzhou Metro Line 6's Cultural Park station exit A and walk 20m., ☏ +86 20 8101 2133. While the building was constructed way back in 1918, this hotel frequently renovates to cater to current customers' demands. Its location is well connected to metro and bus.¥260.

Splurge

White Swan Hotel, 1 Shamian South St Metro 1 & 6 Huangsha, ☏ +86 20 8188-6968. On the banks of the Pearl River on the quiet Shamian Island, complemented by a charming park nearby where locals can be found doing tai chi. This is the first group of hotels in China that received 5-star classification. Surrounding the hotel are blocks of little shops run by locals willing to bargain.

Go next

Yuexiu, the center of Guangzhou, is full of both historic sites and modern landmarks and is a comfortable walk or a short metro ride from Liwan
Haizhu
Foshan – the neighboring city is directly connected to Liwan by the Guangfo Line of the metro system