Thailand beyond solo backpacking: Attractions of Liwan-Yuexiu Districts

The Changshou Metro Station can be accesed via a basement stairway near the main entrance of Heng Bao Plaza shopping complex.

Heng Bao Plaza is one popular hangout place among the locals and there is a restaurant here using the electronic ordering system on iPad minus the waiters.

Wansui Japanese Seafood Buffet Restaurant is on the second floor.

My current position is at (14)Jade Market Street and (4) Hualin Temple.

Other sites nearby incudes (3)Hualin Internationa Jade Plaza,(5)Liwan Plaza,(6)Nylon Hall,(7)Shangxia Jiu Square,(8)Shangxia Jiu Boulevard,(9)Guangzhou Restaurant and (10)Ping An Cinema.

China's new Passart car displayed at the ShangxiaJiu Square.

This 2.0 litre Auto is priced at 284,800 Yuan. The NMS Passat is made in China by the Shanghai-Volkswagen joint venture and called New Passat.

Hualin Temple is a Zen Buddhist temple just beside the Jade Street Market.
Admission is free and once you enter the compound, you'll first see a hall with the statue of Abbot Zhiyang who mastered the construction of five-hundred Arhats or Buddhist immortals which is now kept in the main Arhats Hall building.

To go inside,one has to use the backdoor which faces the north.

The "Laughing Buddha" giant statue sits near the main entrance while all the five hundred Arhats in different postures,mood and expressions can be seen all over the hall.

Among them included one thirteen century Italian traveller called Marco Polo also known as Ven.

Jinlun Guild Hall is the principal place of assembly of the Silk Guild in Guangzhou during the Qing Dynasty (Manchu Dynasty AD1723).

The building is beside Kangwang Middle Road,a short distance from the Jade Street Market.

This place is the living testimony concerning capitalism in China which is an important relict of the Marine Silk Road and key material evidence to the foreign trade conducted at the Thirteen Hongs.

All the exhibits vividly demonstrates the splendour once shown in the textile industry and the silk export by China.

On the right corner showcase were many patterns of embroidered fabrics and descriptions about the History of Jinlun Guild Hall were on the wall written in both English and Mandarin.

An ancestral temple styled architecture of Jinlun Guild Hall.

Admission is free but requires to sign on a visitors book.

The original site of the Jinlun Guild Hall was in Xi Lai Xin Street, Xiajiu Road.

The entire building and its foundation were moved to its present site in Kang Wang South Road due to the expansion of KangWang Road.

Jinlun Guild Hall is the Guild Hall for the silk textile industry in Guangzhou. Originally built in 1723, it has been restored and redeveloped numerous times.
The Guild Hall is a three-hall shrine built in the vivid Southern China architectural style with carvings, and ceramic and plaster sculptures.
There are 22 stele carvings in the Hall, which are important relics for studying the rise of capitalism in the Qing Dynasty and the history of commerce and trade in Guangzhou.
The Hall was declared a protected site for its historical and cultural value at the municipal level in July 1999.

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy or Chen's Lineage Hall at Zhongshan Qi(7) Road now known as Guangdong Museum of Folk Arts and Crafts.

This place is where family members of the Chen clan scholars prepare for the imperial examinations during the Qing Dynasty.

The temple is a compound complex consisting of nine halls, six courtyards and nineteen buildings connected by corridors, all separated by walls from the outside world.

Admission fees is 10 Yuan ,opened from 08:30-17:30.
Every month there is a one day free entrance during the 1st day of Chinese Calender month (normally middle of month)
To reach here,Metro Subway Line 1 to Chenjiaci(Chen Clan) Station stop.
Bus Routes: Take 17, 85, 88, 104, 107, 109, 114, 128, 133, 181, 193, 204, 233, 250, 251, 260, 268, 286, Tourist Bus Line 1 or 2
**Tourist Bus Line 1,2 or 3 starts at the terminal in Zhongshan Ba (8) Lu (Road)=Fares 2 Yuan
During the night the open space in front was used by local folks for dancing,karaoke singing and tai chi martial art practising ground.

A pushcart muslim hawker at the corner of Dongfeng Xilu(East Road) near Albasha Muslim Restuarant selling special grilled lamb meat.

He advertised as 'Muslim Lical Flavor Rotiseerie Xinjinang' or to put it another way is "Muslim local favour rotisserie Xinjiang"

In fact most of the muslims in Guangzhou came from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
Xinjiang borders Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India, has abundant oil reserves and is China's largest natural gas-producing region.

Grilled lamb(pin yin:yang rou) stick each for 2 Yuan.

These kabobs, kebabs, satays, or skewers are Halal(meaning according to Islamic laws).

China's far western region of Xinjiang is the home of sheep breeders.
China which has to feed 22 per cent of the world's population but has only 7 per cent of the world's arable land, has devoted plenty of resources in recent years to increasing domestic production of grains, meat and other food products.

There will be the 19th Guangzhou International Food and Beverages Exhibition to be held between 10-12th December 2012 at the Guangzhou International Exhibition Center in Pazhou.

Street beggar writing poetry on the pavement.
He has slight physical deformities on his leg so he has to earn a living in a more professional begging method.

Passersby will read his written script and gave a little donation.

You won't see beggars walking around asking for alms in Guangzhou but most will have to come out with innovative ways to impress their net worth by performing some acts like singing,playing with musical instruments or doing some handicrafts for sale.

It took me close to an hour walking from Shangxijiu Square,exploring some of the heritage sites along the way and having a first hand look of the lifestyle of the people in Guangzhou.

The evening rush hours is a common sight in most emerging economies but you won't see traffic jams and the roaring sounds of motorcycles which were banned in Guangzhou.

In fact the province has the most economic migrants.

Having passed by Liuhua Lake Park which is now in the Yuexiu District,the A Mariott Hotel stands elegantly on the eastern shore of the lake at Liuhua Road.
Yuexiu Park Metro Station Line 2 ,exit D1 is right near the hotel.

Beside A Mariott Hotel is the Dong Fang Hotel,a luxury commercial five-star hotel which was built in 1961 and specifically used for senior government ministers and diplomatic corps.

This kind of Chinese traditional arch gate architecture is now a common sight throughout most Chinatowns in the world.

Directly across the road from Dong Fang Hotel is the new building five storey complex of the China Fashion Trade Center which is to be opened on the 15th June 2012.

The first and second floors are the ladies dresses zone,third floor being menswear, fourth floor leather products and fifth floor the display and exhibition area.

Fashion Trade Center is a trade and exhibition center importing business models from other fashion brands, promoting clothing industry and creating new fashion structure.

The main focus will be on middle and high level brand’s wholesales providing assistance in E-commerce and retails.

Movie characters of aliens robotic structures were displayed outside the open space of the exhibition center.

This is a novel artistic creativity of Guangzhou Acee Trading Company Limited which specialized in metal arts sculptures. Address is at Mingdu First Street, Fangzhi Road., Haizhu District, Guangzhou.

This is one attractions which visitors will be enticed with when walking into most exhibition centers in China.