Top choice in Guangzhou
One of a handful of heritage buildings you can bed down in on Shamian Island, the Victory is divided in two: the west wing is the oldest and more atmospheric, carved out of the former HSBC bank building; there you can bag a room with a grand balcony.
The cheaper east building was formerly the British-owned Victoria Hotel (c 1895), but was rebuilt in 1993. Interiors are dated but comfortable and the location can't be beat.
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Don't depart Guangzhou without an amble through the concession-era gem that is Shamian Island. The central east–west drag is a time-warp boulevard of…
1.27 MILES
An all-in-one ancestral shrine, Confucian school and ‘chamber of commerce’ for the Chen clan, this compound was built in 1894 by the residents of 72…
10.06 MILES
The 11th-century Zumiao temple is believed to be the site where Cantonese opera flourished. The art is still performed today during festivals to entertain…
Qingping Chinese Medicine Market
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Just north of the channel that divides Shamian Island from the city, this tumbledown market is a sensory delight, with open-fronted vendors arranged…
4.9 MILES
Designed by Zaha Hadid, southern China's premier performance venue has transformed the area with its typically commanding, otherworldly aspect. Futuristic…
Nanfeng Ancient Kiln Artists' Village
12.87 MILES
This lovely ceramics town of stone-paved paths in Shiwan (石湾, Shíwān) is worth snooping around for its artisans' ceramics workshops and the two ancient …
11.13 MILES
One of Guangdong's four famous classical gardens, this graceful property on the outskirts of the city was built in 1871 by an official of the Qing court…
2.29 MILES
You'll feel like Indiana Jones/Lara Croft (select as preferred) as you descend the two-millennia-old steps into an actual Han dynasty tomb. This was the…
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Don't depart Guangzhou without an amble through the concession-era gem that is Shamian Island. The central east–west drag is a time-warp boulevard of…
2. Church of Our Lady of Lourdes
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Dating from 1890, this Roman Catholic church marks the edge of the French concession (everything due west of here on Shamian Island was administered by…
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The ‘Red Mansion’ (c 1907), once Shamian’s grandest abode, fuses features of British colonial architecture such as colonnades and louvre windows with the…
4. Qingping Chinese Medicine Market
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Just north of the channel that divides Shamian Island from the city, this tumbledown market is a sensory delight, with open-fronted vendors arranged…
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The Guangdong customs building (c 1916) is one of the most impressive concession-era structures remaining along the waterfront. Designed by a British…
6. Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street
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Crowds march up and down this kilometre-long shopping thoroughfare that begins towards the eastern end of Dishifu Lu. The early-20th-century buildings…
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Formerly a guild hall for Cantonese opera practitioners, Bahe Academy opened in 1889 to provide lodging and other services to opera troupes. It now serves…
8. Ancestral Home of Bruce Lee
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The last house along the first lane off Yongqing Fang (永庆坊), an alleyway running north under an arch from Enning Lu, was the ancestral home of kung fu…