Travel Destinations: Qingyuan and Foshan, Guangzhou Province, China

Guangdong Province is a beautiful place full of cities, towns and beautiful little villages. The capital of the province, Guangzhou, is the first port of call for most travellers coming to mainland China from Hong Kong but there are some lovely smaller cities and towns that should not be missed.

QINGYUAN:

Qingyuan is an industrial city located about 70km north of Guangzhou, sitting on the Bejiang River. The city itself is not very interesting on its own, it is full of warehouses and factories spewing dark clouds into the air, but serves as the gateway to northern Guangdong.

However, the surrounding area of Qingyuan is beautiful and very interesting. The river valley is a peaceful place where you can relax in the sweet smelling pine forests, the stone mountains and deep canyons will leave you dizzy with their beauty.

Tucked away in the hills you will find the beautiful temples of Feilai and Feixia. These are not to be missed. You can get to these temples via ferries from the Bei River Dock. The ferries won’t leave until they’re full and it is best to get there early. A complete ferry trip there and back again will take about four hours. If a ferry isn’t available, then there is a bus you can catch.

The ferry will take you up the river, passing some incredibly beautiful stone villages, historical pagodas and then onto the temple of Feilai. The original building is 1400 years old but has been remodelled in the mIng Dynasty. Afterwards you will be transported upriver to Feixia Temple.

FOSHAN:

Located 19km southwest of Guangzhou, Foshan is a smaller town with a population of 960,000 people. However, it is just as rich in history; this is one of China’s oldest pottery towns. The town was established in the Han Dynasty and famous, not only for its beautiful pottery, ceramics and designs, but its incredible ancestral temple. The city is named ‘Buddha Hill’, taken from the three statues of Lord Gautama that were erected on a hill during the Tang Dynasty.

The ancestral temple complex, Zu Miao, is the most incredible piece of architecture in Guangdong Province. It dates back to the late 11^th century, dedicated to the Daoist god Beidi, the god of the North who is usually depicted as a turtle and a snake.

There is an impressive statue of the god in the main hall along with some impressive carved wooden screens. The rest of the temple is just as richly decorated, with many ceramic figurines of deities and characters from mythology.

The complex is part of the Foshan Museum (Foshan Bowuguan) where you will find some of the most incredible displays of martial arts and Cantonese opera.

Take a walk south and you will come to the Buddhist Renshou Temple, an active temple dating to the Ming dynasty. Inside, admire the seven storey pagoda built in 1656. Also here is the interesting Foshan Folk Arts Studio.

If you are coming here, you must see Shiwan, one of China’s most important places where they make ceramics. You will find everything here – from the most beautiful tableware to Buddhist figurines. Here, see the famous Nanfeng Ancient Kiln, housing two ‘Dragon kilns’ which date from the early Ming Dynasty. Since they were first used, the kilns have never gone out.

Both cities are very interesting and should not be ignored. So when visiting Guangdong Province, take the time to visit here. You will not be disappointed.

Travel Destinations: The East Coast, Hainan Province, China

The East Coast of Hainan Province is a wonderful place to spend a week or two when you are travelling through China and are in need of some relaxing time. Picture palm lined beaches, bays that stretch as far as the eye can see, and beautiful headlands and you are at the East Coast. Although the towns are not as exciting as the beaches, they are still wonderful places to visit.

About 60km south of Wencheng, Qionghai is the famous place where the first Chinese communist cell was formed back in 1924. Carry on south for about 50km is Wanning and then another 23km to Xinglong. This is the home to more than 20,000 Chinese-Vietnamese and Chinese from overseas (especially from Indonesia or Malaysia) who established the Xinglong Overseas Chinese Farm (Xinglong Huaqiao Cun) where they have now settled. You will find these Chinese dressing up in Southeast Asia costumes and show visitors a range of different tropical agricultural techniques, including coffee – Xinglong coffee is famous throughout China as well as being the transsexual capital of China.

Shimei Bay (Shimei Wan) is the first place you should start when arriving in Hainan’s East Coast. This is a beautiful stretch of coast that still remains unscarred by commercialization that you get in the Sanya area. This beautiful beach is lined with palm trees and is mostly deserted so most of the time you have this gorgeous beach all to yourself.

Shimei town is largely undeveloped but this will not always be the case, so enjoy it while you can. Shimei Bay is also a great place to surf; you can see some local and expat surfers catching the waves but the chances are that you will only see fishermen. However, as surfing becomes more popular in China, Shimei Bay is set to become the best place to go.

Lingshui and Monkey Island are other great places on the East Coast. Lingshui itself is the oldest settlement on Hainan but visitors really come here to visit Monkey Island, the home of a number of Guangxi monkeys. There is a government wildlife research centre here to observe them and this is a great place to relax and enjoy yourself.

The monkeys here are very tame and will want you to feed them snacks of peanuts which you can buy. Just remember to keep your cameras and your valuables safe at all times – these monkeys think that they are photographers!