Guangzhou

Start with yum cha

In Cantonese, yum cha (饮茶) means "drink tea," but in practice it's a meal: tea alongside a few plates of dim sum to share. The basic unit is yat jung leung gin (一盅两件), one pot of tea and two kinds of dim sum, and morning tea usually runs from the early hours until about 11 a.m. Sit down, pick your tea, then mark your dim sum on the order sheet. Har gow (虾饺) with the shrimp showing through the wrapper, siu mai (烧卖) packed with pork, and cheung fun (肠粉), thin rice sheets rolled up and doused in soy sauce, make a solid first round. When someone pours for you, tap the table lightly with your index and middle fingers to say thanks, and when the pot runs dry, leave the lid tilted and staff will top it up. Since May 1, 2026, a Guangzhou city regulation has been protecting yum cha culture. It's China's first law dedicated to yum cha, setting standards for traditional on-site preparation and requiring restaurants to be clear about how their food is made. For lunch, try rice topped with roast goose and char siu, sliced from what's hanging in a roast shop's window, or a bowl of wonton noodles, with springy shrimp wontons sitting on thin egg noodles. When the weather cools, more people seek out claypot rice (煲仔饭), cooked in an earthenware pot so you can scrape up the crust at the bottom.

Xiguan, the old merchant quarter

The Liwan (荔湾) area on the west side of downtown was long known as Xiguan (西关), a merchants' neighborhood. From 1757 to 1842, the only place in China where trade with Europe was legal was the Thirteen Hongs (十三行) on the nearby Pearl River waterfront, and tea, silk and porcelain were loaded onto ships here. Along the Shangxiajiu (上下九) pedestrian street and Enning Road (恩宁路), long rows of qilou buildings jut out over the sidewalk from the second floor up, propped on columns, so you can keep walking under the arcade even in a sudden downpour. Yongqing Fang (永庆坊), next to Enning Road, is a lane of restored Xiguan houses now home to teahouses and workshops. Nearby, shops sell tingzai congee (艇仔粥) topped with fish, peanuts and pieces of fried dough. It was once sold from small boats on the river, hence the name, "little boat" (艇仔).

Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, little stages on the roof

The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall (陈家祠) was completed in 1893 with money pooled by Chen families from all over Guangdong. It also housed clan members who came to the provincial capital for the imperial exams, which is why it's also known in English as the Chen Clan Academy. Carvings in stone, wood and brick, along with decorations modeled in ceramic and plaster, are together called "three carvings, two sculptures" (三雕两塑), and they leave hardly a bare surface from the gates to the roof edges. The highest ridges carry ceramic work fired in Shiwan (石湾), in the neighboring city of Foshan (佛山), mostly showing Cantonese opera (粤剧) stories, flowers and auspicious patterns. Look up from the courtyard and it's like a row of little stages along the roof. The Guangdong Folk Arts Museum (then the Folk Arts Hall) has been here since 1959, so you can see regional crafts inside as well.

Shamian Island, concession streets by the river

Head south from the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall to the Pearl River and you'll reach Shamian Island (沙面岛). The name means "sandy surface," and it's been an important trading spot since the Song dynasty. In 1859, four-fifths of the land became a British concession and one-fifth French, and its 40-plus buildings, mixing Gothic, Baroque and Neoclassical styles, are among the most exotic sights in Guangzhou. Most of the island's streets belong to people on foot, so it's quiet even in the middle of the city. Old concession buildings line up in the shade of big trees, and from a bench by the river you'll find yourself watching the boats go by for a long while. Loop the island in the late afternoon, watch the sun set by the water, then carry on to the Pearl River at night.

Yuexiu Park and the Nanyue king's tomb

Guangzhou's nickname, the City of Rams (羊城), comes from a legend: five immortals rode down on rams holding ears of grain in their mouths, handed the grain out to the people and left, and the rams that stayed behind turned to stone. On a hill in Yuexiu Park (越秀公园), the 11-meter Five Rams statue (五羊石像) depicts that legend, and nearby stands Zhenhai Tower (镇海楼), a pavilion first built in 1380 during the Ming dynasty. Not far from the park, the Nanyue King Museum (西汉南越王博物院) keeps the tomb of Zhao Mo (赵眜), the second king of Nanyue, right where it was found in 1983, and you can go down into its stone chambers. The centerpiece is a 1.73-meter jade burial suit (丝缕玉衣) made of 2,291 pieces of jade sewn together with silk thread. Standing in front of it, you realize this place was already a kingdom's capital in the 2nd century BC.

The Pearl River at night

When the sun goes down, the lights come on at Canton Tower on the south bank of the Pearl River. Its 450-meter body carries a 150-meter antenna for a total height of 600 meters, and because it narrows in the middle, locals call it xiaomanyao (小蛮腰), "slim waist." Around the top runs a sightseeing ride whose bubble-shaped cabins circle slowly along a rail. For a head-on view of the tower, go to Huacheng Square (花城广场) in Zhujiang New Town (珠江新城), across the river. Stand at the end of the long square stretching between the high-rises and you'll take in the whole tower across the water. On a Pearl River cruise, each time you pass under a bridge you'll also see the lights from both banks spread in long streaks over the water.

A 3-night, 4-day itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (白云国际机场) → Yuexiu Park and Zhenhai Tower → Nanyue King Museum → Canton Tower night views from Huacheng Square Day 2 — Morning yum cha → Chen Clan Ancestral Hall → Shangxiajiu, Enning Road and Yongqing Fang → sunset walk on Shamian Island → Pearl River cruise Day 3 — Morning walk on Baiyun Mountain (白云山), north of the city → Canton Tower observation deck in the afternoon → claypot rice for dinner Day 4 — One last yum cha → airport

What to eat

• Dim sum (har gow, siu mai, cheung fun)
• Roast goose and char siu (Cantonese roasts)
• Wonton noodles (shrimp wontons, thin egg noodles)
• Claypot rice (cooked in an earthenware pot)

Handy tips

• Link a foreign credit card (Visa, Mastercard and others) to Alipay or WeChat Pay and paying at restaurants and shops gets much easier. The name on the card has to match the name on your app account, and metro gates take QR code payments too.
• The Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair) usually runs from mid-April to early May and from mid-October to early November (autumn 2026: Oct 15–Nov 4). Hotels in the city tend to fill up fast then, so if your dates overlap, book your room first.
• The Chen Clan Ancestral Hall closes on the last Monday of each month, and its opening hours vary by season. If you're going on a Monday, check first whether it's the last one of the month.