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District in Guangdong, People's Republic of China
Photo: Lai.jack, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Liwan (荔湾 Lìwān in Mandarin, Laih wāan in Cantonese) is a district in Guangzhou. It has two parts, separated by the Pearl River:
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陈家祠 Chén jiā cí
This is very well preserved architecture from the 19th century, and one of the finest surviving examples of traditional Cantonese architecture. It used to belong to a wealthy family with the surname Chen and now is a museum that houses many articles including ivory sculptures and artistic statues. Watch for the beautiful rocks in the backyard and the incredibly intricate roof carvings.
沙面岛
The buildings and streets of the former British and French concession have been beautifully renovated, and vehicles restricted, creating an oasis of tranquility in an otherwise frenetic metropolis. Inevitably it's touristy, but not crowded. One of the colonial structures is the 19th-century Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel at 14 Shamian Street.
华林寺 Huá Lín Sì
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.
仁威祖庙 Rén wēi zǔ miào
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.
荔湾博物馆
Liwan Museum is a local museum documenting the history, culture and traditional lifestyle of Liwan and Xiguan, one of Guangzhou's historic areas. The museum is housed in a traditional Xiguan-style historic building and is a useful stop for learning about Guangzhou's local heritage.
粤剧艺术博物馆
Cantonese Opera Art Museum is a museum dedicated to Cantonese opera. It features exhibition halls, a theatre and traditional Lingnan-style gardens, showcasing the history, culture and artistic traditions of Cantonese opera. The museum is located beside Lizhiwan Creek in the historic Liwan District.
锦纶会馆
A historic guild hall built in 1723 for Guangzhou's silk-weaving industry. It is located near Hualin Temple in Liwan District and preserves traditional Lingnan architecture and historical inscriptions.
荔湾湖公园
Liwan Lake Park is a large urban park in the historic Lizhiwan area of western Guangzhou. The park features several lakes, traditional Lingnan-style gardens, bridges and pavilions, offering a good place to experience the landscape and cultural atmosphere of old Guangzhou.
广州铁路博物馆
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.
泮溪酒家
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.
广州酒家
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 (滨江西路20号) and 112 Tiyu East Road (体育东路112号).
坚记面店
Famous traditional noodle place. Famous for fried noodles (炸酱伊面) and wonton noodles (云吞面).
陶陶居
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.
文记壹心鸡
As the place was established by the former chefs from Qingping Restaurant, they have the original Qingping Chicken on the menu.
佛有缘素食馆
This place serves creative vegetarian dishes with dim sum served in the morning.
兰桂坊
This tourist friendly restaurant offers good curries and polite service on the quite Shamian Island.
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.
广东鹅潭宾馆
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.
广州江畔国际青年旅舍
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.
广东胜利宾馆
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.
南方大厦酒店
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.
白天鹅宾馆
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.
上下九商业步行街 Shàng-xià-jiǔ
This shopping area is also a showcase of traditional Cantonese architecture Qilou (骑楼). It is particularly pretty at night when lights are lit up. Prices here are generally lower than Beijing Road's, but prepare to bargain.
清平市场
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.
荔湾广场 lì-wān-guǎng-chǎng
You will find a good selection of crystal here.
领展购物广场·广州
永庆坊
A great place to go for exotic goods, especially dried herbs used in Chinese Medicine.
西关古玩城
花卉水族街
玉器工艺街/玉器街
象牙雕刻海味街
玩具街 and 干果海味食品专业街
Liwan district is served by Line 1, Line 5, Line 6, Line 8 and Guangfo Line of the Guangzhou Metro.
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Guangzhou (Huadu) · International · CAN
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