The Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office recently released the latest edition of its city guide, with a focus on food and entertainment options. Let's take a look!

Capital of gourmet food

Guangzhou has been known as the capital of gourmet food for 2,000 years. As one of the eight major cuisines in China, Cantonese cuisine features vastly diverse ingredients and exquisite culinary techniques, emphasizing the color, fragrance, taste, shape, and freshness of food. Cantonese dishes are known for their light taste and change seasonally to highlight fresh ingredients and nutritional value. 

In areas around Beijing Road, Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street, and Xiguan Food Street, well-known snacks, dim sum, and flavored food are everywhere. Soup, tea, and late-night snacks are also part of Guangzhou's food culture.

The city is home to a large number of time-honored Cantonese restaurants, Chaozhou cuisine restaurants, bustling tea houses, and restaurants serving other Chinese cuisines, such as Hunan , Sichuan , hot pot , restaurants, as well as Huaiyang restaurants. There are also many good places to go for western cuisine from global chains to local western restaurants. Additionally, many affordable small restaurants, food stalls, traditional snack bars that serve special dishes, hot pots, barbecues, and snack stalls thrive in the city.

Lingnan fruits

Located in the south subtropical zone, Guangzhou has fresh fruit available all year round, earning its reputation of the "Hometown of Fruits." It is blessed with over 200 kinds of fruit, among which lychees, bananas, papayas, and pineapples are known as the "four famous fruits in Lingnan." In addition, other fruits, such as mangoes, star fruits, pomegranates, longans, white olives, black olives, wampees, bayberries, jackfruit, Sanhua plums, and watermelons, are also popular.

Shopping

Guangzhou enjoys a well-deserved reputation of being a shopping paradise, offering commodities from well-known global brands and luxury goods to daily necessities, food, and clothing from different countries. There are also specialized wholesale markets that export products globally and meet the different needs of foreigners who visit Guangzhou for business, living or traveling.

Foreign tourists who wish to buy special local products as gifts for their families and friends may go to Xindaxin Department Store on Beijing Road, Lian Xiang Lou for pastries and cakes, Guangzhou Restaurant Likoufu Franchise for cured food, as well as Teemall, Grandview Mall, and tourist attractions for local souvenirs.

Cultural and recreational activities

Guangzhou is a place to enjoy a variety of recreational activities and experience cultural feasts. 

The Guangzhou Opera House, Xinghai Concert Hall, Friendship Theater, and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall often put on classic Chinese and foreign shows. 

Guangzhou Museum of Art, and Guangzhou Library present various kinds of exhibitions. 

Chimelong Paradise, Teemall, and Grandview Mall offer motorized rides for relaxation. 

Xiangjiang Safari Park, Crocodile Park, Guangzhou Zoo, and Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area are ideal destinations for relaxation, sightseeing, and getting close to nature. 

Conghua Hot Springs, Bishuiwan Hot Spring Resort, Golden Leaf Hot Spring Resort, and Jinxiu Xiangjiang Hot Spring Villa are places that not only offer relaxing hot springs but can also host large conferences. 

The Pearl River Night Cruise, Warner Jinyi Cinema, KTVs, and bars offer top choices to enjoy romantic nights in Guangzhou. 

The city also has many bar areas, with the popular ones being: Fangcun Bar Street on the north and south banks of the Pearl River, Binjiang Road Bar Street, downtown Huanshi Road Bar Street, which is particularly popular with foreigners, and Zhujiang Party Pier Bar Street.

There are also many large-scale sports venues in Guangzhou, such as Luhu golf course, the tennis and badminton courts on Shamian and Ersha Island, yoga studios, and Total Fitness for one to keep fit and relax.