Refused Entry at the Hong Kong/ China Border !

We felt absolutely stupid standing at the train station in Hong Kong! We were trying to get back to Guangzhou, China after spending a few days in Hong Kong shopping for some wedding gifts for our relative. We were happy that we were able to buy some nice gifts after spending three days in Hong Kong. Mission accomplished! We were ready to re enter Guangzhou to countinue our vacation and visiting friends in China. After clearing through at the Hong Kong border security we came to the last stop, the Chinese Immigration custom. The Chinese officer was nice and polite. After looking over our Canadian passports containing our Chinese visas, he said gently to us, “ Your Chinese visa has just expired. How long are you planning to stay in China and where do you want to go?”

We felt like a total idiot standing in front of this Chinese immigration officer. Knowing that our Canadian passports were coming up for renewal in 2026, we just assumed our Chinese visas would be expiring at the same time without checking the expiry date. We went into China two weeks ago before the expiry date and then went to HK for a few days. But when we wanted to re enter China, our Chinese visas have just expired. How foolish were we! Stunned, we didn’t know what to do. We informed the officer of our plan: ‘ We plan to visit Guangzhou, and then Shanghai and are planning to be there for a few weeks.” "Oh, you will be in China for more than ten days?" replied the officer. With that we were handed over to another officer who escorted us to the Hong Kong Immigration Customs where we waited for what would happen next. After about twenty minutes, the HK Border officer gave us some information as to where to apply for a new Chinese visa in Hong Kong should we want to continue our trip in China. Along with us was a young Russian lady who just started a job in ShenZhen and came over to HK for a few hours but was denied re entry to China as she had some documents missing. What could we say? This totally was our own fault as we didn't do our own diligence. We needed to shoulder the consequences and booked another hotel in Waichi in the Hong Kong central district. We would spend the next few days here trying to get a new Chinese visa. RT, Hong Kong/ Chinese Border 521107

Dealing with the Hot Summer Days in Guangzhou, China

China is increasingly attracting more tourists to its cities. Guangzhou, being one of China's first tier city, receives a lion share of the tourists to China.

For instance, in 2024 Guangzhou saw an increase of 93% in foreign toursits. A total of 132 million international toursits visited China that year of which 65 millions visitors went to the province of Guangdong. Out of that 65 millions tourists, 27 millions were non Chinese. When these tourists visited the Province of Guangdong, most of them also descended on the city of Guangzhou. In comparison, Russia received about 5 million international tourists in the same year. (source - AI Perplexity)

There certainly are lots of things to see and do in Guangzhou and we have enjoyed our vacation there. However, the best time to visit Guangzhou is definitely not during the summer months as the temperature can reach up to 39.9 degrees c. with the average summer high temperature hovering around 30 - 34 degrees C.

What do visitors and residents do on these dog days of summer? In order to avoid the oppressive heat and high humidity, whenever we are in Guangzhou, we do what the locals do - hiding in the air conditioned shopping malls. Fortunately, there are lots of nice and modern shopping malls in the city where we could escape the heat and could enjoy a temporary reprieve. This time we visited a number of big shopping malls in the area and spent quite a few days there.

A few of the shopping malls are huge offering a great variety of stores, shops and services catering to the daily and entertainment needs as well as the interests of the various age groups. There are many activities happening in these malls such as art shows, exhibitions, sports activities such as skating, even an indoor skiing hill, bumper car rides, miniature golfs plus a few floors of eating establishments offering food from almost all regions of China. These malls were amazing! Visitors to the mall can easily spend the entire day there. .

Another way to combat the hot weather, many locals usually stay indoors during the day and come out of their hiding places in the evening. Consequently, there is a vibrant night life on the streets and in the neighbourhood parks and shopping malls in Guangzhou. We like exploring the various area and attractions as well as the nice communities with modern buildings sprung up in the city. We definitely enjoy these cooler evenings strolls around the neighbourhood and the shopping malls that offer so much to its residents! RT, Guangzhou, China

What Chinese Churches Have in Common with Churches in the West

We always attend a Sunday Service when we are home in Canada. No matter where we are when we are travelling, we also look for a church to attend a Service on Sunday. On the first Sunday we went back to Guangzhou we attended a service in one of the churches in the city. Though it was a hot day but it was nice and comfortable travelling on the subway trains as they were air-conditioned. We arrived to the church a little early. One of church ladies advised us that instead of waiting at the church, we could go down to a mom and pop restaurant located at the end of the street to have our breakfast. It was a good suggestion and we went there for a simple breakfast. After satisfying our hunger, we went to the Sunday worship.

As the case with so many other church services we have attended in China, this church service was half full with mostly senior women. After attending numerous Sunday Services in cities across China in the past few years during our travels, we have found that church attendance in Mainland China is normally about 50 to 60 % capacity with the congregations mostly female seniors. We travelled many times in the past decade to the U.S. and in Europe. From what we have experienced, Chinese cultures and traditions are quite different from the West. However, China and the western world do have something in common. ---- Church attendance in China is similar to the trends we see in the western countries - it has been declining in the past decade. Another thing BOTH churches have in common is the made up of the congregants - mostly old people in China as well as the western world. We felt so sad after attending a few Sunday Services in the U.S. last year. The entire choir members at the churches were all silvered haired men and women; sadly, the same thing is happening with our own churches as well in Canada. Where have all the young people in the western world gone? Are they not going to churches any more? Do they not believe in God any more? RT Guangzhou, China 72505

A Hotel Review for the Han Ting Hotel in Huizhou, China

We visited Huizhou, China recently and stayed there for a few days. We didn't know much about this city though not too far away from Guangzhou. But we enjoyed our visit in this less known city a lot. Partly because we stayed at an affordable, comfortable hotel. We stayed at the HanTing Hotel in Huizhou for our entire stay in that city. This was our first time staying at chain hotel in China.

Located not too far away from the downtown area of Huizhou, the Han Ting Hotel made it convenient for us to visit the various attractions as we were able to board the city bus just right across the street from the hotel. With a modern shopping centre located right across from the hotel, shopping and dining was convenient and easy for us. Even late in the evening, we felt safe walking around in the hotel neighbourhood.

We liked this hotel as it was clean with a friendly and helpful staff. The hotel provided good service for its customers. For instance, We were able to do our laundry for free in the hotel laundry room with detergent and softener freely provided to us. I did my laundry late one evening. The hotel staff told me not to worry about waiting for my clothes to dry as they would put them in the dryer for me and also bring it to our room too. Excellent service I didn't expect from any hotel staff!

Besides the excellent service, we enjoyed our daily free delicious buffet breakfast in the cozy dining area. There was a good variety of hot and cold dishes which were so rich and filling that it was like a brunch for us. We didn't have to worry about lunch each day when we went out for our sightseeing. This was our first stay at the Han Ting Hotel in China. Two thumbs up for them and we will be sure to look up this brand and stay there in our future travel in China! RT, HanTing Hotel Huizhou, China

Visiting Mount Luofu - A Sacred Taoist Mountain in China

As a child growing up, I heard a lot of stories about Luofu Shan ( Mount Luofu). Luofu Shan, celebrated as a mystical mountain was recognized as one of China's Ten Famous Mountains. Being in the Huizhu area, we were indeed very close to Mount Luofu and decided to pay a visit there. After comparing the prices between the fast train tickets and taking a taxi, we decided to take the Didi - the local counterpart of Uber from our hotel in Huizhu to our next destination. After a 45 minutes ride,(cost 90 Yuens) we arrived at Mount Luofu, not bad at all.

Mount Luofu, a sacred Taoist mountain has been associated with a famous Taoist master, Ge Hong, an Eastern Jin dynasty alchemist who spent 36 years living and practicing on Luofu Shan. Relics of his time there, including his alchemical kitchen and can still be found. Numerous famous historical figures, poets, and scholars have been drawn to Lofu Shan, including Tang dynasty poets Li Bai and Du Fu, and Song dynasty poet Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo famously wrote a poem about his appreciation for the local fruit. Located on the northern tropical line, the mountain has a mild subtropical climate that supports over 1,200 types of medicinal plants.

The unique blend of subtropical and mountainous foliage contributes to the traditional Chinese medicine culture of the Lingnan region. Mount Luofu is known for its rich natural beauty, including numerous peaks, waterfalls, and springs.

Unfortunately, we were there during the rainy season and on the afternoon we visited, it was raining cats and dogs most of the afternoon. We were relieved when we found a nice cafe in the park where we could take shelter and enjoy the local special drink - lattie with local tofu, very good indeed!

Though there were lots to see and do at Luofu Shan, we only got a tiny glimpse of what this famous mountain had to offered due to the continuous downpour. We couldn't take the cable car ride nor could we hike the scenic trails. We had to leave after a couple of hours in the cafe as it was starting to get dark.

We had dinner at a neighbourhood restaurant and wanted to try the local favoutite food - a special chicken dish. However, the restaurant only served a whole chicken for that dish. Knowing that we would be unable to finish the whole chicken, we ordered a tofu and a taro and Japanese pumpkin dish instead. They were very good! We enjoyed our day and the beautiful scenery! Having heard so much about Mount Luofu, I was delighted to be there and learned more about it. The next day, we left Mount Luofu via the fast train and went back to Guangzhou to continue the next part of our holiday.

R.T. LUOFU SHAN GUANGDONG, CHINA 062925

The Yiwu Market - Huizhou, China

Yiwu Market is a famous market in Yiwu City, Zhejiang Province, China. Yiwu Market is renowned as the world's largest small commodities wholesale market, known as the 'World Supermarket", with a history spanning over four decades. It has evolved from a simple roadside market to a global trade hub.

Imagine our excitement when we saw a market in Huizhou with a similar name! There were three floors of wholesale shops displaying and selling an abundance of items. On the main floor, there were many stores selling handcrafted wooden furniture, cabinets, dining room sets, small electrical appliances, decorative items, dishes, household items as well as a great variety and selection of dried goods, dry fruits nuts, herbal and medicinal teas etc. On the second floor, we saw many stores selling some beautiful clothes and all types of footwear.

The quality and prices were so irresistable we ended up buying three pairs of shoes from the market there. The shops I found most interesting was the ones selling herbs and medicinal teas. There were tea leaves and herbal remedies for all sorts of ailments, from helping you with headaches to lowering your blood pressure. We found it fascinating as we were interested to learn more about natural remedies than popping pills for curing our minor discomfort. I ened up buying a few packages of these hrebal teas, two sofa covers in addition to the three pairs of shoes. After our shopping excursion, we rested our feet and enjoyed some snack at the Mcdonald's next door.

It was a fun experience visiting and shopping at this market although it was not the real Yiwu Market like the one in Zhejiang. RT, Huizhou, China

Awed by One of China's Three West Lakes in Huizhou - A Fantastic Cultural and Educational Experience!

The Westlake in Hangzhou is a very famous scenic area in China where we would like to visit someday but never have the opportunity to do so as yet. However, we were plesantly surprised to learn that there is another Westlake in Huizhou where we could visit this time on our China trip! In fact we learned that there are three Westlake in China: 1. Westlake in Hangzhou 2. Westlake in Huizhou 3. Westlake in Yingzhou.

Huizhou West Lake is a manificent scenic spot attracting over 1 million visitors annually. It is quite a sizeable place with a total area of a little over 20 square km with the water area about 3 square km. West Lake's beauty is structured around its iconic 'Six Lakes, Nine Bridges, and Eighteen Scenic spots". Each of these six lakes has its own character while the Nine Bridges connect the islets and traverse the lakes serving as both functional pathways and picturesque landmarks.

It is a beautiful park with lots of history. The lake was named "West Lake' by the famous Northern Song poet Su Dongpo during his exile in Huizhou( 1094 -1097). He drew parallels between its beauty and Hangzhou's West Lake, composing poems and writing extensively about its landscapes and beauty leaving a lasting cultural mark. Su Dongpo made much contributions to Huizhou, including funding the construction of Su Causeway and the West New Bridge, significantly enhancing the lake's infrastructure and cultural legacy.

Though it was drizzling, we continued our nature scenic walk on one of the trails and came across many beatufil scenic spots - a colourful ancient pagoda, a beautiful resting area with cute wooden tables and benches, tall majestic trees covered with poems written on long strips of fabric hanging down from their branches, a wooden tea house whose walls decorated with Chinese calligraphy overlooking the peaceful lake. We sipped our Dongpo tea and enjoyed this fabulous lakeview on the patio chairs and table beside the lake. The scenery took my breath away! I didn't want to leave this place at all.

Huizhou West Lake is more than just a picturesque lake. It is a cultural experience where history, poetry, nature and legend harmoniously intertwine, offering a peaceful and enriching escape from the bustle of modern life. There is no admission to the West Lake making it accessible to all visitors.

The Huizhou West Lake has been a source of inspiration for poets and artists for over 1,600 years. We were grateful to have the opportunity of visiting this spectacular lake on this trip. It was a fantsstic cultural and educational experience within a breathtaking mesmerizing setting of lakes, trees and ancient architecture! R.T. West Lake Huizhou, China 28625

Visiting the Thousand Year Old Street in Huizhou, China - A Street not to be Missed!

It was a Sunday, time for a worship service at a local church. We looked up a church in the area and found one on the internet located at the Huizhou West Lake area. We hailed a taxi and arrived at the church on time. However, everything was locked up and there was no one in sight. We talked to a local person nearby and we were disappointed to find out that this church no longer held its service there even though the building and the signs were still there. We left the church area and went for lunch.

After lunch we stumbled into area called Suitung Jai.This is a thousand year old commercial street with a mix of nice old and interesting shops and buildings. We took our time poking into many of the shops in this historical district.

One shop we particularly enjoyed was the Culture Store where some descriptions and a collection of pictures and items representing the various local Chinese ethnic groups, their traditions and customs were on display.

Whnat we enjoyed most at the Culture Store was making our own sachet bag from the native plant ingredients neatly stored in a box. There was a recipe posted above the box showing the different types of herbal leaves/ flowers one could mix and pound in a mortar and pestle to make a personalized sachet bag catering to one's need. I dove in and made a sachet bag for helping one to sleep. Instead of being a bystander, we were involved and it was fun making stuff!

We saw numerous houses having been partially renovated and modernized and felt the energy of this neighbourhood. There were many evidences of the concerted efforts put forth by the building owners and local government to beautify the city. For instance: renovation work updating and outfitting many old buildings along the waterfront with white wrought iron work making the buildings' exteriors more attractive and appealing.

Creative artwork adorning city utility and cable boxes; old tired shops having been turned into hip places like coffee houses and tastefully decorated eating venues. Walking leisurely along the waterfront, we discovered the Su Temple and Su Dungpo's residence.

We were absolutely delighted to learn about this famous poet's life as well as his contributions to the people and city of Huizhou.

After visiting the temple and continuing our walk in the area, we came across a few upscale cafes and restaurants where people were willing to spend a little bit more there than in traditional restaurants. For example, after church we enjoyed a delicious dim sum lunch at a traditional Chinese restaurant for 76 yuens with much leftover.

However, at a nice teashop by the waterfront we ordered a pot of mixed fruit tea for the two of us, it was 56 yuens. Yet, we were happy to pay a little more to sit and relax in a renovated house turned into a beautiful tea shop.

A few of these renovated cafes and restaurants were very well decorated and were designed for patrons to have their pictures taken there. After staying at this comfortable coffee/ tea shop for an hour, we strolled along the waterfront to experience the night life in Huizhou.

The place was humming as there were lots of people out and about. We had a great time trying different local street food from the various vendors on this famous thousand year old street. What a pleasant and educational experience it was for us today visiting the thousand year old street in Huizhou! RT, Huizhou, China 25296

Huizhou, China - a City of Half Hills and Forests, Half City Lake and Sea

Before leaving for our Asian trip, we were told a couple of times that we should visit Huizhou if we had the opportunity. Being in Guangzhou, we were not too far from it. Therefore we took the fast train to Huizhou, a city about an hours and 15 minute of train ride from Guangzhou. Stepping off the train, we were surprised to find a big modern train station in this not so well known Chinese city. The train station was not busy at all as it was not the summer travel season yet. Ground transportation outside the train station was well organized as there was a station personnel directing visitors where to board their cabs.

It was raining therefore we went into the Tourist Information Centre nearby to get shelter and some information about this city. A very friendly staff member was working there and greeted us politely. I didn't see too many Tourist Info Centres in China; this was the first one we came across. The lady there was polite and she answered all our questions patiently. She even helped us to locate a hotel and assisted us in making a reservation there. There were a number of booklets available and the information we got was helpful.

Desiring to be close to everything, we booked a hotel close to the downtown area. After we checked into our hotel, we went out for dinner and strolled around in the neighbourhood where it was bright with lots of lights flashing and people were out enjoying the evening.

"Half City Hills and Forest, Half City Lake and Ses" - This local saying describes Huizhou's geography well. It's not a concrete jungle; it is known for its green hills, numerous lakes, and a long coastline. Huizhou, a city with a population about 6 millions residents has experienced significant population growth over the last two decades, adding over a million people. This is largely due to inward migration for industrial jobs as Huizhou is famous for being a major electronics manufacturing hub. We looked forward to spending a few days in Huizhou, highly recommended by my brother who visited here before! RT, Huizhou China

Lending a Hand to Our Host in Guangzhou, China

We were visiting the city of Guangzhou and staying at Y.'s apartment for sometime there. For the first few days, we focused on helping him with small chores such as doing some light cleaning, making homemade soup and healthy food. We were willing and glad to do whatever we could to help Y. making his life a little easier as he was dealing with a lot at the time. There were some minor repairs in the apartment requiring some attention. Y. was concerned about the gas stove in the open kitchen which the previous owner renovated but might not have done properly following the recommended guidelines; the living room potlights also needed work as they were going on and off constantly. Since I had never used a gas stove before, Y. was worried about the possibility of gas leakage from the gas stove should I not turn it off properly after use. He told us better not to use it for cooking. We came up with a solution - electricty! We went shopping at the local mall looking for an electrical small cook top. This was when we found out that the big Walmart store where we were able to find most things was no longer there.

A few of the Walmart stores have been closed and moved out of China, for political reasons I guessed. That is too bad for the residents looking to buy what they need for everyday uses but good for small business people as some interesting shops have sprung up to take the space Walmart left behind. We went looking everywhere for a small electric stove top and found one at the mall where Walmart once was.

Having purchase the electric stove top, I was able to cook but had to plan the meals carefully as I was cooking with only 1 stove top. The fun part for us was shopping for fresh food everyday at the local stores. We went around visiting the meat shop, the pastry shop and the fruit and produce store. We started to get to know some shopkeepers as we were going there everyday.

With three adults in one apartment, sometimes We had to leave the place giving Y. some space and privacy for his online meetings and assignments. Many days the temperatures had been around 30 - 36 degrees C., therefore we visited the neighborhood KFC to enjoy some coffee and its air conditioning. Not surprisingly, lots of other resdients were there for the same reason.

Since One morning, while sipping our coffee at KFC, I looked out of the store window and saw a small group of women sitting under a tree singing happily. I went out and joined them!

They welcome me warmly to the group and we sang together with gusto. It was fun!!!

We did enough research and got information from the gas company and a few quotes for the replacement of the light fixtures. We were able to find a good handyman who would come to the apartment to get the job done. Thank God, at least we were able to help Y. with at least one thing while we were visiting China! R.T. Guangzhou, China O61925

Re - Visiting Guangzhou and Enjoying the Neighbourhood at Night

After our stay in Hong Kong we took the fast train to GZ, our first stop in China. Y. was at the Guangzhou train station to meet us. It was so nice to see a familiar face in a foreigh country. It seemed that he could hardly wait to see us again. As soon as he met us, he shared with us what has happened since we last saw each other. There was some unexpected not so good news and we could tell that it was bothering him as he needed to talk about it. There was not much we could do to help with the situation but we were grateful that we were in China at the time to support him. The least we could do was to pray for him and to lift him up to God. He was glad to see us too.

We enjoyed our time in GZ. However, avoiding the heat during the day, we tended to stay in the AC apartment and ventured out at night to explore the neighbourhood. The neighbourhood streets and malls were busy and alive.

The public squares were filled with people out enjoying coffee with friends, dinners and free entertainment such as a free movie showing on a gigantic screen in a park. We had a fun time indeed just out strolling around. !

It was nice of him to let us stay in his apartment while we were in Guangzhou for a week or two. Though busy with his work, Y. did take time out and took us around Guangzhou and we were happy that we could spend sometime together. Guangzhou is one of the biggest cities in China and there are a lot of history and nice places to visit. He took us to a few nice places for dinner..

We saw a lot of eateries and restaurants around GZ; one memorable place we went for dinner was a nice restaurant downtown. It had nice ambience, offered healthy delicious dishes and a very nice patio garden for diners to enjoy. We liked that restaurant a lot!

Guangzhou is a great city to visit, and its night scenes are just beautiful! RT, Guangzhou, China 062025