BaiYun Mountain, A Must See Place in Guangzhou, China

BaiYun Mountain Welcomes You!

 BaiYun Mountain

On this trip to China, one thing we have found pleasantly surprised is how convenient the subway system is in the city of Guangzhou.

We were planning to join some local tours to visit some famous attractions close by the city.


As we took the subway for the past few days, we found that we could reach many of these attractions by taking the Guangzhou Metro and buses as well.

The front entrance to BaiYun Mountain

That was exactly how we got to BaiYun Mountain, one of the eight most famous scenic attractions in Guangzhou.

A lily pond on BaiYun Mountain

 We took the Metro but made the mistake of getting off at Baiyun Square, one station earlier. The station we should have got off was Baiyun Park Station. We re-entered the station, got off at the right station and caught the 424 bus outside the park. ( 2 Yuan each)

Visitors can either hike up the mountain or take the tour car

The bus stop was only steps from the BaiYun Mountain.

We saw huge trees and leaves on the mountain

We heard so much about this mountain when we were children.

I could not believe we were finally here!!

 We read about it in poems, school text books, magazines, stories and classical novels, heard about it from TV shows and movies etc.

Beautiful trails leading up to the mountain!

I often thought of visiting the BaiYun Mountain; this time while visiting Guangzhou, we took advantage of the opportunity.



There was a very small charge for the Baiyun Park admission. ( 5 Yuen only)

Map of the trails leading up to Bai Yun Mountain

Though we did climb Mt. Fuji a couple of years ago but as we looked at the map of the park, we realized that it would not be easy for us to hike up to the top of the mountain on such a hot day.

We went up to the mountain on a tour cart.

We were relieved to learn that visitors could either hike or for a small charge, take the tour car instead of climbing the 3.5 km trail.

I love the scenery and the tall majestic trees on BaiYun Mountain!

The scenery was beautiful!

I wish we had the energy to hike up the trail.

The trails were shaded by majestic mature trees

As the tour car drove up the mountain trail, we passed by dense emerald green hundred year old tall majestic trees lining the winding but well paved trail.

Chinese pavilions tug deep in the woods.

As the drive continued, we were surprised to catch glimpses of  a few Chinese houses or pavilions tugged deep in the forest.

Once a while there would be an opening in the thick trees and an awesome view of some part of the city opened up and wowed us all in the tour car.

  I just wished that there had been some photo stops scheduled into the tour drive on this 3.5 km trail.

Taking a break at one of the outdoor cafes on BaiYun Mountain

At the end of the drive, we took a break at the outdoor snack shop enjoying the rest and cool mountain air.  While S. enjoyed his rest, I went around with my camera exploring the area on my own.

A full service restaurant serving hot meals at the first stop of BaiYun Mt.

I discovered another restaurant on the mountain where visitors cold have full service meals.

Hundreds of goldfish swimming in the pond

Not far from the restaurant, there were a lot of visitors gathered at the edge of a pond. They were doing something.

Tourists feeding the gold fish by the pond.

Some of the gold fish leap to the surface of the pond to get their feed

People were feeding the fish with fish food!







There was a large number of gold fish swimming out of the water, almost leaping up fighting to be fed.

























 It was quite a scene!

Shading Square - at the top of BaiYun Mountain

We took another cart and were taken 7km higher onto the mountain.

Statutes of Confucius & his students at the top of  BaiYun Mountain 

We reached the Shanding Square where a number of statues were on display.

It was interesting reading and learning about a little bit of Chinese history and culture through these public displays.

BaiYun Dusk Viewing Spot

Not far from the Shanding Square, we climbed the stairs leading to the BaiYun Viewing Platform.

View from the top of BaiYun Mountain, Guangzhou, China

Built in 1964, this viewing platform has become one of the most popular places for people to go for sunset views in the city of Guangzhou.

View of Guangzhou City from the top of BaiYun Mountain 

We saw the entire city of Guangzhou in front of us! It gave us an excellent view of the city and was worth the trip!
  

McDonald on BaiYun Mountain, China 

We were delighted to find a McDonald tucked away in a quiet corner on the top of the BaiYun Mountain.

Enjoying a cold coffee at Mcdonald's,  Guangzhou

 A little home sick, we went in for an ice coffee. It cost us 24 Yuan! ( almost 6 Canadian bucks, much more dear than the coffee we get from McDonald at home!)

Going down the BaiYun  Mountain via cable cars

Going down the mountain, we chose a different route by taking the cable car.

It was a comfortable ride and enjoyed a spectacular scenery as we descended from the most famous mountain in China!

We finally visited one of China's most famous mountains!

R.T.
BaiYun Mountain
Guangzhou, China

Visiting Our Ancestral Home in Conghua, China

Wednesday - Meeting distant relatives at the ancestral village

Our roots discovery journey in China!

We were all very excited!!! We talked about finding our roots and visiting our parents' and grandparents' villages for a long long time.

We were excited at approaching our ancestral village area

This was finally happening!! I could not believe it!
 Here we are in China!

A gate leading into one of the villages in the area

We were going to see what life was like and where our parents and ancestors lived when they were young.

After breakfast at our hotel, we strolled around in the area and had a quick tour of the new homes in the area. 

We could see that there were a lot of construction of homes going on in the area located just outside of the nearby big city. Many Chinese use these homes as their second or vacation homes giving them a break from the big city.

Apparently, my husband's home village is located in one of the most scenic towns in the area with natural hot springs, therefore, the government has decided to protect this beautiful region forbidding any future industrial development and keeping the area from future pollution.

We found the village!

The hotel called for a taxi to take us to find my husband's ancestral village.

Since my husband left his father's village at the age of two years old, he could not remember much of the place. 

We got some instructions from a relative back in Toronto and with the help of the taxi driver who was bold in approaching people for help, we finally found the village!

S.'s  father passed away years ago so few people in the village remembered him. However, some villagers knew of S.'s second cousin and we were brought to meet with this distant relative at the village.  

Some villagers doing their agricultural chores

We met the mother and her two young kids at their house. A little later, the grandmother came to meet us too! She remembered S.'s brother who visited the village a few years ago who was on the same roots discovery journey!

We were served some local grown fruit - delicious indeed!

We chatted with the family for a little while and were served some local fruits grown in the family field. The fruits were bright red inside, something we had never eaten before. 

It was delicious!

(Later on, we found that it is a very healthy fruit as it helps to cleanse your body!) 

Additions are made to village homes as economy improves locally 

We were eager to learn about how these people were doing. Due to the economic boom China has been experiencing for the past decade, many young people have migrated to the cities seeking employment opportunities to better their lives.

My husband's second cousin has been working in the city for a number of years and commuting back to his home village a couple of times a month to see his family. 

With better employment and a family income, the family could afford to enroll the two children in kindergarten school.  
( Kindergarten education starts at three years old and is not free in China; free education starts at Grade 1 only.)  

The family proudly displayed the children's school pictures on the wall. 


J. was tickled pick at meeting his distant young relatives and commented at how much the young boy looked like him when he was that age. 

This root finding trip was amazing! However, we kicked ourselves for not bringing some gifts/ toys for the children. We must remember to do that next time! ( I did give a little laisei to the mother and the grandma.)

After the visit,  the taxi driver took us to have a late lunch at a local restaurant and we had

a private room to ourselves overlooking a garden.

The Bishuiwan Hot Spring in Conghua, China

We wanted to see where the famous springs were. But the taxi driver took us to the  springs where some expensive resort buildings have been built around them, enclosing the springs in an area that has become private and accessible to the public only if you are hotel guests or paying an admission to the hot springs.

Unfortunately, we did not have time to go in and enjoy the springs. We need to plan on staying a night or two in the hotel or in the area to experience the natural springs this famous region has to offer.

We explored the beautiful area where my husband's ancestors used to live

We were all impressed by the beautiful scenery of  the area!  

It was a memorable trip, particularly for J. 

 Our son told us that he felt a special connection to the scenery and was proud that his family came from such a spectacular region in southern China!

Our taxi driver took us to the Conghua terminal to catch the coach back. He charged us only 300 Yuan even though he had his meter running and it says 400 something. What a discount he gave us!

The fare for taking the Conghua bus back to Guangzhou City was only 25 Yuan per person, very affordable public transportation for the average Chinese.

We got back to J’s place by 7pm. While he went out for an errand, we gave him a hand on organizing his place.  


We had pizza for dinner, bought from a restaurant close by. This was the first time we had pizza on our China trip. The pizza was very good! I just wish we had bought more as we all wanted more and there was not enough!

R.T.

Conghua, Guangzhou

Day 9 of our China trip

Riding in a Didi to Conghua, Guangzhou, China

Since watching the TV mini series of Roots about African Americans  in the late 1970’s, I have always wondered about my own roots back in Asia.

Ordering a Didi is easy in China!

This time on our trip to China, we wanted to trace our own roots in our ancestors' villages. Before leaving for our Asian trip, we did a lot of preparations, talked to our relatives, did the research getting ready for our very own roots journey.

We met  J. at his place at in late afternoon after his finished work. Like North America,  the Uber taxi services has gained popularity in China as well. In China, it has a different name, it is called Didi. It is quite sophisticated and we have no idea how to do it. But here in Guangzhou, we see many Chinese people using this taxi service with much ease and efficiency.

Using the app on his cell phone, J. called for an out of town Didi; it specified the cost of the trip and arrived at the door to pick us up in about ten minutes. It stated that it would take us to our out of town hotel in the  Conghua region for 300 RMB.

We enjoyed the nice scenery on the ride. It took almost two hours due to the traffic congestion near Conghua.

Swimming pool at the Hawana Resort Hotel

After we checked into the Hawana Hotel, we called another  Didi to the downtown area for dinner, about a half hour ride.

 ( Wished we booked a downtown hotel instead of this one, which was a little too far from all the actions.)

It was around 8:30pm by the time we got downtown. We walked around the business area a little. It was much cooler and we enjoyed the breeze and cooler air.  The town is much smaller and way less busy and crowded than Guangzhou. We loved it!

After getting directions to a restaurant from an elderly gentleman relaxing on a nearby park bench,  we went in to a dim sum restaurant and had the best meal and conversation so far on this trip at this eatery!

The dim sum dishes were well presented and delicious!

The food was nicely presented, very delicious.  Best of all, there was no disagreement with J. as  he was in a good mood. He told us that for the past couple of days he was under a lot of stress for work related problems. He was talking about how he should deal with difficult clients and tried to learn about the cultures of Chinese.

I am glad that we decided to have dinner in the downtown Conghua area rather than being cooped up in the hotel area where there was not much to see. 

We stayed at the  Hawana Hotel for the night

R.T.

Conghua, Guangzhou

China

Week of July 18, 2016

Canton Tower, Guangzhou, China

Day 6 - Canton Tower

A public park near the IKEA Store

In the morning at church, I was glad to receive a text from Jo who wrote to tell us that he cleared his schedule for this evening so that he could spend more time with us.

It was a busy day for us!  We went to a church service, had lunch and made another trip to IKEA.

Canton Tower. Guangzhou

We took the shelving unit and set it up for Jo. at his place which looked much more organized and gave him more space in his room.  Jo. was happy to see how much nicer and organized his room was.

We felt good that we did something and we also met Ed, Jo’s friend.  We were told that Ed has done a lot and has been  a great  help to him.

Taking the metro, Jo and Ed introduced us to the Haizhu Square in the Haizhu District.

Beautiful modern buildings in Haizhu Square, the spectacular Public Library Building in background, Guangzhou

Wow! It is a huge and beautiful place! I never thought that we would see so many nice modern buildings with such interesting architectural designs in China.





But then we are in Guangzhou,  the fourth largest city in China with a population of more than eleven million people and with thousands more visiting each day from the surrounding villages and rural areas.


This evening we were wowed by the Canton Tower, the world's tallest TV tower ( at 600 m), beating our Toronto's CN Tower
( at 533M). The Canton Tower, also known as the Guangzhou Tower has been designed with the female form and characteristics in mind by the IBA architect and has earned the nick name as " the girl with a small waist".









Canton Tower is a spectacular building located in the same location as the public library and other fabulous buildings which makes Haizhu Square a worthwhile place to visit.

If you are interested in architectural designs, you will enjoy this place!

Thank u, Mom Restaurant - a popular Korean chicken place in China

 Many visitors were in the plaza taking pictures and enjoying the square.

We went to dinner in a nearby restaurant.  Jo suggested the Thank u Mom chicken place, a Korean restaurant that served chicken dinners.

There was a line up at the restaurant. We got a number and went to a café for some cold drinks, and waited for about thirty minutes.

It was worth the wait at the Thank U Mom restaurant!  The food was very good! We were served very delicious crispy chicken that tasted liked deep fried chicken with moist meat inside but were actually roasted  in the oven! Very healthy indeed. 

 No wonder this restaurant is so popular in Korea and China too!

After dinner, we went to a park and took a night stroll.

I love seeing palm trees and many other beautiful trees being lit up at night.

We enjoyed the cooler night breezes in the park. 

No wonder many Chinese love their parks and are often out enjoying their neighbourhood parks at night.

It was a gorgeous night for strolling around!

We are pleasantly  surprised to find so many parks in this city!

R.T.

Haizhu Square

Guangzhou, China

Enjoying Halal Food In Guangzhou, China

We found a number of  Halal restaurants in China 

After the Sunday Service, we looked for a place for lunch.  It seems strange that we have eaten more often in a Muslim restaurant in China than we have ever been in Canada.

We did! We were introduced  to J's most favorite eating place in China  which is a  Halal  restaurant close to his home.

Beef soup noodle - very delicious! 

His favorite dish there is the beef soup noodle. He took us there a few times and we liked it too.
Somehow, even eating out on our own, we were still drawn to the same type of restaurant preferred by our son.

We ate at this restaurant serving Halal food in Guangzhou

We passed by one this afternoon and we could not resist it. We went in and had our Sunday lunch there.

The place was neatly decorated with tables covered with purple table clothes.

Artwork in restaurant depicting the history of the special noodles

There were a couple of large beautiful paintings on the wall depicting the history of the special noodles served in the restaurant.

It also had signs stating clearly that this restaurant was a Muslim place, therefore an alcohol and tobacco free place, and no alcoholic beverages would be served.

The servers wore white little caps on their heads while the women working there had their hair covered.

We enjoy good food and it does not matter what kind of people with what kind religion background operating or serving the food to us. As long as the dishes are wholesome, healthy good delicious food, we will try them.

On this trip to China, we have seen more diversity of people in the Chinese society than our last trip.


Always good to see progress in a country; it is a good sign!

R.T.
Tienhe District
Guangzhou
China