Guangzhou to Tibet

White Cloud Mountain
Known as the First Spectacular Scene of Guangzhou, White Cloud Mountain is an ideal place for people to relax. The White Cloud Mountain has been one of the most famous spots of natural beauty in Guangzhou from ancient times. Every time the sun shines after the rain, and through late spring, a wreath of airy clouds circles the mountains. This is how White Cloud Mountain has won its name, and its reputation as a marvelous spectacle of nature. The White Cloud Mountain has six areas that are popular with visitors, Bright Pearl Building Park, the San tailing Summit Park, the Bird Spring Valley Park (Mingchun Valley), the Santailing Park, the Luhu Park and the Fei'eling Park.

Pearl River
As the third longest river in China, the Pearl River has a length of more than 2,000 kilometers (about 1243 miles) and consists of four separate river systems: the Xi River (originating from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau), the Liuxi River (originating from Conghua City in Guangdong Province), the Bei River, and the Dong River (both originating from Jiangxi Province). These four rivers join up in Guangzhou, flow for about 70 kilometers, and then pour into the South Sea. The name Pearl River is said to derive from a huge boulder in the river bed. This rock, with the name of 'Sea Pearl', is so round and smooth that it looks like a large, shining pearl.

Yuexiu Park
Reputed as the largest park in downtown Guangzhou, Yuexiu Park occupies an area of 860,000 square meters (212.5 acres), and consists of three artificial lakes and seven hills of Yuexiu Mountain. It is a perfect combination of cultural relics and ecological tourism, reputed for its pretty water and hills as well as cultural relics. The main places of interest include the Five-Ram Sculpture that is one of the most famous structures in Guangzhou and has become the emblem of Guangzhou City, Zhenhai Tower which is one of the landmarks of Guangzhou city, the site of the Ming Dynasty City Wall, and Square Cannon Site.

Bright Filial Piety Temple (Guangxiao Temple)
Situated at the north end of Guangxiao Road and to the west of the temple of Six Banyan Trees, the Bright Filial Piety Temple (Guangxiao Temple) is among the grandest and most influential temples in China with a history dating back more than 1,700 years. In fact, it is said that 'The Bright Filial Piety Temple existed before the birth of Guangzhou City'.
The Bright Filial Piety Temple was first constructed here in the early 4th century although the building today is a recent construction after the original was destroyed by fire. Numerous famous and renowned Buddhists have visited the Temple in the past including the Indian founder of Zen Buddhism, Bodhidharma. The architecture of the temple and cultural relics provide insight into the history of Chinese Buddhism, culture, and architecture as well as the local history of Guangdong Province. The Guangxiao Temple mainly consists of Mahavira Hall, Sixth Ancestor Hall (Liuzudian), Samgharama Hall, Heavenly King Hall (Tianwangdian), the East and West Iron Towers, and the Mahakaruna Dharani Sutra Pillar.

Shamian Island
Shamian Island is an elliptic sandbar in the Liwan District of Guangzhou City. The Island was previous known as Zhongliusha or Shicuizhou. Its name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. Shamian Island has great historic significance. From the Song and the Qing Dynasty, Shamian Island served as an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade.
Surrounded by water, this island is just like a giant ship mooring alongside the wharf. Get further and one will find that the island is carefully planned. Three east-west avenues and five north-south streets divide the whole area into 12 parts, with various buildings, namely White Swan Hotel, Shamian Hotel, and Poland Consulate in Guangzhou, scattered around..

Temple of Six Banyan Trees
The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees is one of the four best Buddhist temples in Guangzhou, with a long history of about 1,400 years. It is located on the Liurong Road (meaning the Six Banyan Trees Road). It has a rich collection of cultural-relics and is renowned both at home and abroad. Its name was given by the great litterateur Su Dongpo in the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279). It is said that he visited the temple while returning to the north. During the visit, he found six banyan trees there particularly striking.

Lotus Hill
The Lotus Hill is one of the famous hills of the Pearl River Delta, and a combination of ancient ruggedness and modern delicacy. It is located in the eastern outskirt of Panyu City, 20km from Guangzhou and 60 sea miles from Hong Kong. Covering an area of 2.54sq km, Lotus Hill is composed of 48 red sandstone low hills, the highest of which is 108m tall. It has the best preserved ancient quarry site, with a history of 2000 years in China. The lotus city itself was built during the Kangxi's reign of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). There is also the gold statute of the Goddess of Mercy, which is the biggest in the world. The statue was cast in 1994 with 120 tonnes of bronze and 180 taels of gold coating and measures 40.88m.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Guangzhou was built to commemorate the contributions of Sun Zhongshan, the great predecessor of Chinese revolution for democracy. The Memorial Hall is really a magnificent building in the shape of octangle. It is not only one of the symbolic constructions in Guangzhou with its majestic appearance and the infused rich Chinese national color, but also an important place for large scale meeting and performance. The 52 meter-high main hall accounts for a total of 12,000 square meters, standing on a 6.3 hectare parcel of inner-city land. Amazingly, the building spans a distance of 71 meters without a single pillar, using the structural combination of a steel framework with concrete reinforcement.

Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family
The Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family is also called Chen Clan Academy or Chen's Lineage Hall which was a place both for offering up sacrifices to ancestors and for study. The building has been turned into a folk museum called the Guangdong Folk Art Museum to show the most characteristic Guangdong architecture. Two Chinese-Americans, Chen Ruinan and Chen Zhaonan, who had returned to Guangzhou organized the support for building a place where students in the Chen clan spread all over Guangdong and other places could reside and train for the Confucian Imperial Examinations.

There are a few other attractions that are not included here. Just feel free to send us e-mail at inquiry@tibettravel.org for more information.