Guangzhou

Guangzhou is, without exaggeration, one of the great food cities of the world. Cantonese cuisine — characterized by its emphasis on fresh ingredients, subtle seasoning, and masterful technique — was born here, and eating remains the city's favorite pastime. A visit should begin with a traditional morning dim sum session, known locally as yum cha, or 'drinking tea.' Legendary teahouses like Guangzhou Restaurant and Dian Dou De have been serving steaming baskets of har gow (shrimp dumplings), siu mai, char siu bao (barbecue pork buns), and cheung fun (rice noodle rolls) for decades. Arrive early, as locals queue before opening time for the freshest servings. Beyond dim sum, the city is famous for its roast meats — glossy honey-glazed char siu pork and crispy-skinned roast goose are ubiquitous. Wonton noodle soup, with its delicate shrimp-filled parcels floating in a clear broth over thin egg noodles, is another must-try staple found everywhere from hole-in-the-wall shops to upscale restaurants. For the more adventurous palate, Guangzhou embraces an incredibly wide range of ingredients; the Cantonese saying 'anything that walks, swims, or flies can be eaten' rings true in the bustling wet markets. Seafood lovers should head to the restaurants lining the Huangsha Seafood Market, where you can pick live fish, crab, and shellfish and have them cooked to order in minutes. The Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street and Beijing Road offer endless snacking possibilities, from egg waffles and double-skin milk pudding to claypot rice fragrant with cured sausage and mushrooms.

With a recorded history spanning over 2,200 years, Guangzhou is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in southern China and was a vital starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Start your historical exploration at the Museum of the Nanyue King, which houses the remarkably well-preserved tomb of Zhao Mo, a ruler of the Nanyue Kingdom dating to 122 BC. The jade burial suit and thousands of artifacts on display rival those found in any Chinese archaeological museum. A short walk away, the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is an architectural masterpiece of the late Qing Dynasty, featuring astonishingly intricate wood carvings, ceramic roof friezes, and iron castings that illustrate legends, operas, and daily life from centuries past. Shamian Island, a small sandbank in the Pearl River, was once a foreign trading concession and retains a charming collection of European colonial buildings — pastel-painted facades, tree-lined boulevards, and quiet churches — that feel worlds away from the high-rise bustle just across the bridge. For a dose of modern ambition, the Canton Tower soars 600 meters above the Zhujiang New Town business district and offers a sky-walk around its open-air observation deck, a free-fall ride, and unparalleled views of the Pearl River Delta sprawling to the horizon. In the evening, a Pearl River night cruise glides past the illuminated Haixinsha Island, the Guangzhou Opera House designed by Zaha Hadid, and the glittering skyline of Tianhe district. From ancient royal tombs to futuristic skyscrapers, Guangzhou tells the story of southern China's restless energy and enduring reinvention.