Shunde, in Guangdong Province, is an ideal destination as an overnight
getaway from Hong Kong. It is ironic that I (a westerner)
visited there when some of my Hong Kong friends have not visited though
it is their ancestral home. It has changed a great deal since their ancestors
left home with many sightseeing places to visit nowadays.
Shunde is a scenic two-hour journey from Hong Kong up the Pearl River
Delta that passes all too quickly so
try to secure a window seat on the upper deck of the hydrofoil. The delta
narrows after leaving Hong Kong waters which gives a closer look at daily
life along the riverbank, so be sure to take the trip in daylight. The
land is fertile, producing an abundance of agricultural productsin a natural
landscape with farmers tilling the land using rudimentary tools. They
tend to their vegetables and rice paddies as fishermen cast their lines
in the river. We pass many primitive locks leading to canals inland and
stilt houses perched over the waterways where locals seem thrive at this
more basic way of life.
We
enter Shunde Harbour to the new modern ferry terminal building with a
modern architectural appearance. Neatly uniformed immigration staff process
our documents in a prompt manner using new computer terminals to process
the foreign passport holders in our group under the new Simplified Entry
for Overseas Visitors. We were required to supply our passport details
when booking the tour the previous day to enable CTS to
clear our access in advance of our arrival. Hotel desks are manned just
outside of immigration for shuttle bus hotel transfers.
We stayed at the Century Hotel , a 4-star hotel just outside of
town with a resort atmosphere. There is a lovely garden with a waterfall
next to the tennis courts and a swimming pool open from 06:30 - 22:00,
leaving time to swim after sightseeing. There are also two golf courses
nearby with tee times booked
through the Concierge. It is convenient to visit the Baolin Temple
down the road, the largest Buddhist Temple in Southern China with a history
of 2,000 years. The imposing temple has been restored to its magnificent
grandeur by the local government and overseas Chinese benefactors. The
temples and pavilions are stepped up to the mountain with a grand square
at the entrance surrounding a massive ornamental urn, next to a pond filled
with colorful carp and an arched bridge over the lily-covered waterway.
Tourists can don an Emperors or Empresses gown and be photographed (10RMB)
atop a horse drawn carriage against the temple's Heavenly Gate backdrop.
Steps lead up to the traditional temples on each level until you reach
the main temple housing the 3 gold-gilded giant Buddhas at the top. A
monk stood outside dispensing three joss sticks (representing
the correlation of past/present/future and earth/sky/human beings)
to worshippers that lit them as the smoke drifted upwards as a form of
communication with the gods. There is a metal wall hanging of Guan Yin
at the back leading to the Hall of 500 Disciples, with 500 bright gold
life-like statues from all walks of life that shared the teachings of
Buddha among their profession. On the way down, it is interesting to stop
on the first level where the Bell Pavilion is on one side housing a vegetarian
restaurant and the Drum Pavilion houses a small museum with an artist
painting at a corner table watercolor landscapes and calligraphy onto
silk wall hangings.
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This climb up the temple made us work up an appetite to savor a delicious
meal of local specialties at the Fu Tian Restaurant. This gave us extra
energy to make another
stop at the new Shunde Government Building , its dome awash with
neon lights as people gather to socialize for a relaxing evening at the
fountain in the square below. It was just completed at a cost of RMB280
million and our guide said that some people exclaimed it was more beautiful
than the White House.We enjoyed mingling in the square among local residents
beaming with great pride before making a final stop at the New World Shopping
Centre. I preferred walking through the mall to the back because there
was a local street market where the shops were stocked with commodities
and unique items at a fraction of the cost to the fancy shops out front.
The Courtyard Marriott Hotel is next door in the town center and they
had a live Filipino band playing in the lobby lounge. We also admired
the new public library that was outlined with bright neon lights at night.
It was great to return to the hotel and get some exercise swimming in
the pool.
The second day started
out with a dim sum breakfast in a private dining
room where the staff were most attentive. We boarded the coach and took
a 10 minute drive back to the town center for avisit to Qing Hui Gardens,
one of the four famous gardens in Guangdong, that incorporates the flowers/fish/trees
theme. This was originally home to a landlord during the Qing Dynasty
built in 1898 and restored 100 years later.The original Reception Room
was the waiting room filled with delicate hand-painted silk screens
and lanterns. The living quarters surround a quad as in the hutong setting
and the rooms displayed the antique furniture that was built nearby in
Lechong. There was a display of Bonsai trees and a decorative pond with
stepping stones beneath a waterfall leading to the grottoes below.
XiaoJie, or
Daughter's Pavilion, was one of the most interesting structures in the
gardens considering the patriarchal society dominated by male heirs at
the time. Females from aristocratic families were not allowed to leave
the family home and mix in public. Apparently, he cared a great deal for
his daughter and wanted her to be happy at home so the landlord built
this structure shaped like a ship surrounded by a pond and a balcony around
it so she felt like she was standing on a deck over the sea. It was touching
to see a family with their own young daughter enjoying the solitude of
the gardens, sitting at a table in one of the ornamental pavilions.
There were a couple food shops opposite the entrance selling local
products but you had to maneuver ornamental pavilions.around a begging
family. A member of our group gave them a donation and was soon pounced
upon by a flock of children that seemed to appear out of nowhere, badgering
him for money so it is best to give charity through normal methods.
Next stop was a 25-minute drive to The World of Flowers in Chencun that
also appealed to those of us admitting to not possessing a "green
thumb". The dirt road leading to the grounds is now being paved,
in time to host the big flower show in September and we were all fascinated
by the scenery outside our window, especially as we tailed the truck carrying
full grown palm trees hanging over its side and the branches waving in
the wind. The landscape changes so fast with reforms in China so we enjoyed
seeing the sights in their natural form, before the signs of progress
takes over at a rapid pace. The
main entrance is framed by a modern artistic sculpture meant to resemble
a butterfly. It is like a small fairground with 22 different Horticulture
Exhibits to wander about. We admired the orchids and bonsai trees
that were of museum quality and completed our visit at the porcelain factory
where skilled artists were churning out pottery and most of us succumbed
to purchasing exceptional pieces at inexpensive prices. We carried on
driving past the new Lunjiao Industrial Park of the many furniture factories
and the new Junlan Golf Club on to the town of Beijiao for a delectable
seafood lunch in the famous Jufu Restaurant.
As we headed to the ferry terminal, we all agreed that Shunde is a
fine example of the new China evolving and our wishes to return for
the "Flora Expo Fifth China Flower Exposition" to be held
in Shunde from 29 September to 7 October 2001.
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