Location : Home-> Pearl River Delta Region-> Shunde-> Perennial Tourist


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.

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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