Guangzhou offers history besides modernism

Call me a relic if you will, but I've always thought of China, the most populous country in the world, as being somehow stuck in the past. But when my Boeing B-757 plane landed at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, all my preconceptions were wiped away.

Honestly, I didn't expect to see lines of newly constructed apartments standing right next to the airport. I could even see clothes hanging on the balconies from my plane's window as it touched down.

There is no doubt about it, Guangzhou is much more advanced and developed than Jakarta in many ways.

Being one of China's economic centers specially designated for luring foreign investment, Guangzhou today is as cosmopolitan and with-it as any other metropolis.

On the way from the airport, I saw a modern and well-designed city, one that looks a lot better than Jakarta.

Guangzhou has a lot of flyovers crossing its main intersections, thus helping to lessen traffic congestion, although jams still occur here and there occasionally.

The quality of the surfaces on the city's main thoroughfares is also clearly much better than in Jakarta.

Skyscrapers are scattered along the way from the airport to the city center, replacing the dull and gray apartments of the Communist era.

Although Guangzhou is rapidly emerging as a modern city, it still retains its legacy from the long and glorious Chinese past.

From a not-so-distant era, there is the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall on Dongfeng Lu. The hall's construction began in 1929 and finished in 1931.

Sun Yat-sen led the revolution against the last Chinese dynasty in 1911 and founded China's first republic in the following year. Boasting a column-free main auditorium, the memorial hall can accommodate some 4,700 people and now serves as a theater.

Visitors are greeted by the Sun Yat-sen statue in front of the memorial hall.

When you exit the hall via its rear entrance, you find yourself directly opposite one of the entrances to the Yuexiu Park, which holds another series of attractions.

Yuexiu Park boasts an area of some 920,000 square meters, making it the largest park in Guangzhou. Its enormous area encompasses seven hills, three artificial lakes and a number of statues.

One of the most famous monuments is the Statue of the Five Rams, symbolizing Guangzhou's history.

It is said that five celestial beings riding on rams visited Guangzhou to teach the locals about agriculture. The celestial beings also gave locals their first rice seeds, and promised that they would be famine-free forever.

When you are time in the Yuexie Park, it is hard to believe that you are in such a big city as the lush greenery seems to absorb all the city noise. You can stroll through the park all day long if you have the energy.

Something that can quickly be sapped by all the steps in the city.

Guangzhou's hilly topography means that there are flights of steps to be found in every corner of the city, many leading to places of touristic interest.

The Guangzhou City Museum is also located in the Yuexie Park. It documents the development of the city from the early prehistoric era right up to modern times.

The five-story museum is also known as the Zhenhai Tower as it stands on the top of the Yuexie Hill, and is 28 meters high.

On the ground floor, the museum collection tells the story of Guangzhou in prehistoric times while the upper floors describe more recent history in ascending order.

Each floor offers interesting collections of pictures and items related to the relevant era. Visitors can follow Guangzhou's development by simply ascending to the next floor.

One interesting exhibit is a stone tablet depicting Guangzhou's relationship with the Sriwijaya kingdom -- whose capital was located in the approximate area of what is now South Sumatra's capital Palembang -- in Indonesia. Due to its large size, the stone tablet is placed in the museum's grounds together with other stone tablets depicting important occasions.

There is also a small cafe on the fifth floor where you can take a rest while enjoying the surrounding scenery.

Other places of interest are two Buddhist temples, which are crowded every day with devotees.

Guangxiao Temple is the oldest temple in the city, and several metal pagodas can be found in its spacious courtyard. Famous monks from India and other parts of China often visited this temple in the past, thus signifying its importance.

The Six Banyan Temple is famous for its 57.6-meter pagoda. The temple's construction began back in 537. Once you arrive at the top, you can see most of Guangzhou spread out before you.
Near both temples, you can find shops selling souvenirs and prayer requisites such as incense, beads, and pictures of the Lord Buddha and gods from the Chinese pantheon.

And in most shops you will also find pictures of the Great Chairman of the Communist Party, Mao Zedong.

There are also a number of mosques in the city which date back to early stages of Islamic development.

One of the most important mosques is the Huaisheng Mosque on Guangta Road, which was built by Saad bin Abi Waqqas who came to China to propagate Islam at the direct order of the Prophet Muhammad himself.

There are also several shops selling halal food around the mosque, mostly Chinese food, to cater to the needs of Guangzhou Muslims.

A renovated Catholic cathedral can be found on Shamian Island in the Pearl River. This island was once a concession granted to western countries at the start of China's contact with the West.

Published on The Jakarta Post on Sunday, December 22, 2002