Hong Kong and Macau_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 14th Edition) - Andrew Stone [192]
Shenzhen Loft Youth Hostel (Shēnzhèn Qiáochéng Lǚyǒu Guójì Qíngnián Lǚshè; 0755-2694 9443; www.yhachina.com; 3 Enping Lu, Huaqiaocheng; dm Y60, d without bathroom Y138, s & d Y158; Qiáochéngdōng metro, exit A) This excellent hostel is located in a tranquil residential area behind the OCT-LOFT Art Terminal (Click here). Rooms are spotless and the staff are helpful.
Vision Fashion Hotel (Shēnzhèn Shìjiè Fēngshàng Jiǔdiàn; 0755-2558 2888; www.visionfashionhotel.com; 5018 Shennan Donglu; r Y386-798; Dàjùyuàn metro, exit B) Inside a theatre complex is this new boutique hotel with many different interior designs in its range of rooms. Some are chic, some bizarre. Its prime location and quiet environment make it very good value.
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ZHUHAI
Zhuhai, or ‘pearl of the sea’, is Shenzhen’s little SEZ sister, with 1.5 million people, and is close enough to Macau for a day trip. It’s as laid-back as its neighbour Macau and has the fewest maniacal drivers in China. Like many Hong Kongers visiting Shenzhen, residents of Macau come here on the weekends for cheap massages and lavish but affordable Cantonese feasts.
A small agricultural town into the 1980s, the Zhuhai of today has not only the usual SEZ skyline of glimmering five-star hotels and luxurious condos along the bay, but even its own ultramodern airport. Zhuhai is divided into three main districts: Gǒngběi, Jídà and Xiāngzhōu. Gǒngběi (), adjacent to Macau, is the main tourist district, with restaurants and shops; Gongbei Port (Gǒngběi Kǒu’àn) is the large modern complex that visitors pass through en route from Macau. To the northeast is Jídà (), with large waterfront hotels and resorts and Jiuzhou Harbour (Jiǔzhōu Gǎng; ), where Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangdong passenger ferries arrive and depart. The northernmost district is Xiāngzhōu (), which has government buildings and a busy fishing port.
Downtown, you can visit the recently renovated Zhuhai City Museum (Zhūhǎishì Bówùguǎn; 0756-332 4116; 191 Jingshan Lu; admission free; 9am-5pm; 2, 30 or 26) in Jídà. It has 13 exhibition halls displaying old photos and the history of Zhuhai, as well as cannon batteries and stelae excavated around Zhuhai. The exhibits are not particularly attractive, but the meticulously arranged garden is charming amid the bustling downtown.
North of the museum at the eastern edge of Xiangshan Park (Xiāngshān Gōngyuán; Fenghuang Bei Lu), the austere Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial (Lièshì Língyuán; 5.30am-7pm; 3, 13 or 99) is dedicated to local victims of the Japanese forces during WWII.
In the bay between Haibin Park and Paradise Park is the Zhuhai Fisher Girl (Zhūhǎi Yúnǚ; Xianglu Bay; 99), an 8.7m-high statue of a dame holding a pearl, the symbol of the city.
Zhuhai has a number of lesser-known sites that nonetheless played vital parts in Guangdong’s history. To the northwest of downtown is Meixi Royal Archways (Méixī Páifāng; 0756-865 9577; Meixi Village, Qíanshān; admission Y50; 8.30am-6pm; 99 or Line 1, Sightseeing Bus) at Qíanshān (), originally a residence of the legendary philanthropist Chen Fang. The archways were bestowed by Emperor Guangxu, but one was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. The mansions beside them display wax works, archway models and photos.
To the north of Xiāngzhōu, two sites are worth discovering in the labyrinth-like suburb of Tángjiāwān (). Tangjia Public Garden (Tángjiā Gònglèyuán; 0756-338 8896; Eling, Tángjīawān; adult/student Y20/10; 8.30am-5.30pm) was a private estate of the first premier of the Republic of China, Tong Shaoyi, in 1900. Now it is a tranquil garden preserving various old growth and rare species from South China. Take bus 10 on Yingbin Dadao and alight at Tangjia Market (Tángjiāshìcháng). A taxi from Gǒngběi to here is around Y60. The ticket to the garden includes admission to the nearby Former Residence of Tong Shaoyi (Táng Shàoyí Gùjū; , where this statesman was born. It’s accessible from the south gate of the garden.
In the same area is the 300-year-old Tangjia Temple