Mrs. Taiwaned and I were planning to have a romantic getaway to celebrate our anniversary however those plans have to be adjusted due to a conference I cannot miss in Guangzhou.

Thus we are planning that she comes with me to Guangzhou however while I am in meetings, she will look around the town.

How safe is Guangzhou? Keep hearing scary stories. What is there to do?
After my required meetings, I hope to take her somewhere romantic. Any suggestions that are near Guangzhou?

Guangzhou is a very "debatable" city. I like Guangzhou quite a lot - it's still got plenty of old-fashioned quarters, however some may say it's one big concrete jungle. Generally, it's a safe town just like any other Chinese city. The area around Shifu is lively and nice, just as well the area around the White Swan hotel (Shamian) has a fancy/neat Colonial charm.
The new TV tower should be open by now and the view should definitly warrant a trip there. Time starved, go to one of the parks, around Liuhuahu or Yuexiu park or even up Baiyun mountains.

Romantic get-aways, I can only recommend the Intecontinental in Huizhou, a resort with great facilities and surroundings nestled in the middle of nowhere. Around 2 hours by car from Guangzhou downtown.

I used Guangzhou as a starting point for mainland journeys when living in Hong Kong, so if you have more questions, don't hestitate.

I went to a pretty impressive (as in comparable with Japan) hot spring resort when I was there last spring, which was also two hours away. I can try to dig up the name if there is interest (I might have posted about it here already), but I gather there are several similar places in the mountains around GZ.

Where is your meeting, Ed? Guangzhou is a huge sprawl.

I didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as I'd heard. Then again, the Asian games were going on so, maybe there was some "clean up"

The biggest problem I had were the taxi drivers. I think I only had 1 honest one the 3 days I was there. The rest would try to short change you or refuse to take you to your destination because the fare would not be enough.

I've never had a problem with taxi drivers in Guangzhou. Did you speak to them in Chinese? If you speak in Cantonese for sure you won't have any issues...

I do feel like Guangzhou gets a bad rap, it has never seemed dangerous to me, then again I don't wander streets alone at night too often...

I go to GZ at least 4 times per year and never have any problem. Just stay vigilant as you would in any foreign city. I never had any problem with taxi but I do speak Mandarin and fluent Cantonese.

Maybe its because its feels familiar to me, but I actually prefer GZ to Beijing and Shanghai.

As for romance, take the river cruise at night. There are a lot of companies near the dock. Costs around 150 RMB per person or so. Don't buy the ticket with the food, as the food is really substandard.

There is also an amusement park and animal safari in the suburb of Panyu which is about 30 min drive out of GZ. That's if your really looking for something to do.

Have fun!

I would just like add that while many may complain about GZ, and it's pollution and traffic and lack of beauty, it is one of my favourite cities in China - If not my favourite. However, in terms of a honeymoon destination....I wouldn't put it at the top of my list, but there are certainly plenty of romantic spots in the city. And the city is certainly safe - It has a bad reputation amongst the Chinese, but the only thing you have to worry about is someone grabbing your bag. It's really really turned into a great city in the past 5 or so years, and the pollution and road conditions are manageable now.

What to do in the city is really not along the lines of museums and famous buildings and such, but more exploring back streets and trying famous Cantonese restaurants. The food in GZ is amazing, and there are some of the best restaurants in China. Tao Tao Ju is a great place for snacking on Shifu Lu. I also like Chuan Guo Yan Yi and the Pan Xi Restaurant too...google them

Shamian is nice, as is the Pearl River cruise.....neither will blow you away like the suggested IC resort, but that's a hassle to get to if you're working in the city....I don't know where in the city you'll be located....but the trade centre which has the best hotels isn't central for most of the tourist things....the Westin is nice, and a good enough location for business (not for walking around though)...I like the HI Shifu, which is right on one of the best pedestrian streets there with some of the best restaurants....again, nothing uber-romantic, but it's a nice city, and if you're afraid of taxis ripping you off, the new subway is cleaner than the SH Park Hyatt's rooms.

+1. That's one of the reasons I visit GZ.

[QUOTE=benzemalyonnais;15852852]...... the Pearl River cruise.....QUOTE]

Recommend to do it at night, if time allows.

No, my Chinese is fairly limited. Every morning at the hotel, the doorman would give the driver my address and argument would ensue. Guess the drivers were all expecting the big payoff rides to the airport instead of a trip a couple of miles away.

The attempted shortchanging was a little more surprising. Never had a problem with that elsewhere in China. It happened more than once, so it didn't seem accidental.

You know, I really don't know. That is a good question.

I assume it will be at a conference center or large hotel ballroom. We just got the dates confirmed.

How big can Guangzhou be?

Huge.

Just population-wise, must be around fifteen million now (unofficially). I know Beijing and Shanghai have comparative populations but I rarely feel like I'm too far away from the central districts.

With Guangzhou though, it's definitely the Chinese city I would think of first if someone mentions the word sprawl. That being said, I like the city alot.

I would maintain that both BJ (can I resume using this abbreviation again?) and SH are sprawl candidates, but what sets GZ apart in my book is that covering vast distances (in intense traffic) is necessary more often down there.

Focusing on the Beijing example, the drive from the CBD to the Summer Palace area can be a true killer, but it's something I only have to do around once per month due to the nature of the companies up there (tech + factories); they usually come to us (an inherent cost of being located in the boonies).

Shanghai's situation is similar; lots of development far away from town, but in a cluster type fashion (i.e. companies in similar industries locate in the same places). The main thing that sets SH apart from BJ (IMO) is that river you guys have (a non issue 10 years ago). It's annoying to cross and crossing it is often necessary, but people who do the drill regularly have it down to a science. Furthermore, I would gladly trade our traffic problem for your river.

But, GZ is a special beast because business trips there often require visiting companies/factories that are extremely far apart from each other (i.e. there is no clear "center" any more and not much industry clustering).

If you're going to GZ, you may want to check out Foshan. GZ is now connected to Foshan via the metro (the first inter-city subway in China). It's a quick 45 ride over.

I recommend checking out the Shiwan Ceramics Museum.

Sorry to hear this, if you feel like you are being ripped off make a fuss. In general Chinese don't like trouble and will back off. And if they back off half way and try to negotiate, then you know they are cheating you and make sure you make a fuss.

I can't remember what thread, but there was a thread about getting scammed/cheated in China and there is a good section about taxis where I posted some good tips.

Is Liwan a district in Guangzhou? If so, how far from Foshan?