The Canton Tower——The Guangzhou TV Tower, or ‘the supermodel’ as it’s locally known, gracefully acts as the centerpiece to Guangzhou’s architectural statement: the Zhu Jiang New Town - and what a statement! At 600 metres high, visitors have the opportunity to visit the TV tower, where they can ride the Ferris wheel as the city’s lights shine from below. Not a fan of heights? Enjoy a view of the tower from Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou, a view that architect Mark Hemmel promises to be one of a kind; no two angles of sight share the exact same perspective.

The Guangzhou Opera House——Designed by Zaha Hadid, a renowned international architect, the opera house is associated with the Beijing National Theatre and the Shanghai Theatre; a group considered as the three big theatres in China. With a 1,800-seat capacity and a multi-functional digital hall with an area of 2,500 square metres, it offers a unique opportunity to experience live performances across a variety of genres

Guangdong Museum——While it’s worth the trip just to see the building’s famed ‘jewelry box’ design, the new Guangdong Museum showcases an array of unseen treasures within. This five-storey building consists of four large exhibition halls with a collection of over 160,000 exhibits. The paleontology exhibit, host to an army of prehistoric dinosaur bones, from the wacky-looking Stegosaurus to everyone’s favourite, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Pearl River Night Cruise——You won’t want to miss the experience of gliding down the Pearl River on a leisurely cruise taking in the abundance of neon lights on both banks. On a full-moon night, you may even see the large 'pearl' reflected in the waters of the Pearl River, as described in the legend from which the name of the river originates.

Safari Park——Xiangjiang Safari Park is home to more than 10,000 animals of 300 species from different parts of the world. Come here to see performances by polar bears, South American sea lions and Thai elephants.The animals that reign supreme here are the 60 white tigers, the largest collection in the world.

Xiaozhou Village——At the moment, Xiao Zhou Village is a classic water village of South China. It has been regarded as the South Lung of Guangzhou. Generations of inhabitants earn their living by running the orchards. With decent family temples, a quiet and comfortable environment and harmonious community, Xiaozhou Village calls itself traditional. The place can be likened to a Chinese wash painting. The architecture on the island greatly reflects South China, but the oyster shell houses attract the attention. The materials used in building these houses keep them cool during summer and warm in winter, making the homes suitable for the southern weather.

Redtory——Once a sprawling canning factory on the outskirts of town, Redtory embodies the post-industrial transformation Guangzhou craves. Today, the area is very much within the heart of the city, where Estandon Hotel, Guangzhou is not a stone’s throw away across the river. Redtory is an expression of community through art, and the village is immense, with wide boulevards lined with industrial sculpture pieces and funny bronze statues granting easy access to any number of exhibition halls and showrooms. This sanctuary for those who appreciate art in an informal setting represents a clear sign of Guangzhou’s newly found diversity of tastes.

Shopping Centre——Guangzhou is an important retail distribution centre in South China. Guangzhou Estandon Hotel is adjacent to Guangzhou Tianhe Business Circle.Taikoo Hui at Tianhe Road offers genuine designer clothes, with high-end fashion brands such as Versace, Louis Vuitton and Prada. Next door, Grandview and Teemall are also amongst the largest shopping malls in the city.

Guangzhou New Library——The ‘Beautiful Book’ is 98,000 square metres of pure literary splendor in the heart of the new city – Zhu Jiang New Town. The library is an architectural marvel where kids can explore comics and storybooks while adults peruse through a limited, but interesting selection of English titles.