Day 8 – Guangzhou

By Jamyang Puntsog on November 2, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Explored the areas surrounding the hotel and discovered a local neighborhood with a vibrant market just behind it.

People are busy with marketing and I marveled the abundance of ingredients available here. This is another old area except that people are still living here without commercialization.

The entire place is designed like the olden clan days with a small gate entrance to the clan village.

In olden times, such a cluster village might open and close their gate on a daily basis for security reasons. I don’t think it is closed nowadays.

A notice board for the community. It’s like those found in fantasy themed games except that you don’t find quests here. Only reminders for the people living here.

As I wandered around, I realized that Guangzhou has a very long history too. Old and beautiful buildings are everywhere!

In olden days where home sanitation is rare. Public common toilets are shared by families.

My next stop is Shamian island. In the past, it was an exclusive area for westerners to live and work. And I must say it is due to their own design. Maybe for a sense of security while living in foreign land, or maybe due to discrimination ( I don’t know)

Notice the canal being carved around the white colour piece of land? Creating a moat.

At one time in the past, properties were redistributed amongst the common people and families began to move into office buildings and companies. Some people still live there (see the laundry hanging on level 2?) Others had sold their properties and relocated elsewhere.

Next is shopping! guangzhou is the capital of clothing wholesale. It’s entering autumn and summer wear is on sale here. Rmb 130 for any 2 items. You get to choose anything from the rack some are slightly dirty, some only have old sizes left. It’s bargain hunting.

2 tshirts for rmb 100 and jeans are going at 2 for rmb130! No fitting room. Remember, these are wholesalers not retailers.

Bulk purchases are consolidated here by merchants before redistributed to other parts of china. So those glitzy fashion in Shanghai could have originated here, in one for those gigantic green parcels.

This is a very busy and chaotic area with good bargains everywhere. You need energy and calm nerves to navigate and shop here. The delivery guys are pushing goods around, everywhere.

New China plaza is a multi storey wholesale centre for womenswear, menswear are found in shops in the surrounding areas.

Some shops only cater to bulk purchases, and some are showrooms for foreign businesses. They don’t sell to bargain hunters like me. But it’s still fun exploring and maybe catching a good deal.

Next is bejing road pedestrian street. Crazy busy on a weekend.but the lively atmosphere makes you want to join in the fun.

This place is the actual location of an ancient city. Directly under the modern street lies the ancient cobblestone road! A section was preserved and you get to see what lies underneath the modern sidewalk.