Guangzhou

In the early 20th century Guangzhou was a hotbed of revolutionary zeal, first as the birthplace of the movement to overthrow the last dynasty (culminating in the 1911 Revolution), and then as a battleground between Nationalists and Communists in the years leading to the 1949 Communist Revolution. Following the open-door policy of Deng Xiaoping in 1979, the port city was able to resume its role as a commercial gateway to China.

Though known for its polluted air, as most major Chinese cities can be, Guangzhou is starting to get a little cleaner. The Asian Games in 2010 spurred the city to extend the subway system, clean up ramshackle parts of the city, and institute air-pollution controls. In Guangzhou's parks, temples, winding old-quarter backstreets, restaurants, river islets, and museums, the Old City and a more refined way of life are never far away.