i am thinking of traveling to china for the first time for a look see.have seen thailand,bali,philippines and vietnam many times
guangzhou is cheap for me to access at the moment,and may go north when i have more time and money.
can anyone tell me anything about this place or places of interest on a short trip from here.are there any beaches or tourist areas.
i do hash house harriers.
would like to know where the expats hang out there and what area i might find a cheap hotel to accomadate some nightlife and meet locals and travellers.
i have heard of hainan is land also.
is this cheap to access and accomadation.
i look forward to some response; thankx

Guangzhou is a large, dirty industrial city. It does not have a lot of attractions for the visitor. It's been many years since I was there, so I can't help you with accommodation questions. There are no beaches. The things I thought were worth visitng were a Han Dynasty Tomb and Museum in the center of town and a lovely orchid garden. When I was there, there was not really any expat community. Indeed, I was followed by people who rarely saw foreigners. While I'm sure that is no longer true (there are now major trade shows in Guangzhou), I don't know how large the expat community might be.

I agree with Kathie's description of Guangzhou. If you want beaches, Hainan is a short flight away.

rkkwan,
u appear to have good knowledge of the area.
anymore u may tell me about Hainan or any other places i may visit if i go just south china on my first visit.
i was thinking Shanghai 2 big,loud and expensive and maybe bejieng ;same,same and colder.
i am seeking warmth and a look at the local culture, maybe some bars, food,
and some attractions at a budget holiday.
in the last 3 years i have been to vietnam 7 times and cambodia.
i made many friends there and enjoy.'
thought a small look into china may give me a variation.????
hope to see u soon

I have never been to Hainan, but several family members have, several times. It's the most tropical of all Chinese provinces, and have plenty of beach front resorts. But it really has no historic sites. And seriously, if one just want to go to beaches, there are many better alternatives in SE China.

In my opinion, China is not a place for a few leisurely days. I think it'd be a mistake to just go to Guangzhou or Hainan. If you don't want big ciites like Shanghai or Beijing, maybe consider going to Yunnan province - Lijian, Dali, etc. - lots of foreigners "hanging out" there.

I second Yunnan Province. Just got back from a trip that included Lijiang and Dali, as well as Xishuanbana (sp?).
Loved, loved, loved everything about Lijiang. The climate was fantastic, very scenic,great hiking in the end of the Himalayas, the old town area is totally cool, lots of great bars and restaraunts.

I forgot to add that all 9 of us hated Guangzhou and actually changed our itinerary to get out of there asap. Dirty, smelly,too much traffic, nothing to offer.

Oh, in my last post, I mean there are much better beach alternatives in SE <b>Asia</b>.

And glad to hear Lynnie has a great time in Lijiang, Yunnan.

What's wrong with Guangzhou? True, it's mostly an industrial city with the most interesting villages and little towns to explore. So of course it's not going to have all the big, luxurious hotels and overcrowded touristy &quot;attractions&quot; that you tourists are looking for. But don't put it down because it's one of the cities that embodies the true essence of China and it's culture.

Big Jim, I am putting down Guangzhou because imho it is a big dirty conjested city with none of the interesting architecture, cultural relics, interesting areas that so many other cities have to offer.

If I wanted to return to a big Chinese urban area I would choose Kunming or Beijing before Guangzhou. The &quot;overcrowded tourist attractions&quot; offered in these places are true cultural relics. I'm sure you are talking about The Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Stone Forest, Great Wall,etc. Crowded and filled with postcard hawkers, yes. Something to be excluded on trip of a lifetime to China? No way.

In defense of Guangzhou, it does have excellent food. Not only Cantonese food, but there's good cuisine of various parts of China. Go there to eat!