2 Best Sights in China

To get a sense of how fast Guangzhou is growing, head to the Tianhe District. Among the buildings is the 391-meter (1,283-foot) CITIC Plaza, one of the tallest buildings in the world. It houses upscale shops, a variety of restaurants, and the offices of many Fortune 500 companies.

If Xintiandi is the government's orderly, sanitized shikumen restoration project, Tianzifang is the opposite. The former residential district is a labyrinth of alleyways between redbrick lane houses. Restaurants, cafés, and a few galleries fill the spaces today, as do shops selling everything from kitschy souvenirs emblazoned with retro propaganda to leather journals and shoes, tea, and qipao dresses.

You can also enter Tianzifang from the back side, at 155 Jianguo Zhong Lu.