A long day: A woman falls asleep in a subway train passing a railway station in Guangzhou, China, on Oct. 19. People are saying Guangzhou, China’s third-largest city, cannot retain its reputation as a paradise for cheap products. JP/J. Adiguna Guangzhou is legendary among my friends as a paradise for cheap products. But it seems that China’s third-largest city cannot retain its reputation. The price of goods has increased markedly as society has developed.
I found it hard to find cheap products during a recent visit. The price of clothes in malls was almost the same as in Jakarta. Many items were much more expensive.
Even souvenirs, which are traditionally among China’s most competitive products, were as expensive as souvenirs in Europe. For example, a small refrigerator magnet purchased in Baiyun International Airport cost 45 RMB (US$6.75).
However, Guangzhou is still an interesting city. It offers a contrast to Jakarta. I was amazed by the city’s neat layout, which was evident after I left the airport and took a taxi to the center of the city.
Unlike Jakarta, the placement of parks and residential or business districts was orderly so that the city looked civilized. Roads were wide and flat and had no potholes and neither did the bridges. Rivers were clean and parks were beautifully arranged. People felt at ease.
Apartments were ubiquitous. In contrast to Jakarta, where apartment complexes shine and glitter, buildings in Guangzhou were gray and rusty, an indication that they have been occupied for some time.
Obvious, apartments have been part of life in Guangzhou for many years, as opposed to in Jakarta, where staying in apartments is a new innovation.
Many clotheslines were seen outside apartment balconies, creating a disorderly atmosphere.
It certainly distracted from the city’s neat layout and was a reminder that despite modernity, Guangzhou was part of a developing country. The rural mindset was still firm in people’s minds.
Air quality in Guangzhou was no better than in Jakarta. It was hazy in the daylight. The sky was always blanketed by clouds and the mood in the city was always gloomy.
Traffic was lighter than in Jakarta. I was traveling to my hotel from the airport on a Tuesday evening. By Jakarta standards, traffic was okay. Cars could still move smoothly, although they had to line for traffic lights. The lines were not long.
Drivers and passengers could still enjoy traveling on the city’s main thoroughfares.
Public transportation was clean, efficient and cheap. Travel by subway cost only 3 RMB for a one-way trip. It was cheaper than traveling by train in Jakarta, when you have to pay between Rp 4,500 and Rp 8,000 for a one-way trip on an air-conditioned train.
As a newcomer to Guangzhou, I easily learned how to travel by subway. The system and routes were simple. The system was on par with Washington, New York, Paris or Germany, which assign different colors to different routes to help passengers.
One problem often encountered in Guangzhou was that many locals could not speak English. My colleague and I had a hard time finding a toilet when we were walking in a mall in downtown Guangzhou.
After asking two shop attendants to no avail, my colleague used a Chinese-English dictionary program on his cell-phone.
He then pointed at the translation to a shop attendant, who quickly got it. “Washroom,” she said while pointing to the toilet. We used a similar trick when haggling. Instead of talking with shop attendants in English, we typed the price that we desired into our cell phone calculators. If she objected, she typed her desired price. We went back and forth a few times before agreeing on a price.
The city is rich in history and has a cultural heritage that spans more than 2,200 years. For more than a thousand years it was China’s sole port for foreign trade.
Guangzhou was one of the 10 largest cities in the world during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Among its must-see attractions is the Temple of Six Banyan Trees, which was built in 573 during the
Liang Dynasty. The temple is famous for its flowery pagoda, which is almost 60 meters high and has nine floors.
Another important cultural site is the Huaisheng Mosque in Yuexiu district, which was built more than 1,350 years ago. According to a guide book released by the Guangzhou municipal government, it is the only tall building from the Tang Dynasty that is still intact.
The mosque is proof that Islam reached China in the early years of the religion’s development. One contemporary cultural spot that must be visited is the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall in Dongfeng Lu, which was completed in 1931.
Sun, one of the most important figures in contemporary Chinese history, is famous for his role in leading the revolution against the last Chinese dynasty in 1911 and for founding China’s first republic the next year.
The city’s economy only started to grow after China’s respected leader Deng Xiaoping introduced a policy or openness that enhanced investment.
The city is also a hub for southern China , worthy of its title as the “Pearl of South China” or the “Gateway to South China”.
