This week, Asia Inspirations has added a new destination to our website, China’s Guangdong province.
We’ll start with five facts:
1. Formerly known as Canton, the food of the region and the formal language is Cantonese, though Mandarin is widely spoken.
2. Guangdong is China’s most populous province with 104,303,132 (2010) people living there
3. Guangdong is China’s richest province
4. Guangzhou is Guangdong’s economic, political and cultural centre
5. Guangdong has a coastline that is an astonishing 4,300 kilometres long
Located on China’s south coast and incorporating the head of the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong has easy connections to Hong Kong and Macau, one of the reasons that it is usually only passed through by travellers. It is however, a fascinating area in its own right and temptingly undiscovered…
Topographically isolated from the rest of China and, as a major trading hub that bought a higher level of outside influence to the province, Guangdong has a slightly different vibe to the rest of China. It is unsurprising, then, that much reform and revolution has sparked here, including the Chinese Revolution of 1911-1912. The outside influences, combined with the fact the province is home to a number of ethnic minority tribes, means that it has a distinct culture plus the remnants of ancient Lingnan (southern Chinese) culture.
One of the most fascinating sites of Guangdong are the Kaiping Towers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In total there are about 1,800 of them across the region, some built as defensive towers during the early Ming Dynasty and some built more recently, combining styles of the east and west, by businessmen made wealthy by trade.
Guangdong’s nature is also epic and scandalously overlooked. Wild beaches, dramatic coastline and mountains, languid rivers and bubbling hot springs abound, all incredibly verdant year round thanks to a sub-tropical climate. In fact, it is a prime fruit growing region – lychees, bananas, oranges and pineapples are a common sight.
These are just some of the reasons that Guangdong should have a place on your Asia Inspiration itinerary – it’s culture, natural beauty, easy access…we haven’t even mentioned the food. Suffice to say it’s good (dim sun anyone? Sweet and sour? Fried rice?).
There is one more reason to make a stop in Guangdong that we’d like to address, and that is the Imperial Springs.
“Opulent, magnificent, luxurious and indulgent, regenerating, calming and healing – these are just some of the words that easily roll off the tongue when describing Imperial Springs.”
The words of one lucky guest who stayed at the Imperial Springs earlier this year, and it’s easy to see why. Situated in the foothills of Phoenix Mountain, in grounds that are larger in area than Monaco, the Imperial Springs is the utmost in decadence. It’s got butler service; it’s got natural hot springs (with private access if you go for a villa); it’s got eight restaurants serving up exceptional cuisine; it’s got a 27-hole golf course designed by Colin Montgomerie; it’s even got a museum stuffed with antiquities for goodness sake! It really is a world class retreat, perfect for those discerning travellers, or anyone looking for an indulgent treat, to escape from the world.
You’ll find more information about Guangdong and the Imperial Springs by clicking. If you feel that either or both would be a welcome addition to your tailormade China itinerary, all you have to do it call.