It takes just a short walk in the neighborhood to appreciate a few rather obvious characteristics of Liwan.

I have enjoyed my first walk on Baoyuan Road when I went from the metro station to the Origin Antique House and Hotel. After dropping off my luggage, I headed out to the direction of Chan Tim Kee for lunch.

A Walk in Liwan

The streets were bustling with afternoon traffic. Needless to say, the food and shopping establishments were innumerable along the way. They were mostly humble establishments, and quite a few of them were clearly restaurants with long-established presence in the neighborhood.

On this hot summer day the abundance of trees along the roads tapered the heat for pedestrians. I looked on and saw many alleyways. They could be the entrance to residences, or they could be an off-the-street extension of commercial life. I noticed the interactions of people on the streets and they reminded me of this expression “the taste of humane love,” in Chinese, referring to a general sense of warmth and kindness amongst a people.

For example, there were a whole lot of construction work on the way, as the sure signs that the district is undergoing a continuous process of renewal and revitalization. Where I bumped into some construction work inadvertently, the workers would say kindly that I should watch my steps.

What makes this an aged community is not merely the existence of old structures on the streets. It lies rather in the fact that the pride of the people are in the people themselves, an assured sense of contentment in the intangible qualities that makes a community last—a shared history, a common vision of hope and a tolerance and the attendant accommodation for new and foreign influences. In this area of Guangzhou, Xiguan is the idea that unites this neighborhood.

Old Xiguan  

Most of Liwan today was known back in the days as Xiguan. “Xi,” meaning west, refers to the area being west of the old walled city of Guangzhou. “Guan,” meaning a gate or a boundary-crossing point, refers to the fact that this area would be a point of entry leading into the west gates of the former walled city of Guangzhou. In Cantonese, the area is called Sai Kwan, which was the old romanization of the area’s name.

I saw frequent references to Xiguan, especially when it came down to restaurant advertising. I garnered the impression that there is a distinct culture, and also pride, associated with Xiguan. In fact, the Wikipedia says that some Xiguan residents speak a distinctive dialect of Cantonese, and I did wonder about that. When I just arrived, I noticed a distinguishable difference in the Cantonese I heard there and the Cantonese that I speak myself. However, I did not hear enough of that Cantonese to be able to articulate what actual differences there are.

The Thirteen Factories

Xiguan has the historical significance of being the former site for the famous Thirteen Factories. In terms of official translation, I prefer to call them the “Thirteen Hongs of Canton.” It speaks to the nature of the “Hongs,” which were traders of foreign goods in Canton since the Qing Dynasty.

During the Qing Dynasty, the imperial government struggled with foreign demands to open up the country for trade. At most junctures it kept its close-door policy. During the 23^rd year of Kangxi’s Reign (1684), the Chinese Emperor approved foreign trade in a few of the coastal areas of China. Guangzhou was one of them. By the 22^nd year of the Qianlong Reign (1757), the Thirteen Hong Enclave was the one of the restricted areas in which foreign traders could maintain their shops and live in China. Besides foreign traders, there were also government traders dealing in foreign goods within the area. The countries that established their presence in Guangzhou’s Thirteen Hong Enclave included the United States, Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Denmark, France, Sweden, and Portugal.

Speaking of the Thirteen Hongs, this may be a similar idea to the economic development model that the Chinese Communist Party has implemented during its reform and opening up. Certain areas with convenient sea and air access were carved out for rapid economic development and policy experiments, known as the Special Economic Zones. In these zones people were free to engage in novel and innovative economic activities.

The Thirteen Factories eventually monopolized the foreign trade in Guangzhou. Besides the foreign-owned Hongs, there were also Chinese-run traders there that served as the designated intermediaries for foreign trade. This arrangement has resulted in the rise of very wealthy Chinese tycoons, many of whom were the world’s wealthiest in those times.

Fast-forward to the era of the Opium Wars, many of the Hongs were bankrupt due to the Qing Government’s onerous demands for their wealth. As the Treaty of Nanking opened up foreign trade in all of the five entrepots in southern China, the advantages that the Thirteen Factories formerly enjoyed as the exclusive trading intermediary also became a thing of the past.

Finally, the Thirteen Hongs met an unfortunate ending. In the 6^th year of Xianfeng’s Reign (1856), the Second Opium War broke out. People responded angrily to the British forces’ bombing of Guangzhou by burning down the Thirteen Factories and the whole enclave. What became known as the “Great Xiguan Fire” sealed the fate of the Thirteen Hongs.

Enning Road

Enning Lu (Enning Road) is known to be the “arcade street” in Xiguan. The buildings along the road exhibit this special feature of an arcade.  Enning Lu is also known as Guangzhou’s “most beautiful and oldest arcade street.”

As an architectural style, the arcade that line both sides of Enning Lu became very popular during the early 20^th century.  Some notable features of Enning Lu’s arcades are the westernized designs with stained glass panes known as Manchurian window.

According to the Wikipedia, “arcades connect houses and make a long path for pedestrians to keep out wind, rain and the glare of sunshine. Arcades seem to be exactly designed for the climate in Guangzhou and meanwhile makes it much more convenient for stores to display their goods and attract customers.”

And I found the experience walking along Enning Lu to be quite a bit more authentic than the revitalized Yongqing Fang. Some eye-catching sites there include the former home of Bruce Lee (his father’s house in Guangzhou).

The Bahe Guild Hall of Cantonese Opera is the spiritual home for Cantonese opera performers. The Bahe Guild of Cantonese Opera was founded during the Guangxu Reign of the Qing Dynasty. It stands as testament to Liwan’s role as one of the origins of Cantonese opera in China.

Finally, my favorite old store is the coppersmith Weixing, which showcases all sorts of copperware with Master Su hammering away. Master Su is the fourth-generation coppersmith of this store.

Yongqing Fang

The Yong Qing Fang area has been in existence since 1931. It has been revitalized into a mixed business-and-cultural district in 2018 after Xi Jinping’s visit. In 2020 it was designated as a national-level Grade AA tourist destination.

But I find the real old-city charm to exist rather on Enning Road instead. What is “old” in Yongqing Fang were really just the old structures. Some of them are merely “built to look old.” The idea of a revitalized district with its business and cultural storefronts is more representative of the current aspirations of China as a whole. They are modern in their appearance, and modern in their essence.

It was, however, a pleasing thought to me that I was standing upon the former Thirteen Factories enclave. In the area there are some eye-catching, beautiful traditional Chinese architecture, amongst them the Cantonese Opera Museum was representative. Because I went on a Monday, some museums in the area were closed.

To my disappointment, the Liwan Museum inside Yongqing Fang was not very good. It really paled in comparison to the museum in Gangkeng Ancient Hakka Townlet in Shenzhen. I felt like seeing something that was quickly put-together without much thought.

On this hot and sunny day, I had an afternoon ice coffee at a cool coffee house in Yongqing Fang.

Sources

The Wikipedia on Xiguan.

The Wikipedia on Thirteen Factories.

Descriptions on site at Yongqing Fang.

Enning Road, the most beautiful old street in Guangzhou, was once dilapidated and was almost demolished, min.news.com.

It feels very familiar in Guangzhou. The people, the streets, the structures. I have certainly been to Guangzhou before, perhaps even before the rapid economic development that took off after 1992. The trips to Guangzhou during my childhood years have not left me with any solid memory. And my first day here was a déjà vu – I have certainly seen this before, but the people, the circumstances, the facts, and anything that could have been associated with the sights, I could not recall at all.

In China, Guangzhou is known to be the City of Rams. Legend has it that “Back in the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century – 771 BC), five immortal beings descended into Chuting (the ancient name of Guangzhou), each riding a ram that held six strings of corn millet spray in its mouth. The immortals gave the millet sprays to the local people and expressed their wishes that there would not be a shortage of food. During the departure of the five immortals, the five rams turned into stone. Hence, Guangzhou is nicknamed “the City of Rams”.”[1]

This is but one of the many things that Guangzhou is known for. In terms of history, Guangzhou is first and foremost the cradle of the 1911 Revolution, which ended five thousand years of dynastic rule in China. Sun Yatsen, the Father of Modern China, is of Zhongshan origin.

On this trip I will have to miss the Five-Ram Statue, which is in the Yuexiu district. I would be staying in the Liwan District, and so my sightseeing were mostly in Liwan. Like Yuexiu, Liwan is also a well-known old district in Guangzhou.

In the plans were the Yongqing Fang, the Shamian Island, the Scared Heart Cathedral, Pun Tong, the Liwan Museum, and a whole lot of good local dining.

For accommodation, I chose to stay at the Origin Antique House and Hotel. As its name suggests, the guesthouse showcases a collection of antiques from the Ming and Qing Dynasties in its premises. There will be more introduction of this wonderful, homey guesthouse in the following entries.

Preliminaries

There are a few things to bear in mind for anyone to travel to China these days. Since I am a Hong Kong resident, there are easier options for people like us.

Train tickets: the train tickets must be booked with your ID now. I booked my high speed rail tickets on Trip.com. You do not need to print out the confirmation, all you need is to bring your home return permit and all ticketing will be scanned and recognized by your ID. The scanners are also able to scan your passport, if that is what you are using.

Due to a high volume of Hong Kong people travelling in China, you will be well-served in booking your return ticket on the same go. The return tickets can be fully-booked if you don’t do so way in advance.

For foreign passport holders, at least from what I have heard, is that you may have to line up at the train station counters to book a return ticket. Traveling in China is no longer so easy for foreigners now.

The next big issue for a trip to China these days is payment options. Many Hong Kong people are able to set up WeChat Pay or Alipay, which are linkable to their local Hong Kong bank accounts or their Hong Kong credit cards. As China is rapidly proceeding to a cashless society, e-payment has become pretty much the only option (believe it or not, even for the hawkers selling fruits on the street). I have not had to pay cash in Guangzhou at all, except for one instance, and that is the payment and top-up for Yangcheng Tong (the equivalent of Hong Kong’s Octopus card). I actually do not know if, failing e-payment, you can indeed pay cash, but yes, set up WeChat Pay or Alipay (and also all the identification verification that they ask you to do, which certainly involves scanning your Hong Kong ID) before you go on a trip to China.

For navigation, I find Gaode Maps to be a tad better than Baidu. It does have an English option for its navigation. Google Maps is next to no-good in China.

The Journey Begins

From Hong Kong, I booked high speed rail tickets to depart from West Kowloon Station to Guangzhou South.

I must have been exceedingly lucky to have made it to Guangzhou as I originally planned. Having never traveled from West Kowloon Station on the high speed rail before, I was always under the impression that the whole experience would be easy and quick, with the so-called Co-Location Immigration Arrangement. But nooooooo. I arrived at the entrance to the high speed rail station 20 minutes before departure. Only when the self-service counter declined me did I begin to have a sense of crisis. You may not check in with the self-service counter if you arrive less than 30 minutes before departure.

I then quickly lined up at the staffed counter, and when I showed my ID, the lady said, “you are really pushing this. Good luck.” I then rushed through two bag checks and two immigration lines, plus a health code declaration counter in between. When I was at the departure gate, the lady did not even bother scanning my ID, “just run.”

I made it onto the train two minutes before the train door closed. I have heard stories of people not even making it to the train having arrived 45 minutes before departure. Therefore, I say arrive at West Kowloon Station one hour before your train departure.

But once on the train, things were very easy. I pretty much just sat at any vacant seat I saw. In an hour, I made it out to Guangzhou South.

From Guangzhou South I took the metro and made it to the Changshou Lu stop. In the ten-minute walk between the Changshou Lu stop to the Origin Antique House and Hotel, I saw wonderful views of old structures along Boayuan Road.

With this lucky beginning, I had a feeling that this would turn out to be a wonderful trip. And wonderful it was.

[1] Five-Ram Statue, Guangzhou Foreign Affairs Office, at Five-Ram Statue (chinadaily.com.cn).