Greater Bay Area Cities

Hong Kong - The Third Financial Hub in the World

Hong Kong is located at the south of China and the east of Pearl River Estuary. It is across the river from Macau. It borders on the north with Shenzhen. With such excellent geographical position, it has a trade boom in the ancient time. This kind of economic boom even lasts until today. Nowadays, with the back of comfortable economy environment, Hong Kong are still making remarkable developments in economy. It is listed as the third financial hub in the world. In Hong Kong, you will see a large number of world-class scrappers, inside of which are many famous companies, such as International Commerce Centre (ICC), the tallest building in Hong Kong. When you look at the Hong Kong Skyline, you will see the city' s modernization.

With such a good economic situation, Hong Kong attracts talents from all over the world. This city is one of the most populous cities in the world. Here, you will truly feel the cultural diversity of the world. You could see both Chinese and foreign white-collar workers enjoying their "happy hour" in Lan Kwai Fong. When you come to the Victoria Harbour, you will see the Star Ferry, a kind of ferry with western characteristics. In Wong Tai Sin Temple or Man Mo Temple, you could learn about religion of local Chinese. Stanley Market, a market covering the style from both West and East, is a great place to pick up some special souvenirs.

In Hong Kong, you could also find some relaxing scenery. For example, you could reach up the highest point on Hong Kong Island (552 meters) - Victoria Peak by the legendary Peak Tram which has been operating for more than 130 years as one of the world' s oldest funicular railways. You could drive far away from the bustling and hustling downtown area to "Hawaii of the Orient" - Repulse Bay to enjoy the sea. You can know more about Hong Kong in Hong Kong Travel Guide.

Useful Links

>>3 Days Hong Kong In-depth Tour with Escorted Walking Experience

>>3 Days Hong Kong Disneyland Tour for Family with Kids

>>Hong Kong Tours

Macau - One of the World' s Four Giants of the Casino

Macau is located at the mid-south of Guangdong Province, and borders on the north with the Zhuhai. This city also had a boom sea trade in the past. Nowadays, its economy also sees a flourish with the boom gambling industry as the characteristic. Macau is one of the world' s four giants of casino. You could see so many luxury casinos here, such as Grand Lisboa, Venetian Macau, Parisian Macau, etc. Just like in Vegas, these immense casinos also feature upmarket hotels and restaurants, shopping malls with luxury fashion and lifestyle stores and round the clock entertainment complexes. These casinos also organizes splendid shows which can be another highlight.

Apart from so many casinos, Macau is also a place featuring with the east-meet-west heritages. You could explore the Historical Center of Macau in Macau Peninsula. There you will find a number of heritage sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. You could see the Ruins of the St. Paul Cathedral, which is a gothic church constructed by Portuguese in 1562 and once the largest cathedral in Asia. A-ma Temple is where you will know the locals' s religion and the origin of the city' s name. There are also many other sites, it' s worth a visit to Macau to see so many cultural sites. You can know more about Macau in Macau Travel Guide.

Useful Links

>>2 Days Hong Kong & Macau Highlights Tour (by Ferry)

>>3 Days Hong Kong & Macau In-depth Cultural Tour

>>Macau Tours

Guangzhou - The Political Center of Guangdong with More Than 2,000 Years

Guangzhou is the capital and the largest city of Guangdong Province. It has more than 2,000 years' old and sees so many important historical events. As the political center of Guangdong Province, it has strong economic and cultural strength.

On the one hand, you could see a modern Guangzhou with all fashionable marks. You could see the world' s third tallest tower - Canton Tower in Guangzhou. It is both landmark and iconic tower of Guangzhou. At night, the stunning beauty of the light show on the tower must give you deep impression when you look at it from outside. If you' re brave enough, you could experience the world's longest spiral staircase, the world' s highest Ferris wheel and the world' s highest sky drop.

On the other hand, you could be amazed at Guangzhou' s deep cultural inside story, as well as the bright historical development vein. Chen Clan Ancestral Hall is a must-visit place for you. It is an academic temple in Guangzhou with a history over 125 years. You must be amazed at its delicate wood carving, stone carving, brick carving, pottery, stucco relief, iron and copper casting and colored drawing. Temple of the Six Banyan Trees, Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and so on are also good choices for you to experience the culture and history of Guangzhou. You can know more about Guangzhou in Guangzhou Travel Guide.

Useful Links

>>3 Days Guangzhou History & Culture Experience Tour

>>6 Days Canton Fair & Guangzhou Essence Tour

>>Guangzhou Tours

Shenzhen - The Best Place to See "China' s Speed"

Shenzhen, a former fishing village, has developed to first-tier city in the world within 40 years since the implementation of Reform and Opening Up. All of the world are surprised such a speed of development, so Shenzhen' s speed of development is not only reputed as "Shenzhen' s Speed" but also "China' s Speed".

In Shenzhen, you could see what a modern city in China is like. You can get atop the 600-meter tall skyscraper - Ping' an Finance Center. It is the tallest building in Shenzhen, the second tallest building in China and the 4th tallest building in the world. You could reach Free Sky at 116th floor to catch a panoramic view of Shenzhen as well as overlook Hong Kong in far distance. The view must be the best proof of "China' s Speed". If you like Gulf, you could go to the Mission Hills Shenzhen, a twelve course 18-hole course golf resort which also is known as the largest golf course in Asia. You could also go to Splendid China Folk Village to have a glimpse of vast China and experience the colorful culture of ethnic minorities of China. There you will find miniatures of all iconic places in China. You can know more about Shenzhen in Shenzhen Travel Guide

Useful Links

>>3 Days Classic Shenzhen Tour

>>5 Days Shenzhen Golf Tour with City Highlights

>>Shenzhen Tours

Zhuhai - Romantic Coastal City

Zhuhai borders on the south with Macau and thus called "back garden" of Macau. Since the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge was put into use, Zhuhai becomes one of the key node cities of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). It becomes a popular choice to go to Zhuhai from Hong Kong or Macau.

Zhuhai is the city with the longest coastline in Guangdong. You can experience the coastal city' s special romance by walking along the Qinglv Road. The name of this road means "the road of lovers". Wandering along the road, you will see the ZhuHai Fishing Girl, a statue of fishing girl, which is the landmark of Zhuhai. You can also see a lighthouse with Mediterranean Style. You also can' t miss the Wan Chai Seafood Street where you could buy fresh and delicious sea foods with reasonable prices. You could also have a Zhuhai-Macau Night Cruise from the port near this street to enjoy the fantastic night of Macau and Zhuhai. This coastal city will meet all your needs for a trip near the sea!

Useful Links

>>Zhuhai Day Tour

Foshan - Source of Cantonese Culture

Foshan, located at the east of Guangzhou, is a historical and cultural city. This city features with deep Cantonese culture. Foshan is famous for Chinese ceramics, Kung Fu, lion dancing and Cantonese Opera. One of the branches of Chinese culture - Cantonese culture originates from this place. If you go to Foshan, you can' t miss a in-depth cultural tour here. Start your cultural exploration from the must-visit Ancestral Temple. Here with rich arrays of relics and materials, you will have a good understanding of Yip Man (Ye Wen) and Wong Fei Hung (Huang Feihong), two real masters of martial arts in modern times of China who have influences on the world about Kung Fu in China! You can also see Lion Dance here. Continue your steps to the nearby Lingnan Tiandi, once was the rich area in Foshan and now is a top best to admire the multiple exquisite historic Lingnan constructions to seek the traditional culture of Foshan as a famous thousand-year-old commercial city. You could also choose to join pottery art making (0.5 hour), martial arts practicing (1 hour) or paper cutting (1 hour) during your visit at Ancient Nanfeng Kiln. Only 1.5 hour' s driving distance from Guangzhou downtown, Foshan is the top best destination to discover beyond Guangzhou.

Useful Links

>>4 Days Foshan Culture Seeking with Guangzhou Must-sees

>>5 Days Brilliant Lingnan Culture & Food Tour (Guangzhou, Foshan & Shunde)

Jiangmen - No.1 Hometown of Overseas Chinese

Jiangmen, a city in the west of Pearl River Delta, is reputed as "No.1 Hometown of Overseas Chinese" because of its world-famous Kaiping Diaolou and Villages. The over 1,800 precious and well-kept watchtowers together were listed as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 2007 with rich value to know culture and history of overseas Chinese from Guangdong in the 16th - 19th centuries. These building clusters originally are a featured local Chinese type of buildings used for defending against bandits and escaping from frequent flood and typhoon, but as time goes by, they perfectly collect various typical architectural styles from many western places, including ancient Greece, ancient Rome, America, Canada, other European area, Islamic area, and so forth, which not only add more exotic beauty to this traditional village place in southern China, but also symbolizes the first positive accept of western culture of Chinese historically.

In addition, Jiangmen also has some interesting places for you to go. You can visit the Birds' Paradise which is a big Banyan tree in water with about 383 years. There are tens of thousands of birds in it. You must be amazed at such an amazing scenery. Shangchuan and Xiachuan Island can also be good places for viewing sea scenery and relaxing.

Useful Links

>>6 Days Best of Guangdong Tour

>>4 Days Kaiping Diaolou and Villages Admiration Tour with Guangzhou City Bests

Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Zhaoqing - Other Major Cities in GBA

Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan and Zhaoqing are other major cities in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). Huizhou is famous for flourishing Cantonese culture. Here you will find that the Hakka culture, Guangfu culture and Chaoshan culture meet and mix. So here is the best place to experience how Cantonese culture is developed. Apart from this, you can also have a look at the life of Hakka, a branch of Han in China.

Dongguan, located between Guangzhou and Shenzhen, is a "World Factory". There you will see tens of thousands of high buildings assembling in towns and downtown areas. In the past, here is a world factory, because enormous groups of migrant workers chose to make a living in factories of this city. These factories made products for the world. Nowadays, with the development of science and technology, this city is gradually transforming to one of the new first-tier cities.

Zhongshan is a city named after Sun Yat-sen, the "Founding Father" of China. He made dauntless efforts for the future of China in the past and he led the war overthrowing the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) which was a "Dark Age" of China. Here is also a university named after Sun Yat-sen - Zhonshan University - one of the prestigious universities in China. You could visit Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Suwen Park and The Museum of Dr.Sun Yat-sen to know more about this great man.

Zhaoqing is a city famous for its production of Duan Inkstone. This type of inkstone is listed as No.1 of the four famous inkstones of China. In addition, Seven Star Cave, Nymph Lake and Dinghu Mountain are also woth visit.