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Published: January 16th 2017
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Once again my guide and friend drags me out early in the morning for a long metro ride and taxi ride to the edge of Guangzhou with very little explanation from my guide. Maybe I should take this opportunity to explain that my guide never “spoke” because she was deaf and mute. She could understand written English and Chinese but would only sign comments when she couldn’t simply type it up on her phone for me to read. It was sometimes hard for us to communicate but it is less difficult than with most Chinese people if I don’t have a Wi-Fi or WLAN connection. This trip did challenge my legs more than any others because of the sheer number of stairs I needed to climb. Arriving to what appeared as nothing more than a string of tented sellers, I was introduced to Tian Lou Bay. This water side area at the far edge of Guangzhou is not what it appears at first glance.
You are not looking at 1 simple attraction but a string of 4 places to visit all within walking distance. I warn you again that I speak of my walking distance which might be
too much for some people and not enough for others. The first is the Tian Lou Temple which is at the end of the tent-market selling a little bit of everything. This was the my first visit to a major temple in China considering it covered not just a small area but most of the mountain side. It is not a place that you need to pay to visit as long as you have your Passport or ID to prove you are yourself. The wonderfully manicured grounds and multiple levels make this a nearly a half day trip in itself including the multiple sets of stairs that link each level to each other. I did refrain from taking any photos within the buildings of the temple itself out of respect.
Included on the Tian Lou Temple grounds are many religious and spiritual structure that are both within buildings and open to the sky depending on the purpose for it. Statues representing myths and lore of the area were placed along the lowest garden section. A circle of pray wheels was the first central piece you found as you moved towards the Temple buildings. A turtle pool sat
a few meters after that. The pool consists of a circle with turtles swimming in a small puddle of water around the dragon-turtle statue. Fruit could be offered to the protected turtles below as donation to the Dragon-Turtle. After a long walk along the entry garden, you arrive to the first incense burning prayer area and the Priestess guardian statue. You might be on the temple grounds but the main archway is still ahead of you, just up a few stairs. This is followed by the first gate house with the stone-lion guards of the Temple and a longer stairwell to climb.
The ancient architecture of the Temple have been maintained and repaired in the original fashion to keep the authenticity of the place. As you follow the twisting stairs and the small shrines, prayer-incense buildings, and smaller secondary gate-houses, you climb much higher into the mountain to find nature trails that are part of the Temple’s inner courtyard. A pagoda stands half hidden upon the mountain and the view shows how the city’s arms are building around this place like it is trying to keep it safe in it’s embrace. Near the pagoda stands a Wish
Tree where people can tie red ribbons that hold their wishes upon them. There is a different wishing place set aside at the top of this mountain temple for lovers with a much clearer and permanent wishing method to stay strong together: twin heart locks.
After this long climb, you have more gardens and pathways that return you to the lower area closer to the second attraction which is the Tian Lou Beach area. It is not a large beach zone and not all of it is open for swimming. A false gilded pirate ship sits at the divider section between the walking beach and the swimming beach. Small stands and more of the tent-markets sit on the edge of the road and beach. It is a very simple place in view and size but a wonderful surprise in a city that the rivers are built to the edges with walled walkways. But another surprise waited around the corner from the beach in the form of an amusement park. It could not compare directly with Chimelong Paradise but it was a very nice place that was not overly expensive to visit since entry to the grounds was
free.
With only 24 rides, it made the traveling carnival of my hometown look like nothing. It would have been even better if all the rides of this place on the outskirts of Guangzhou were running. Only about half were manned and some of the others had closed signs showing rust. It was a little sad but understandable with a bigger place open closer to the city for everyone to visit, this place was slowly being forgotten and disappearing due to lack of visitors. But it did offer some charms missing elsewhere like the young children walking ride shaped like a popular character of Chinese stories. The child would be ushered around in a chair with this pig-being pulling him around in this mini-motorized rickshaw. This amusement park also has a wonderful fish and reptile “zoo” for the youngsters to visit.
Beyond this long line of places to see and visit is a small park that borders one of the rivers that flow out into the beach. It has a beautiful miniature waterwheel village sculpted in a small man-made pond. This is counterpointed by the simple water side pathway with flower weaved swings, ornate
statues, and peddle-boat rides. I did not partake in any water voyages during this adventure, maybe at a later time. The whole place has a pleasant feel of nature built in harmony with the human touch and simple technology found here on the edge of Guangzhou. I enjoy this blending of civilization and flora that I have not seen this flawlessly executed anywhere else before my visit to China.
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