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Night Life And Entertainment In Guangzhou

Night Life in Guangzhou, Entertainment in Guangzhou, Guangzhou Night Activities, Guangzhou Night Life Guide.

Night life in Guangdong is as colorful as the neon lights on the Pearl River. When night comes, people can choose to entertain in KTV, pubs, bars, where different people mingle freely. Or they can choose to enjoy a tea ceremony in a tea house, where the time slows down. As a location custom in Guangzhou, people like to eat night snacks (Yin Wan Cha is what local people called) at a quite late time; therefore you may find restaurants still open at 23:00. Shops at streets of Shangxiajiu and Beijing road also open till 21:30 every night. As the home of Yueju (Guangdong Opera), Guangdong’s theaters offer splendid performances. People who like traditional art can enjoy themselves in theatres like Guangzhou Art Center Friendship Theater, Huang Hua Gang Theater or Lijiang Pearl Opera House etc.
 
Cantonese Opera
 
With a history of over 300 years, Cantonese Opera is one of the major local operas rooted in Guangdong, part of Guangxi, Hongkong and Macau areas, also popular in some areas of Southeast Asia and among overseas Chinese throughout the world.
 
Cantonese Opera in Guangdong came into being on the basis of local aboriginal theatre combined with vocal melody from other regions and folk singing and storytelling skills. Present day Cantonese opera centers on Bangzi and Erhuang tunes (Two of major Chinese opera tunes) supplemented with local Ballads and rich varieties of local vocal system.
 
There are three major vocal tunes in Cantonese opera: Pinghou, Dahou and Zihou. Six major roles: Wenwusheng (man of both letters and martial arts), Xiaosheng (Personated young man), Wusheng (cavalier), Chousheng (clown), Zhengyinhuadan (female characters) and Erbanghuadan (young woman). Five most influential schools are the Xue Juexian, the Ma Shizeng, the Liao Xiahuai, the Gui Mingyang, and the Bai Jurong as well as Hong Xiannu and Luo Jiabao.
 
Cantonese Opera has experienced several development phases, which are theatrical troupe of out-province, local troupe, mixed troupe, voluntary troupe and Guangdong and Hong King Troupe. Finally the Cantonese Opera was transformed into the present style after ages of development.
 
Famous Cantonese Opera repertoire includes ’The Legend of White Snake’, ’Hu bugui’, ’Dinuha’, ’Soushuyuan’, ’Vicissitudes of the Country’, and ’Returning Home on a Snowy Night’. Guangdong provincial and Guangzhou Municipal Cantonese Opera Houses enjoy highest reputation in this field. Once praised by late Premier Zhou Enlai as the “Red Pea of Southern China”, Cantonese opera keeps its attraction in the new historical period.
 
Cantonese Operatic Song
 
Cantonese Operatic Song is a kind of art form performed by Cantonese language. It is popular in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hong Kong and Macao etc. The Cantonese Operatic Song started in late Qing Dynasty. Under the reign of Emperor Daoguang, Bayinban was a professional team of playing Cantonese Operatic Song. Gradually, it absorbs some elements from Cantonese Opera and becomes the current art form. There are eight famous songs, namely, Bailixihuiqi, Biancaishiyao, Daiyuzanghua, Liulangzuizi, Qichuguihan, Luzhishenchujia, Fujianhexiuwen and Xuezhongxian.
 
Guangzhou Baiyun Dusk Viewing Spot
 
The Dusk Viewing at Baiyun Mountain, also called Bai Yun Wan Wang, is one of the eight famous attractions in Guangzhou City. The Baiyun Dusk Viewing Spot is situated on Luosan Peak of Shanding Park on Mount Baiyun. The spot is composed of a sightseeing platform and a Dusk Viewing Pavilion from where visitors can enjoy a perfect view of sunset. It is a really pleasant thing to see the sun falling slowly as well as giving out colorful rays. Besides, the platform is also a good place to appreciate the rising of moon, especially in Mid-Autumn Period. At that time, a large number of people will gather at Baiyun Dusk View Spot to sample the tea while admire the moon.
 
Pearl River Cruise at Night
 
Night cruise is a unique tourist service in Guangzhou where the East (Dongjiang River), the West (Xijiang River) and the North Rivers (Beijiang River) join the Pearl River. As night falls, the cruiseliner leaves the Wharf and passes the Jiefang Bridge, the Haizhu Bridge, the Jiangwan Bridge, the Haiyin Bridge, the Guangzhou Bridge and the Hedong Bridge before turning back towards the wharf. Passengers can enjoy the beauty of "Red Heart of the Pearl Sea" (Zhu-Hai-Dan-Xin), "Rising Moon over White Goose Pond" (Er-Tan-Ye-Yue) , "Spring Dawn at East Lake" (Dong-Hu-Chun-Xiao) and "Sails at the Huangpu Port" (Huang-Pu-Yun-Qiang) presenting four of the eight great attractions of Guangzhou. Additionally passengers will see examples of architectural styles like the Nanfang Mansion, the Aiqun Building, Guangzhou Hotel, Hotel Landmark Canton, Riverside Hotel, White Swan Hotel and buildings of various Western styles built on Shamian Island. The cruise takes approximately two hours.
 
Guangzhou Beijing Road Night Market
 
Beijing Road is central axis of ancient Guangzhou city and the most prosperous commercial distributing center in the history. Reputed “Famous Street of Lingnan”, its average traffic is about 350000 person-times per day, and is the most bustling pedestrian mall in Guangzhou, covering Zhongshan No.4 Road, Zhongshan No.5 Road, Xihu Road, Jiaoyu Road, Yushan Market nearby and commercial points around. Yuehua Road in the north of the pedestrian mall is once downtown of Guangzhou from Nanyue Kingdom period of the Western Han Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty. Beijing Road is the main street in Guangzhou in Tang, Song, Yuan and Qing Dynasties, and therefore has become the most prosperous cultural pedestrian mall of Guangzhou since Ming Dynasty.
 
Around Beijing Road Guangzhou’s colorful historical views and cultural relics remain. According to historical materials and expert researches, there are over 10 existing or established or excavated historical or cultural sites around Beijing Road, Jiaoyu Road and Xihu Road, such as Panyu City of Qin and Han Dynasties, Site of Dockyard of Qin Dynasty, Site of Nanyue Kingdom Palace, Site of Qinghai Military Tower of Tang Dynasty, and Royal Garden Site of Southern Han Kingdom, all of high historical and cultural value. At the same time, many time-honored shops of China and old and famous stores of Guangzhou converge here, including Yushan Market, earliest food market in Guangzhou, century-old Chen Li Ji, Tai Ping Guan, and San Duo Xuan stores, and Xindaxin Company, one of the most famous department stores in Guangzhou in 1940s. All these old and famous stores familiar to the Cantonese have witnessed the historic changes and civilization progress of Guangzhou for long.
 
Guangzhou Shangxiajiu Night Market
 
It is known that Guangzhou is famous commercial city in ancient China, well-known for developed economy and commercial tradition of long standing. In Shangxiajiu Road Pedestrian Mall you can experience traditional business charming of Guangzhou and see fascinating folk customs of Xiguan.
 
This noted commercial street is located at Xiguan in old town. It stretches from Shangxiajiu Road in the east to west Dishifu Road in the west, and traverses Baohua Road and Wenchang Road, about 1200 meters in total length. There are over 300 shops in this district. It is the first pedestrian mall approved by the Ministry of Commerce of China in Guangzhou. Its daily traffic is as high as 600000 person-times. You’d better not look down on this small street, for it is a collection of Lingnan architectural culture, Lingnan dietary culture and Lingnan folk customs.
 
Terrance architecture is constructed to bestride the sidewalk and form a pedestrian corridor, adapted to the heaven-rain and high-temperature subtropical climate in Guangzhou especially. In addition, shops within the sidewalk are convenient to open wide the door to receive customers. Existing Xiguan terrace architecture is a mix of Chinese style and western style in the end of Qing Dynasty and beginning of the Republic of China (1912-1949), combining Chinese Manchurian window, parapet wall, grille window and fencing with western exterior decorative pattern and cast-iron grille balcony.
 
Bars in Guangzhou
 
Bars are mostly found on three streets: Bai-er-tan, Huan-shi-dong Lu and Yanjiang Lu. On Bai-er-tan Lu you will find buildings of European styles. The street is uniformly planned and presents unique scenery that cannot be found elsewhere where in the country. On Huan-shi-dong Lu and Yanjiang Lu stand about 30 bars. What those bars provide for customers is attractive prices and high quality. Moreover, convenient transportation can take you there easily.
 
Article Info
Title: Introducing Beijing
Author: Johnping
Last updated: 12/13/2013
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