I recently visited Guangzhou with a friend and stopped at Huacheng Square, Canton Tower, and Grandview Mall. The weather was not particularly good, but we still walked more than 30,000 steps.
Huacheng Square sits beside the skyline of Zhujiang New Town. Near Grandview Mall, an older urban village offers a very different view: through the narrow gap between two old buildings, you can see the high-rises beyond.
The city's pace, young people arriving to look for opportunities, and crowded subway trains made the strongest first impression on me. I hope the people living in these older neighborhoods, still carrying their hopes for the future, find a place where those hopes can take shape.
Travel tip: when I visited, subway stations sold a RMB 20 one-day pass for unlimited rides over 24 hours. Check the current fare and coverage before buying. The metro reaches many of the places a visitor is likely to explore.
Adapted from the original Chinese article, published on August 27, 2026.
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