Guangdong Tourism MIA, Guangzhou Still Jam-Packed. Make It Make Sense!
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To be honest with you, Guangzhou used to not be the top choice for a tourist destination.
- Back then, every Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, Guangzhou pretty much became an empty city because most people would return home to celebrate with their families.
- But this year! Everywhere is full of people!
Every day on Xiaohongshu (an app where people share their life experiences and vent), I see all kinds of posts disapproving of Guangzhou:
- From Chimelong Paradise (a huge theme park)...
- To bus route 107 (no idea what’s going wrong with that particular line)...
- As well as small narrow streets everywhere, it’s all filled with complaints. It really makes my head hurt.
It took me two days just thinking about it, wanting to go to the Guangzhou Zoo (which we locals call “Guang Dòng”) to see “Di Di” (probably a famous animal there), but I couldn’t even muster up the courage to venture out and face all the crowded crowds.
Today it's even more extreme, with tourists even posting that we locals should make room for out-of-town visitors to travel.
I feel like rolling my eyes! We locals are already hesitating to go out.
️ Warning for those planning to visit Guangzhou ️- Crowd Warning: If you plan on visiting Guangzhou during public holidays like Spring Festival, be sure to mentally prepare yourself! Hot spots as well as daily public transportation might be incredibly crowded. This is totally different from the empty Guangzhou during previous SPring Festivals.
- Holiday Activities may be less enjoyable: Due to large crowds, places like Chimelong Park and the zoo, will have longer wait times and the overall experience may falter. Consider pre-viewing local feedback online, such as on Xiaohongshu, or reconsider visiting off-season.
- Approach complaints with a light heart: Online complaints might be triggered by overcrowding and high expectations. Guangzhou still holds rich flavors to taste and spots to explore despite the busy holiday season. Keep a relaxed attitude during your trip.
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Everyone who's been here basically promotes it for you. I just got back and I'm already itching to go again.
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What sights in Guangzhou make you want to come back for more?
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Just bringing the kids to see if they'd fancy working or living here in the future.
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Hahahahahaha, that's hilarious!
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I'm planning to visit after the Chinese New Year when everyone's back at work. Ever since I was a kid, I've loved watching Cantonese food documentaries like 'A Bite of Guangdong' and 'Searching for Shunde's Flavors' – they truly make your mouth water. Our own Suzhou TV station even airs Cantonese food documentaries every night.
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Smart move! A lot of small shops only reopen after the New Year. Enjoy your food tour!
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Let me think... what's really special is seeing lush green trees even in winter. It's a refreshing change of pace when you come from a snow-covered place. The weather's been warming up lately, around 10-20°C, so you don't need heavy clothes. Guangdong is absolutely packed with greenery, and the air quality is top-tier. You can see the sea if you want, there's tons of food, and many plants and trees unique to the Lingnan region, like those tall, straight coconut trees – they're quite a sight. Plus, no visa needed, Mandarin works fine, no special SIM card for data, you can read menus in Chinese characters, and it's just a few hours from north to south. Way less hassle than preparing for a trip abroad.
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Guangdong isn't a foreign country; it's 100% Chinese territory. If you're talking like that, then Sanya, Hainan, Guangxi, and Fujian could also fit the bill.
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I get a headache just seeing the crowds at Yongqing Fang, which is right behind my house.
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Alright, alright, we know you live near Yongqing Fang!
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Every night on the CCTV-9 documentary channel, there's a Chimelong commercial.
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Chimelong is a 5A-rated tourist attraction. The main reason people complain about Chimelong is because it's expensive...
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+1, I'm wondering the same! They insist on coming and then they complain. Don't they realize other people are on holiday too? They act like everyone else should be busy with New Year visits, and only they get to 'travel'? You should expect to be overcharged if you travel during public holidays! Just don't come back again, go back to wherever you came from!!
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I just saw another post where someone was complaining about an extra service charge. They're really finding fault with everything. People like that honestly shouldn't bother coming in the future.
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Just a heads-up: when people talk about 'empty city' in past years, they're referring to 2020, 2021, and 2022, not 2019 and earlier when Guangdong locals loved going on road trips to surrounding areas.
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That's not right, it was pretty empty even before the pandemic.
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It feels like there isn't much promotion, but wow, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chaoshan are all super crowded.
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For Chaoshan, it's likely many people from surrounding cities go there, since it's famous for its food.
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Never mind outsiders complaining, even us locals are fed up. We don't even dare to go for yum cha these days, scared of being accused of 'competing' with the tourists for tables!