Guangzhou

Scenic Spots over the Pearl River

Appreciation of the beauty of the Pearl River is on the top of the list when tourists visit Guangzhou. With a total length of 2,129 km Pearl River, the Pearl River is the third largest river in China. In its path through Guangzhou City, there is a huge rock island in the center of the river with a smooth and bright surface like a pearl, named “Sea Pearl Rock’. The Pearl River got its name from this rock. There is another legend says there were a Persian businessman stole a priceless pearl from his State and came to Guangzhou to auction it. The Persian State sent lots of money to Guangzhou to buy the pearl. One the way to take the pearl back to Persian, the pearl fell into the river and turned into a huge shinning rock, hence the name “Pearl River”.

The Pearl River is actually the collective name for the four river systems in China - the West River, the North River , the East River and Liuxi River. The West River originates from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the North River and East River originate from Jiangxi Province, and Liuxi River originates from the Qixing Ridge at Conghua City. The four rivers joint together in Guangzhou before flowing to the South China Sea. Traditionally, people called the part of the river running through Guangzhou “the Pearl River”. The Pearl River was very wide about 2,000 years ago, reaching more than 2,000 meters vide, thus also called the ‘Pearl Sea’. The river gradually narrowed down over time, reaching 900 meters wide during the Song Dynasty, today it is only 180 meters wide.

There are ten bridges on the river – Renmin Bridge, Haizhu Bridge, Haiyin Bridge, Luoxi Bridge, the Pearl River Bridge, Guangzhou Bridge, Jiefang Bridge, Jiangwan Bridge, Huanan Bridge, Hedong Bridge, plus the Pearl River tunnel, all of which connect the south and north banks of the Pearl River and the Fangcun District. There are numerous hotels and commercial buildings on both sides of the river banks. During the night, the glamour of the lights reflects on river welcoming enthusiasm of the visitors.

Evening Cruise on The Pearl River

Evening cruise on the Pearl River is one of the tourist highlights in this southern city of Guangzhou. The sparkling lights reflecting on the jade-green water creates a magical atmosphere in the warm southern night. Night cruises usually start from the White Goose Pool and end at either the Guangzhou Bridge in the east or the White Crane Cave in the south. The cruises navigate through those beautiful ten bridges. The whole cruise usually takes about two hours. It’s truly a fascinating experience.