Things to Do in China

Just as visitors to Las Vegas pay big money to watch “The Blue Man Group” or “Cirque du Soleil,” so too do visitors to Macau cram themselves into the City of Dreams casino for an evening showing of the “The House of Dancing Water.” Unabashedly referring to itself as one of the greatest shows on Earth, after producers and investors poured over $250 million into the creation of the show the end result is a performance which obliterates any live performance or sensory experience you’ve ever experienced. Handcrafted and created by Franco Dragone, a veteran Las Vegas show maker during the 1990s, the House of Dancing Water has sculpted a storyline and series of effects specifically designed to be infectious and engaging for mainland Chinese visitors and foreign guests alike.

While the holograms, special effects and state of the art sound and lighting are empowering components to the show, one of the most striking inclusions is the integration of a 3.7 million gallon swimming pool into the overall stage. The equivalent of five Olympic swimming pools, the aquatic element of the show is fused with aerial stunts, acrobatics and classic elements of theater which sculpt a love story ranking as arguably the best overall show in Macau. Despite the high price of admission and the fact that it’s performed inside of a casino, the House of Dancing Water is nevertheless a family-friendly event where kids and adults alike are entranced by the shimmering lights and the jaw-dropping stunts which literally take place by the minute.

Perched on the southern slope of Guangzhou’s Yuexiu Hill sits the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, a monument built in 1931 in honor of the Chinese revolutionary. A bronze statue of Sun Yat Sen was erected in front of the Memorial hall several years later in 1956.

Sun Yat Sen is best known as the father of the Republic of China (Taiwan), but he started his life in Guangzhou prefecture and later became involved with a group of revolutionaries in Hong Kong in the 1890s. After taking part in the First Guangzhou uprising against China’s Qing Dynasty in 1895, Sun spent several years in exile before returning and successfully overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in 1911.

The Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, a large, octagonal structure built in a traditional Chinese style, is primarily used for hosting performances, but the collection of photos and letters from Dr. Sun Yat Sen on display in one of the halls makes it well worth a visit.

The Tang Dynasty (roughly speaking the 7th to 9th centuries AD) was a highpoint in Xian’s long and illustrious history. If you don’t mind forgoing a little historical accuracy in the name of entertainment, the Tang Dynasty Dinner Show offers a nightly song-and-dance gala which evokes the color and spectacle of this golden age.

Traditional instruments set the musical scene, with choreography and costumes reflecting Xian’s openness to outside influence, situated as it was at the end of the Silk Road. Set pieces include the sensual Rainbow Costume Dance and the stirring Warriors’ Triumphal Dance. All of this is dished up with fine Chinese cuisine.

One of the oldest and most famous historic sites in Guangzhou, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees (Liurong Temple) was originally built in 537 AD to serve as a shrine for Buddhist relics from India. The temple grounds suffered from a series of fires during its first few hundred years, but most of the structures standing today date back to the eleventh century.

The temple got its current name when, in 1099, poet Su Dongpo commented on the temple’s courtyard banyan trees in a poem. While the actual banyan trees are long gone, the characters from Su Dongpo’s poem remain above the gateway to the temple.

The Temple of the Six Banyan Trees remains an active Zen Buddhist place of worship with some of the biggest and oldest Buddha statues in the province housed within the main temple hall. The temple’s 17-level flowering pagoda, where the Buddhist relics are stored, is one of the city’s most prominent and recognizable landmarks, and a visit to the top of the pagoda offers pleasant views of the surrounding temple grounds.

According to legend, Guangzhou was founded when five immortal beings, three men and two women, descended upon the city during the reign of King Yi in the Zhou Dynasty. The five celestial beings rode on top of rams and brought with them rice and the valuable knowledge of cultivation to help the people of the area avoid famine. The immortals then ascended back into the heavens, leaving behind the five celestial rams to protect the city.

In honor of the five immortals, the people of Guangzhou built the Temple of the Five Immortals (Wuxian Guan) in 1377 at the location of a footprint left behind by one of the beings. The Ming-style Taoist temple features a main hall just west of small pond in the shape of a foot.

Within the temple sits a large stone sculpture of the five immortals on their celestial rams (Five-Ram sculpture) and it is home to a huge bell tower dating back to the Ming Dynasty. The massive bronze bell can be heard through much of the city each time it rings.

The fishing village of Tai O, located on the western coast of Lantau Island, is known for its traditional culture and seafaring way of life. Once a bustling trade port, the village features stilt houses, seafood markets, and graded buildings that provide insight into a Hong Kong of the past, while its street food, cafes, and wildlife-watching boat tours keep it a popular destination  today.

The Basics

Gain comprehensive insight into Lantau on a tour that visits Tai O alongside other island attractions, including the Big Buddha and Ngong Ping 360. To really keep things hassle free, opt for a coach or private driver; you can also explore the scenic trails of Tai O and beyond on a hiking or walking tour. Optimize your chances of seeing wildlife, including this area’s famous Chinese white dolphins, on a tour that includes a boat trip from Tai O.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Tai O’s unique architecture, culture, and wildlife make it a must for wildlife lovers, photographers, and anyone interested in the territory’s history.
  
• Tours that offer round-trip transfers are the best bet for wheelchair-users, as the accessibility of public transport in the area can’t be guaranteed. Most local boat tours, for instance, aren’t wheelchair-accessible.
  
• Remember to bring cash and small change for the markets and street food stalls.
  

How to Get There

Tours that offer round-trip transfer are typically the most time-efficient way to visit the village. Bus no. 11 serves Tai O from Tung Chung, but that can take well over an hour. Visitors visiting by ferry can take bus no. 1 from Mui Wo Pier on the east side of the island, though this can take up to two hours. Bus no. 21 from Ngong Ping, which takes around 20 minutes, is the preferred route of most tours.

When to Get There

Tai O’s shops and stalls tend to close on rainy days. Weekends, meanwhile, can get very crowded in the village as locals and tourists pack the streets, so aim to visit on a clear weekday. Additionally, Tai O’s sunset views are considered some of the best on the island. Take advantage of tours that offer dinner by dusk—it’s a thoroughly relaxing experience.

Overnight in Tai O

Most people visit Tai O for just a few hours, but nightfall tends to bring an even deeper sense of calm to the picturesque village. For a relatively small area, Tai O is home to a fair range of hotels, hostels, and B&Bs; far from the skyscrapers and city traffic, overnight visitors can gain an entirely different perspective of life in Hong Kong.

This market in Kowloon’s Jordan district is best known for selling men’s clothing and accessories. The market starts at 2pm and really gets going around dusk, when the street is closed to vehicles and shoppers swarm into the street. The activity continues well into the evening.

More than a hundred stalls hung with colorful lights make up the main section of the market, offering jeans, shirts, pants, shoes, phones and watches. There are also some secondhand goods and antiques to be found. Like other street markets in Hong Kong, you’ll get better prices by bargaining.

The Temple Street market is particularly well known for its snacks and stand-up eateries, representing Hong Kong’s unique food culture. You’ll also find quite a few clinics near the market using traditional Chinese medicine for treating illnesses.