Poor, misunderstood Guangzhou

So there I was, in a taxi with one of my colleagues. We were discussing the merits of Beijing and Shanghai, something of which I touched on earlier but hope to explore more fully in the future.  He said he loves Beijing, and wants to live in Shanghai following the Olympics because he loves it there, too.  "Have you been to Guangzhou?" I asked.  "No. I have no desire to go there.  It's unsafe," was the reply. It's a common answer.

The thing is, everybody knows about Beijing and Shanghai, and the third member of the "big Chinese city" clique seems to always get left out: Guangzhou.

Ever since I arrived in Beijing I tend to ask if people have been there.  "No" is the usual response.  That's usually followed by horror stories of wallets and bags being stolen, people being cut with knives, and general violence. There are then some digs at the Cantonese and Cantonese language, and their perceived poor ability in Putonghua. Odd that such descriptions come from people who have never been there.

Just before I made the move south, my old boss at China Radio International, Xu Huazhen, regaled me with horror stories about Guangzhou.  I was excited to be moving onto a new job, and I ran into her in the hallway.  

 "Have you ever been to Guangzhou?" I asked.

"Yes... it's awful!  They eat such strange things down there, they are dirty, and it's very unsafe.  You won't like it at all."

I must admit I can't remember her exact words, but they are very close to the ones I've written above, and exact in spirit. Nonetheless, these weren't exactly the reassuring words I was looking for ahead of my big move.

I'm not sure how such a vile image of Guangzhou came about.  What I do know, is that these stereotypes of different regions in China are just as strong, no matter which region you're talking about.  Engage a Bejinger about Shanghai, or vice versa, and you will hear a torrent of criticisms and generalizations about the other.  Guangzhou people are no different. Anyone outside of Guangdong, I was told, is referred to as a laobi, or butlau, in Cantonese.  And the people in Dongbei are apparently the worst and most uncivilized.

Anyway, I could yammer on all day about stereotypes, but the point of this post is to give a much needed defense to one of China's great historic cities, a cultural mecca, China's wealthiest city, and my former home: Guangzhou.

First, some admissions: Guangzhou is probably slightly more dangerous than other places.  I base this on one fact: even people in Guangzhou told me so.  During my time in Guangzhou, I witnessed one purse-snatching. In Beijing or Shanghai, I saw zero. Although some of my friends had their cell phones and digital cameras stolen (both in Beijing). On personal account, Guangzhou doesn't seem any more or less dangerous. That being said, maybe avoid the San Yuan Li area if you can. Guangzhou residents tell me the crime is largely committed by migrants from nearby Hunan.

Now that that's out of the way, here are the other things I experenced:

• Superb southern charm - like elsewhere in China, the Cantonese people are proud of their heritage and are keen to help others and welcome them to their community.
• A rich history - Mao himself taught at a school in Guangzhou.  It was China's trading gateway for nearly 100 years during the Qing dynasty when all the other ports were closed.  It has a strong western influence.
• Weather - tropical.  Need I say more? Pollution not nearly as bad as Beijing, nor as dry. Sunshine, palm trees, and lots of outdoor swimming pools were the order of the day. I had to turn off my air conditioner in December and January. It dipped down to around 10 degrees in those months.
  
• Scenery - The banks of the mighty Pearl River have been revitalized. Each night visitors are treated to a laser-light show complete with music accompaniment (a ripoff from Hong Kong, I know). The water has also been cleaned up, and there's hardly any debris or litter that remains.  The Mayor of Guangzhou swam across the river last summer to prove its cleanliness (a bit of a stretch, I admit).
  
• City planning - Unlike Beijing, where historic buildings are being torn down to make way for the new and modern, Guangzhou is keeping its heritage.  The colonial buildings along the Pearl River and the beautiful European architecture on Shamian Island are tributes to the city's past. New business areas, instead of being built on top of these iconic spots, are being moved to either Tianhe or Pearl River New City.
• Cantonese language - I must admit, after living in Beijing previously, I was adverse to trying to learn a new language.  Those that speak both (and I admit, people that speak both are heavily Cantonese) claim Cantonese is much richer in substance and more pleasing to the ear. Since moving to Shanghai, and now Beijing, when I hear someone speaking Cantonese it brings back warm memories.
• Practical people - The Cantonese aren't concerned with politics, and while "saving face" is important all over China, it seems less-so in the south. They get things done, seem to be more efficient, and are more open (possibly due to its location near Hong Kong).
• Geographical location - Okay, I know in Shanghai I could visit Hangzhou and Nanjing.  I know there are other places.  Beijing?  Perhaps Tianjin?  What else is up here? In Guangzhou, it was, at most, 2 hours to some of the country's great cities or up-and-coming tourist destinations. Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zhuhai, Macao, and Hong Kong. I've omitted the smaller cities, but let's just say I visited some beautiful beach resorts, hot springs, and tropical locales only an hour outside of Guangzhou.
• Cantonese culture - which is a lot different from northern Chinese culture. During Chinese New Year, I must have received 60 red envelopes filled with money. Their eating customs are different, too: When we ate hot pot, they were disgusted that I put my chopsticks into the broth. They explained that the practise was dirty and could spread germs (obviously), and that nobody does that in Canton.  They use the spoon to dig out the bounty - ALL the time.

Do they eat weird things in Guangzhou?  Sure.  But I didn't eat anything too strange when I was there (except for a frog's ovaries, but that's for another post). The rural residents in Guangdong insist on eating civit cats, peacocks, and other animals. But they are looked down upon by the sophisticated city-folk.

The bottom line is Guangzhou is not one giant horror story.  It's one of China's great cities (much older and more cultured than Shanghai, Shenzhen, or Hong Kong, for example). It is the heart of Cantonese culture, a culture which has spread its wings around the entire globe. It also lies in the heart of China's wealthiest province, also known as the workshop of the world.

I wrote an article in the Times Colonist a while back that talked about how south China is the most exciting region in the country.  Even after having lived in Shanghai and returned to Beijing, which is preparing for the Olympics, I can't be more sure of what I wrote.