guangzhou

[-AC-]

anyone know how the shopping is in guangzhou , china? any areas or shops i should keep an eye out for?

[xcoldricex]

normal shopping areas aren't great. you have to find the wholesalers. then you've struck gold. guangzhou = my favorite city to shop in, in china.

[todesengel]

Yep, wholesalers are where its at in Guangzhou. The main drag is kinda fun too, but not really great shopping, you have to hunt. If you want shopping, just take the train to HK, only a few hours away.

[zoire]

hmm. sounds interesting. so where would i be finding these wholesalers?

[CactusArmy]

yeah where are these wholesalers? sorry for digging up an old thread but i'm really curious~

[roundhouse]

guangzhou is much cheaper than hk.

hk has more shops that sell real designer stuff and flagship stores,

but if ur gonna get any knock offs like handbags, dior homme, n(n) etc.. buy it in guang zhou

also bargain and haggle with the price especialy if u look foreign

[todesengel]

yeah where are these wholesalers? sorry for digging up an old thread but i'm really curious~

There are a shitload near the train station, but they are scattered all over the city.

[CactusArmy]

I heard the train station is dangerous though, heapsa stabbings and shootings.

[xcoldricex]

yep, its dangerous.

[todesengel]

Yea the whole area is really fucking shady. But if you go during the day, you'll probably be fine. Don't carry anything valuable on you.

[CactusArmy]

so basically all the wholesalers are in the dangerous ghettos?

[todesengel]

It is an almost universal fact that areas surrounding train stations are crime ridden. That said, it isn't like GZ doesn't have massive crowds of people EVERYWHERE, so if you go during the day, I doubt someone is gonna stab/shoot you in the middle of a huge crowd (they will pickpocket you though, GZ is known for that). Just don't be a dumb tourist (i.e. camera on the neck, screaming in english, fanny pack, etc) and don't go exploring dark alleys, you should be fine.

Side note: The first time I was in Guangzhou, I went looking around for a few hours to get a feel for the city, and I ended up walking around in some of the back alley areas near where I was staying. I eventually stumbled on the wet market (where all the restaurants buy their meat/veggies), and I saw some shit that I wish I hadn't seen. I thought I was all desensitized to food preparation related stuff, but god damn. I didn't eat anything non-packaged for 2 days after that.

[jasperketone]

there are wholesale malls for watches and purses, fabric, clothing, fur and leather, and so on. your hotel can probably hook you up with a driver that can take you there. there is a street by the river that has a lot of shops with knock offs. if you have a connection you can hit up the higher grade knock off place in the alleys. a lot of koreans are behind those stores.

[xcoldricex]

I eventually stumbled on the wet market (where all the restaurants buy their meat/veggies), and I saw some shit that I wish I hadn't seen. I thought I was all desensitized to food preparation related stuff, but god damn. I didn't eat anything non-packaged for 2 days after that.

haha what'd you eat that was packaged?

[todesengel]

haha what'd you eat that was packaged?

Shitty bread buns from convinience stores and delicious yogurt drinks, so I basically didn't eat for two days. I eventaully came to accept that all of the food I was eating had potentially been dragged through the mud in a burlap sack at some point prior to it being cooked. Once that happened, I experienced the fantastic culinary experience that is mainland China.

[xcoldricex]

haha. and i read in some chinese paper that they found out that some of the lamb kebobs sold on the street were actually cats i'm not kidding.

[CactusArmy]

mmmm cats...

[DaBestSpoona]

damn and that is why HK peeps hate mainlanders

[todesengel]

haha. and i read in some chinese paper that they found out that some of the lamb kebobs sold on the street were actually cats i'm not kidding.

When I was in Singapore the year before I went to China, there was a big scandal about some big bottled water company in Beijing getting all their water from sewage runoff. Always a fun time traveling in Asia

[Vitamian]

There was also some controversy over baby food containers being made out of recycled medical waste.

[home]

so, i've got a buddy living in guangzhou and i'm kind of expected to visit at some stage. how long might i stay for? as in, what's there to do in guangzhou and surrounds? beyond hopping over to HK for a few nights, which i most certainly will be doing.

also, weather in december is pretty reasonable, right? unlike beijing..

[mydenvermax]

Guangzhou is crazy, watch your back, it's one of the only places in asia where I've felt unsafe, even in broad daylight.

[034936]

The only things that stick in my mind from guangzhou was bomb food (some of the best ive ever had) and a prevalence of very upfront hookers.

[home]

Guangzhou is crazy, watch your back, it's one of the only places in asia where I've felt unsafe, even in broad daylight.

forreal? i dun wanna hear that.

The only things that stick in my mind from guangzhou was bomb food (some of the best ive ever had) and a prevalence of very upfront hookers.

hmmm, an okay city then? any worthwhile shopping? not interested in shenzhen-esque malls..

5 days too much? perhaps i should just shoot through to HK.

[cchen]

hmmm, an okay city then? any worthwhile shopping? not interested in shenzhen-esque malls..

5 days too much? perhaps i should just shoot through to HK.

i lived in GZ for a month for this this past year. GZ sucks. Food is amazing, but there's nothing at all to do. I'd spend a day or two there and the rest of your time in HK

Edited November 30, 2011 by cchen

[lestat]

plenty of things to do.... saunas, karaoke... or take a short ride out to DG and have some fun

[eggshell]

what is dg

[mydenvermax]

guessing dongguan, but i'm not sure what kind of fun could be had in dg that couldn't be had in gz. never been. maybe cheaper whores and massages? kinda curious now

[dddr]

food is great, don't bother with shopping, the art museum is probably, probably worth a visit, there's not much to be fairly honest however, i'm a big fan of the city's night life,

3 days, enough.

[eggshell]

dddr and others, what places are good night life wise? last time i went out i was in grade 9 (14? bbahaha) and i haven't been back of my own accord since (only with family) but would like to