The Other Side of China in Guangzhou

Many equate China with sightseeing and the rich tapestry of its culture, and rightly so. But more and more, various locations in the Sleeping Giant have become popular as shopping destinations. Let's go to Guangzhou, where you can shop till you drop...and get up to shop some more.

Guangzhou is clearly a shopper's paradise. There's loads to buy and plenty to eat. Just make sure you bring enough money.

I stayed at a dingy hotel, being strapped for cash. It didn't boast of anything, except its price. I'd suggest you stay somewhere else! But it does serve its purpose if you're just looking for a place to lay your head down after being on the move the whole day.

A popular tourist haunt is Beijing Road, which you will naturally gravitate towards. It bustles from morning till late into the night but it's best to go there after dark, because the beauty of the street, with its distinct personality, is accentuated by the lights of the sidewalks and the shops.

Here, enjoy the antics of the locals as they try to tempt you with their wares. In particular, keep an eye - and nose - out for the Chinese equivalent of satay - scorpion-on-a-stick! Mmmm! Well, I didn't try that, but the barbequed shellfish and scrumptious sour-and-spicy noodles had me going for seconds (and thirds). Imagine rows and rows of unknown shellfish laid out in front of you...a seafood lover's nirvana!

Guangzhou has also been gaining popularity for its obscenely inexpensive (dirt, dirt cheap) wedding gowns and suits. With that on her mind, I was reluctantly dragged along by my other half to the bridal gown shops. This was a definite hint, but one I was not falling for!

However, it was a real eye-opener to walk around the shops; the prices had my jaw hitting the ground time and again! Imagine a wedding gown for as low as RM70 to 80! Of course they had the expensive stuff as well, but let's make a comparison: the rental for a wedding gown is as much as RM800 in Malaysia. That's 10 times the price you would pay to buy one in Guangzhou!

Asking around, I found out that a groom's suit would set you back an average of just RM300. Heck, getting a ready-made suit from any average shop would cost RM600 at home. This place is definitely top of my list of places to go when I want to get married.

After the exhaustive sampling of the wedding paraphernalia we headed back to the hotel. Looking for other places to visit, I chatted up some locals, who brought up the topic of pets. This led to the discovery of market selling almost every pet imaginable - fish, turtles, dogs, birds, insects... anything and everything that walks, flies, swims, slithers and crawls!

The Ye Xiu Yu Niao Hua Choong market truly lives up to its name. it doesn't just boast good bargains, but also stocks a big - no gargantuan - selection of pets and accessories. I'm not Chinese expert, but I believe it translates into "Wildlife Fish Bird Flower Insect Market." You can spend days trawling through the shops if you are a pet lover, which I am.

From the moment I stepped into the first shop, it felt as though I had died and gone to heaven. It's quite impossible to name all the species of animals available here. Some of them are outright bizarre, and I doubt any zoo in the world houses such a wide variety of organisms.

The market consists of small booths, with little more than goldfish and bowls, to huge shops occupying multiple lots. You'll find Orandas, Ranchus, Ryukins, Pearscales - you name it, you'll find it here. I also found some very rare breeds of pedigree dogs. Imagine stumbling on an old English sheepdog in Guangzhou! I also came across some rather add-looking wild rodents, which looked rather cute.

There seems to be an understanding between the shops, as each has its own house brand of equipment and pet foods, and rarely do they overlap. So, you can imagine the astounding number of brands available.

Unfortunately, my other half is not as passionate about pets, so the foray into the market was a relatively short one (about six hours). Having found this exciting market, my next holiday destination has been decided - it shall be Guangzhou again!

Guangzhou has much to offer the traveling couple with cash to spare. Although, understandably, you might just want to go sightseeing, it would really be a sin not to buy something, especially when everything is so darn cheap.