Guangzhou for foreigners

Guangzhou is the capital of Cantonese food and the oldest of China's four first-tier cities. Most travelers spend 2-3 days and find the city is a different China than Beijing or Shanghai — the language (Cantonese), the food (lighter, seafood-forward, breakfast-led), and the pace (hot, humid, business-like) all break the stereotype.\n\nThree things put Guangzhou on the map for foreign visitors: the morning tea culture (yum cha, 饮茶) where you spend 90 minutes over bamboo baskets of dumplings; the Shamian Island colonial-era enclave where the European consulates lived; and the Canton Tower, currently the world's third-tallest TV tower. It's also noticeably cheaper than Hong Kong or Macau — you can do a comfortable 2 days here for ¥1,500-2,500 ($210-350) per person, and a Michelin-starred dim sum lunch runs ¥80-150.