Guangzhou & Shenzhen

Guangzhou (known also as Canton) is a big, modern town, which would resemble any other Chinese town if it wasn't for the Pearl River and the narrow side streets, where you can still enjoy markets that sell medicinal herbs, dried insects, live scorpions and other strange ingredients. Unfortunately it is only a matter of time and also these neighbourhoods will be transformed into modern, commercial areas...

Shamian Dao, the "colonial district" on an island on the Pearl River is quite disappointing, artificial and touristic as it is. A much more interesting spot is the fish market right around the corner of it, where you can see almost anything that swims on sale.

Shenzhen Special Economic Zone is the creation of Deng Xiao Ping: a very modern, young town that didn't even exist 20 years ago. It's the commercial/economical capital of Southern China, just a breeze from Hong Kong.

Chinese say that people in the South will eat anything that has legs but isn't a table and anything that flies but isn't an airplane. Shenzhen's markets are a proof of that. Cats, deers, snakes, roditors, pigeons, civets (in the news lately, for their presumed association with SARS), porcupines and herons are on sale next to the less exotic chickens, turtles and ducks. The most funny thing was to observe how pigeons were "inflated", being forced to gulp down a mysterious mixture (see pics).

click on a picture to enlarge it / clicca sulle foto per ingrandirle

Guangzhou