3 days in Guangdong

Day three:

During the third day of your trip, take a trip to Shenzhen, which has been on the frontlines of China's reform and opening-up. In the morning, spend an hour and a half shopping on Chung Ying Street on the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

After shopping, spend an hour at Meridian View Center, an iconic building in Shenzhen and the first skyscraper-themed scenic spot in Asia. Numerous Chinese and foreign heads of state, political figures, and people from all walks of life have unanimously given the spot a thumbs-up. In the afternoon, take a bullet train to Guangzhou and continue your trip.

Food tips:

As one of the Eight Culinary Traditions of Chinese Cuisine, Cantonese Cuisine is characterized by its great diversity of ingredients, elaborate preparation methods, and strong emphasis on texture, aroma and taste.

A photo of Cantonese dim sums. [Photo provided to govt.chinadaily.com.cn]

A day in Guangzhou begins with morning tea, one of the highlights of traditional Cantonese culture. The iconic five-star city resort in the historic heart of Guangzhou, the White Swan Hotel offers the best morning tea and Cantonese food in Guangdong. The most delicious item on the menu is shrimp dumplings, which is a must-order morning tea snack for most overseas returnees.

A shrimp dumpling should have 12 pleats and steam for just five minutes to make the skin semi-transparent. The stuffing is made with whole shrimp and served with a small amount of fat pork, and adding just the right amount of pepper can make it taste even better.

If you want to try the most authentic Cantonese dim sums, go to the Guangzhou Restaurant, located on No 2 Wenchang Road, Liwan district, Guangzhou.

Known as the "Top Restaurant in Guangzhou", the restaurant represents the finest Cantonese cuisine, and has also inherited the traditional Cantonese-style teahouse culture with first-class morning tea. The best Cantonese food here includes Bamboo Shoots and Crystal Shrimp Dumplings and Supreme Abalone Sauce Cha Siu Baa.

Quxi Restaurant is a well-known old-fashioned garden-themed restaurant in Guangzhou. It is next to the beautiful Liwan Lake Park and was designed by famous Chinese architect Mo Bozhi. The restaurant combines the characteristics of Lingnan Garden with the essence of its decorative art: the restaurant is adorned with a rockery fish pond, curved gallery, lake heart peninsula restaurant, and boat-like buildings providing seafood. Famous foods include rabbit-shaped shrimp dumplings, ginger-flavored chicken feet, and water chestnut cake.