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Dongguan is located in the middle part of Guangdong Province in South China occupying a pivotal position in the industrial region of the Pearl River Delta. Its boundaries stretch from Guangzhou in the North to ZhongShan in the West and Shenzhen in the South comprising a total of 32 towns. Dongguan is 50 kilometers away from Guangzhou, 90 kilometers from Hong Kong (47 sea miles away from Hong Kong by ferry) and a mere 25 minutes train journey from Shenzhen's central railway station. It is well served with airports (Guangzhou and Hong Kong plus Shenzhen for internal flights), railways, ports and buses routes. Unless you get a kick out of boundless extensions of factories and choca-block buildings landscapes. Dongguan is no leisure and tourist spot! In recent years, golf courses, KTVs and saunas, massage parlors (some of the biggest ones have palatial dimensions and employ several hundred masseuses) have been mushrooming to cater for the increasing population which now has reached well over 7 million. Historically, more than 150 years ago, the incineration of opium during the Opium War took place in HuMen (one of the 32 towns of DongGuan) which to many symbolized the beginning of China's modern history. HuMen was the historically recognized town where the opium trade into China was stopped by the local authorities and even today you can visit the fort and artilleries display which at the time protected the sea route into Guangzhou (Canton). Other local attractions include cultural sites dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties like the Keyuan Garden (one of the four most famous gardens in Guangdong Province), Jin'aozhou Pagoda, Yuan Chong Huan's former home of Ming dynasty and the Huangqi Ancient Temple of the Song Dynasty. As far as hotels and entertainment, there are two 5-stars hotels here. The Lung Chuen Hotel (0769) 518 8688 offers activities like bowling, clubbing, etc. and also has a reasonably good jazz bar. For burgers you should visit Kansas City at the Grand Noble Hotel (0769) 511 7888, the other 5-star hotel) for good "American" food served by great-looking women dressed up in "cowboy" gear. Moving East we reach Chang An town where, at the 5 stars Hayatt Hotel (no, it is not a spelling mistake!), you would be impressed to find a "real" Italian restaurant with a real Italian chef, try the pasta dishes and the excellent buffet. The pub next door is quite nice to unwind too. Bono Italian restaurant (behind Park and Shop in ChangAn city) is also very good especially for its pasta and appetizers. Mekong River Restaurant in Liao Bu is probably the nicest Vietnamese restaurant in the area, beef brisket and spring rolls are real delicacies there! When it comes to bars and hangouts, China Grove (300 meters from the Silverland Hotel, DongGuan city (0769) 281 8888) probably deserves the winners trophy in all DongGuan! It has a great live band (except Mondays) after 9 pm and lots of foreigners hang out there. Slightly expensive, but everything is of high quality including its pizzas! Chino Latino (Italian/Mexican) 50 meters from China Grove (same side, second floor) also boasts excellent food with a Jazzsinger. Uncle Wing's Pizza (Guantai Avenue, across from the Silverland Hotel) and the less expensive Tommy's Steak House and Bar (Guantai Avenue Next to the Guangcaicheng Hotel) have good Western food in a friendly environment. Also try Rhineheart Castle (DongGuan Hotel, right in the heart of the City); a good selection of items on the menu (including steaks and seafood) and the atmosphere is good enough for entertaining your guests. |
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