Jane Lai

AS the 2010 Asian Games opens today in Guangzhou, the city is expecting droves of visitors. The capital of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou is one of the five national central cities and the third-largest city in China. The key transportation hub and trading port has a population of over 10 million and is home to a number of popular attractions. If you are visiting the city for the sports event, try to pay a visit to the following places for a modern look at the 2,200-year-old city.

Canton Tower

Canton Tower, also known as Guangzhou TV and Sightseeing Tower, is a 600-meter-high construction near Chigang Pagoda. It was topped-out in 2009 and became operational in September for the Asian Games. It is the second-tallest building in the world after Burj Dubai in Dubai.

Admission: 50 yuan/head for 32 stories (162.8 meters), 100 yuan/head for 66 stories (339.6 meters) and 150 yuan/head for 84 stories (433.2 meters)

Add: Yiyuan Road, Haizhu District

Transport: Take Metro Line 3 to Chigang Pagoda Station, Exit B, and walk less than 200 meters towards east. Or take 121, 121A, 131, 131A, 131B or 204 to Chigang Pagoda stop and walk 400 meters

Guangdong Museum

Work on the 900-million-yuan Guangdong Museum finished this year and opened in May.

Designed by Rocco Design Architects Co., the museum resembles a treasure box and showcases history, nature and art halls.

It covers an area of 66,980 square meters and has a collection of over 130,000 exhibits.

Admission: Free

Add: 2 Zhujiang Road East, Pearl River New Town, Tianhe District

Transport: Take Metro Line 3 to Pearl River New Town Station and take Exit B1

Guangzhou Opera House

Guangzhou Opera House has become the biggest performance center in South China and is one of the three biggest theaters in the nation alongside Beijing’s National Theater and Shanghai’s Shanghai Grand Theater. May 2010 saw a production of Puccini’s “Turandot,” which had in previous years been considered controversial in China.

The structure was designed by international architect Zaha Hadid.

Admission: 30 yuan/head, 24 yuan/head for groups of at least 50

Time: Closed on Mondays

Add: 1 Zhujiang Road West, Pearl River New Town, Tianhe District

Transport: Take Metro Line 3 to Pearl River New Town Station and take Exit B1

Guangzhou West Tower

The Guangzhou West Tower is a super-tall skyscraper blanketed by thousands and thousands of LED lights shining red, yellow, green, purple and blue.

The 432-meter-tall 110-story structure is part of the Guangzhou Twin Towers complex. It is the second-tallest building on the Chinese mainland and the seventh tallest in the world.

Designed by London-based Wilkinson Eyre Architects, it is the most expensive commercial building in Guangzhou, with a rental value of 260 yuan per square meter.

Admission: Free

Add: CBD, Pearl River New Town, Tianhe District

Transport: Take Metro Line 3 to Pearl River New Town Station and take Exit B1