Matthew Jellick

With travel options seemingly diminishing by the day, and the choice for me to go home to California to see my family having been taken away for nearly a year now, I have been visiting the city of Guangzhou more and more often, using it as a quick and easy change of pace from the daily grind in Shenzhen.

Located only about 30 minutes away by high-speed rail, Guangzhou, or Canton, is the capital of Guangdong Province, with a history that stretches back thousands of years, yet which today showcases the continued development of China. With tall skyscrapers overlooking historic villages, Guangzhou can be seen as a contrast of sorts, yet upon closer examination, reveals itself to work quite harmoniously, providing insight into how yesterday shapes tomorrow.

Guangzhou mirrors Shenzhen in a lot of respects, and for myself as a foreigner, offers many of the same comforts I can find here. From craft beer to Mexican food, I never have trouble locating either, with a diverse expat community making the most of the geopolitical location of the Pearl River Delta. Even my time spent living in Ethiopia is sustained, with the city’s “Little Africa” offering the rich foods and culture I became familiar with in the Great Rift Valley.

Similarly, the local Cantonese cuisine also is a draw, with each visit being punctuated with dim sum from a new local joint, those unassuming places pulling me in for new culinary experiences.

Many of the people I meet in Shenzhen have a close relationship with Guangzhou, having gone to a university, worked, or even lived there. It is this relationship and — by extension — Hong Kong, which makes up the Greater Bay Area and puts it on the global map in terms of economic prowess. However, it is not the hustle and bustle which draws me there, rather, the deeper and more complex history it brings as opposed to the rather new city of Shenzhen in which I live.

On a recent visit, I took a bicycle tour of the city — from old to new — seeing parts which I otherwise wouldn’t be drawn to. On a trip before that, I still remember seeing the lights of the city dance before me like cosmic beams, proliferating from the buildings trying to emanate modernity. Too many times to count, I have had new adventures in Guangzhou, with both local and international friends, each visit a great experience.

I hope that there is no last visit to this incredible city, and being only a stones-throw away from Shenzhen, it is possible to continue to visit often. And because of continued travel restrictions, I am grateful to have close access to a place which is so similar yet so different.