Despite its reputation as “strictly business,” Guangzhou provides some rare opportunities for sightseeing. Two modern monuments face each other across the Pearl River: the iconic “twist” of the Canton Tower and the renowned “double pebble” Opera House designed by Zaha Hadid. Steps from the Opera House, find the graphic façade of the provincial Guangdong Museum which houses engrossing exhibits of porcelain, calligraphy and woodcarving. The extraordinary Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King exhibits 2,000-year-old treasures in a meandering structure constructed right on the downtown site where the Han Dynasty tomb was discovered in 1983.

It’s worth a pleasant stroll around Shamian Island, the original foreign outpost, to see the preserved colonial buildings and to watch people practicing ballroom dance in its shady riverside park. Another pleasant outing is a visit to the seven green hills and three lakes of Yuexiu Park in the center of town. The park is crowned by the city’s landmark Zhenhai Tower, which presents a museum of artifacts as you climb to the view from the top. Yuexiu is also the location of the Five Rams sculpture, an important symbol of the city.