Taxifares are among China's most expensive, but taxis are still your best choice for getting around. Flagfall is ¥7 (90¢) including 2km (1 1/4 miles), then ¥2.60 (30¢) per kilometer up to 15km (9 miles), then 50% more. There are no extra nighttime charges, but beware the 5-to-7pm rush hour, which will add significantly to your costs. Themetrois the most convenient way to get through Guangzhou's heavy traffic but due to pathetic political wranglings, it completely misses many key areas of the city, notably the mainly Hong Kong-invested downtown area around The Garden Hotel. The useful line no. 1 (red on maps) passes Shamian Island (Huangsha Station) and two or three other major sights, ending up at Guangzhou East railway station. Line no. 2 (green) opened in 2003 and will eventually reach the current airport; it passes the main railway station and one or two useful hotels. A third line is scheduled to open in 2006 bringing the total distance covered to 37km (23 miles), but the mayor recently announced that he planned to have a whopping 255km (158 miles) of lines by 2010. Tickets cost ¥2 to ¥5 (25¢-65¢) according to the distance to be traveled, as shown on a color-coded sign above ticket machines. Stored-value cards allowing multiple journeys are also available from the metro station ticket desks. The system runs from around 6am to 11pm. Oddly, the metro stations are fairly well signposted, but the entrances are overly discreet. There are English on-board announcements. Ordinary buses charge a flat fare of ¥1 (15¢); newer air-conditioned versions charge a flat fare of ¥2 (25¢).
Visitor Information
Guangzhou supports several free magazines that tend to be more advertorial than useful information, obtainable from hotel lobbies and expat hangouts. They contain reviews of new restaurants, clubs, and bars (usually paid for), and intermittently accurate listings.That's Guangzhouis marginally better thanSouth China City Talk,but not much since the English owner was pushed out in a very hostile takeover by his greedy Chinese bean-counters.Guangzhou Todayis advertorials from cover to cover.
American Express(tel.020/8331-1311;fax 020/8331-1616) has a branch in the office building of the Guangdong International Hotel. It's open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm. For official tourist information, call tel.020/8668-7051;for complaints call tel.020/8667-8043;and for emergency rescue (!) call tel.020/8666-6330.
Fast Facts
Banks, Foreign Exchange & ATMs-- Most of the many branches of theBank of China(open 9am-noon and 2-5pm) have forex services and ATMs accepting foreign cards, including the branch inside The Garden Hotel and the nearby Friendship Store. But be prepared to wait. Nearly all banks now have a ticket system like you find at a cheese counter. Just take a number and wait your turn. There's a newly opened branch of theHongkong and Shanghai Bankat the front of The Garden Hotel on Huanshi Lu.
Consulates-- The consulate ofAustraliais in room 1509 in the main building of the Guangdong International Hotel (tel.020/8335-0909). The consulate ofCanadais in Suite 801, Wing C in the China Hotel (tel.020/8666-0569,ext. 0). TheU.K.consulate is on the second floor of the Guangdong International Hotel (tel.020/8335-1354). TheU.S.consulate is at Shamian Nan Lu 1 (tel.020/8121-8000). Onward visas forVietnamare available on the second floor of B Building North at the Landmark Hotel, Qiaoguang Lu 8 (tel.020/8330-5911); hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to noon and 2 to 5pm. Cambodia, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Poland, Thailand, and The Netherlands also have consulates in Guangzhou.
Internet Access-- There are Internet cafes everywhere but most of them are dark, dingy places populated by sad locals. A far cleaner alternative is on the second floor of the Guangzhou library, just outside the Lieshi Lingyuan subway stop. No smoking is allowed and the keyboards are still legible -- all for just ¥2 (25¢) per hour. Deposit is (¥50/$6.30); have your passport with you in case its requested. It's open Thursday to Tuesday (9am-5pm); on Wednesdays, you can head to the nearby Zhongshan library (Zhongshan Lu 4) instead. Dial-up is tel.163,or the faster tel.96169.
Post Office-- There's a useful post office (open Mon-Sat 9am-5pm) in San Jie on Shamian if you happen to be staying in that part of town, but for sending anything bulky, try the branch outside the old railway station, where both of the packing guys are extremely helpful and speak excellent English.
Visa Extensions-- ThePSBis at Jiefang Nan Lu 155 (tel.020/8311-5808;open Mon-Fri 8:50-11:30am and 2:30-5pm) at the corner of Dade Lu. Pick up an application form upstairs on floor M1 (open 8-11:15am and 2:20-4:45pm) then continue past various travel agencies mostly selling overseas travel to Chinese (air tickets from Guangzhou and Hong Kong airports) to the fourth floor, where there can be long queues. Extensions take five working days to obtain.