Hong Kong/Guangzhou - Day 5/Day1 (Canton Fair Complex - Parc Central)

My partner woke up at 3.30am with stomach discomfort. Luckily, he felt better in the morning. We check out from the Prudential Hotel at 8.30am. Our break in Hong Kong has come to an end, and it's time to get back to work in Guangzhou. The main reason we go to Guangzhou is to visit the Canton Fair in Pazhou. High-speed trains are the best way to travel from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. My partner purchased the train ticket from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station to Guangzhou East Railway Station using trip.com (RM 141.18 per person excluding the RM 17 booking fee). 

The Hong Kong West Kowloon Station is about 5 minutes drive (1.5km) from the hotel. However, we were unable to find an Uber ride there. We ended up asking the hotel staff to help us hail a taxi. He managed to get a taxi for us and he told us the base fare is HKD 27. But, when the taxi driver dropped us off at the B1 (ticketing concourse / departures) hall, he requested HKD 48. He told us that there are additional charges for bags, which cost HKD 8 a piece. We only have two cabin-sized luggage and a laptop bag. We were running late and didn't want to argue with the taxi driver. So I paid him HKD 50 and left.

We reached Hong Kong West Kowloon Station around 8.40am and asked one of the staff for directions. She informed us that we must exit at level B3 (departure concourse) and the immigration processing would take at least 45 minutes. Before taking the elevator to B3, we had to go through a document (passport) and luggage security check. Then, at B3 we have to go through a passport scanning machine. My passport could not be read by the scan machine. Therefore, I had to go to the manual verification booth instead. During verification, they asked for my Hong Kong arrival card. Luckily, I still have it with my passport.

Next, we must complete the China arrival card and pass through immigration, which includes scanning of our face, both four fingers on the left and right hand, and both thumbs. We have to go through another luggage security check before entering the departure hall. The lady was right. The whole immigration process took us almost 45 minutes. Finally, we arrived at the departure hall around 9.30am. During the immigration process, we noticed that several of the passengers were worried since they were unaware of the long process, and some even missed their train.

Our train departs at 9.54am and we have less than 10 minutes to spare. The boarding gate will open in 15 minutes and close in 5 minutes before the train departs. During the boarding process, they scan our passport again. Mine had an issue, and they checked our train tickets before letting us in.

Hong Kong taxi

Hong Kong West Kowloon Station

Hong Kong West Kowloon Station

Immigration department

Immigration department

China arrival card

Level B3 departure concourse

Departure hall

Address:

Hong Kong West Kowloon Station

Austin Rd W,

Jordan, Hong Kong

The train's seating layout is 3 + 2. My partner bought the first row, with him in the middle seat and me in the window seat. The train feels rather warm and the journey takes approximately 1 hour and 48 minutes. We didn't have time for breakfast since we were rushing through the immigration process.

The train makes four stops (Futian at 10.10am, Shenzhen Bei Railway Station at 10.17am, Dong Guan Nan at 10.36am and Chang Ping at 10.54am) before arriving at Guangzhou East Railway Station at 11.41am. When leaving the train station, we must also scan our passport. Ours couldn't scan through the machine and had to be manually verified. Many visitors encountered the same problem, so the locals became upset at us for taking so long on the machine and started yelling at us.

Train to Guangzhou

Walking towards the exit gate

Document verification before leaving the train station

Address:

Guangzhou East Railway Station

1, Dongzhan Lu,

Linhe Middle Road,

Tianhe District, Guangzhou,

Guangdong Province,

China

We stayed at the Guangzhou Laison Hotel, which is a short walk from the gate 4 exit of Guangzhou East Railway Station. The hotel allows us to check in early at 12pm. Our supplier had already arrived, and after leaving our luggage in the hotel room, we went out for lunch together. We walked to the Haersuancaiyu Restaurant, which was directly across from our hotel.

Ben ordered spicy chicken, dry pot cabbage, steamed egg and pickled Chinese cabbage fish perch. He gave us a nice lunch. The rice is soft and fluffy. Pickled Chinese cabbage fish is not very salty, although it does cause numbness in the tongue after eating. Overall, we both enjoyed our first meal in Guangzhou.

(Total bill - ¥ 200)

Haersuancaiyu

Restaurant ambience

Chinese tea

Rice

Spicy chicken - ¥ 45

Dry pot cabbage - ¥ 28

Steamed egg - ¥ 26

Pickled Chinese cabbage fish perch - ¥ 78

After lunch, we walked over to the Guangzhou East Railway Station metro station. On the way, I sprained my right foot and landed on my left knee while walking on uneven pavement. My partner didn't see me fall since he was walking ahead of me. Those who walk past me only gaze and never help me either. Luckily, I was able to get up on my own and continue walking. Since I was wearing sneakers, I didn't realize the injury was so bad until I got back to the hotel at night.

I sprained my ankle on the uneven pavement

The Guangzhou East Railway Station has seven levels, and metro line 1 and 3 are on level B1. Metro trains are the most recommended public transportation in Guangzhou because they're cheap and convenient. We took the metro from the Guangzhou East Railway Station to Xingandong Station (¥ 4 per person). Before entering the metro station, we had to scan our bags and water, otherwise the personnel would order us to drink the water in front of them. We enter Gate B and take line 3 to Kecun Station, then change to line 8 to Xingangdong Station. The metro was jam-packed from Guangzhou East Railway Station to Kecun Station. When the train arrived at Linhexi Station, people began to push in. Luckily, the journey from Kecun Station to Xingangdong Station was slightly more pleasant, with fewer people and we had a spot to sit.

Level B1 to metro line 1 and metro line 3

Security check before boarding the metro

Metro ticketing machine

Entrance to metro line 3

When we arrived at Xingangdong Station, we headed towards Jiaoxin and exit A, which was the nearest exit to the Canton Fair Complex for buyer registration and entrance for badge holders. We reached the complex before 2pm and registered on the spot because we couldn't pre-register on their website. Free WiFi is available for you to register and the whole process was pretty fast. There is no requirement for a name card. However, the badge requires a photograph. On the spot, you may take a photo with your phone and upload it. 

Just follow the below steps:

1. Scan the QR code and fill in the information

2. Get an E-receipt of pre-registration

3. Have your passport checked at the verification counter

4. Present your barcode for badge making

The entire process was straightforward and fast because there were so many registration counters. We completed in under twenty minutes. Overseas buyers get to register for free, while locals must pay to access the fair. Each overseas buyer is allowed to bring in two local people. We waited for Ben's supplier to arrive and finally entered the fair at 3.15pm. We stroll apart from them once we enter the fair and then meet them again at 5pm for an early dinner. We spent less than two hours at the fair on our first day. The exhibition area is so large that it is very easy to get lost on the fairground. In between, we went to the Food and Beverages section to get a bottle of mineral water.

The Canton Fair is held twice a year and each fair is divided into three phases, each lasting for five days. The first phase will cover areas like electronics, household appliances, vehicles & spare parts, hardware & tools, building materials, chemical products and machinery. The second phase will cover areas like consumer goods, gifts, pet products & food and home decorations. The third phase will cover areas like textile & garments, shoes, office supplies, recreation products, medical & health products and food.

Canton Fair Complex

Registration hall

Registration hall

Canton Fair

Food & beverages in Canton Fair

Food & beverages in Canton Fair

Mineral water - ¥ 3

Luqi

We left the Canton Fair Complex around 5pm and there's already a lot of people hurrying into the metro. Luckily, it's well organized, with a walkway created for people to enter the metro. We took the metro from Xingangdong to Kecun Station (¥ 2 per person) and exited at C to Xingang Zhongdu.

Large crowds entering the metro station

Ben's supplier is treating all of us to dinner at a Chinese restaurant in the Living Mall on the third level. We had a total of 8 people at the table. His supplier ordered 12 dishes and we couldn't finish them. Basically, it's their culture to over-order to show hospitality. Overall, the meal tastes delicious, except for the stinky Mandarin fish. According to the supplier, even the chef must wear a mask when making this dish. This stinky Mandarin fish is a special delicacy in Anhui Province. It has an unpleasant smell and a distinct flavour that I don't particularly enjoy eating. We also drank draft beer, which is one of the smoothest beers I've ever had.

Hunan Restaurant

Appetizer - cucumber salad

Beef

Braised lotus roots

Chicken

Cabbage

Prawns with clams

Spicy potato balls

Stinky Mandarin fish

Cauliflower

Pork knuckle

Melon

Steamed egg with clams

Draft beer

Rice

Street performance in front of Living Mall

We left around 8.25pm and saw a street performance in front of Living Mall and the Canton Tower from a distance. Ben decided to bring us to Parc Central, a luxury and modern mall located in the heart of Guangzhou. So, we took the MTR from Kecun to Tiyu Xilu Station (¥ 2 per person) and exited at B to Tianhenan 1 Lu. We spent about an hour at Parc Central before going back to our hotel. The Guangzhou East Railway Station is only two stations away from Tiyu Xilu Station (¥ 2 per person). On the way back to our hotel, my partner bought a piece of tuna bread from the Express Tsui Wah shop. We reached our hotel around 10.30pm.

My first impression of Guangzhou was unpleasant. First of all, I injured my ankle while walking on uneven pavement. Secondly, the metro was overcrowded, with people pushing each other. Other than that, there are no restrooms in the metro area and the metro air conditioning is not cold enough. The dangerous part is that their e-bike ignores traffic light rules and even drives on the pedestrian walkway. The e-bike has no sound, so as you walk on the pavement, you are unaware that it is coming from behind you. Although some riders may hoot at you from behind, the majority will simply zoom by you. So walking on the street in Guangzhou requires a high level of alertness.

Parc Central

Parc Central

Parc Central

Parc Central