Seventy-one kilometers east of Guangzhou City Proper along the National Highway No.324 is Zengcheng, which has a history stretching back over 1 800 years. It came into existence as a town as early as in the year 201 AD, the sixth year in the reign of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220 AD).

Ages ago there were only six towns in Guangzhou area, and when a new town was built, it was given the name Zengcheng, meaning "newly-added town". It was established as a city in 1993, with a population of about 896 000 (in 2000). The municipal government is located in Licheng Township, which means the City of Litchi in Chinese. Every year during the harvesting season of litchi, visitors throng to Zengcheng to try this delicious fruit, thus creating a temporary boom in tourism, so much so that in recent years, a litchi festival has been organized every July. The best of all varieties of litchi is the Zengcheng "Gualu", a local specialty. A gualu litchi was sold for 50 000 yuan in 2001 at an auction in Zengcheng, a record high in history. It has a dark red skin with traces of green. Zengcheng is also rich in natural resources, such as coal, magnetic iron, tungsten and limestone. Its urban construction is very eye catching. Tourist spots are:

• Dayan (Wild-Goose) Pagoda built in the Ming Dynasty
• Gaotan Hot Spring
• Hexiangu (Fairy He) Temple
• Guhai (Ancient-Sea) Ruins
• The Amusement Park of Local Customs
• Xiancun International Golf Court (Club)
• The Utahloy Garden

Conghua, as another satellite city of Guangzhou, is located in the northeast of Guangzhou with a population of 517 600 (in 2000). It was established as a county far back in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and as a city in 1994.

Conghua government is situated in Jiekou Township. The Liuxi River meanders right through the urban area. It abounds in natural resources, such as pine, China fir, camphor, bamboo, tungsten, lead, zinc, tantalum, marble and fluorite. Conghua is an attached city at county level, rich in agricultural, forest and mineral products, known as the Country of Fruit: litchi, orange, plum, peanut, watermelon and sugarcane. Conghua Hot Springs, Liuxihe National Forest Park, and the Marker of the Tropic of Cancer in Taiping Township attract a great number of tourists each year.

The Tropic of Cancer passes through 16 countries and regions around the world. It stretches as long as 2 000 kilometers in China, across Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong and Taiwan provinces. The pylon marks the Tropic of Cancer at 23¡ã26'28" north latitude. At 12:26 on the Summer Solstice (on June 22) every year, if the sun is shining just over the tower through a small hole in a copper ball on the top of the tower, visitors will not see their own shadows here at the moment.

Conghua has taken on a new look in recent years. The urban construction has been going through tremendous changes for the past decade. The other spots are as follows:

• Liuxihe National Forest Park
• Shimen National Forest Park
• Wenquan Golf Court (Club)
  

Editor: Catherine