The name Shunde may not be familiar to you but if you look at some of your home appliances you might find you're using a Rongsheng refrigerator, a Kelon air-conditioner, a Medea electric fan, a Galanz microwave oven, or, perhaps, a Macro water heater. All of these famous brands are made in Shunde.

At the end of last month, some friends and I made a two-day trip to this new, developing industrial city.

Before we left, many wondered if the trip would be worthwhile.

But once we arrived, we discovered that Shunde is not only a kingdom of home appliances and furniture, but also a city of horticulture and a paradise of delicacies.

In fact, Shunde is not so far away as one might think. From Shenzhen to Shunde, it's only about a two-hour drive.

Covering an area of more than 806 square kilometers and with a population of more than 1 million, Shunde is situated on the hinterland of the fertile Pearl River Delta area, adjacent to Dongguan, Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou.

With a landscape of plains, Shunde is endowed with a dense network of waterways and renowned for its fishponds, silkworm mulberry trees, green sugarcanes and banana trees.

In the third year of Jintai reign of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it was set up as a county with the name of Shunde, which literally means "conforming to nature as well as virtue." In 1992, it was established as a city.

Chencun flower world

Shunde is known as a commercial horticultural center. The Fifth China Flower Exposition was held in October 2001 in the World of Flowers in Chencun Township in the city.

With a flower planting history of about 2000 years, Chencun is recognized as a flower production base in South China as well as the first township to spotlight flowers in China.

The World of Flowers was originally a flower-trading center established in 1998. Covering a total area of 3 square kilometers, the center has been developed into one of the hottest sightseeing spots of high-tech agriculture in Shunde.

So far, more than 100 flower enterprises and research institutes from the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macao, South Korea, Singapore, Australia, Japan, Netherlands and France have set up their businesses here.

For people who love flowers and horticulture, the center is a must-go in Shunde.

We dropped in to a garden named "Qiqiao" which featured various kinds of flowers, as well as tools for home gardening. Thousands of pots of colorful flowers made for a soothing and pleasant view. They were also for sale at prices, which were a little higher than normal due to the special planting and raising methods.

Qinghui Garden

Located at Daliang Township, the Qinghui Garden is known as one of four most famous gardens in South China, which also include the Liangyuan Garden in Foshan, Yuyinshan Villa in Panyu and Keyuan Garden in Dongguan.

Originally, this garden was founded by Huang Shijun, a renowned scholar during late Ming Dynasty. During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was purchased by another scholar Long Yingshi.

Subsequently it went through many years of rebuilding and expansion.

Covering a total area of 22,000 square meters, the garden now features many South China-styled mini gardens and buildings. There are about 20 scenic spots in the garden, which allow you to take time to enjoy the typical South China gardening style.

Inside the garden, clear water, flourishing trees, man-made stone hills, small bridges, zigzag paths and lotus ponds are interwoven with pavilions, porches, corridors and mansions - all of which present a tranquil and beautiful scenery with a strong South China charisma.

Numerous artworks, including painted color glasses, porcelain, sculpture, woodcarving, calligraphy and traditional Chinese paintings, are also dotted everywhere in the garden.

Especially worth your attention are a fine array of colorful glasses on which different patterns of people and animals are painted. The vivid patterns are usually based upon traditional Chinese folk tales and express people's wishes for prosperity.

Delicious Shunde food

Many people have heard the popular saying "Eating in Guangzhou," which means that Guangzhou is the gathering place for different delicacies, but may not know that most of the renowned chefs in Guangzhou are from Shunde.

Shunde is famous for its typical Cantonese cuisine, which is served up at various restaurants and teahouses throughout the city.

The most famous foods in Shunde are fresh seafood and milk products. Most of the seafood is boiled or steamed to keep the original freshness intact. Double-layered milk may be the most characteristic diary product from Shunde and it is both delicious and nutritious. The snack, which originated in Daliang Township during the Qing Dynasty, is a special kind of sweet cream made from fresh milk.

Editor: Catherine