A group of U.S. social media content creators paid a two-day visit to Guangzhou from October 29 to 30. After climbing Canton Tower, cruising the Pearl River, experiencing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments and savoring Cantonese cuisine at Beijing Road, they gained a firsthand look at the city's blend of modernity, culture and everyday life, and summed up their experiences with different tags, including "beautiful, friendly and developed."
Asked to describe Guangzhou in three hashtags, one content creator, visiting for the first time, chose #beautiful #friendly #developed. "Beautiful, just because the city is beautiful—the beautiful people, beautiful lights, and beautiful culture," he said. "This city is very developed." He added that the infrastructure and the companies Guangzhou is pushing to the world are "very impressive," along with "great products."
He also described the skyline as "crazy," recalling the previous evening's trip to the top of Canton Tower to watch the sunset over the city.
Another content creator, on his second visit to Guangzhou, picked #unique #overwhelming #exciting. "Unique, it is more of the city's development," he explained. "When it comes to overwhelming, there's just a lot to do. It's more of a positive way of saying there are a lot of things and they can be overstimulating. But you're learning. And then exciting is the exciting part of the overwhelming."
A third content creator, also a first-time visitor, chose #delicious #sprawling #peaceful. He said the two-night stay felt too short. "We went to the top of the Canton Tower yesterday and could see the view. It's a great experience so far, and I'll have to come back again."
He also reflected on a historical note from the trip, the story of the Empress of China, an early American ship that once arrived in Guangzhou and traded in Guangzhou for the first time.
"I think it's cool. It's like China and the United States have a longer history than maybe most people realize. I didn't realize that it went all the way back to the 1700s, and that was only less than 10 years after the U.S. became a country. That's pretty fascinating," he said. "We're still going strong with tons of trade. Very good."
The itinerary also included a stop at Beijing Road for TCM treatments. One content creator described his first Chinese massage as "really good," praising the therapist as "a pro."
Another said the massage was "not too intense" but "still pretty good," adding, "I think I'm gonna feel different about it when I get up."
At the dining table, the content creators were quick to voice their approval. "So delicious!" one exclaimed, while another gave a thumbs-up and said, "Very savory!" A bowl of noodles drew particular attention.
"It's a thin noodle, but it doesn't break. Look, no breaking," one observed. "It's very good. It tastes like something in the noodle."
As one content creator put it, the scale and energy of Guangzhou left a lasting impression—and a reason to return.
Reporter | Guo Chuhua
Cameraman | Guo Hongda
Video | Guo Hongda
Photos | Guo Chuhua
