Travel Guide Panyu 番禺

At 30 minutes from Canton, Panyu is the oldest county in Guangdong, with over 2,000 years of history. At 7 kilometers from Shiqiao's administrative center, the ancient city of Shawan has the oldest temple in South China: Liugeng. The Lotus Mountain (Lianhuashan) is located a few kilometers east of Panyu (about twenty kilometers from Canton). Several centuries of intensive mineral extraction (1368-1644) in the quarries of this region produced this strange landscape with fractured reliefs, filled with caves left abandoned for several centuries. Erosion has reworked everything, giving the whole natural aspect: water filled with water, abundant vegetation. Stands and pagoda (pagoda Lianhu Ta which dates from Ming) are placed on the summits which are accessed by staircases cut in rock: beautiful view over the Pearl River. A surprising visit!