JANVI TOURS

The Peasant Movement Institute occupies the former Confucian Temple that was originally built in 1370 but none of the temples statues or other relics remain. The Institute organized six training classes during the First Co-operation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party of China, with the sixth class taking place here led, by Mao Zedong who worked here as director from May to September 1926. Xiao Chunu, Zhou Enlai and Peng Pai were among the 20-odd staff members. It was here that the 327 trainees studied theories and methods of the peasant movement, received strict military training and took part in important social activities. Upon graduation, they traveled throughout the country to spearhead peasant campaigns against imperialism and feudalism, making significant contributions to the Chinese revolution.

The old Guangdong Provincial Museum was on Wenming road, the new one is located in Zhuangjiang new town, near the New Guangzhou TV tower. It looks like a quadrate box, which set up in a big garden shared with the Guangzhou opera house. The museum opened on May 18, 2010, to the public. Entry is free (but bring your passport).

One of the oldest and most famous historic sites in Guangzhou, the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees (Liurong Temple) was originally built in 537 AD to serve as a shrine for Buddhist relics from India. The temple grounds suffered from a series of fires during its first few hundred years, it has been rebuilt several times, but most of the structures standing today date back to the eleventh century, and the name has also been changed several times from Changshou Temple (meaning Longevity Temple) to Jinghui Temple and finally the current name.

Julong Village, tucked away deep in an alley, was home to wealthy merchants of the Kuang clan from 1875 to 1908, the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty. More than 10 years ago, the village was listed as a city-level cultural heritage site. Two years ago, the renovation project kicked off. By now, the 19 ancient mansions with unique doors and Manchurian-style windows have all been restored to their former glory; the ancient village has received a facelift, exuding homely elegance. The government will also allot RMB15 million to replace the structures around the village with landscaped sights.