Although with 2000 years history, Guangzhou now is a metroploli with many exotic elements. This artical is going to introduce the exotic buildings that are thoroughly different from the traditional ones as well as the exotic authentic food from all around the world in Guangzhou. Exotic Buildings 1. Shamian Island Shamian, previous known as Zhongliusha or Shicuizhou, is an elliptic sandbar in the Liwan District of Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. The island's name literally means "sandy surface" in Chinese. Surrounded by water, it is just like a giant ship mooring alongside the wharf. Get further and one will find that the island is carefully planned. Three east-west avenues, Shamian Avenue, Shamian North Avenue and the South Avenue, and five north-south streets, Shamian Street 1 to the Street 5 divide the whole area into 12 parts, with various buildings, namely White Swan Hotel, Shamian Hotel, and Poland Consulate in Guangzhou, scattered around. The Island has great historic significance. From the Song and the Qing Dynasty, it served as an important port for Guangzhou's foreign trade. The it became a strategic point for city defense during the second Opium Wars (1856-1860). In 1859, the territory was divided into two concessions, given to France and United Kingdom (of which 4/5 went to the British and 1/5 to the French). It was then embanked and provided with streets, drainage, and imposing buildings and became home to a prosperous foreign enclave. From the late 1800s to the early 1900s, most of the public facilities were finished, including political buildings like consulates, cultural buildings like churches and schools, as well as commercial buildings like banks and firms. After 1949, the mansions there became government offices or apartment houses and the churches were turned into factories. But later they were restored, in many cases to their former splendor. Each building has a label telling its former purpose. One may start to imagine what stories these building held while viewing the plaque writing about its previous function. One example is "No.7 North Shamian Avenue" which was built during the Republican period and was formerly the Administration Bureau of Broadcasting of the Nationalist Government. The mansions there form the best preserved Western Europe style building complex in China. Forty-two out of 150 buildings are counted as the most exotic ones, Gothic, Baroque, and Neoclassical, in Guangzhou. Location: 2. Guangzhou Dongshan Villa-style Houses Villa-Style Houses in Dongshan Community Mention Dongshan - a part of the original Dongshan district which was merged into the Yuexiu district in 2005 - and people will imaginatively relate the area to its historic buildings - Dongshan Yangfang ( villa). These villas are roughly divided into two types - courtyard villas and apartment villas - depending on their architectural layouts. Steeped in the Western style, these two or three story houses are often painted bright red and yellow and have columned porches. Four typical villa architectures – Chun Yuan, Kui Yuan , Jian Yuan and Ming Yuan are regarded as the most typical constructions of the existing 400 houses in the region, and are now protected by government laws. These four are constructed of reinforced concrete and red bricks, and have balanced gardens both in front of and behind the buildings, with much greenery on the walls surrounding them. History of the Dongshan area like the four gardens, other villas are mostly owned by the descendents of overseas Chinese celebrities, and the many military officers, and government officials who built the houses in the 1920-30s. In contrast to the Xiguan area which was then a flourishing area for the wealthy, Dongshan was still at that time very remote and desolate. Some churchmen from the U.S. also settled here to start their missionary work, purchasing houses, building schools and hospitals. When World War I broke out, many overseas Chinese returned to avoid the war, and as more and more decided to stay in Guangzhou, they tended to choose Dongshan, since many were Christians or Catholics and sending children to the religious schools was another consideration. Back then, the wealthy business families lived in Xiguan region and military officials set their homes in Dongshan, thus began the spread of a well-know saying 'Dongshan Shaoye and Xiguan Xiaojie ' meaning 'Signorino in Dongshan and Ladies in Xiguan'. The phenomenon indicated that power and wealth had separately seized the eastern (Dong) and western (Xi) parts of the city. Location: