1、Evening Boat Ride on the Pearl RiverAbout the Pearl Riverthe Haiyin Bridge &the Ersha Islandthe Zhujiang New City &the Sun Yat-sen Universitythe Jiangwan Bridge &the Marshals office Mansionthe Tianzi Pierthe Haizhu Bridge &the Haizhu Squarethe Famous Buildings along the Bundthe Shamain Islandthe Whi
2、te Swan PoolAbout the Pearl RiverWelcome aboard for an evening cruise on the Pearl River!The Pearl River is the third longest river in China. The name, Pearl River, is a general designation of the Xijiang, the Beijiang and the Dongjiang rivers. Its mainstream, the 2214-kilometer-long Xijiang River,
3、rises in the mountains in the earnest part of Yunnan Province, flows through Guizhou and Guangxi provinces, joins the Beijiang River in Guangdong Province and empties into the South China Sea. The river is so named because there used to be a huge reef in the river through the city of Guangdong and,
4、after being washed by the water for thousands of years, this reef became very round and smooth and looked just like a pearl glittering under the sunshine.The Haiyin Bridge & the Ersha IslandThe bridge in front is the Haiyin Bridge. Built in 1988, it spans 2214 meters across the river. The wire sling
5、s stretching over it look just like strings of a harp and the tops of the towers resemble the heads of goats, implying the City of Goat, which is another name of Guangzhou.On the left of our ship is an islet called Ersha Island. It has always been a sports training base of the state since the foundi
6、ng of New China and Chinas first world champion of table tennis mens singles, Mr. Rong Guotuan, and the worlds gold medalist of weightlifting, Mr. Chen Jingkai, were all trained here. In recent years, many other structures have been erected in the islet, such as the Xinghai Concert Hall, the Guangdo
7、ng Institute of Fine Arts, the Guangdong Overseas Chinese Museum and several hundred luxury residential houses.The Zhujiang New City & the Sun Yat-sen UniversityOn the north bank of the river here is the Zhujiang New City, which is a new city quarter within the jurisdiction the Tianhe District. Twen
8、ty years ago, the place was a stretch of farmland and remains of an airport built by the Japanese invaders in the early years of 1940s. But now it has become a new financial, cultural and recreational center of the city, with all kind of modern conveniences and facilities, such as gymnasium, shoppin
9、g centers, office buildings and subways.On the south bank of the river is the Haizhu District, in which the well-known Sun Yat-sen University is located. The university, established in 1924, was formerly called National Guangdong University and was renamed Sun Yat-sen University in 1926 in honor of
10、Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Sun Yat-sen was born in Xiangshan County of Guangdong Province. He successfully started the 1911 revolution to overthrow the Qing Dynasty, thus putting an end to the feudal monarchy that had been practiced in China for several thousand years, and he became the first president of the
11、 Republic of China.The Jiangwan Bridge & the Marchals Office MansionComing up to us is another bridge called Jiangwan Bridge, which was built in 1998. At the south end of the bridge, there is a historic building. It was first built in 1895 as an office building of the Guangzhou Cement Factory. In 19
12、12, when the fruit of the 1911 Revolution was usurped by the Northern Warlords, Sun Yat-sen was forced to resign from the post of president. He came back to Guangzhou in 1917 to establish the South Military Government and was elected generalissimo of the military government. The generalissimos offic
13、e was set up in this building and now it has been converted into a museum.The Tianzi PierOn the right of our ship is a pier called Tianzi Pier. It is the oldest pier along the river section in the city of Guangzhou. It was first built during the Qing Dynasty specially for use by government officials
14、 and is the very place where, in 1838, the Qing Dynasty imperial envoy, Lin Zexu, landed from ship when he arrived in Guangzhou to ban the narcotic opium brought into China by the British merchants. About 100 meters to the north of the pier is the well-known Beijing Road Shopping Street.The Haizhu B
15、ridge & the Haizhu SquareThe bridge coming up to us is the Haizhu Bridge, 356meters long. It is the first bridge spanning the river in the city and as a bascule bridge when it was first built in 1933 by an American company, but the folding device was blown up by the Japanese invaders in 1938. In 194
16、9, the bridge was bombed and damaged again by the Kuomingtang troops before they fled the mainland across the Straits to exile in Taiwan and was restored in 1950. In 1975, it was widened by 7.8 meters on either side.On the north end of the Haizhu Bridge is a garden-like square called Haizhu Square.
17、At the center of the square, there is a granite statue of a PLA soldier, commemorating the liberation of Guangzhou. To the north of the square is the Guangzhou Hotel and, to its east, the Huaxia Hotel.The Famous Buildings along the BundFrom here we can see two more bridges ahead of us. The one neare
18、r to us, the Jiefang Bridge, was built in the 1990s last century and the one in the distance is the Renmin Bridge built in the 1960s. the Changdi Road on the north bank of the river between the two bridges and its surrounding area have always been one of the busiest districts in Guangzhou since the
19、early partly of last century and many of the modern buildings here date back to that period of time. They are hotels, restaurants, theatres, cinemas, department stores, hospital and church.The building on the right is the Aiqun Hotel. It was built in 1937 by overseas Chinese and was then the highest
20、 building in South China and the most luxury hotel in Guangzhou before the 1970s.About 100 meters upstream from the Aiqun Hotel is another big building called Nanfang Mansion. Before the 1980s, it was one of the 10 largest department stores in the county.Coming up to us on the right is a Western-sty
21、le building with a clock on the top. It is the former Guangdong Customs House and was designed and constructed by an American company, with the main building materials imported from the US. As we know, Guangzhou has always been an important foreign trade port of China. In the 80 years from 1757 thro
22、ugh 1842, it was the only commercial port that was opened to foreign countries. This Customs house is a witness of Guangzhous history as a flouring trading port in that period of time.The small building by the river, called Taying Lou, is also a historic building. It is the former residence of Mr. C
23、hen Shaobai, who was Sun Yat-sens close comrade-in arms. In the 1920s last century, Sun Yat-sen had stayed here for some time.A short way upstream from the Taying Lou building is a monument serving to remind people of a bloody event. In June 1925, the workers in Hong Kong, under the leadership of th
24、e Chinese Communist Party, staged a general strike in order to support the workers in Shanghai in their struggle against the imperialists. Over a hundred thousand workers indignantly left Hong Kong and went on foot to Guangzhou to join the workers of Guangzhou in a protest demonstration held on June
25、 23rd. When the parading procession was passing the Shaji Road opposite to Shamian Island, which was the British and French concessions, the British and French armed policemen opened fire at the paraders, causing a casualty of over 50 killed and more than 170 wounded. This incident is known as the S
26、haji Massacre.The Shamian IslandOur ship has sailed past the Remin Bridge. Coming up to us on the right is the well-known Shamian Island. In the mid-19th century, it was the concessions of imperialist big powers, such as Great Britain, the United States and France, and nineteen countries had success
27、ively set up their consulates here. Now about 150 old buildings in European style still remain as important historical relics protected by the state.The high building by the river is the White Swan Hotel, built in 1983. It was designed, constructed and managed solely by the Chinese and is the first
28、5-star hotel in China. Many state leaders had stayed in this hotel, such as the former presidents of the US, Mr. Nixon and Bush the elder and ex-prime minister of Great Britain, Mrs. Thatcher.The White Swan PoolNow our ship is sailing on the widest river course within the city, which is commonly kno
29、wn to the local people as the White Swan Pool. Tradition says that over 500 years ago during the Ming Dynasty, a Cantonese Opera actor, by the name of Huang Xiaoyang, led the farmer rebels to attack the Ming troops in Guangzhou. But, because of the great disparity in strength, the farmer rebels were
30、 defeated by the government troops and Huang was wounded and pursued to the river bank here, where he could find no way to escape. The situation was desperate when suddenly two white swans came to his rescue and carried him to fly into the distance. Since then this section of the river has been call
31、ed the White Swan Pool.The “Moonlit Scene on the White Swan Pool” was selected as one of the Eight Sight of the Goat City. In the stillness of the nights when the bright moon was shining in the clear sky, the rippling water glittered in the moonlight, the lamplights on fishing boats and the electric lights on land added radiance to each other and melodious music and singing often rang out in the distance. What a peaceful and flourishing night scene on the placid White Swan Pool.
