How can you visit a country without going to at least one museum? I won't allow it! I add museums to my list of places to go. Last time I was in Guangzhou, I got barred from the Guangdong Museum. What was it that I did?
Rest assured, I did nothing illegal. To be granted entry into the Guangdong Museum, you need to show your valid ID. Admission is free. Obviously for foreign visitors, your only proof of ID would be your country's passport. What happened previously was that I didn't know entrance required identification and I didn't carry a passport around with me all the time.
The architecture of the museum is definitely interesting. It gives off the vibe of a trendy art museum. When you enter, you see that the rooms are extremely spacious. The steps going upstairs are somewhat of a nuisance since each stride is very wide. What annoyed me a bit was that even though the museum had very few floors, a map would have still been useful. There was currently a Khmer exhibit going on, but requires a 30 RMB ticket to see. My mom and I just went for the free admission. Maybe we should have bought the 30 RMB ticket. It's kind of like a natural history museum combined with art and historical relics. Given that there isn't a single museum like this in Guangzhou, this is probably the only place parents can bring their kids for an educational trip. It makes living in New York City a treat because New York City is home to dozens of museums. If I had to compare it to the American Museum of Natural History, it would put the Guangdong Museum to shame simply for its sheer size and availability of content.
What the Guangdong Museum had that the AMNH doesn't have is a huge section dedicated to minerals and natural resources. It occupies several rooms with endless samples to look at to the point I got bored. The downside to this room however was the rocky design. Because it was a minerals exhibit, the designers wanted to go with the rocky theme thus have floors imitate cave-like settings. If you have been following my Guangzhou trip entries, I always remind you how humid the place is. The crevices in the rocky textures held in water from mopping and made the room feel like a jungle. Not very pleasant to walk through if you ask me.
The museum is located in the district of Zhujiang New Town (Tianhe district to be specific). It is full of high rise buildings and still going. Yes, it's literally a plate of expanding buildings. But the plaza drives me fucking crazy and it will do the same to you. Even after the span of four years, they still haven't improved the signage. There are literally dozens of Metro signs pointing you to nowhere and into the wrong direction. You think you got out of the plaza, but instead you find yourself still trapped inside walking in circles. Under the blazing conditions, the designers and architects even had the nerve to pave the grounds in white stone and not a single canopy for shade.
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