Here am I back again with another guide to travel Guangzhou. I am really starting to think of compiling a personal guide on traveling this wonderful city. This entry will be a focus on anime culture and books.
If you are an anime fan, you are most likely on the constant lookout for outlets of information and merchandise for anything anime related. I'm no longer a hardcore anime fan. My habits have diluted to more of a casual watcher. Still, I keep up with some current news. One of the anime based news I follow is a locally printed newspaper by the name of China Animation. They use to go by a different name, but changed it for some reason. Even though I go back to Guangzhou once every few years, I think the newsstand lady recognizes me because I'm one of the few people that gets it. The content inside covers Chinese based animation and cartoons as well as foreign produced animation including Japanese anime. The newspaper also covers subjects like current movies, conventions happening, and runs their own series of comics all at a price of RMB.
Another place to visit for anime exclusive merchandise would be in Comic City 动漫星城. Comic City is a little mall of sorts that sells fashion and toys to the young crowd. The current trend sold here is Korean fashion that k-pop idols wear, but not the expensive brands like Gucci and so on. These are more accessible and price friendly if you're going for a quick look. There are some stores that sell a little more pricier items, but it's not to the point you can't afford it. If you like casual urban fashion, you may want to check out a store called Maku Store. You may recognize their monkey mascot as part of their logo. They are a Chinese based fashion brand established in 2008 according to their Facebook page and has since opened hundreds of stores in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They have also branched out to Taiwan and Malaysia. It is no wonder I see Maku Store everywhere I go like Miniso. I went to their store in search for wallets, but didn't get to see ones I want. They have pretty cool stuff though and even have children's wear in some of their stores.
I have to say, Comic City used to be cool. You can read about my previous finds over here. I used to find some interesting things, but now their inventory has dwindled. I went there in search for some rings and fashionable accessories. Instead I got some poorly made metal pieces that are oxidizing. There weren't a lot of designs to pick from either. In the end, I went with a very basic design for 15 RMB (2.24 USD).
There's a special section just for anime where many vendors crowd together. If you arrive there too early, not many of them open shop yet. It feels kind of intimidating too being the only person browsing on the entire floor. You can get a lot of anime merch ranging from clothing, plush toys, to posters. There's a considerable amount of bootleg and there are some that looks pretty authentic. They had a One Punch Man wallet for 39 RMB which interested me, but will probably come to wear and tear very easily. I settled for 2 buttons that costed 5 RMB (0.77 USD) each. They had Natsume and Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujinchou on it.
When you feel that you have enough of Comic City, I suggest you make way above ground via Kingsway 景点商业街, an underground mall. It's a small tunnel of shops and food stands. I like exiting to Beijing Pedestrian Mall via this way. It'll take a bit of walking to Beijing Road, you just have to follow the signs. This mall also connects directly to Mayflower 五月花, an actual mall. Mayflower is more aimed towards locals and probably won't interest tourists that much.
Guangzhou Metro is fairly easy to navigate through. The tricky part is figuring out which exit to use to get to your destination. As a tourist, I urge that you look at it as an opportunity to discover new things. Using the wrong exit might lead you to somewhere even better. Every station I've been to is very clean and there's almost always a worker there to assist people and direct traffic. By directing traffic, I mean making sure lines exist. We all know people here like to push their way in. It's still prominent, but there's still people that follow the rules. AT least there's protective gates separating the actual train from the platform
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| Rare shot of empty station captured by this amateur photographer using their shitty phone |
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| What's this? Another rare shot where amateur photographer is able to make it through without getting pushed |
Once you're on Beijing Road, you're free to go anywhere you want as there are many attractions. However today's post is concerning bookstores. Right on Beijing Road, you can visit one of my favorite bookstores, UN Bookstore 联合书店. They are based in Hong Kong originally and have expanded to Guangzhou. They have a lot of foreign published books as well as Chinese published books. The ground floor has a cafe and a small stationary and toys section. As you progress upwards. books are separated by subject. One of the floors expands more into toys and trinkets. You can buy souvenirs here such as Guangzhou only postcards. There's a floor that's used for exhibitions, but most people use it as a quiet room to read books. The top most floor has comics and a whole section for anime goods. These are all imports from Japan and they are all real. We are talking figurines, Nendroids, and all that kind of stuff. If you have a huge paycheck you're willing to spend, this might be the place to be.
For me, I visited UN Bookstore for the sole reason of purchasing Rilakkuma books. I liked the lazy bear mascot, but these picture books have got me hooked on the character. I was so psyched to see that Union Bookstore carried many of the titles and I purchased nearly all of them. They were 25 RMB (3.73 USD) each in case you were wondering.
The picture books were intended for children, but I think you can look at it as a self help guide. The book details a day in Rilakkuma's life. Each picture is accompanied by a line of words usually acting as advice on how to relax. They're short and sweet.
Another bookstore you can visit is the Xinhua Bookstore 新华书店. If you don't read Chinese, I'm afraid Xinhua Bookstore may not be the best place for you. They only sell Chinese language books as far as I know. However they have a huge selection on art supplies. You can get cheap prices on stationary items like mesh cases, writing ink, lead refills, folders, and many more. I've even gotten birthday cards and art tubes here too. There's several Xinhua Bookstores in the city, but I recommend two of them and both of them are conveniently located on Beijing Road. The addresses will be on the bottom of this post.
Since I didn't get the complete Rilakkuma Seikatsu series, I was placing my bets on another bookstore. This one goes by several names in English. I'm not sure as to which one to use so I'll list them all here; Tianhe Book Store, Guangzhou Book Center or simply Book Center. Book Center 广州购书中心 as the name suggests is a huge bookstore. They have both Chinese and English books. There are cafes at almost each floor and there's one floor dedicated to stationary. I got some more art supplies including manga paper and markers. Other things include card cases and pencil cases.
In terms of books, there wasn't anything in particular that attracted me other than being able to complete my collection of Rilakkuma books. There was a series of books on how to use color pencil for drawing, but decided in the end I didn't really need how-to books. I just need more practice on my own. However as I progressed to different levels, I found that there were indeed some books worth purchasing after all.
Is it any surprise that they are all about food? You know my entries by now. All I talk about is food. I made two trips to Book Center during my time in Guangzhou. Reasons being that books were too heavy to carry and I didn't carry enough money with me. I spent a lot of it on food too. (Hahaha)
There's an inclusive guide on coffee detailing the process of the world's favorite drink, the many varieties, equipment used, and different ways of enjoying it. It is titled in English "Perfect Coffee Perfect Life" and is published by EI Publishing. (38 RMB/5.67 USD)
Here's a dual language book about food in Chinese culture. Literally titled "Chinese Food", it is part of a book series that specializes in all things Chinese. This book is good for basic reference to things like what are the major cuisines in China and why are certain foods consumed. (39 RMB/5.82 USD)
I also bought a book on how to plate foods. This is not necessarily for the home cook, but it can give you insight on how aesthetics work on the plating job. They show you different ways to plate the same food through arrangement of ingredients, the different plates you can use, and what to use as a focal point. (68 RMB/10.15 USD)
Lastly I couldn't get away from the tofu book. All dishes are tofu related and show you how to cook with different types of tofu. (39.80 RMB/5.94 USD)
Tune in next time for another exciting post. Will it be about food again? Who knows!
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Places Visited
Comic City 动漫星城
1号吉祥路， 越秀区，广州市，广东省，中国，510000
1 Jixiang Lu, Yuexiu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510000
Take Line 1 or Line 2 to Gongyuanqian 公园前 and use Exit G Comic City 动漫星城.
Kingsway 景点商业街
68号，中山五路，越秀区，广州市，广东省，中国，510000
68 Zhongshan 5th Road, Yuexiu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510000
Take Line 1 or Line 2 to Gongyuanqian 公园前.
UN Bookstore 联合书店
314号，北京路， 越秀区，广州市，广东省，中国，510000
314 Beijing Rd, Yuexiu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510000
Xinhua Bookstore 新华书店
336 Beijing Rd, Yuexiu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510000
336 号，北京路 ，越秀区，广州市，广东省，中国，510000
276 Beijing Rd, Yuexiu Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510000
276 号，北京路 ，越秀区，广州市，广东省，中国，510000
Book Center 广州购书中心
123号，天河路，天河北，天河区， 广州市，广东省，中国，510620
123 Tianhe Rd, TianHeBei, Tianhe Qu, Guangzhou Shi, Guangdong Sheng, China, 510620
Take Line 1 or Line 3 to Tiyu West Road 体育西路 and use Exit E.
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