Zhongshan No 4 Road

A 2,000-year-old garden was uncovered when construction crews were excavating foundations for high rises in the 1990s.

Ruins of the 30,000-square-meter palace complex of the Nanyue (203 BC-111 BC) and Nanhan (917-971) kingdoms near the city’s center are pocked with over 500 wells drilled over two millennia and streaked by more than 160 meters of man-made streams with “speed bumps” to create waves.

About 120 legible bamboo slips were found inside the wells in 2004 — a remarkable discovery, since few such historical records have survived the region’s humidity. Iron and leather armor for soldiers and horses was also found in the founts.

The garden grounds, selected for their outstanding feng shui, also hosted the bones of 20 animal species, including crocodiles, bears and porcupines. The shells of 120 turtles averaging 35 centimeters were discovered, along with the remains of 40 plant species.

Visitors can uncover how the city has transformed over centuries and then step outside to explore the modern metropolis it has become.

Enamel.

Zhongshan No 4 Road, near the Nanyue Palace, hosts stores and workshops devoted to Cantonese handicrafts along walkways with traditional rooftops particular to the rainy region. Embroidery. Copperware.

carving is one of the unique folk arts to survive the centuries. Ancient “red boats” for roving Cantonese Opera troupes are the most common motif. The ships are only about 2 centimeters long but typically feature five people, eight windows and doors that swivel open.

Other subjects include such auspicious symbols as lychees, dragons or children carrying corn.

Cantonese porcelain — distinguished from other varieties by gold thread, paint and jade inlays — was once a major export to Europe and the United States. It takes a master five days to create one piece.

Ivory carvers, who can whittle 52 intricate layers, have replaced the material with ox bone and wood.

Travelers can watch craftspeople work, buy their wares or simply learn about these traditional folk arts — and, consequently, Cantonese culture. Beijing Road is built over the ruins of 11 layers of pavement from