Canton - Yuexiu Gongyuan Park

On a hill in Yuexiu Gongyuan Park stands the five-story 28m/92ft high palace, the Building Overlooking the Sea (Zhenhai Lou). It was constructed in 1380 and in 1686 was converted into a watch-tower to guard against pirate attacks.

Today the Building Overlooking the Sea is the seat of the Historical Museum of Guangzhou. On the individual stories there are exhibits on display from the various epochs of Chinese history, while on the top story there is information available on the Communist movement in Canton.

The 49m/161ft high Sun-Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Zhongshang Jiniantang) is located at the south end of Yuexiu Gongyuan Park and is dedicated to the memory of Sun-Yat-sen, who was the first president of the Chinese Republic, which was founded in 1911. This imposing building was erected in 1931 in the classical Chinese style. The hall, which is used for cultural events, has space for more than 4000 people.

In the gardens in front of the hall can be seen a bronze statue of Sun-Yat-sen while to the west lies a small museum which keeps the politician's memory alive.