Where is the best kapok in Guangzhou?

When it comes to flower viewing in March, we usually think of rapeseed flowers, cherry blossoms, and peach blossoms. In fact, there is also a very beautiful flower in this season, that is, kapok, and there are many in Guangzhou. Let’s take a look at where kapok blooms! Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

When it comes to appreciating Kapok, most people may first recommend Lingyuan West Road and Martyrs Cemetery, but I would first recommend Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain is a memorial building raised and built by the people of Guangzhou and overseas Chinese to commemorate Dr. Sun Yat-sen. It was designed by the famous Chinese architect Mr. Lu Yanzhi and is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is an octagonal building with a solemn and majestic appearance and strong national characteristics. The designer cleverly used the structural principles of architectural mechanics and adopted a steel frame and reinforced concrete hybrid structure. There is no column in the building space with a span of 71 meters.

The roofs are all made of blue glazed tiles, and many trees and flowers are planted in the garden.

There are a large number of kapok trees among them. One of them is this ancient tree located in the northeast corner of the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall. It is about 23 meters high and has a crown width of 900 square meters. Although it is old, it is still majestic. This is a 349-year-old kapok king.

Last year, the Guangdong Provincial Forestry Department announced that this king kapok was selected into the list of "China's Most Beautiful Ancient Trees" and became the most beautiful kapok. Every spring, Kapok King's thousands of flowers bloom, bright red and purple, and a single tree becomes a forest, which complements the blue glazed tiles of the memorial hall.

For 349 years, this Kapok King has witnessed the great changes in the mountains, rivers, fields and seas of Guangzhou. It is still flourishing with branches and flowers, which is a rare spectacle. Yuexiu Mountain

The Yuexiu Mountain behind the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is also a good place to appreciate kapok. From the back door of the Zhongshan Memorial Hall, you can go up the Yuexiu Mountain along the hundred-step ladder. Along the way, in addition to the fiery red kapok, there are also pink and pure white palace pink bauhinia weaving together a gorgeous spring.

A lot of kapok is also planted around the Sun Yat-sen Monument on Yuexiu Mountain. The monument was built in 1929 and designed by the famous architect Lu Yanzhi. The body of the monument is entirely made of granite and is 37 meters high. The base of the monument is square, becoming smaller and more pointed upwards. There are steps inside the monument that can be rotated to the top. The first and second floors can be viewed from all sides by leaning on the railings.

Higher up, there are windows on each floor to look out into the distance. There are 26 sheep head stone sculptures on all four sides of the upper level of the stele base, symbolizing the city of Yangtze.

The platform where the monument is located has iron railings, and the surrounding trees are lush and green, especially the red kapok that is the most eye-catching. The Sun Yat-sen Monument and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall are both located on the traditional urban central axis of Guangzhou City. They are connected together with majestic momentum and have become the symbol of Guangzhou's modern city.

The Wuyang sculpture on Yuexiu Mountain can be said to be the symbol of Yangcheng. In this important place, the city flower Kapok is naturally indispensable.

In addition to the Wuyang sculpture, another symbol of Guangzhou is the Zhenhai Tower. The Zhenhai Tower located on the top of the Yuexiu Mountain is commonly known as the five-story building. It is now the Guangzhou Museum. Kapok is also indispensable here. When the flowers bloom, it's like putting blush on this old building, making the lush Yuexiu Mountain look a little shy and cute.

When you board the Zhenhai Tower, you can see the kapok in full bloom right in front of you, and the bustling city in the distance.

The kapok trees in Yuexiu Mountain accompany Zhenhai Tower, with flowers blooming and falling, witnessing the growth and development of this thousand-year-old historical and cultural city. Agricultural Lecture Center (Panyu Academy)

The former site of the Guangzhou Peasant Movement Lecture Center at No. 42, Zhongshan 4th Road was originally the Confucius Temple built in the Ming Dynasty. It was renamed Panyu Academy in the Qing Dynasty. Many people always have a lot of misunderstandings when they first hear its name. They did not expect that this red tourist attraction is actually an ancient building with such a cultural background.

The combination of the fiery red kapok and this old school palace is so charming. Take a look at the two fiery red kapok trees outside the Lingxing Gate. The shape of the branches is really beautiful.

In addition to the fiery red kapok, this simple and solemn ancient building itself is also worth visiting. It is a group of solemn buildings with red walls and yellow tiles. The building faces south from south to north and consists of Lingxing Gate, Panchi Arch Bridge, Dacheng Gate, Dacheng Hall, Chongsheng Hall, etc. There are verandahs and other grand buildings on both sides.

The gate is a Lingxing gate carved from granite. Entering the gate is the Panchi in the front yard. There is a stone arch bridge in the middle of the Panchi. After crossing the bridge, there is a passage paved with nine rows of granite slabs, leading directly to the spacious Dacheng Gate.

After passing Dachengmen, there is a courtyard with lush vegetation. In the courtyard, ancient trees such as kapok, bodhi, longan, and gulixiang are tall and lush. The magnificent Dacheng Hall stands on a platform made of granite. Walking along the passages on both sides of Dacheng Hall, you will reach Chongsheng Hall, with east and west corridors.

Does the red cotton accidentally falling on an ancient building make you feel a little Zen-like? The combination of kapok and traditional architecture is so harmonious, vaguely showing a kind of classical beauty. Guangzhou Children's Library

The Guangzhou Children's Library, separated by a wall from the Agricultural Training Institute, also has several tall kapok trees.

As I walked closer to the tree, I felt that the whole world was shrouded in red cotton. It feels like walking through a kapok forest. Municipal Government Office

The fiery red kapok is the finishing touch next to the Republic of China-style building of the Municipal Government Office. Many people don’t know where the Municipal Government Office is. It is to the north of the People’s Park in the city center and is located on the traditional central axis of Guangzhou.

This building with yellow glazed tiles, green roof, red columns, yellow walls and white granite base has a history of more than 80 years and is still the office building of the Guangzhou Municipal Government. It is an outstanding modern building "hidden in the busy city". It is majestic and solemn, yet elegant and harmonious. It is a business card of Guangzhou's urban architecture. Lingyuan West Road

Many people like to recommend Lingyuan West Road and Martyrs Cemetery for viewing kapok. However, since there are no special buildings to match, it is not actually a place where movies can be made.

If you want to see kapok in March, then come to these places in Guangzhou!