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The Chan tablets behind the kirin are long gone at the Chan Academy
陳氏家祠麒麟身後的牌位早已不見了
Like most tourists, I prefer historical sites or “exotic” destinations when travelling, wishing to see something “different”. Since I regarded Guangzhou familiar from frequent visits during the early 1990s, I had not thought of exploring it as a tourist. Thanks to a friend who organised a weekend trip recently, I was surprised by how much the old city has changed. It not only looked different as expected, but also felt very different. Much of the old was thankfully still there, calmly giving way to the new. In such a dramatic and abrupt social transformation, anxiety is expected. But from the places we visited and the people we talked to, I sensed mostly optimism and vibrancy rather than misgivings.
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There's a wonderful French restaurant hiding on the 4th floor. No Elevator.
四樓有家超正法式素食館
正如很多遊客一樣，我一般來說會挑選比較新鮮的旅遊目的地，希望增廣見聞。由於在90年代初經常會去廣州，所以自以為對這個兩千年古城有些認識，便沒有想過去羊城當遊客。幸好上星期有朋友安排廣州兩晚三日美食游，才有機會見證一別二十年的廣州在軟件硬件上的巨大改進。當然，一個古老城市有很多遺產，也有不少包袱，與從頭規劃建設的地方各有利弊，不能相比。但在種種條件限制下，廣州能夠大致和諧地繁榮過渡到21世紀，肯定是多方面努力和忍讓的成果。看似簡單，得來不易。
