As a native Post-90s of Guangzhou, I was lucky to witness the past 20 years` great changes of this city.
20 years is enough for a child to become an adult, also enough for a city to completely evolve.
Today, start from my childhood, let me show you my impression about the Old Guangzhou.
In Guangzhou, there is a place that almost every student knows, which called Xinhua Bookstore.
(Xinhua Book Store 1990s )
Everytime when new term or summer/winter vacation comes, the Xinhua Bookstore would be crowds with people.But that`s also the most terrible time for students, since parents would take their children there to buy a lot of exercises books at that time.
When I was a student , I used to spend my weekends in Xinhua Bookstore. My parents were so satisfied with my performance, because they thought me to be quite studious. But the fact was, I just holding a book and dozing at a warm corner, killing weekends ,one after another,which were filled with pressure and I had no place to hide.
(Xinhua Book Store 2010)
I was so grateful to this experience, and often recalled that memory when I went study abroad. Later when I come back to the renovated Xinhua Bookstore, I found the feeling of old days has gone .
When I was a little boy, Guangzhou citizen`s major transportation mean was bus. Those once exsited Double-decker buses were eliminated by Hong Kong, but Guangzhou government introduced them to the city. The advertisements on the buses were even HK-Only-Goods. At that time, you had to prepared coins to take a bus, and the fee was 2 RMB. Buses with pink decoration were considered to be rather avant-garde.
(Guangzhou Bus 1990s)
Believe or not , Guangzhou Metro Line 1 didn`t fully open until 1999, jaming on the metro was kind of fashion at that time , but now it is the nighmare of most office workers.
(Guangzhou Metro Line 1 Opening Ceremony 1999)
Up to now, as long as you have a Transportation Card (Yang Cheng Tong) with you, you can go eveywhere in Guangzhou by bus or by metro, and you can even purchase goods in stores with that card.
（Yang Cheng Tong Transportation Card）
However, I still occasionally miss the moment, I could use “we need to get change down”as an excuse to cheat my mother to buy snacks for me in the store.
Nowadays in Guangzhou, when we talk about shopping, the first response is going to Tianhe District. But when I recall my childhood, I will think of a old street named “Shangxiajiu”.
（Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street 1990s）
Walk along that over 1 kilometer long pedestrian street, you could see different kinds of shops lining along the arcades, goods range from clothes to general merchandise can be bought here. What`s more, you could also taste Cantonese cuisines and snacks there, Cantonese Opera folk artists would ccasionally perform on the street . Especially when Chinese New Year came, the Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street would be crowd with people. Parents would buy new clothes for their children, which would make them excited for several days.
（Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street 2010s）
After two decades of business development, numerous large shopping malls are settled in whole Guangzhou, not only in Tianhe District. Most districts are conquered by commercial giants like Wanda Plaza, even Panyu District.
（Panyu Wanda Plaza 2010 ）
Guangzhou citizens begin to pay attention to brand values and shopping experience. As a result, the old Commercial Streets of Guangzhou, for example, the Shangxiajiu Pedstrian Street, are gradually turning into cultural symbols of old ages.
In Guangzhou, if you tell your friend that you're going to "Henan (river south) " or "Hebei (river north)", they won`t come to the conclusion that you`re going to another province, but rather going to certain shore of the Pearl River.
（Pearl River 2010s）
The reason is , experienced Guangzhou citizens are used called the south shore of Pearl River as "Henan", while the north shore is known as the "Hebei." The south shore belongs to Haizhu District, which lagged behind in the past time, so the rich prefered to live in the north shore. There was a famous saying in Guangzhou that: "rather a bed of Hebei, nor a room in Henan" .
（Pearl River South Shore 1990s）
In my childhood, my father used to take me to the Pearl River to swim,the water quality then was not as bad as today`s. My father pointed to south shore and told me:”Look , though Haizhu district is still covered by low buildings and villages, if you don`t study hard, when you grow up, you can`t certainly afford one house there. ”
Now, swimiming in the Pearl River is kind of feat, and the house price of Haizhu District has reached 2,5000 per square meter . Newcomers know nothing about "Henan" & "Hebei", and the hottest discussion has become “would Guangzhou and Foshan merge or not”.
Before the 1980s, Guangzhou Friendship Store was once a "mystery" place which sold advanced imported goods but severed foreigners only. Ordinary Guangzhou citizens could only look around outside the door, if someone happened to see foreigners with blonde hair and green eyes, he would brag about it for couple days. Later when Guangzhou Friendship Store opened to all citizens, in my father's words, to buy some foreign things in Friendship Store as gifts to friends would be thought as a prestigious thing.
（Guangzhou Friendship Store 1980s）
In my school days, foreigners were far more less than now`s. When I walked pass the Friendship Store in Huanshidong Road after school, I always could not help looking into the store, having the illusions about meeting a lost foreigner, then I would use my rough English to guide his way, and welcomed him to China.
（Guangzhou Friendship Store 2010s）
How time flys. Now walk on the streets, ranging from 80-year-old men to little kids, no one would feel strange to see foreigners. This is city is amazing.
Perhaps it`s fate that when I started my career, I chose a special job, which aims to make foreigners` lives better in China.
Urban development can not avoid demolition and construction, new stories are taking place every day in this city. Just let the good memories of old times retain in each Guangzhou citizen`s mind.
Hello, New Guangzhou.
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HACOS,Business Services Solutions Master
