What’s been happening in Guangzhou lately? What’s coming up soon? To answer both questions, tons! It’s about to become way faster to travel to Shenzhen, our beloved Opera House is apparently falling apart, but that’s ok, because at least the museum is now free to visit! There are some pretty cool events coming up too: sports fans, (female) music lovers, art enthusiasts and dance fanatics will all have plenty to do. 

News round up:

1) Guangzhou – Shenzhen Express Rail to open before Universiade
The Guangzhou – Shenzhen express railway is set to start running on August 10, in time for the opening of the Universiade this year in Shenzhen. When opened, the Guangzhou – Shenzhen journey will only take 25 minutes, reaching a max speed of 300 kmh. The line will eventually reach out to Changsha and Wuhan, with a journey time from Shenzhen to Wuhan to be about 3.5 hours. Sometime next year, the final service plans includes a stretch to Beijing, with travel time between Guangzhou and Beijing to be less than eight hours!

2) Guangzhou Opera House’s “fine craftsmanship” apparently not so fine
The Guangzhou Opera house was once described as being the most alluring opera house built anywhere in the world. Sadly, after only being open for a year it seems to already be falling apart. Large cracks have appeared in the walls and ceiling, glass panels have fallen from the windows and rain continuously is leaking in. The opera house cost more than 1.3 billion RMB and took over five years to finish. Those familiar with the project have blamed the recent problems on China’s speedy but often haphazard construction methods (豆腐渣工程 strikes again!).

3) The Guangdong Museum of Art opens for free
Want to get your “learn” on? Starting on June 29th, the Guangdong Museum of Art is now officially open for free to the public. Rejoice! All you need to do is go to the ticket booth to pick up a free ticket when you enter the museum. Children under the height of 1.4 metres do not need a ticket. There will be 3,000 free tickets per day and the museum is open every day except Mondays (hey, curators need a break too), so get there early.

Events:

1) Real Madrid to play in Guangzhou
Is watching the Women’s World Cup coverage not quenching your thirst for pure fútbol action? Then come check out Real Madrid get crushed by the Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club (…ok, maybe that won’t happen). The match takes place at 20:00 on August 3, 2011 at the Guangzhou Tianhe Stadium (广州天河体育中心). Ticket prices range from 150 RMB all the way up to 1,900 RMB. For more information, call: 400 810 1887, (+86 20) 3825 1642 / 3825 1643 or go check out the website.

2) James Blunt to perform in Guangzhou. Ladies, you may start swooning now.
The "You're Beautiful" singer is stopping in Guangzhou as part of his 2011 world tour. The concert will be on August 18, at the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (中山纪念堂); performance starts at 19:30. Tickets go for 280 RMB and up. Children under 1.2 m not allowed.

3) SHIFT Exhibition: American artists visit Guangzhou to create on-site artwork
Get ready to see lots of awesome headless naked mannequin installations! The exhibition invites five young US artists to visit Guangzhou for a 15-day “workshop” at the Guangdong Times Museum. As part of the workshop, the artists will visit some of the infamous wholesale markets found around Guangzhou, and create works using the materials they purchase. Each night, one Chinese artist and one American artist will present their work, followed by an exchange of ideas and discussion of topical issues. The exhibition takes place from July 16 to August 28, 10:00-18:00 (Closed on Mondays) at the Times Museum Questions? Call (+86 20) 2627 0660 or visit the website here.

4) The 8th Guangdong Modern Dance Festival
Do you live to dance? Then you don’t want to miss what is considered to be the most important international contemporary dance event in all of China! Organized by the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, and under the direction of Chinese dance pioneer Willy Tsao, the festival hopes to enhance cultural exchange and break down all sorts barriers…through the expression of DANCE! The festival runs from Sunday, 24 July 2011 - Friday, 29 July 2011. And will be held at various locations around Guangzhou. For ticket purchases and program information, please call: +86 189 2612 3585 / 153 6048 4686, email: ticket@gdmdc.com, or click here.

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Keywords: Guangzhou July watchdog big events Guangzhou