Once you have your visa sorted and have got your head around all the differences of a life in China, it's important to keep up with your hobbies and interests to really settle in. While plenty of expats ease into a life of drinking and going out to nightclubs, there are still plenty of hobbies you can enjoy at home. Playing musical instruments provides a great way of relaxing at the end of the day, and once you have bought the instrument, it's a free night in! Even if you fancy 'experiencing the culture' and learning one of those funky-looking Chinese instruments, there are plenty of shops in Guangzhou selling all kinds of musical instruments. Just don't disturb the neighbours!
 

1) Guangzhou Yinyuan Musical Instrument Co. Ltd. (广州市音缘乐器有限公司)View In Map
Yinyuan has one of the widest selections of musical instruments you will find in Guangzhou, in a fairly convenient location. Besides the standard pianos, guitars and violins, the vast range of weird and wonderful Chinese instruments make this shop worth visiting, if only just to look! In particular, budding guitarists can find plenty of amplifiers and other accessories, while there are also plenty of keyboards. It also has a practice room with a drum kit for small ensembles.

Add: 125-129 Wenming Lu (near to Peasant's Movement Institute metro stop), Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州市越秀区文明路125-129号“音缘乐器城”内
Tel: 020 8330 8262
Opening hours: 9:30-18:30

2) Guitar Rainbow (吉他彩虹) View In Map
The location of the shop, sharing the same venue with a bar and just outside a university, gives you a fairly large clue as to the target audience. It has a staggering selection of guitars, drum kits and bass guitars for a shop that size, and at a very reasonable price compared to other music shops in the city.

Add: 2/F, 25 Wushan Jie, Yuezhou Lu, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
地址：广州天河区岳州路五山街25号2楼
Tel: 137 6078 2272
Opening hours: 9:00-23:00
Getting there: Next to South China Agricultural University/Wushan metro stop. The downstairs entrance prominently advertises a Muslim restaurant and a bar (with sushi) from the main road. Enter the bar and turn right.

3) New Rhyme (新韵乐器)View In Map
A fairly standard music shop, packed to the rafters with guitars, keyboards, brass instruments and all the relevant accessories. The staff seems fairly capable and willing to play some of the instruments to make the sale.

Add: 666 Jiefang Beilu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州市越秀区解放北路666号
Tel: 020 8331 5011
Opening hours: 9:00-18:00

4) Yibao Musical Instruments (新艺宝乐器)View In Map
At a slightly more upmarket location, and with musical instruments to match, Yibao Musical Instruments may be what the serious musician is looking for. Plenty of brand name instruments are displayed tastefully, the staff are poised to help, and if you're lucky you might catch one who speaks English.

Add : 177 Huangpu Dadao Xi, Tianhe District, Guangzhou
地址：广州市天河区黄埔大道西177号
Tel: 020 8756 0913
Opening hours: 9:00-17:30

5) Huayu Electronics Market (华宇电子市场)View In Map
Most music shops don't tend to stock decent microphones, so for the vocalists out there, Dongfeng Electronics Market sells a range of mics, stands and even karaoke machines. Any wannabe sound technician and DJ will be pleased to know that there are plenty of shops selling professional audio equipment, including soundboards, mixers and even disco lights.

Add: Zhongshan Liu Lu, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
地址：广州市越秀区中山六路将军东电器
Tel: 020 8317 7782
Opening hours: 9:00-18:00

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.

Keywords: instrument shops Guangzhou music shops Guangzhou Chinese instruments guangzhou