Xiguan, or Sai Kwan, is an ancient town and an area in the Liwan district of Guangzhou, China, which was located west of the old walled city.
'Gate of Great Peace') and the West Gate (Chinese: 正西門; pinyin: Zhengximén; Jyutping: zing3 sai1 mun4; lit.
It ran along the Pearl River from the 1st Quay (第一津) in the northwest to the outlet of the western moat (西濠) in the southeast.
This "creek" formed the eastern boundary of the Thirteen Factories and separated Xiguan from Nanguan, the old city's southern suburb and Chinese dockyards.
The foreign enclave on Shamian Island was usually excluded from Xiguan but Huangsha (黃沙; wong4 saa1; 'Yellow Sands') was usually included.
The northeastern area from the 1st Wharf to Taiping Gate was called Upper Xiguan (上西關; Shàng Xīguān; soeng6 sai1 gwaan1) and the southwestern area stretching to Huangsha was known as Lower Xiguan (下西關; Xià Xīguān; gaa6 sai1 gwaan1) In modern Guangzhou, the preservation district of Xiguan is formally defined as follows: The northern boundary of Xiguan is the #7 and #8 Zhongshan Roads (中山七路, Zhōngshān Qī Lù, and 中山八路, Zhōngshān Bā Lù) and its eastern boundary is Middle and South Renmin Roads (人民中路, Rénmín Zhōng Lù, and 人民南路, Rénmín Nán Lù).
[n 1] On 15 February 1921, Xiguan was removed from Nanhai County and united with Guangfu to form an enlarged Guangzhou.
On 27 October 2006, the Liwan District Government approved a preservation plan for Xiguan's traditional architecture and culture.
This region covers the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces of modern China and northern Vietnam).
The rooms are arranged from front to back with skylights (天井) as intervals thus the shape of a bamboo tube.
They appear to be one story, but since they can reach a height of 4.5 meters, they always set floor levels and stairways within the house.
On the other hand, some people insist that arcades are structures built in 1925 when streets were extended and roads were constructed on a large scale in Guangzhou.
Arcades connect houses and make a long path for pedestrians to keep out wind, rain and the glare of sunshine.
Arcades seem to be exactly designed for the climate in Guangzhou and meanwhile makes it much more convenient for stores to display their goods and attract customers.
This kind of structure has always been the main feature of Guangzhou's commercial atmosphere and has become the sign of Guangdong Street or Canton Street (廣東街) in other places, such as Jinling Donglu (金陵東路) in Shanghai Arcades in Guangzhou first appeared in the area around Sacred Heart Cathedral on Yide Road (一德路).
Delicacies which have earned the title of Chinese Famous Food are as follows: Peanut & Sesame Filled Cake of Ronghua Teahouse (榮華樓; wing4 waa4 lau4), Double skin milk and Milk With Ginger Juice of Nanxin, Shrimp Wonton of Ouchengji, Jidi Congee of Wuzhanji, Ginger Juice & Milk Custard Tart of Qingping Restaurant (清平飯店; cing1 ping4 faan6 dim3), Sweetheart Cake of Lianxianglou Teahouse (蓮香樓; lin4 hoeng1 lau4), Rice Noodle Roll With Beef of Yinji and Goose Liver Boiled Dumplings of Jinzhongge.
Delicacies which have earned the title of Guangzhou Famous Food are as follows: Milk With Ginger Juice of Xinghualou Teahouse, Milk Paste of Fenghuang, Sesame Paste Sweet Dumplings of Rongde, Sachima of Satangji, Sampan Congee, Salty Pancake of Dechang, Stuffed Glutinous Rice Dumpling and Burst (Laughing) Deep-fried Pastry Ball of Liangyingji, White Sugar Lunjiao Cake of Guohua, Coconut Ice Cream and Grass Jelly of Shunji Bingshi (順記冰室; Seon6-gei3 Bing1-sat1; 'Shun's Bing sutt').
The delicacies of Shunji have been tasted by heads of foreign states and honored guests such as Norodom Sihanouk from Cambodia in the 1950s and 1960s.