First Impressions of Tianhe Park

For two years, I lived approximately 5 minutes from the West entrance of Tianhe Park.  However, I don’t think I visited more than twice in my entire time there.  Contrary to how it may seem, I actually really liked the park and thoroughly enjoyed both visits.  However, it wasn’t quite the type of park that I had expected it to be. 

Tianhe Park is massive.  If you look at a map of Guangzhou, you will see that Tianhe Park spans quite a few city blocks.  In fact, to get from the entrance near my apartment to the other side of the park, it is a 3 stop bus ride.   I often used Tianhe Park as a reference point to describe to taxi drivers the location of my apartment.

Prior to visiting the park, I thought it was a big, open field with lots of trees and grass for people to have picnics on.  Immediately once you pass the entrance, there was a mini amusement park on my right with kid’s rides and mid-way games.  There was also a sign showing a map of the park, demonstrating exactly how big the place is.  The park’s paths are also a little bit confusing because there are a great deal of mini paths leading to larger ones.  At every corner, there was always at least 2 directions you could choose from, which would lead you to different parts of the park.  It was almost like a maze.

Instead of the big, open fields I had imagined, the park consisted of wide pathways for people to walk, jog, run or bike on, as well as many different ponds showcasing beautiful scenery.

On any given day, just like in any other city in China, you can find the public square dancing seniors at the park, performing their daily exercises.

This scene honestly reminded me a bit of home.  I felt that I could have looked across the Bow River and seen something like this back in the day before all the development changed the skyline.

Because of the size of Tianhe Park, there are numerous buses that stop outside the many entrances. 

Buses that stop near the North Entrance – 23 / 33 / 436 / 50 / 139 / 210 / 224 / 227 / 235 /240 / 242 / 248 / 268 / 289 / 296 / 306 / 504 / 515 / 517 / 518 / 560 / 813 / 831 / 883

Buses that stop near the South Entrance – 218 / 243 / 245 / 261 / 278 / 292 / 298 / 504 / 517 / 518