Visit this super central but quiet park for the sprawling lawns, awesome playground, forest-like vibe and even a bit of art!

It had been a while since I visited Tianhe Park. Probably about 4-5 years and honestly, I don’t know why. It’s got nice walking paths, isn’t crowded, locals play live music and I genuinely liked my previous visits. Granted, my family and I enjoy exploring new place most of the time but we do return to some spots every now and again so it’s not like once I’ve been somewhere, I won’t go again (I realise there are people like that, no judgement, it’s just not me). It might have something to do with the fact that in my head, God knows why, it was located really far away. Like REALLY far, when in fact it is not. Not when you’re in the city centre, that is. It IS quite far from where I live but if you’re in Tianhe, Huangpu or Zhujiang New Town, it is ridiculously easy to get to. I actually timed my taxi journey from Zhujiang NT to Tianhe Park and you won’t believe this-3 minutes! THREE MINUTES! Shame that it’s impossible to cross the road and so we had to drive another 5min to do a U-turn and return to south gate but IF there was a crossing, it’d literally take 3 minutes or 5-7min drive from Tiyu Xilu. Now I should say something like ‘you really don’t have an excuse not to go, right?’ but I won’t.

Why? Because Tianhe Park isn’t for everyone. I like it but others I know have not been impressed. It is a low-key kind of place, old-fashioned in places, on the wilder side compared to the manicured, newer parks and I can easily imagine some might feel disappointed by it. It’s rather no-frills but it has seen a lot of changes in recent years and is still undergoing construction (important to note though it didn’t affect our visit much). No doubt, someone higher up has a more modern vision of this community park so watch this space! My opinion is that Tianhe Park is not pretending to be something it is not. It is quite a large neighbourhood park, which is pleasant to jog and stroll around and which has some nice areas for kids. That’s all you need on an average weekend though, isn’t it?

As a bonus, there is the Song Space right bang in the centre. An art gallery, which houses various exhibitions. We were lucky enough to stumble upon a display of works by teenagers with ADHD and other neurological disorders (free entry). What made our visit very special were the interactive games prepared for adults and children, the purpose of which was to let everyone experience the world the way people with the aforementioned disorders do. It was my first time seeing something like this and definitely first time getting a hands-on experience of what’s it like to e.g. be really affected by loud noise. Both my son and I thoroughly enjoyed getting involved and get this-we even got treated like some sort of VIPs 😛

The lady from an organisation, who run this exhibition, spoke fluent English and since I couldn’t read Chinese (embarrassing bearing in mind how long I’ve lived here, I know), she kindly explained the various art pieces to me and stories behind them. Then, to my surprise, we even received a goody bag! Wow, sometimes it really does pay off to be a foreigner here:) And so our totally random visit to this art space turned into an hour-long fun experience. It helped that they had a drawing station and my son is absolutely obsessed with drawing right now! Don’t you just love when something unexpected like that happens? I must say, we are like a magnet for these type of unplanned but very entertaining, and often educational, events happening to us. FYI the exhibition closes on Novermber 9th so go check it out when you can!

Inside the exhibition space, there is also a super quiet reading area (no foreign books)and a sitting area by the courtyard; very chilled. You can also climb to the rooftop for a bit of a view!

If you’re following Wechat channels about Guangzhou, you might have seen that Guangzhou Garden Expo is on and, as part of that, beautiful flower displays can be admired in various parks. Last year I visited the amazing Chrysanthemum Festival-just one element of the Garden Expo this year, and I highly recommend it! Now, Tianhe Park is not one of those parks BUT you can still see a lot of flowers that are very pleasing to the eyes (and provide great photo backgrounds!). Good thing is that you are allowed to put your tents up on the lawns (not always a given in GZ!). Those are located between North and West Gate.

As you can see from the photos below, the new play area is…popular, to say the least! I remember there being a water park for toddlers here before but that was replaced with an identikit play equipment, which seems to crop up in every single family-friendly park in China these days. I’m not complaining though, it’s great that kids in the neighbourhood are getting new play spaces and I’m pretty sure they couldn’t care less. Imagine a kid going: ‘Mum, I don’t wanna play here, it looks just the same as A,B,C park, let’s go somewhere unique’! 🙂 Not gonna happen, is it?

In addition to the sandpit, climbing walls, slides and swings, it also has a really cool exercise spot with new, fancy equipment in size suitable for kids! My son enjoyed the rowing machine and the electric bicycle the most. Just passed the lawns and the playground, you’ll find yourselves in a much quieter, forest-like area, which will lead you back to the centre of the park but hold on. First of all, what kind of a community park it would be without a few ping pong tables, right? Fear not, they’re there so feel free to bring your kit with you. Secondly, if you come on a Saturday, like we did (not sure if it’s held on any other day), you’ll see a marriage market! Regardless of how you feel about those hmmm, special events, it is interesting to witness such a cultural phenomenon. To be honest, I wasn’t aware Guangzhou had one!

If you want your walk to be a quiet one, you’re in the right place. Yes, you’ll hear quiet music playing from the speakers at times but aside from that and noise around the squares near the gates, where locals gather to play traditional instruments (always a pleasure to listen to), you can rest assured your walk will be nice and quiet. That is except for your child whining that it’s too boring or too tiring:) There are plenty of benches around as well as the ‘usual suspects’ one can expect in a Chinese park: a large lake, pavilions, bridges, boulders, outdoor gym (separate from the one near the playground) and lots of toilets, including baby changing and feeding stations! I’ve also seen a couple of small shops by the North Gate with snacks and toys.

If you don’t have your own picnic with you, there are several restaurants and smaller eateries right outside North and West Gates. I saw a McDonalds and Starbucks near the play zone but we opted for a Cantonese meal at Mueng Yuan restaurant, which is literally opposite the park’s entrance and the food was good(their menu has English on it and most dishes come with photos). Plenty of fruit tea and Family Marts around there.

One of the reasons why more people should visit Tianhe Park is that it now has its own metro station, which makes it extremely convenient to get to, if you don’t fancy a taxi ride or driving (there is a car park near the North gate). Tianhe Park metro exit is on the West side of the park but that part is currently closed to the public due to China Games so when you get off, don’t turn left! Go right and around the lake. Bit of a nuisance but worth it. The only other part closed off is next to Song Space(it’s under major construction). As you’re walking around the lake, you’ll see a big area fenced off, looking quite wild and unkept, no idea what’s going on there but hopefully it’ll be accessible soon.

Tianhe Park is hard to sum up because it’s quite old and wild, Baiyunshan-like almost in parts but then also has well-kept lawns and modern equipment. I guess you just need to go and check it out for yourself:) We liked it and will visit again once all the construction is finished to see what they’ve done with the place!

Have you been to this park before? Did you have a good time there or were you unimpressed? Let me know in the comments!

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Info:

Address: Tianhe Park, Guangzhou

Getting there: By metro take Line 11, 13 or 21 to Tianhe Park station. By bus (see photo-BRT is also by the North Gate). Driving would be most convenient to North Gate since there is a car park there.

Food: Snack shops near the North Gate; restaurants outside North and West Gates(see above).

Price: FREE

Facilities: Several toilet blocks (including those for the disabled), large if ‘cold’ baby changing and baby feeding rooms. No stairs! Perfect for strolling with a pram, elderly and disabled-friendly.

Pets: Yes, you’re allowed to bring pets but the ones I saw were all on leashes so perhaps that’s a requirement.

Age: Most suitable for kids under 10.