The sky was grey with looming rain and the air was thick and humid. It took us two hour-long subway journeys and a bus ride but we had made it: Guangzhou Sunflower Gardens. Aka the most whimsical place I’ve ever seen. Archways of flowers framed the sidewalk, statues of superheroes and Anime characters dotted the gardens, and fields of vivid flowers grew vibrantly. It was incredible. Beautiful. Unpredictable.

And it began with a trip to the train station, a river cruise, and a weather forecast predicting storms for the whole weekend.

Another Train Dilemma

Like most of these stories, our trip begins with a mishap at the train station. This time, we had our tickets, were on time, and were making our way through security when we realised our mistake: we’d booked for the wrong day.

A bit of Google translate later and we’d booked new tickets for the right day. No biggie. Just a slight delay. We were on the train within half an hour. We got standing tickets. Let me just say, my balance is not the best when taking public transport. We were stood amongst other standing passengers and had zero wall space to cling to. The train was bumpy and we both nearly fell over numerous times (mainly me). Honestly, the other standing passengers had probably had enough of our clumsiness and giggles by the time our train arrived in the station. But miraculously we managed to maintain our footing for the half hour trip to Guangzhou.

The River Cruise

When we arrived in Guangzhou, we quickly settled into our hostel then booked a river cruise. The river cruise glided down the pearl river for one and a half hours. Gorgeous buildings alive with light illuminated the river. Vividly glowing boats cruised past us like rainbow slugs on the water. In the distance was Canton Tower, alive and piercing the sky with its brilliance. The whole experience was stunning.

When we docked, the rocking had put us both into a state of drowsiness. We grabbed some dinner, sorted out our finances, then made our way back to our hostel where we slept like babies until the next morning.

The Commute

The next morning we woke up bright and early. We were excited. I mean, sunflowers?!? Who wouldn’t be excited for sunflowers? Of course, there was the less exciting three-hour commute there, and our lack of internet was concerning, but we set off excitedly.

We caught two subways. The second subway emerged onto open tracks. Fields of crops, beds of water filled with ducks and fish, and canals stretching through little towns were on display. Farmers tended to their crops busily, small farm houses stood propped beside little lakes. It was beautiful.

The Sunflower Gardens

When we reached our stop, we transferred onto a bus. Everyone on the bus was super helpful at getting us to our planned destination. Through the windows we could see sunflower fields, crops, and dark grey skies. And about thirty seconds after we stepped off the bus, the clouds opened up and it poured down on us. I know what you’re thinking – that’s JUST great. Yeah, that’s what we were thinking too. Still, we bought our tickets and entered the rainy park. After a few snacks, the rain stopped and the sky glowed a clear blue.

We began our trip through the Sunflower Gardens in a large exhibition filled with superhero, Disney and anime memorabilia. There were glass cases filled with Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck memorabilia. Life-size statues of the Avengers and Star Wars characters were on display. The exhibition was filled with so much interesting memorabilia and history.

We then discovered the sunflower gardens. See, the park is filled with various gardens of sunflowers, lavender, roses, and many other colourful varieties. We explored them all.

The Sunflower Gardens were gorgeous. Bright, enormous yellow flowers faced towards the sun, bees buzzing excitedly from flower to flower. The hot sun burned down on us, but it didn’t matter. We so were so entranced by the beauty of the sunflower fields, the peace they encapsulated with their vibrant colours. As sunflowers are the symbol of happiness and hope, there are millions of sunflowers planted throughout the park. We explored at least three gardens filled with sunflowers. And each time it was just as magical.

We later discovered the Lavender Garden. The Lavender Garden was a sea of pale purple. White archways stood in stark contrast leading a pathway through the soft-smelling flowers. A hammock swung lazily over the flowers. We wandered quietly through the garden where serene music was playing. Everything was peaceful, quiet.

After another spout of rain, we ventured out to find the Rose Gardens. The Rose Gardens were like something out of Alice in Wonderland. There were approximately twenty different varieties of roses growing. Archways covered in roses, garden beds filled with roses of various colours, and giant rose statues filled the space. Amongst the roses was a London telephone booth and a garden swing. The thick scent of sweet roses was redolent in the air. The surrealism of the place never ceased to amaze us.

The Sunflower Gardens as a whole were so surreal. There were paths lined with giant swan statues, vanities with mirrors on the footpaths, a whole garden dedicated to Princess Diana, a tiny castle and statues of the Seven Dwarfs. And across a large green field, stood the most magnificent rainbow mansion. Unfortunately we couldn’t find a way into it. At different times throughout the year, the green field blazes a rainbow display of flowers. Although, even when the flowers are not in bloom, the place is just as stunning.

An abandoned boat stood positioned between a field of sunflowers and the mansion. The most surreal thing about the Sunflower Gardens though, was how eerily quiet the place was.

When we first arrived, there was an air of silence. The park had a few rides, all of which were not operating. Every now and again we’d run into people, but it was rare. The food stalls were decorated in sweet pastels and were devoid of customers. The bathrooms were clean and empty, as though they hadn’t been used in days. Small inoperative roller coasters and rides stood embedded amongst hundreds of vivid flowers. It could have almost passed as an abandoned theme park. The popularity of the park no doubt increases when all the flowers are in bloom and the weather is clear. But when we went, it was quiet and empty and it increased the beauty of the place.Everything was so peaceful.

After a long exploration of the park, another storm erupted above us. We settled into a cute pastel diner and ate cheese-filled chicken, noodles, and cake. The storm passed quickly and we explored the places we had missed – a small, unusual dog park filled with Pomeranians, a few remaining gardens, and ate ice cream while we headed back to the front gate. There was a supposed squirrel garden, but unfortunately we did not find it. Finally, we departed from the park, waited in the hot sun for our bus, then began the long commute back home.

The Final Hours

Once we had returned, we explored the city a bit, found ourselves wandering down a pink-lit alley lined with stalls and street food vendors, and ended up in an old shopping mall filled with only jewellery stores. We treated ourselves to pizza for the first time in fourteen weeks and savoured the amazing taste that we had been devoid of for so long.

After exploring, we headed back to the hostel with the intention of taking a quick rest before heading out again, but we ended up falling asleep instead.

On our final day, we explored some shopping centres, drank iced tea, and headed back to our humble little city, Dongguan. We got back at around 14:30 and I didn’t leave my apartment again until the next day.

While the Sunflower Gardens aren’t overly popular, they are extremely beautiful, like stepping into another world. If you ever find yourself in Guangzhou with nothing to do (a rare but possible scenario), consider taking the three-hour commute to the Sunflower Gardens. You won’t regret it.

For more pictures, check out my Instagram: missyaleisha