Entertainment Overview

If you think Guangzhou's high culture begins and ends with Cantonese opera, think again, pilgrim -- the art and performance scene here is vibrant, and getting more so every day. Even cynics who believe that Guangzhou's mainstream masses care more for dim sum than for dance are waking up to the fact that the city is undergoing a cultural broadening, as evidenced by the opening of small art spaces, more eclectic forms of theater, and more national attention being focused on the city's major museums. Of course, purists need not panic; the Cantonese opera has hardly disappeared.

In Shenzhen, the nightlife is so happening that it's not unusual to run into people -- expats and Chinese -- who've come in from Hong Kong and Guangzhou just to party. The two major happening nightlife centers in Shenzhen are the Luohu District and Shekou District (Luohu tends to be flashier and Shekou a bit more laid-back), but there are also a couple of cool spots in the OCT District as well. A great English-language Web site that lists the latest on what's happening in Shenzhen's ever-evolving party scene is www.shenzhenparty.com