Guangzhou Orchid Garden

This guide to the Guangzhou Orchid Garden opens with an odd detail: your entry ticket doubles as a coupon for a pot of tea. Behind that quirk lies a stranger history than the modest park entrance suggests. Founded in nineteen fifty-one as a plain botanical plot, it became a dedicated orchid-breeding base in nineteen fifty-seven and stayed closed to the public for nearly two decades, taking its current name from a local official in nineteen sixty-two. Wander the willow-fringed pools and stone bridges laid out for gardeners rather than tourists, and keep an eye out for the small teahouse tucked among the pavilions.