Twelve passengers from Australia, the Netherlands, Argentina and Russia have become the first group of foreign tourists to take advantage of China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy to enjoy a complimentary one-day city tour in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on July 11, 2024. [Photos by Zheng Erqi/China Daily]

Twelve visitors from Australia, the Netherlands, Argentina and Russia have become the first group of foreign tourists to take advantage of China's 144-hour visa-free transit policy to enjoy a complimentary one-day city tour of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Thursday.

They started from Terminal 2 of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport on 8:30 am and returned to the airport at about 2:30 pm to continue their trips.

According to information released by the Guangzhou Bureau of Culture, Broadcast, Television and Tourism, the foreign guests visited Huacheng Square, Canton Tower, Guangdong Museum, Guangzhou Opera House and Guangzhou Library to appreciate the modern urban architecture style of Guangzhou and the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, Yuexiu Park — home to the iconic five-ram statue, to sense the essence of Lingnan (South China) traditional culture during their six-hour city tour.

The city tour, which is organized by Guangzhou-based GZL International Travel Service, also includes a free Cantonese-style dim sum lunch and English-speaking tourist guide, it said.

Meanwhile the first group foreign guests to tour the city were also given a piece of Yue embroidery, also known as Guang embroidery, as a gift. Yue embroidery is a general name for embroidery products of the regions of Guangzhou, Shantou, Zhongshan, Panyu and Shunde in Guangdong province.