Entertainment thrives in Guangzhou, a center of commercial and maritime activity and site of the world’s largest trade exhibit, the annual Canton Fair. Multitudes of visitors with time for fun after work can choose among concerts, historic venues, river cruises and a tram line with an entire district devoted to art and recreation.

Las Vegas and Broadway shows along with experimental theater and operas are performed at the city’s swooping, theatrical “double pebble” Opera House, created by renowned architect Zaha Hadid. On historic Shamian Island, overseas headquarters for foreign colonials, the recently renovated White Swan Hotel serves meals in three dining rooms and cocktails at the see-and-be-seen Destination Bar with views of the dinner cruises floating by. Lavish showboats outfitted in brocades serve up rich buffets and live music as they navigate past brilliant neon light shows illuminating highrises lining the Pearl River bisecting the city. Popular LGBT venues for disco, karaoke and bars are listed weekly on the Fridae website.

A simple approach is to jump on and off at stops of the charming electric Haizhu tram, which runs about five miles along the southern riverfront, passing several evening destinations. The quiet cars depart from the Canton Tower, where an observation deck provides “crystal” cars circling passengers around the perimeter. Farther along, the tram stops at Zhujiang Party Pier, an art and culture district devoted to galleries, restaurants and clubs such as the curvy new JZ Club, a barrel-shaped jazz bar with musicians playing on a stage surrounded by towering arched windows. A popular steakhouse, the Mr. Rocky Bar is done up in cowboy style with country music, free billiards, darts, telecast sporting events and nightly dancing to the house band.

The Shangri-La Hotel, midway down the tram line, offers a venue for elegant and inventive dining and drinks, where Summer Palace and Nadaman serve Chinese and Japanese cuisine and the less formal RIBS features a smoked rye with bacon cocktail, baby back ribs and unique and savory Beijing duck pizza.

The tram’s final stop, Wanshengwei, delivers passengers to the historic Huangpu Ancient Port, a preserved village of Lingnan-style carved wood buildings with wok handleshaped houses and tile roads. Harborside cafés serve sampan congee, shrimp dumplings and Huangpu scrambled eggs with local beers and cocktails.