Guangdong, China -

puzzle: I'm in the Pearl River Delta, yet surrounded not by flats and factories but by lush green hills. The city I write from is known as the 'hometown of overseas Chinese'. In 1997 it was awarded the United Nations Habitat Scroll of Honour. And owing to its most famous son, nearly every city in the country has a road named after it. So where am I?

OK, one more clue: that famous son is a very famous son. So famous, in fact, that the city even changed its name in honour of his revolutionary moniker. Yes, the man is Dr Sun Yat-sen – and the city is Zhongshan.

Many write Zhongshan off as little more than a great man's birthplace which, given the abundance of leisure options – from sports, to hot springs, to Guangdong's legendary cuisine – is a little unfair.

Zhongshan is a paradise for the golfer, for one. The Agile Golf and Country Club is blessed with lush greens, with one of its two courses equipped with floodlight facilities for night play. Mountains provide the backdrop to many of the 36 holes, as well as the excellent clubhouse and hotel. Zhongshan Warm Spring Golf Course is another option, offering some of the province's finest fairways.

Guangdong is a great spot for spring bathing. At Xianmuyuan hot spring resort, located at the foot of Mount Luosanmei, 38 hot spring pools offer a variety of treatments and flavours. Choose between milk, coffee, ginseng, or mint pools – each with its own special function. The lemon pool, for example, is great for smoother skin, a ginseng soak will boost your strength, and the coffee pool will – inevitably – give you that extra 'pick-up'.

Ore Sand Island within the resort is the first of its kind in China. For a blissful 15 minutes, you'll be covered – neck to toe – by 40C white ore sand, heated by an underground thermal spring. For just RMB 10, it's a wonderfully invigorating experience, and is even said to cure arthritis.

A visit to the Museum of Dr Sun Yat-sen is essential to any trip to Zhongshan. Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) is one of China's great heroes of the 20th century, leading the Xinhai Revolution that overthrew the Qing dynasty, ending more than 2,000 years of feudal rule. Enter the museum through an avenue lined with tall Chinese fan palms. A two-storey red house, the former residence of Sun's family, stands before you. In the courtyard there's an old tree planted by Sun himself, and everything inside the house has been beautifully preserved. To one side of the former residence, an imposing memorial features a collection of photos and objects that chart Sun Yat-sen's remarkable journey from being the son of a poor farmer to the father of modern China.

If there's still time, pay a visit to Zhan's Garden. Built by hundreds of craftsmen from Suzhou and Hangzhou, originally as a gift to owner Huang Yuanxin's mother, it has now become a tourist attraction and boasts the best of Chinese garden architecture. If you are lucky enough, you may even bump into Huang himself. If so, retire to a waterside pavilion and enjoy the opportunity to have a chat with another of Zhongshan's most dutiful sons.