North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's decision to stay at the White Swan Hotel on Guangzhou's Shamian Island makes for a short commute.
At the northeast corner of the former foreign concession area sits a grey two-storey structure. It was once the Czech consulate. Today it houses the resident trade representative of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
There was no apparent activity at the walled-in compound on Thursday afternoon, when Mr Kim arrived in town and a knock on the steel front gate went unanswered.
Aside from a name plaque hanging over the gate, the building's only other distinguishing features are a colonial terrace on the second floor and a two-metre satellite dish on the rooftop. North Korea's Guangzhou representatives have no doubt been preoccupied by Mr Kim's secretive visit, which could explain why they were not at home.
Mr Kim is enjoying almost total rule of Shamian, which has been closed to vehicular traffic.
Visitors attempting to gain access to the luxurious White Swan Hotel over the past two days have been turned away. Even paying guests were evicted on Thursday even though China's foreign ministry refuses to confirm that Mr Kim is even in the country.
