Guangzhou

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Guangzhou (disambiguation).
Guangzhou
广州
Sub-provincial city
广州市
From top: Tianhe CBD, the Canton Tower & Chigang Pagoda, Haizhu Bridge, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Statue of Five Goats, Zhenhai Tower in Yuexiu Park, and Sacred Heart Cathedral.
Location of Guangzhou in Guangdong
Guangzhou
Location in China
Coordinates: 23°08′N 113°16′E / 23.133°N 113.267°E / 23.133; 113.267Coordinates: 23°08′N 113°16′E / 23.133°N 113.267°E / 23.133; 113.267
Country People's Republic of China
Province Guangdong
Government
 • Type Sub-provincial city
 • CPC Ctte Secretary Wan Qingliang
 • Mayor Chen Jianhua
Area[1]
 • Sub-provincial city 7,434 km2 (2,870 sq mi)
 • Urban 3,843 km2 (1,484 sq mi)
Elevation 21 m (68 ft)
Population (2013)[2]
 • Sub-provincial city 14,000,000
 • Density 1,708/km2 (4,425/sq mi)
 • Urban 11,070,654
Demonym Guangzhouese
Cantonese
Time zone China standard time (UTC+8)
Postal code 510000
Area code(s) +86 (0)20
GDP[3] 2011
 - Total CN¥1,242.34 billion
(US$192.3 billion)
 - Per capita CN¥97,588
(US$15,109)
 - Growth Increase 11.3%
Licence plate prefixes 粤A
Website http://english.gz.gov.cn
Guangzhou

"Guangzhou", as written in Traditional Chinese and Simplified Chinese
Simplified Chinese 广州
Traditional Chinese 廣州
Cantonese Jyutping Gwong2 zau1
Cantonese Yale Gwóngjàu
Hanyu Pinyin Guǎngzhōu
Postal Map Canton
Kwangchow[4]
Literal meaning Wide State or Capital of Guangfu

Guangzhou (Chinese: 广州; pinyin: Guǎngzhōu) — known historically as Canton or, less commonly, Kwangchow[4] — is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. Located on the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) north-northwest of Hong Kong and north-northeast of Macau, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port.[5] One of the five National Central Cities,[6] it holds sub-provincial administrative status.

Guangzhou is the third largest Chinese city and southern China's largest city. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 12.78 million.[7] Some estimates place the population of the entire Pearl River Delta Mega City built up area as high as 40 million including Shenzhen (10.36 million), Dongguan (8.22 million) and most parts of Foshan (7.19 million), Jiangmen (4.45 million), Zhongshan (3.12 million) and a small part of Huizhou adjoining Dongguan and Shenzhen, with an area of about 20,000 square kilometres (7,700 sq mi). In 2008 Guangzhou was identified as a Beta World City by the global city index produced by the GaWC, the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[8]

History

See also: Timeline of Guangzhou history

Early history

Guangzhou's earliest recorded name is Panyu (Chinese: 番禺; Jyutping: Pun1 Jyu4), derived from two nearby mountains known as Pan and Yu in ancient times.[9] Its recorded history begins with China's conquest of the area during the Qin Dynasty. Panyu expanded when it became capital of the Nanyue Kingdom (南越) in 206 BC; the territory of the Nanyue Kingdom included what is now Vietnam.

The Han Dynasty annexed the Nanyue Kingdom in 111 BC during the empire's expansion southward, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so today. In 226 AD, Panyu became the seat of Guang Prefecture (廣州; Guangzhou / 廣府; Guangfu). While originally referring to the prefecture alone, local citizens gradually adopted the custom of using the same name for their city. [citation needed]

Although Guangzhou replaced Panyu as the name of the walled city, Panyu was still the name of the surrounding area until the end of Qing Dynasty. [citation needed] Today, Panyu is a district of Guangzhou south of Haizhu District separated from the rest of the city by the Pearl River.

The Old Book of Tang (Chinese: 唐书) described Guangzhou as important port in the south of China.[10] In that period, direct routes connected the Middle East and China. A Chinese prisoner, who was captured in the Battle of Talas and stayed in Iraq for twelve years, returned to China by ship on a direct route from Iraq to Guangzhou.[11] Guangzhou was mentioned by various Muslim geographers in the ninth and tenth centuries, such as Al-Masudi and Ibn Khordadbeh,[12] according to a local Guangzhou government report on October 30, 758, corresponding to the day of Guisi (癸巳) of the ninth lunar month in the first year of the Qianyuan era of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty.[13][14][15][16] The Arab historian Abu Zayd as-Sirafi mentioned Guangzhou several times in his book The Journey of as-Sirafi (Arabic: رحلة السيرافي), providing a description of daily life, food, business dealings, and the justice system of the city. As-Sirafi also reports that in 878 followers of the Chinese rebel leader Huang Chao besieged Guangzhou and massacred a large number of foreign merchants residing there. The foreign merchants were Arab Muslims, Persians, Jews and Christians[17][18][19]

From the tenth to twelfth century, Persian women were to be found in Guangzhou. Multiple women originating from the Persian Gulf lived in Guangzhou's foreign quarter.[20][21][22] Some scholars did not differentiate between Persian and Arab, calling them both "Dashi" (Chinese: 大食; pinyin: Dà shí), and some say that the Chinese called all women coming from the Persian Gulf "Persian Women".[23]

The Muslim Moroccan Traveler Ibn Battuta visited Guangzhou in the 14th century in his journey around the World. He described the manufacturing process of large ships in the city.[24]

During the Northern Song Dynasty, the celebrated poet Su Shi (Shisu) visited Guangzhou's Baozhuangyan Temple and wrote the inscription "Liu Rong" (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there. It has since been called the Temple of the 6 Banyan Trees.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in Guangzhou by sea in 1514, establishing a monopoly on the external trade out of its harbour by 1517.[25] They were later expelled from their settlements in Guangzhou (Cantão in Portuguese), but instead granted use of Macau as a trade base with the city in 1557. They would keep a near monopoly on foreign trade in the region until the arrival of the Dutch in the early 17th century.

17th through 19th centuries

It is believed that the romanisation "Canton" originated from the Portuguese Portuguese: Cantão, which was transcribed from Guangdong. Nevertheless, because at the time of the Portuguese arrival, the capital city had no specific appellation other than the provincial capital (Chinese: 省城; Mandarin Pinyin: shěng chéng; Jyutping: Shaang2 Sheng4) by its people, the province name was adopted for the walled city by the Europeans. The etymology of Canton, as well as the similar pronunciation with the province name Guangdong might have partly contributed to the recent confusion of Canton and Guangdong by certain English speakers. However, definitive English lexica, such as Merriam–Webster's Dictionary, American Heritage Dictionary and Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English do not list 'Guangdong' as a synonym (or variant) under 'Canton'.

After China gained control of Taiwan in 1683, the Qing government became more open to foreign trade. Guangzhou quickly emerged as one of the most suitable ports for international trade and before long ships arrived from all over the world.

The Portuguese in Macau, the Spanish in Manila, Arabs from the Middle East and Muslims from India were already actively trading in the port by the 1690s, when the French and English began frequenting the port through the Canton System.

Other companies were soon to follow: the Ostend General India company in 1717; Dutch East India Company in 1729; the first Danish ship in 1731, which was followed by a Danish Asiatic Company ship in 1734; the Swedish East India Company in 1732; followed by an occasional Prussian and Trieste Company ship; the Americans in 1784; and the first ships from Australia in 1788.

By the middle of the 18th century, Guangzhou had emerged as one of the world's great trading ports under the Thirteen Factories, which was a distinction it maintained until the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1839 and the opening of other ports in China in 1842. The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top 3 cities in the world.[26] During the war, the British captured Canton on March 18, 1841. The Second Battle of Canton was fought in May 1841.

From 1855 to 1867 there were a series of battles between the Punti and Hakka peoples known as the Punti–Hakka Clan Wars (土客械鬥).

The plague epidemic – part of the Third Pandemic – reached Guangzhou in 1894, causing the death of 60,000 people in a few weeks.[27] In 1918, the city's urban council was established and Guangzhou (Chinese: 廣州; Jyutping: Gwong2 zau1) became the official name of the city in Chinese.[citation needed] Panyu became a country's name to the southern side of Guangzhou.

1930–present

In both 1930 and 1953, Guangzhou was promoted to the status of a municipality, but each time promotion was rescinded within a year[citation needed].

Japanese troops occupied Guangzhou from October 21, 1938, to September 16, 1945, after violent bombings. In the city, the Imperial Japanese Army conducted bacteriological research unit 8604, a section of unit 731, where Japanese doctors experimented on human prisoners.

After the fall of the capital Nanjing in April 1949, the Nationalist government under the acting president Li Zongren relocated to Guangzhou.

Communist forces entered the city on October 14, 1949. This led the nationalists to blow up the Haizhu Bridge as the major link across the Pearl River and to the acting president's leaving for New York, whereas Chiang Kai-shek set up the capital for the Nationalist government in Chongqing again. The communist government soon renamed the city's English name to "Guangzhou". A massive exodus followed as many fled to nearby Hong Kong and Macau, and the provincial capital's international status dwindled. [citation needed] The urban renewal projects of the new communist government improved the lives of some residents.[citation needed] New housing on the shores of the Pearl River provided homes for the poor boat people. Reforms by Deng Xiaoping, who came to power in the late 1970s, led to rapid economic growth due to the city's close proximity to Hong Kong and access to the Pearl River.

As labour costs increased in Hong Kong, manufacturers opened new plants in the cities of Guangdong including Guangzhou. As the largest city in one of China's wealthiest provinces, Guangzhou attracts farmers from the countryside looking for factory work. Cantonese links to overseas Chinese and beneficial tax reforms of the 1990s have aided the city's rapid growth.

In 2000, Huadu and Panyu were merged into Guangzhou as districts, and Conghua and Zengcheng became county-level cities of Guangzhou.

  • The Thirteen Factories, c. 1820

  • Plan of Canton (published 1910)

  • Street scene in Canton, 1919

Geography

Tiantang Peak, highest mountain in Guangzhou

Located in the south-central portion of Guangdong, Guangzhou spans from 112° 57' to 114° 03' E longitude and 22° 26' to 23° 56' N latitude. The city is part of the Pearl River Delta and the city centre is situated next to the Baiyun Mountain, which is locally referred to as ‘the lung of the city’ (市肺).[5][28] The total area under the city's administration is 7,434.4 square kilometres (2,870.4 sq mi), with the 10 districts occupying 3,843.43 square kilometres (1,483.96 sq mi), or 51.7% of the total, while the two county-level cities occupy the rest.

The elevation of the prefecture generally increases from southwest to northeast, with mountains forming the backbone of the city, and the ocean comprising the front. Tiantang Peak (天堂顶, meaning Peak of Paradise in Chinese), which stands 1,210 m (3,970 ft) above sea level, is the highest mountain in Guangzhou.

Climate

Located just south of the Tropic of Cancer, Guangzhou has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) influenced by the East Asian monsoon. Summers are wet with high temperatures, high humidity and a high heat index. Winters are mild and comparatively dry. Guangzhou has a lengthy monsoon season, spanning from April through September. Monthly averages range from 13.6 °C (56.5 °F) in January to 28.6 °C (83.5 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 22.6 °C (72.7 °F),[5] the relative humidity is approximately 68%, whereas annual rainfall in the metropolitan area is over 1,700 mm (67 in).[5] Extreme temperatures have ranged from 0 °C (32 °F) to 39.1 °C (102 °F).[29] The last recorded snowfall in the city was in January 1893.[citation needed]

Administrative divisions

Main article: List of administrative divisions of Guangzhou
Historical population
Year Pop.  ±%  
1953[31] 1,598,900—    
1964[31] 3,031,486+89.6%
1982[31] 5,630,733+85.7%
1990[32] 6,299,943+11.9%
1995[32] 8,117,100+28.8%
2000[32] 9,942,022+22.5%
2002[32] 10,106,229+1.7%
2005[33] 9,496,800−6.0%
2006[33] 9,966,600+4.9%
2007[33] 10,530,100+5.7%
2008[33] 11,153,400+5.9%
2009[33] 11,869,700+6.4%
2010[33] 12,709,600+7.1%
2011[33] 12,751,400+0.3%
Population size may be affected by changes on administrative divisions.

Guangzhou is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over ten districts (区, qū) and two county-level cities (市, shì) :

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2010 census)[2]		 Area
(km2)[1]		 Density
(/km2)[2]
Central districts 7,727,163 1,166.37 6,625
1 Yuexiu District 越秀区 Yuèxiù Qū 1,157,277 33.80 34,239
2 Liwan District 荔湾区 Lìwān Qū 898,204 59.10 15,198
3 Haizhu District 海珠区 Hǎizhū Qū 1,558,663 90.40 17,242
4 Tianhe District 天河区 Tiānhé Qū 1,432,431 96.33 14,870
5 Baiyun District 白云区 Báiyún Qū 2,222,658 795.79 2,793
6 Huangpu District 黄埔区 Huángpù Qū 457,930 90.95 5,035
New districts 3,343,491 2,677.06 1,249
7 Panyu District 番禺区 Pānyú Qū 1,764,869 786.15 2,245
8 Huadu District 花都区 Huādū Qū 945,053 970.04 974
9 Nansha District 南沙区 Nánshā Qū 259,899 527.65 493
10 Luogang District 萝岗区 Luógāng Qū 373,670 393.22 950
County-level cities 1,630,146 3,590.97 454
11 Zengcheng 增城市 Zēngchéng Shì 1,036,731 1,616.47 641
12 Conghua 从化市 Cónghuà Shì 593,415 1,974.50 301
Total 12,700,800 7,434.40 1,708

As of April 28, 2005, the districts of Dongshan and Fangcun have been abolished and merged into Yuexiu and Liwan respectively; at the same time the district of Nansha was established out of parts of Panyu, and the district of Luogang was established out of parts of Baiyun, Tianhe, and Zengcheng, plus a part of Huangpu, making an exclave next to Huangpu.

Development plan

In January 2009 the National People's Congress approved a development plan for the Pearl River Delta Region. On March 19, 2009 the Guangzhou Municipal Government and Foshan Municipal Government both agreed to establish a framework to merge the two cities.[34]

Significant buildings

See also: List of tallest buildings in Guangzhou

Economy

Zhujiang New Town

Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub of the Pearl River Delta, one of mainland China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2009, the GDP reached ¥911.28 billion (US $133.5 billion), per capita was ¥89,498 (US $13,111).[35]

The China Import and Export Fair, also called the "Canton Fair", is held every year in April and October by the Ministry of Trading. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the Fair is a major event for the city. From the 104th session onwards, the Fair moved to the new Pazhou complex, from the older Liuhua Complex. All booths have been transferred to Pazhou Complex, which is served by two stations on Metro Line 8. Also, since the 104th session, the Canton Fair has been arranged in 3 phases instead of 2 phases.

Industrial zones

The zone was founded in 2005. Its total planned area is 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi).[36] It is located in Nansha District and it belongs to the provincial capital, Guangzhou. The major industries encouraged in the zone include auto-mobile assembly, biotechnology and heavy industry. It is situated near to Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Shenzhen Port.[36]

  • Guangzhou Free Trade Zone

The zone was founded in 1992. It is located in the east of Huangpu District and located near to Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is situated very close to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.[37] The major industries encouraged in the zone include international trade, logistics, processing industry and computer software. Guangzhou is considered one of the most prosperous cities in China. But due to rapid industrialization, it is also considered one of the most polluted cities.

Science City

Malls and pedestrian streets

Shangxiajiu

Transportation

Tianhe Sports Center Station of Guangzhou BRT
Gongyuanqian Station of Guangzhou Metro
Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District
A CRH3 Train at Guangzhou South Railway Station

Public transport

Guangzhou Metro

Main article: Guangzhou Metro

When the first line of the Guangzhou Metro opened in 1997, Guangzhou was the fourth city in Mainland China to have an underground railway system, behind Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Currently the metro network is made up of eight lines, covering a total length of 236 km (147 mi). A long term plan is to make the city's metro system expand to over 500 km (310 mi) by 2020 with 15 lines in operation.

The existing eight lines of Guangzhou Metro network:

Buses, taxis and motorcyles

The Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit (or GBRT) system which was introduced in 2010, is the world's second largest Bus Rapid Transit system with 1,000,000 [38] passenger trips daily and 26,900 pphpd during the peak hour (second only to the TransMilenio BRT system in Bogota).[39] The system averages 1 bus every 10 seconds or 350 per hour in a single direction contains the world's longest BRT stations - around 260m including bridges.

In 2009, is was reported that all 9,424 buses and 17,695 taxis in Guangzhou would be operating on LPG-fueled by 2010 to promote clean energy for transport and improve the environment ahead of the 2010 Asian Games which were held in the city.[40] At present, Guangzhou is the city that uses the most LPG-fueled vehicles in the world, and at the end of 2006, 6,500 buses and 16,000 taxis were using LPG, taking up 85% of all buses and taxis.[citation needed]

Effective January 1, 2007, the municipal government has banned motorcycles in urban areas. Motorcycles found violating the ban will be confiscated.[41] The Guangzhou traffic bureau claimed to have reported reduced traffic problems and accidents in the downtown area since the ban.[42]

Air transport

Guangzhou's main airport is the Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District opened on August 5, 2004. This airport is also the 2nd busiest airport in terms of traffic movements in China. It replaced the old Baiyun International Airport, which was very close to the city centre and failed to meet the fast-growing air traffic demand.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport now has two runways, with three more planned to be built.[43]

Railway transport

Guangzhou is the terminus of the Jingguang railway (Beijing-Guangzhou), the Guangshen railway (Guangzhou-Shenzhen), the Guangmao railway (Guangzhou-Maoming) and the Guangmeishan railway (Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou). In late 2009, the Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway started its service, which enables multiple unit trains to cover 980 km (608.94 mi) at a top speed of 320 km/h (199 mph). In January 2011, the Guangzhou–Zhuhai Intercity Railway started its service at an average speed of 200 km/h (124 mph).

Intercity transport to Hong Kong

Guangzhou is well connected to Hong Kong by train, coach and ferry. The Guangdong Through Train departs from the Guangzhou East railway station (广州东站) and arrives at the Hung Hom KCR station in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The route is approximately 182 km (113 mi) in length and the ride takes less than two hours. Frequent coach services are also provided with coaches departing every day from different locations (mostly major hotels) around the city.

River transport

Pearl River at night

There are daily high-speed catamaran services between Nansha Ferry Terminal and Lianhua Shan Ferry Terminal in Guangzhou and the Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal, as well as between Nansha Ferry Terminal and Macau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong.

Local products

[citation needed]

  • Canton Province Sculpture is legendary and includes Guangzhou Ivory Carvings, Jade Sculpture, Wood Sculpture and Olive Sculpture.
  • Cantonese Enamel includes Guangzhou Colorful Pottery. It has a history of over 300 years.
  • Cantonese Embroidery (Chinese: 粤绣; pinyin: yuè xiù) is one of the Four Famous Chinese Embroideries together with Su Embroidery, Xiang Embroidery and Shu Embroidery.
  • Canton Province Bacon is the general designation of cured meat in the Guangzhou and surrounding areas.
  • Zhujiang Beer (Pearl River Beer)

Culture

According to the official People's Daily newspaper, Cantonese is the first language for half of the 14 million residents of the provincial capital Guangzhou, while the other half speak mainly Mandarin.[44] Other languages such as Hakka are spoken in significant numbers as well. The migrant population from other provinces of China in Guangzhou was 40 percent of the city's total population in 2008. Most of them are rural migrants and they speak Mandarin and other local dialects from their hometowns.

Shangxiajiu in Liwan District

They have taken on many jobs that the local citizens are unwilling to do.[45]

Religions

Liang Fa (Leung Fat) worked in a printing company in Guangzhou in 1810 and came to know Robert Morrison (1782-1834, a missionary sent by the London Missionary Society in Britain and the first Christian Protestant missionary in China), who translated the Bible to Chinese and needed printing of the translation. When William Milne (1785-1822, another missionary sent by the London Missionary Society) arrived at Guangzhou in 1813 and worked with Morrison on translation of the Bible, he also came to know Liang Fa. Liang was baptized by Milne in 1816. In 1821, Liang was ordained by Morrison, thus becoming a missionary of the London Missionary Society and the first Chinese Protestant minister and evangelist.

Western Medicine was introduced to China in the 19th Century, mainly by medical missionaries sent from various Christian mission organizations, such as the London Missionary Society (Britain), the Methodist Church (Britain) and the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Benjamin Hobson (1816-1873), a medical missionary sent by the London Missionary Society in 1839, set up a highly successful Wai Ai Clinic (惠愛醫館) [46][47] in Guangzhou, China. Liang Fa, Hok Chau (周學), also known as Lai-Tong Chau (周勵堂), and others worked there. Liang Fa baptized Chau in 1852. The Methodist Church based in England sent missionary George Piercy [48][49][50] to China. In 1851, Piercy went to Guangzhou, where he worked in a trading company. In 1853, he started a church in Guangzhou. In 1877, Chau was ordained by the Methodist Church in Guangzhou, where he pastored for 39 years.

Due to the social custom that men and women should not be near to one another, the women of China were reluctant to be treated by male doctors of Western Medicine. This resulted in a tremendous need for female doctors of Western Medicine in China. Thus, female medical missionary Dr. Mary H. Fulton (1854-1927[51]) was sent by the Foreign Missions Board of the Presbyterian Church in the United States to found the first medical college for women in China. Known as the Hackett Medical College for Women (夏葛女子醫學院),[52][53] this College was located in Guangzhou, China, and was enabled by a large donation from Mr. Edward A.K. Hackett (1851-1916) of Indiana, U.S.A. The College was dedicated in 1902 and offered a four-year curriculum. By 1915, there were more than 60 students, mostly in residence. Most students became Christians, due to the influence of Dr. Fulton. The College was officially recognized, with its diplomas marked with the official stamp of the Guangdong provincial government. The College was aimed at the spreading of Christianity and modern medicine and the elevation of Chinese women's social status. The David Gregg Hospital for Women and Children, also known as Yuji Hospital (柔濟醫院)[54][55]) was affiliated with this College. The graduates of this College included Chau Lee-sun (周理信, 1890-1979) and Wong Yuen-hing (黃婉卿), both of whom graduated in the late 1910s [56][57] and then practiced medicine in the hospitals in Guangdong province. At the end of 1932, the medical center involving the Hackett Medical College for Women and the David Gregg Hospital for Women and Children was put under the control of the Chinese government. Furthermore, it affiliated with Guangzhou Hospital and Lingnan University to form the Sun Yat-Sen Medical College in 1936.

The Huaisheng Mosque is one of the oldest mosques in the World built by the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad in 627AD .[58] Buddhism has remained the most influential religion in the life of Guangzhou people.[59]

Guangzhou has a Jewish community, Guangzhou Buddhist Association, and Guangzhou Daoist Association.[60][61] There is official pressure against underground, non-registered churches in Guangzhou.[62]

Destinations

Eight Sights of Guangzhou

Main article: Eight Sights of Guangzhou

The Eight Sights of Guangzhou are the 8 most famous tourist attractions listed by rulers in different ages. The following are those chosen through public appraisal and brought out in 2011.

Parks and gardens

  • Baiyun Mountain (白云山), literally "White Cloud Mountain"
  • Yuexiu Park (越秀公园)
  • Guangzhou Renmin Park|Renmin Park (人民公园), or "People's Park"
  • Luhu Park (麓湖公园)
  • Dongshanhu Park (东山湖公园)
  • Liuhuahu Park (流花湖公园)
  • Liwanhu Park (荔湾湖公园)
  • Yuntai Garden (云台花园)
  • Martyrs' Park (广州起义烈士陵园)
  • The Pearl River Park (珠江公园)
  • South China Botanical Garden (华南植物园)

Tourist attractions

Guangzhou has a humid, hot sub-tropical climate. The annual average temperature is 21.8 °C (71 °F). Autumn, from October to December, is very moderate, cool and windy, and is the best travel time.[63] There are many tourist attractions around the city which include:


Temple of the Six Banyan Trees 
Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral 
The Huaisheng Mosque 
Western style architecture on Shamian Island 
Towers in Guangzhou's CBD (left-center) with IFC/West Tower (right) and Guangzhou Opera House (front) under construction 
Pearl River at night 
Canton Tower,[65] June 2009 
Front entrance to the Baiyun Mountain or Mount Baiyun 
Panorama of Guangzhou, 2013
Panorama of Guangzhou at night, 2013

Media

Guangzhou has two local radio stations: the provincial Radio Guangdong and the municipal Radio Guangzhou. Together they broadcast in more than a dozen channels. The primary language of both stations is Cantonese. Traditionally only one channel of Radio Guangdong is dedicated to Mandarin (Putonghua). However, in recent years there has been an increase of Mandarin programmes in most Cantonese channels. Radio stations from cities around Guangzhou mainly broadcast in Cantonese and can be received in different parts of the city, depending on the radio stations' locations and transmission power. On the other hand, the Beijing-based China National Radio broadcasts Mandarin programmes in the city. Radio Guangdong also produces a 30-minute weekly English programme, Guangdong Today, which is broadcast globally through the WRN Broadcast. Daily English news programmes are also broadcast by Radio Guangdong.

Guangzhou has some of the best Chinese-language newspapers and magazines in mainland China, most of which are published by three major newspaper groups in the city. The Guangzhou Daily Press Group, Nanfang Press Corporation and Yangcheng Evening News Group dominate the newspaper market of Guangdong Province. The two leading newspapers of the city are Guangzhou Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily. The former, with a circulation of 1.8 million, has been China's most successful newspaper for 14 years in terms of advertising revenue, while Southern Metropolis Daily is considered one of the most liberal newspapers in mainland China. In addition to Guangzhou's Chinese-language publications, there are a few English magazines and newspapers, most notably that's PRD (formerly that's Guangzhou) which was started more than a decade ago and has since blossomed into one of China's leading expat magazines with issues in Beijing, Shanghai and formerly Suzhou, but also including the more recent 'In The Red' magazine, which has been in circulation for a couple of years as of 2013.

Education

Main article: List of universities and colleges in Guangdong

Higher educational institutes

Sun Yat-sen College of Medical Science, Sun Yat-sen University
The main gate of Sun Yat-sen University

Universities and colleges

Note: Institutes without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre also known as Guangzhou University Town is a large university complex located in the southeast suburbs of Guangzhou. This huge higher education centre occupies the entire Xiaoguwei island in Panyu District, covering an area of about 18 square kilometres (7 sq mi). It houses new campuses from ten universities, nine of which still maintain their old campuses in downtown Guangzhou. The whole Higher Education Mega Centre can eventually accommodate up to 200,000 students, 20,000 teachers and 50,000 staff.[66]

Higher education institutions with campuses in the Mega Centre:

Sports

Guangdong Olympic Stadium

In 2010, Guangzhou hosted the 16th Asian Games from November 12 to 27 and the first Asian Para Games from December 12 to 19, which were the largest sporting events the city ever hosted.

Guangzhou also hosted the following major sporting events:

Current professional sports clubs based in Guangzhou include:

Sport League Tier Club Stadium
Football Chinese Super League 1st Guangzhou Evergrande Tianhe Stadium
Football Chinese Super League 1st Guangzhou R&F Yuexiushan Stadium
Football China League One 2nd Guangdong Sunray Cave Guangdong Provincial People's Stadium / Century Lotus Stadium
Basketball National Basketball League 2nd Guangzhou Six-rice Huangpu Stadium
Volleyball Chinese Volleyball League 1st Guangdong Evergrande Women's Volleyball Club Guangzhou Sport University Gymnasium
Baseball China Baseball League 1st Guangdong Leopards Tianhe Sports Center baseball field

Guangzhou Evergrande F.C.

Guangzhou Evergrande F.C. is currently the most successful football team in China, having won three consecutive national titles in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The team is also the current Asian champion after winning the 2013 AFC Champions League. The club competed in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup, where it lost 3–0 at the semi-final stage to 2012–13 UEFA Champions League winner FC Bayern Munich.[67]

Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters

On September 28, 2014, Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters will hold a street race in Guangzhou, marking the return of the series to China after the 2010 season finale at the Shanghai Street Circuit.[68]

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Sister cities

Guangzhou is twinned with the following cities:[69][70]

Country City Geographical location Date
Japan Japan Fukuoka Fukuoka May 2, 1979
United States United States Los Angeles California December 8, 1981
Philippines Philippines Manila Metro Manila November 5, 1982
Canada Canada Vancouver British Columbia March 27, 1985[71]
Australia Australia Sydney New South Wales May 12, 1986
Italy Italy Bari Bari November 12, 1986
France France Lyon Rhône January 19, 1988
Germany Germany Frankfurt Hessen April 11, 1988
New Zealand New Zealand Auckland Auckland February 17, 1989
South Korea South Korea Gwangju Metropolitan city October 25, 1996[72]
Sweden Sweden Linköping Östergötland November 24, 1997
South Africa South Africa Durban KwaZulu-Natal July 17, 2000
United Kingdom United Kingdom Bristol England May 23, 2001
Russia Russia Yekaterinburg Sverdlovsk July 10, 2002
Peru Peru Arequipa Arequipa October 27, 2004
Czech Republic Czech Republic Prague Prague 2010[73]
Indonesia Indonesia Surabaya East Java December 21, 2005
Lithuania Lithuania Vilnius Vilnius October 12, 2006
United Kingdom United Kingdom Birmingham England December 4, 2006
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka Hambantota Hambantota February 27, 2007
Brazil Brazil Recife Pernambuco October 22, 2007
Finland Finland Tampere Pirkanmaa December 2, 2008
Thailand Thailand Bangkok Bangkok November 13, 2009[74]
Netherlands The Netherlands Rotterdam South-Holland November 18, 2010
Argentina Argentina Buenos Aires April 16, 2012
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Dubai Dubai April 18, 2012
Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait City April 25, 2012
Russia Russia Kazan Tatarstan July 6, 2012
Malaysia Malaysia Petaling Jaya Selangor August 24, 2012[75][76]

Friendship cities

Guangzhou has the following friendship cities:[77]

Country City Geographical location Date
Brazil Brazil Salvador Bahia April 6, 1996
Vietnam Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City Centrally governed city April 11, 1996
Japan Japan Ōita Ōita October 9, 1997
Russia Russia Khabarovsk Khabarovsk October 15, 1997
United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates Dubai Dubai June 1, 2000
United States United States Guam Unincorporated organized territories March 28, 2002
Japan Japan Noboribetsu Hokkaidō May 19, 2002
Australia Australia Melbourne Victoria April 9, 2003
Egypt Egypt Alexandria Alexandria July 17, 2003
Spain Spain Barcelona Catalonia October 23, 2003
Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan Bishkek Chuy December 1, 2004
Cuba Cuba Havana Havana June 15, 2005
Germany Germany Düsseldorf North Rhine-Westphalia July 25, 2006

See also

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "广州市2010年第六次全国人口普查主要数据公报" (in Chinese). Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou. 2011-05-16. Retrieved 2011-05-25. 
  3. ↑ "2010年广州市国民经济和社会发展统计公报" (in Chinese). Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou. 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2011-05-25. 
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Further reading

  • Foster, Simon; Lin-Liu, Jen; Pham, Sherisse; Beth Reiber, Sharon Owyang, Lee Wing-sze, Christopher D. Winnan (2010-02-12). Frommer's China. United States: 2000–2010 by Frommer's/Wiley Publishing, Inc. pp. 542–. ISBN 978-0-470-52658-3. Retrieved 2010-03-21. 
  • Johnson, Graham E. (1999). Historical Dictionary of Guangzhou (Canton) and Guangdong. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3516-0. 
  • Lee, Edward Bing-Shuey (1936). Modern Canton. Shanghai: The Mercury Press. 
  • Ng, Yong Sang (1936). Canton, City of the Rams: A General Description and a Brief Historical Survey. Canton: M.S. Cheung. ASIN B0008D1HHO. 
  • Shaw, Samuel; Josiah Quincy (1847). The journals of Major Samuel Shaw : the first American consul at Canton : with a life of the author. Boston: Wm. Crosby and H.P. Nichols. Retrieved 2008-04-05. 
  • Vogel, Ezra F. (1969). Canton Under Communism: Programs and Politics in a Provincial Capital, 1949–1968. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-09475-8. 
  • Mrs. John Henry Gray (1880). Fourteen months in Canton. LODON : PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.: Macmillan and co. p. 444. Retrieved March 21, 2012. London : MACMILLAN AND Co. 1880. [The Right of Translation is reserved.] Original from Harvard University Digitized Oct 14, 2008
  • John Henry Gray (1875). Walks in the city of Canton. De Souza & Co. p. 695. Retrieved March 21, 2012. VICTORIA, HONGKONG : DE SOUZA & CO. 1875. Original from the New York Public Library Digitized Apr 2, 2008

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guangzhou.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Guangzhou.
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Chongqing
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