Guangzhou

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City of Guangzhou
广州市
From top: Tianhe CBD, Pearl River Bridge, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, and the Five Rams
From top: Tianhe CBD, Pearl River Bridge, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, and the Five Rams
Nickname(s): The Flower City, Five Rams City
Location of Guangzhou within Guangdong in China
Location of Guangzhou within Guangdong in China
City of Guangzhou is located in China
City of Guangzhou
City of Guangzhou
Location in China
Coordinates: 23°06′32″N 113°15′53″E / 23.10889°N 113.26472°E / 23.10889; 113.26472
Country  People's Republic of China
Province Guangdong
Officiated 1918
Government
 - Mayor Zhang Guangning
Area
 - City 7,434.4 km2 (2,870.4 sq mi)
 - Urban 3,843.4 km2 (6,000 sq mi)
 - Metro 9,123 km2 (3,522.4 sq mi)
Elevation 11 m (37 ft)
Population (2006)[citation needed]
 - City 7,607,200
 - Density 1,023/km2 (2,649.6/sq mi)
 - Urban 6,253,300
 - Metro 9,754,600
 - Metro Density 1,627/km2 (4,213.9/sq mi)
Time zone UTC (UTC+8)
Postal code 510000
Website http://www.gz.gov.cn
Guangzhou
Simplified Chinese: 广州
Traditional Chinese: 廣州
Cantonese Jyutping: Gwong² zau1
Hanyu Pinyin: Guǎngzhōu

Guangzhou or Kwongchow(simplified Chinese: 广州; traditional Chinese: 廣州; pinyin: Guǎngzhōu; jyutping : Gwong²zau¹; Yale: Gwóngjàu) is the capital of Guangdong (Kwangtung / Canton) Province and a sub-provincial city in the southern part of the People's Republic of China. The city and surrounding areas, particularly the areas between the city and Hong Kong, through the heavily traded Pearl River Delta region, are often simply called by their provincial name in English, Canton. It is a port on the Pearl River, navigable to the South China Sea, and is located about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of Hong Kong. As of the 2000 census, the city has a population of 6 million, and a metropolitan population of roughly 8.5 million (though some estimates are as high as 12.6 million)[1] making it the most populous city in the province and the third most populous metropolitan area in mainland China. The official estimate of the metropolitan area's population at end 2006 by the Provincial Government was 9,754,600. Guangzhou's urban land area is the third largest in China, ranking only after Beijing's and Shanghai's.

Contents

[edit] History

Site of the first National Congress of Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party)

The first known city built at the site of Guangzhou was Panyu (蕃禺, later simplified to 番禺; Poon Yu in Cantonese) founded in 214 BC. The city has been continuously occupied since that time. Panyu was expanded when it became the capital of the Nanyue Kingdom (南越) in 206 BC.

The Han Dynasty annexed Nanyue in 111 BC, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so until this day. In 226 AD, the city however became the seat of the Guang Prefecture (廣州; Guangzhou). Therefore, "Guangzhou" was the name of the prefecture, not of the city. However, people grew accustomed to calling the city Guangzhou, instead of Panyu.

Although the Chinese name of Guangzhou replaced Panyu as the name of the walled city, Panyu was still the name of the area surrounding the walled city until the end of Qing era.

Arab and Persian pirates sacked Guangzhou (known to them as Sin-Kalan) in AD 758, ² according to a local Guangzhou government report on October 30 758, which corresponded 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.[2][3][4] The Arab historian Abu Zayd Hasan of Siraf reports that in 878 followers of the Chinese rebel leader Huang Chao besieged the city and killed a large number of foreign merchants resident there.[5]

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 to the city by sea, establishing a monopoly on the external trade out of its harbor by 1511. They were later expelled from their settlements in Guangzhou (in Portuguese Cantão), but instead granted use of Macau as a trade base with the city in 1557. They would keep a near monopoly of foreign trade in the region until the arrival of the Dutch in the early seventeenth century.

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After China claimed control of Taiwan in 1683, the Qing government became open to encouraging foreign trade. Guangzhou quickly emerged as one of the most adaptable ports for negotiating commerce and before long, many foreign ships were going there to procure cargos.

Portuguese in Macau, Spanish in Manila, and Armenians and Muslims from India were already actively trading in the port by the 1690s, when the French and English British East India Company's ships 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 Opium Wars 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.[6]

Combat at Guangzhou during the Second Opium War
1919 street scene

Guangzhou's monopoly on English trade ended with the Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842 to end the First Opium War between Britain and China. The treaty opened four new treaty ports, allowing British merchants to trade in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai in addition to Guangzhou.

1888 German map of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou

In 1918, the city's urban council was established and "Guangzhou" became the official name of the city. Panyu became a county's name to the southern side of Guangzhou.

In both 1930 and 1953, Guangzhou was promoted to the status of a Municipality, but each time promotion was canceled within the year.

Japanese troops occupied Guangzhou from October 12, 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, making it in fact the provisional capital.

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 Jiang Jieshi set up a the capital for the Nationalist government in Chongqing again. Their urban renewal projects of the new communist government improved the lives of some residents. 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 labor 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.

[edit] Geography and climate

Guangzhou is located at 112°57'E to 114°3'E and 22°26'N to 23°56'N. The city is part of the Pearl River Delta.

Guangzhou has a humid subtropical climate influenced by the Asian monsoon. Summers are wet with high temperatures and a high humidity index. Winters are mild, dry and sunny.


 Weather averages for Guangzhou 
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 17
(64)		 17
(64)		 20
(69)		 25
(77)		 28
(84)		 30
(87)		 32
(90)		 32
(90)		 31
(88)		 27
(82)		 23
(74)		 20
(68)		 25
(78)
Average low °C (°F) 10
(51)		 12
(54)		 15
(60)		 19
(67)		 22
(73)		 25
(77)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 24
(76)		 21
(70)		 16
(61)		 11
(52)		 18
(66)
Precipitation cm (inches) 4.1
(1.6)		 6.9
(2.7)		 9.7
(3.8)		 17
(6.7)		 26.4
(10.4)		 26.4
(10.4)		 24.6
(9.7)		 23.1
(9.1)		 15.7
(6.2)		 6.3
(2.5)		 4.1
(1.6)		 3
(1.2)		 169.2
(66.6)
Source: Weatherbase[7] Mar 2009
CITIC Plaza
Shamian Island

[edit] Significant modern buildings

The IFP Tower (left) with
IFC/West Tower (right) and Guangzhou Opera House (front) under construction

[edit] Administrative divisions

Guangzhou's Yuexiu CBD and Financial Centres.
Pearl River night cruise
The pedestrian-only Beijing Road, Guangzhou's historical shopping promenade.
Huanghuagang Mausoleum of 72 Martyrs
Sunset in Guangzhou

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

Subdivision Population Land area
as of 2006 km²
Guangzhou City Proper
■ Yuexiu-qu 越秀区 1,151,481 32.82
■ Liwan-qu 荔湾区 705,262 62.40
■ Haizhu-qu 海珠区 890,512 90.4
■ Tianhe-qu 天河区 645,453 141
Guangzhou Suburban and Rural
■ Baiyun-qu 白云区 767,688 825
■ Huangpu-qu 黄埔区 193,641 122
■ Huadu-qu 花都区 636,706 961
■ Panyu-qu 番禺区 947,607 661.88
■ Nansha-qu 南沙区 147,579 544.12
■ Luogang-qu 萝岗区 167,360 389.06
■ Zengcheng-shi 增城市 810,554 1,741.4
■ Conghua-shi 从化市 543,377 1,974.5

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.

[edit] City of Guangfo

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.[8]

[edit] Economy

Guangzhou is the economic centre of the Pearl River Delta, one of mainland China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2008, the GDP reached ¥821.58 billion (US $118 billion), per capita was ¥81,233 (US $11,696), ranking 6th among the other 659 Chinese cities.[citation needed]

The China Import and Export Fair, also called "Canton Fair", is held every year in April and October by Ministry of Trading. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the Fair is a major event for the city. From the 104th session, Liuhua Complex is not in use to hold Canton Fair. All the booths have been transferred to Pazhou Complex. From the 104th session, Canton Fair has been arranged in 3 phrases instead of 2 phrases.[9]

[edit] Industrial zones

[edit] Science City

[edit] Culture

[edit] Parks and gardens

[edit] Education

[edit] Higher education institutes

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

National universities

Public universities and colleges

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

[edit] Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre also known as Guangzhou University City 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. 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 staffs.[10]

Universities which have campuses in the Mega Centre:

[edit] Secondary and high schools

[edit] International schools

[edit] Media

Guangzhou has two local radio stations, the provincial Radio Guangdong and the municipal Radio Guangzhou. Together they broadcast Cantonese and Mandarin programmes in more than a dozen channels. The Beijing-based China National Radio broadcasts Putonghua programmes in the city. On the other hand, radio stations from cities around Guangzhou mainly broadcast in Cantonese whose programmes can be received in different parts of the city, depending on their locations and power. Radio Guangdong produces a 15-minute weekly English programme, Guangdong Today, which is broadcast globally through the World Radio Network but not in local channels. Daily English news and several other short weekly English programmes are also produced by Radio Guangdong.

Both TVB Pearl and ATV World, two major English channels in Hong Kong, can be received through cable TV in Guangzhou. The local Guangzhou Television also has its own English channel which runs all-English programmes from evening to midnight every day.

Guangzhou has some of the best Chinese-language newspapers in Mainland China, published by three big 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 or even South Mainland China. The two leading newspaper of the city are Guangzhou Daily and Southern Metropolis Daily. Guangzhou Daily, with a circulation of 1.8 million, has been China's most successful newspaper for 14 years in terms of advertising revenue. 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.

[edit] Infrastructure

One of the new buses
The Sun Yat-Sen University Station of Guangzhou Metro
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport

With the first line of Guangzhou Metro opened in 1997, Guangzhou is the fourth city in Mainland China to have an underground railway system, behind Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Currently the underground network is made up of four lines, covering a total length of 116 km, while another four lines are under construction and due to be completed in 2010 before the Asian Games. A long term plan is to make the city's underground system expand over 500 km by 2020 with 15 lines in operation.

The existing four lines of Guangzhou Metro network:

Guangzhou's main airport is the Baiyun International Airport in Huadu District open on August 5, 2004. 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 is well connected to Hong Kong by train, coach and ferry. Express trains depart from the Guangzhou East railway station (simplified Chinese: 广州东站; traditional Chinese: 廣州東站; pinyin: Gǔangzhōu Dōngzhàn) and arrive at the Hung Hom KCR station in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The route is approximately 182 km 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.

There are daily ferry services including an overnight steamer service, which takes eight hours, as well as high-speed catamaran service which takes three hours, to the China Ferry Terminal or Macau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong. The Nansha Pier (新南沙客運港), located in the distant Nansha District outside the city centre, is also operating six daily 75-minute catamaran services to Hong Kong.

From January 1, 2007, the municipal government has banned motorcycles in the urban areas. Motorcycles found violating the ban will be confiscated.[11] The Guangzhou traffic bureau claimed to have reported reduced traffic problems and accidents in the downtown area since the ban.[12]

According to a report on the China Daily of July 6, 2007, all buses and taxis in Guangzhou will be LPG-fueled by 2010 to promote clean energy for transportation and improve the environment.[13] At present, Guangzhou is the city that uses the most LPG-fueled vehicles in the world. As of the end of 2006, 6,500 buses and 16,000 taxis were using LPG, taking up 85% of all buses and taxis .

[edit] Tourist attractions

Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Shishi Sacred Heart Cathedral
The Huaisheng Mosque

Guangzhou has a humid, hot sub-tropical climate. Annual average temperature is 21.8 degrees. Autumn, from October to December, is very moderate, cool and windy, and is the best travel time.[14] There are many tourist attractions around the city which include:

[edit] Local products

  • Canton Sculpture includes Canton Ivory Carvings, Jade Sculpture, Wood Sculpture and Olive Sculpture.
  • Canton Enamel is short for Guangzhou Colorful Pottery. It has a history of over 300 years.
  • Canton Embroidery, namely Yue Embroidery, is one of the Four Famous Chinese Embroideries together with Su Embroidery, Xiang Embroidery and Shu Embroidery.
  • Canton Bacon is the general designation of cured meat in the Guangzhou Area.
  • Zhujiang Beer

[edit] Sister cities

Pearl River at night
Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower, 2008

Guangzhou is twinned with the following cities:

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Demographia World Urban Areas population projections
  2. ^ Welsh, Frank (1974). Maya Rao. ed. A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong. pp. 13. ISBN 1-56836-134-3. 
  3. ^ Needham, Joseph (1954). Science & Civilisation in China. Cambridge University Press. pp. 1, 179. 
  4. ^ Sima Guang. Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government). 
  5. ^ Gabriel Ferrand, ed (1922). Voyage du marchand arabe Sulaymân en Inde et en Chine, rédigé en 851, suivi de remarques par Abû Zayd Hasan (vers 916). pp. 76. 
  6. ^ "Top 10 Cities of the Year 1800". About.com. http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201e.htm. Retrieved on 2008-08-28. 
  7. ^ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Guangzhou, China" (in English). Weatherbase. 2007. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=078295&refer=. 
  8. ^ Guangzhou and Foshan signed "City Merge Cooperation Framework"
  9. ^ "Canton Fair". China Highlights. http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/canton-fair/. Retrieved on 2008-11-10. 
  10. ^ "Mega Campus goes Wireless" (PDF). Intel Corporation. http://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/guangzhou_higher_education.pdf. Retrieved on 2008-08-28. 
  11. ^ "Guangzhou Bans Motorcycles". Life of Guangzhou. 2007-01-03. http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/03/116778797013245.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-28. 
  12. ^ "Traffic Jam Improve after Motorcycle Ban". Life of Guangzhou. 2007-01-19. http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/19/116916856413959.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-28. 
  13. ^ "Date set for LPG-fueled buses, taxis". China Daily. 2007-07-06. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-07/06/content_911176.htm. Retrieved on 2008-08-28. 
  14. ^ "Travel China Guide: Fascinating Guangzhou". Blogspot. 2008-08-12. http://worldstepper-daworldisntenough.blogspot.com/2008/08/travel-china-guide-fascinating.html. Retrieved on 2008-08-21. 

[edit] Further reading

[edit] External links

Sister project Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Guangzhou
Preceded by
Nanjing		 Capital of the Republic of China (during Chinese Civil War)
1949		 Succeeded by
Chongqing
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Guangdong Province
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Hunan in China
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See also: List of Guangdong County-level divisions
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Pearl River Delta Region
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Districts of Guangzhou
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Coordinates: 23°06′32″N 113°15′53″E / 23.10889°N 113.26472°E / 23.10889; 113.26472

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