Geography

Guangzhou is the capital and the political, economic, and cultural center of Guangdong Province. It is located in the southeast of Guangdong Province, the north of the Pearl River Delta, and bordering on the South China Sea. It is a regional central city in South China, and China's Southern Gateway to the world.

Introduction

Guangzhou is also known as “Flower City”, or “Goat City. The spoken language is Cantonese – the same as Hong Kong, which is quite different from Mandarin. The area code of telephone number is 020. There are 7.5 millions of registered permanent residences, with a population of over 10 millions, making it the most populous city in the province and the third most populous metropolitan area in mainland China. The area of the City is 7,434.4km². Guangzhou is a sub-provincial city, it has direct jurisdiction over 10 districts and 2 country-level cities. The districts are Yuexiu, Liwan, Haizhu, Tianhe, Baiyun, Huangpu, Huadu, Panyu, Nansha, and Luogang; The 2 cities are Zengcheng and Conghua.

Climate & Weather

Guangzhou enjoys a mild sub-tropical climate with plentiful rainfall all year around, which makes it a beautiful city with evergreen scenery and flowers blooming all the year round, hence reputed as “Flower City”. The annual average temperature is 20-22°C. There is neither intense heat in summer nor severe cold in winter. The rainy season is April to June. It is hot in August & September, and is also the typhoon season. The best travelling time is from October to December.

Transportation

    Guangzhou boasts good transportation links and is the transport center of southern region of China. The city’s Baiyun International Airport ( http://www.baiyunairport.com/) is located 12 Km form the town center. There are two main train stations in Guangzhou, trains leave from both stations to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Kunming, Chengdu, Xian, Hangzhou, Fuzhou, Shaoxing, Tianjin and Hong Kong. Buses in Guangzhou generally run from 6 am to 10 pm. For the Guangzhou Metro ( http://www.gzmtr.com/), currently there are four lines in operation, which are the 1^st line (Guangzhou East Railway Station to Xilang Station), 2^nd line (Sanyuanli Station to Wanshengwei Station), 3^rd line (Guangzhou East Railway Station or Tianhe Coach Terminal to Panyu Square Station) and 4^th line (Wanshengwei Station to Huangge Station).

Culture & Tradition

Guangzhou is a historical and cultural city; here and there stand monuments of the city's democratic and revolutionary past. There are a lot of interesting legends concerning its past. One of the beautiful stories which gives the city its name “Goat City” says that five gods riding on five goats brought the first grain to the city. So, it is also known as the “City of Five Goats”. The city is renowned for its arts and crafts, namely the Guangdong embroidery, ivory-carving and ceramics. Nowadays, efforts have been made to build Guangzhou into an international metropolis functioning primarily as the biggest financial, high-tech and light industrial, as well as communication and transport center in South China.

Travel

The city boasts many tourist attractions, among which highlights are White Cloud Hill Scenic Spot. Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou Zoo, Six Banyan Temple and Flowery Pagoda, Dr. Sun Yatsen Memorial Hall, etc. In the Suburbs, there are such scenic spot on Conghua Hot Springs, Xiqiao Hill Scenic spot, Seven Star Crags, and Foshan City. Lots of tourists to Guangzhou like to cover one or two of them for out-of-city pleasure.

"Eating in Guangzhou" has become a popular saying. Guangzhou ranks first in the number of restaurants and tea-houses in the country. Cantonese cuisine is good in color, fragrance, taste and presentation. In addition, the delicate Cantonese pastry is also well-known for its wide range of varieties, delicious flavor and beautiful color. Cantonese cuisine is among the most famous four in the country.