Shenzhen Post

Guangzhou in English and other European languages also known as Canton(which was first romanized from the Cantonese pronunciation of Guangdong by the Portuguese) and also known as Kwangchow, is a sub-provincial city located in southern China in the middle of Guangdong Province north of the Pearl River, about 120 km (75 mi) northwest of Hong Kong. 

It is the capital of Guangdong Province and southern China’s key transportation hub and trading port, located on the Pearl River which is navigable to the South China Sea.As of the 2000 census, the city has a population of 6 million, and an urban area population of roughly 11.85 million,making it the most populous city in the province and the third most populous metropolitan area in China. The provincial government’s official estimate of the metropolitan area’s population at the end of 2006 was 9,754,600. Guangzhou’s urban land area is 7,434.4 km² (2,870.44 sq mi), the third largest in China, behind only Beijing and Shanghai. 

• History
• Administrative divisions
• Development plan
• Significant modern buildings
• Economy
• Geography and climate
• Transportation
• Local products
• Culture

History

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The first known city built at the site of Guangzhou was Panyu (Fan-Yü) ( 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 Nanyue Kingdom also included today’s Vietnam. 

The Han Dynasty annexed Nanyue in 111 BC, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so today. 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 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.. Today, Panyu generally refers to the region to the south of Haizhu District, which is separated by the Pearl River. 

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.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. 

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, establishing a monopoly on the external trade out of its harbour by 1511.[citation needed] 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. 

It is believed that the romanisation “Canton” originated from 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 Shang Sheng(省城, lit. the provincial capital) 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 don’t 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, Armenians, 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 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. 

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 rescinded within a 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. 

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. 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. 

Based on a report in the Guangzhou Daily, there might be as many as 100,000 Africans in Guangzhou, a number that the newspaper reports has been increasing at an annual rate of 30 to 40% since 2003. 

Administrative divisions

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Guangzhou is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over ten districts and two county-level cities : 

Guangzhou City Proper:Yuexiu,Liwan,Haizhu,Tianhe 

Guangzhou Suburban and Rural:Baiyun,Huangpu,Huadu,Panyu,Nansha,Luogang,Zengcheng,Conghua 

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

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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. 

Significant modern buildings

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• Guangdong Olympic Stadium (simplified Chinese: 广东奥林匹克体育场; traditional Chinese: 廣東奧林匹克體育場)
• CITIC Plaza (simplified Chinese: 中信广场; traditional Chinese: 中信廣場)
• Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower (simplified Chinese: 广州电视观光塔; traditional Chinese: 廣州電視觀光塔)
• Guangzhou TV Tower (simplified Chinese: 广州电视塔; traditional Chinese: 廣州電視塔)
• Pearl River Tower (simplified Chinese: 珠江大厦; traditional Chinese: 珠江大廈)
• West Tower/Guangzhou International Finance Centre (simplified Chinese: 西塔/广州国际金融中心; traditional Chinese: 西塔/廣州國際金融中心)

 

Economy

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Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub 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).

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 phases instead of 2 phases.

Industrial zones

• Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone

• Guangzhou Nansha Export Processing Zone

The zone was founded in 2005. Its total planned area is 1.36sqkm.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.

• 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. The major industries encouraged in the zone include international trade, logistics, processing industry and computer software.

Science City

• Guangzhou Science City

Malls

• Shangxiajiu

 

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 situated next to the Baiyun Mountain, which is locally referred to as ‘the lung of the city’.

Guangzhou has a humid subtropical climate influenced by the Asian monsoon. Summers are wet with high temperatures, high humidity and a high heat index. Winters are mild, dry and sunny. Guangzhou has a lengthy monsoon season, spanning from April through September. The annual average temperature in Guangzhou is 22.8 °C (73.0 °F), the relative humidity is approximately 68%, whereas annual rainfall in the metropolitan area is over 1,600 mm (63 in).

Climate data for Guangzhou

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	18.3 (65)	18.5 (65)	21.6 (71)	25.7 (78)	29.3 (85)	31.5 (89)	32.8 (91)	32.7 (91)	31.5 (89)	28.8 (84)	24.5 (76)	20.6 (69)	26.3 (79)
Average low °C (°F)	10.3 (51)	11.7 (53)	15.2 (59)	19.5 (67)	22.7 (73)	24.8 (77)	25.5 (78)	25.4 (78)	24.0 (75)	20.8 (69)	15.9 (61)	11.5 (53)	18.9 (66)
Precipitation mm (inches)	40.9 (1.61)	69.4 (2.73)	84.7 (3.33)	201.2 (7.92)	283.7 (11.17)	276.2 (10.87)	232.5 (9.15)	227.0 (8.94)	166.2 (6.54)	87.3 (3.44)	35.4 (1.39)	31.6 (1.24)	1,736.1 (68.35)
Sunshine hours	118.5	71.6	62.4	65.1	104.0	140.2	202.0	173.5	170.2	181.8	172.7	166.0	1,628.0
% Humidity	72	77	82	84	84	84	82	82	78	71	66	66	77
Avg. precipitation days	8	11	15	16	18	19	16	16	13	7	6	5	150

 

Transportation

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