Portrait of theGrotto of the Five Immortals, theTaoist temple around the five stones which gave Guangzhou its nickname "The City of Rams"
Guǎngzhōu is the officialromanization of the Chinese name广州. The name of the city is taken from the ancientGuǎng Prefecture after it had become the prefecture's seat of government. Thecharacter廣 or广 means 'broad' or 'expansive'.
Before acquiring its current name, the town was known as Panyu (Punyü;番禺), a name still borne byone of Guangzhou's districts not far from the main city. The origin of the name is still uncertain, with 11 various explanations being offered,[30] including that it may have referred to two local mountains.[31][32] The city has also sometimes been known as Guangzhou Fu or Guangfu after its status as the capital of aprefecture. From this latter name, Guangzhou was known to medieval Persians such asAl-Masudi andIbn Khordadbeh[33] as Khanfu (خانفو).[34] Under theSouthern Han, the city was renamed Xingwang Fu (興王府).[35][36]
TheChinese abbreviation for Guangzhou is穗, pronouncedSeoi6 in Cantonese andSuì in Mandarin—although the abbreviation on car license plates, as with the rest of the province, is粤), after its nickname "City of Rice" (穗城). The city has long borne the nicknameCity of Rams (羊城) orCity of the Five Rams (五羊城) from the five stones at the oldTemple of the Five Immortals said to have been the sheep or goats ridden by theTaoistculture heroes credited with introducingrice cultivation to the area around the time of the city's foundation.[37] The former name "City of theImmortals" (仙城/五仙城) came from the same story. The more recentCity of Flowers (花城) is usually taken as a simple reference to the area's fine greenery.
The English name "Canton" derived fromPortugueseCidade de Cantão,[38] a blend ofdialectal pronunciations of "Guangdong"[39][40] (e.g.,CantoneseGwong2-dung1). Although it originally and chiefly applied to the walled city, it was occasionally conflated with Guangdong by some authors. It was adopted as thePostal Map Romanization of Guangzhou, and remained the official name until itsname change to "Guangzhou". As an adjective, it is still used in describing thepeople,language,cuisine andculture of Guangzhou and the surrounding Liangguang region. The 19th-century name was "Kwang-chow foo".[41]
A settlement now known as Nanwucheng was present in the area by 1100 BC.[42][43] Some traditional Chinese histories placed Nanwucheng's founding during the reign ofKing Nan of Zhou,[44][45]emperor ofZhou from 314 to 256 BC. It was said to have consisted of little more than a stockade of bamboo and mud.[44][45]
Guangzhou, then known asPanyu, was founded on the eastern bank of thePearl River in 214 BC.[41] Ships commanded bytradespersons arrived on the South China coast in the lateantiquity. Surviving records from theTang dynasty confirm, that the residents of Panyu observed a range of trade missions. Records on foreign trade ships reach upon til the late 20th century.[46]
Panyu was the seat ofQin Empire'sNanhai Commandery, and served as a base for thefirst invasion of theBaiyue lands in southern China. Legendary accounts claimed that the soldiers at Panyu were so vigilant that they did not remove their armor for three years.[47] Upon thefall of the Qin, GeneralZhao Tuo established the kingdom ofNanyue and made Panyu its capital in 204 BC. It remained independent throughout theChu-Han Contention, although Zhao negotiated recognition of his independence in exchange for his nominal submission to theHan in 196 BC.[48] Archeological evidence shows that Panyu was an expansive commercial center: in addition to items from central China, archeologists have found remains originating fromSoutheast Asia, India, and even Africa.[49] Zhao Tuo was succeeded byZhao Mo and then Zhao Yingqi. UponZhao Yingqi's death in 115 BC, his younger sonZhao Xing was named as his successor in violation of Chineseprimogeniture. By 113 BC, hisChinese mother, the Empress Dowager Jiu (樛) had prevailed upon him to submit Nanyue as a formal part of the Han Empire. The nativeprime minister Lü Jia (呂嘉) launched a coup, killing Han ambassadors along with the king, his mother, and their supporters.[50] A successful ambush then annihilated a Han force which had been sent to arrest him.Emperor Wu of Han took offense and launcheda massive riverine and seaborne war: six armies underLu Bode and Yang Pu[51] took Panyu and annexed Nanyue by the end of 111 BC.[50]
Incorporated into theHan dynasty, Panyu became a provincial capital. In AD 226, it became the seat of GuangPrefecture, which gave it its modern name. TheOld Book of Tang described Guangzhou as an important port in southern China.[52] Direct routes connected the Middle East and China, as shown in the records of a Chinese prisoner returning home from Iraq twelve years after his capture atTalas.[53] Relations were often strained: while China was undergoing theAn Lushan Rebellion, Arab and Persian pirates[54] sacked the city on 30 October 758[55][56][57][58] and in revenge thousands of Arabs and Persians were killed by Chinese rebels in theYangzhou massacre (760). In theGuangzhou massacre about 200,000 Arab, Persian and other foreigners were killed by Chinese rebelHuang Chao in 878, along with the city'sJews,Christians,[59][60][61] andParsis.[62][63] The port was closed for fifty years after its destruction.[54]
Amid theFive Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms that followed the collapse of theTang dynasty, theLater Liang governorLiu Yan used his base at Panyu to establish a "Great Yue" or "Southern Han" empire, which lasted from 917 to 971. The region enjoyed considerable cultural and economic success in this period. From the 10th to 12th century, there are records that the large foreign communities were not exclusively men, but included "Persian females".[64][65] According toOdoric of Pordenone, Guangzhou was as large as three Venices in terms of area, and rivaled all of Italy in the amount of crafts produced. He also noted the large amount of ginger available as well as large geese and snakes.[66] Guangzhou was visited by theMoroccan travelerIbn Battuta during his journey around the world in the 14th century.[67] He detailed the process by which the Chinese constructed their large ships in the port's shipyards.[68]
Shortly after theHongwu Emperor's declaration of theMing dynasty, he reversed his earlier support offoreign trade and imposed the first of a series ofsea bans (海禁).[69] These banned private foreign trade upon penalty of death for the merchant and exile for his family and neighbors.[70] Previous maritime intendancies of Guangzhou,Quanzhou, andNingbo were closed in 1384[71] and legal trade became limited to thetribute delegations sent to or by official representatives of foreign governments.[72]
Following thePortugueseconquest of theMelaka Sultanate,Rafael Perestrello traveled to Guangzhou as a passenger on a nativejunk in 1516.[73] His report inducedFernão Pires de Andrade to sail to the city with eight ships the next year,[73] but De Andrade's exploration[74] was understood as spying[75] and his brother Simão and others began attempting to monopolize trade,[76] enslaving Chinese women[77] and children, engaging in piracy,[78] and fortifying the island ofTamão.[79][80] Rumors even circulated that Portuguese were eating the children.[81][82] The Guangzhou administration was charged with driving them off:[78] they bested the Portuguese at theBattle of Tunmen[83] and inXicao Bay; held adiplomatic mission hostage in a failed attempt to pressure the restoration of thesultan of Malacca,[84] who had been accounteda Ming vassal;[85] and, after placing them incangues and keeping them for most of a year, ultimately executed 23 bylingchi.[86] With the help of local pirates,[81] the "Folangji" then carried out smuggling atMacao,Lampacau, andSt John's Island (nowShangchuan),[77] untilLeonel de Sousa legalized their trade with bribes to Admiral Wang Bo (汪柏) and the1554 Luso-Chinese Accord. The Portuguese undertook not to raise fortifications and to pay customs dues;[87] three years later, after providing the Chinese with assistance suppressing their former pirate allies,[88] the Portuguese were permitted to warehouse their goods atMacau instead of Guangzhou itself.[89]
Nieuhof's imaginative 1665 map of "Kanton",[90] made from secondhand accounts when Europeans were still forbidden from entering the walled city
In October 1646, theLongwu Emperor's brother,Zhu Yuyue fled by sea to Guangzhou, the last stronghold of theMing empire. On December 11, he declared himself the Shaowu Emperor, borrowing his imperial regalia from local theater troupes.[91] He led a successful offense against his cousinZhu Youlang but was deposed and executed on January 20, 1647, when the Ming turncoat Li Chengdong (李成棟) sacked the city on behalf of theQing.[92]
In the 19th century, most of the city's buildings were still only one or two stories. However, there were notable exceptions such as theFlower Pagoda of theTemple of the Six Banyan Trees, and the guard tower known as theFive-Story Pagoda. The subsequently urbanized northern hills were bare and covered with traditional graves. The brick city walls were about 6 mi (10 km) in circumference, 25 ft (8 m) high, and 20 ft (6 m) wide. Its eight main gates and two water gates all held guards during the day and were closed at night. The wall rose to incorporate a hill on its northern side and was surrounded on the other three by a moat which, along with the canals, functioned as the city's sewer, emptied daily by the river's tides. A partition wall with four gates divided the northern "old town" from the southern "new town" closer to the river; the suburb ofXiguan (Saikwan; "West Gate") stretched beyond and the boats of fishers, traders, andTanka ("boat people") almost entirely concealed the riverbank for about 4 mi (6 km). It was common for homes to have a storefront facing the street and to treat theircourtyards as a kind of warehouse.[41] The city was part of a network of signal towers so effective that messages could be relayed toBeijing—about 1,200 mi (1,931 km) away—in less than 24 hours.[100]
Guangzhou ("Canton") and the surrounding islands ofHenan,Pazhou,Changzhou, andXiaoguwei in 1841Guangzhou city skyline at dusk in 2011
The Canton System was maintained until the outbreak of theFirst Opium War in 1839. Following a series of battles in thePearl River Delta, the Britishcaptured Canton on March 18, 1841.[101] TheSecond Battle of Canton was fought two months later.[102] Following the Qing's 1842treaty withGreat Britain, Guangzhou lost its privileged trade status as more and moretreaty ports were opened to more and more countries, usually including extraterritorial enclaves. Amid the decline of Qing prestige and the chaos of theRed Turban Rebellion (1854–1856), thePunti andHakka wageda series of clan wars from 1855 to 1867 in which one million people died. The foreign trade facilities were destroyed by local Chinese in theArrow War (1856–1858). The international community relocated to the outskirts and most international trade moved throughShanghai.[103][104]
During the late Qing dynasty, Guangzhou was the site of revolutionary attempts such as theUprisings of 1895 and1911 that were the predecessors of the successful1911 Revolution, which overthrew the Qing dynasty. The 72 revolutionaries whose bodies were found after the latter uprising are honored as the city's 72Martyrs at the Huanghuagang ("Yellow Flower Mound") Mausoleum.
After the assassination ofSong Jiaoren andYuan Shikai's attempts to remove theNationalist Party of China from power, the leader of GuangdongHu Hanmin joined the 1913Second Revolution against him[107] but was forced to flee toJapan withSun Yat-sen after its failure. The city came under national spotlight again in 1917, when Prime MinisterDuan Qirui's abrogation of the constitution triggered theConstitutional Protection Movement.Sun Yat-sen came to head theGuangzhou Military Government supported by the members of the dissolved parliament and the Southwestern warlords. The Guangzhou government fell apart as the warlords withdrew their support. Sun fled toShanghai in November 1918 until the Guangdong warlordChen Jiongming restored him in October 1920 during theYuegui Wars.[108] On June 16, 1922, Sun was ousted in a coup and fled on the warshipYongfeng after Chen sided with theZhili clique'sBeijing government. In the following months Sun mounted a counterattack into Guangdong by rallying supporters from Yunnan and Guangxi, and in January establisheda government in the city for the third time.
From 1923 to 1926, Sun Yat-sen and theKuomintang (KMT)used the city as a base to prosecute a renewed revolution in China by conquering the warlords in the north. Although Sun was previously dependent on opportunistic warlords who hosted him in the city, with the leadership ofChiang Kai-shek, the KMT developed its own military power to serve its ambition. The Canton years saw the evolution of the KMT into a revolutionary movement with a strong military focus and ideological commitment, setting the tone of the KMT rule of China beyond 1927.
In 1924, the KMT made the momentous decision to ally with the Communist Party and the USSR. With Soviet help, KMT reorganized itself along the Leninist line and adopted a pro-labor and pro-peasant stance. TheKMT–CCP cooperation was confirmed in the1st National Congress of the KMT and the communists were instructed to join the KMT. The allied government set up thePeasant Movement Training Institute in the city, of whichMao Zedong was a director for one term. Sun and his military commander Chiang usedSoviet funds and weapons to build an armed force staffed by communist commissars, training its cadres in theWhampoa Military Academy.[108] In August, the fledgling army suppressed theCanton Merchants' Corps Uprising. The next year the anti-imperialistMay Thirtieth Movement swept the country, and the KMT government called for strikes in Canton and Hong Kong. The tensions of the massive strikes and protests led to theShakee Massacre.
After the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925 the mood was changing in the party toward the communists. In August the left-wing KMT leaderLiao Zhongkai was assassinated and the right-wing leaderHu Hanmin, the suspected mastermind, was exiled to the Soviet Union, leaving the pro-communistWang Jingwei in charge. Opposing communist encroachment, the right-wingWestern Hills Group vowed to expel the communists from the KMT. TheCanton Coup on March 20, 1926, saw Chiang solidify his control over theNationalists andtheir army againstWang Jingwei, the party's left wing, itsCommunist allies, and itsSoviet advisors.[109][110] By May, he had ended civilian control of the military[110] and begun hisNorthern Expedition against thewarlords of the north. Its success led to the split of the KMT between Wuhan and Nanking and the purge of the communists in theApril 12 Incident. Immediately afterwards Canton joined the purge under the auspice ofLi Jishen, resulting in the arrest of communists and the suspension of left wing KMT apparatuses and labor groups. Later in 1927 whenZhang Fakui, a general supportive of the Wuhan faction, seized Canton and installedWang Jingwei's faction in the city, the communists saw an opening and launched theGuangzhou Uprising. Prominent communist military leadersYe Ting andYe Jianying led the failed defense of the city. Soon, control of the city reverted toLi Jishen.
Li Jishen was deposed during a war between Chiang and theNew Guangxi clique. By 1929,Chen Jitang had established himself as the powerholder of Guangdong. In 1931 he threw his weight behind the anti-Chiang schism by hosting a separate Nationalist government in Guangzhou.[111] The opposition to Chiang included KMT leaders likeWang Jingwei,Sun Fo and others from diverse factions. The peace negotiations amid the armed standoff led to the4th National Congress of Kuomintang being held separately by three factions in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Canton. Resigning all his posts, Chiang pulled off a political compromise that reunited all factions. While the intraparty division was resolved, Chen kept his power until he was defeated by Chiang in 1936. DuringWorld War II, theCanton Operation subjected the city toJapanese occupation by the end of December 1938.
Amid the closing months before total Communist victory, Guangzhou briefly served as the capital of the Republican government. Guangzhou was captured on October 14, 1949. Amid a massive exodus toHong Kong andMacau, defeated Nationalist forces blew up theHaizhu Bridge across the Pearl River in retreat. The Cultural Revolution had a large effect on the city, with many of its temples, churches and other monuments destroyed during this chaotic period.
ThePeople's Republic of China initiated building projects including new housing on the banks of the Pearl River to adjust the city'sboat people to life on land. Since the 1980s, the city's close proximity toHong Kong and its ties tooverseas Chinese made it one of the first beneficiaries of China'sopening up underDeng Xiaoping. Beneficial tax reforms in the 1990s also helped the city's industrialization and economic development.
An 1855 painting of the gallery of Tingqua, one of the most successful suppliers of "export paintings" for Guangzhou's foreign traders
Vrooman's 1860 map of the "City and Entire Suburbs of Canton", one of the first made after the treaties ofTianjin andBeijing permitted foreigners full access to Guangzhou's walled city
Map of Guangzhou (labeled as KUANG-CHOU (CANTON)廣州) and surrounding region (AMS, 1954)Tiantang Peak, highest mountain in Guangzhou
The old town of Guangzhou was nearBaiyun Mountain on the east bank of thePearl River (Zhujiang) about 80 mi (129 km) from its junction with theSouth China Sea and about 300 mi (483 km) below itshead of navigation.[41] It commanded the rich alluvial plain of thePearl River Delta, with its connection to the sea protected at theHumen Strait.[41] The present city spans 7,434.4 km2 (2,870.4 sq mi) on both sides of the river from112° 57′ to114° 03′ E longitude and22° 26′ to23° 56′ N latitude in south-central Guangdong. The Pearl is the4th-largest river of China.[117] Intertidal ecosystems exist on the tidal flat lining the river estuary, however, many of the tidal flats have been reclaimed for agriculture.[118] Baiyun Mountain is now locally referred to as the city's "lung" (市肺).[10][119][why?]
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 is the highest point of elevation at 1,210 m (3,970 ft)above sea level.
There are 47 different types of minerals and also 820 ore fields in Guangzhou, including 18 large and medium-sized oil deposits. The major minerals are granite, cement limestone, ceramic clay, potassium, albite, salt mine, mirabilite, nepheline, syenite, fluorite, marble, mineral water, and geothermal mineral water. Since Guangzhou is located in the water-rich area of southern China, it has a wide water area with many rivers and water systems, accounting for 10% of the total land area. The rivers and streams improve the landscape and keep the ecological environment of the city stable.[120]
The main characteristics of Guangzhou's water resources are that there are relatively few local water resources and relatively abundant transit water resources. The city's water area is 74,400 hectares, accounting for 10.05% of the city's land area. The main rivers include Beijiang, Dongjiang North Mainstream, Zengjiang, Liuxi River, Baini River, Pearl River Guangzhou Reach, Shiqiao Waterway, and Shawan Waterway. Beijiang, The Dongjiang River flows through Guangzhou City and merges with the Pearl River to flow into the sea. The local average total water resources is 7.979 billion cubic meters, including 7.881 billion cubic meters of surface water and 1.487 billion cubic meters of groundwater. Calculated based on the amount of local water resources and the permanent population counted in the sixth census in 2010, there are 1.0601 million cubic meters of water resources per square kilometer, with an average of 628 cubic meters per capita, which is one-half of the country's per capita water resources. The amount of water resources for transit passengers is 186.024 billion cubic meters, which is 23 times the total local water resources. The passenger water resources are mainly concentrated in the southern Wanghe District and Zengcheng District. The passenger water resources diverted from the Xijiang and Beijiang Rivers into Guangzhou City are 159.15 billion cubic meters, and the passenger water resources diverted from the Dongjiang River into the north mainstream of the Dongjiang River are 14.203 billion cubic meters. meters and the water inflow from the upper reaches of the Zengjiang River is 2.828 billion cubic meters. The southern river network area is in the tidal influence area, with large runoff and a strong tidal effect. The three major entrances of the Pearl River, Humen, Jiaomen, and Hongqili, enter the Lingding Ocean and exit the South China Sea in the south of Guangzhou City. The annual high tide volume is 271 billion cubic meters and the annual ebb tide volume is 408.8 billion cubic meters. The annual runoff of the three major entrances is 137.7 billion cubic meters. Compared with meters, the annual tide can bring a large amount of water, part of which is freshwater resources that can be utilized.[121]
Cultivated crops in Guangzhou have the distinctive characteristics of the transition from the tropics to the subtropics, and it is one of the richest regions in China in terms of fruit tree resources, including three major categories of tropical, subtropical, and temperate zones, 41 families, 82 genera and 174 species, totaling more than 500 varieties (among which there are 55 major varieties of lychee). It is the center of origin and variety of lychee, longan, yellow skin, black (white) olive, and so on. Vegetables are known for their high quality and variety, with 15 major categories, 127 species, and more than 370 varieties. Flowers include fresh cut flowers (fresh cut flowers, fresh cut leaves, fresh cut branches), potted plants (potted flowers, bonsai, flower bed plants), ornamental seedlings, edible and medicinal flowers, industrial and other uses of flowers, lawns, seedlings, etc. More than 3,000 traditional varieties and in recent years the introduction of new varieties, development, and utilization. Grain, cash crops, livestock, poultry, aquatic products, wild animals, and a wide variety of famous and excellent varieties, including Zengcheng Simiao rice is the first protected variety in Guangzhou City to obtain geographical indications.[122]
The geological structure of Guangzhou City is quite complex, with good conditions for mineralization. Forty-seven kinds of minerals (including subspecies) have been discovered, with 820 mineral sites and 25 large and medium-sized mining areas. The main minerals are granite for construction, limestone for cement, ceramic clay, potassium, sodium feldspar, salt mines, manganese, nepheline orthoclase, fluorite, marble, mineral water, and thermal mineral water. Energy minerals and non-ferrous minerals in the area are in short supply, sporadically distributed, small in scale, and unstable in grade.[122]
Despite being located just south of theTropic of Cancer, Guangzhou has ahumid subtropical climate (KöppenCwa) influenced by theEast Asian monsoon. Summers are wet with high temperatures, high humidity, and a highheat index. Winters are mild and comparatively dry. Guangzhou has a lengthymonsoon season, spanning from April through September. Monthly averages range from 13.8 °C (56.8 °F) in January to 28.9 °C (84.0 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 22.4 °C (72.3 °F).[10] Autumn, from October to December, is very moderate, cool and windy, and is the best travel time.[123] Therelative humidity is approximately 76 percent, whereasannual rainfall in the metropolitan area is over 1,950 mm (77 in).[10] With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 17 percent in March to 51 percent in October, the city receives 1,559 hours of bright sunshine annually, considerably less than nearbyShenzhen andHong Kong. Extreme temperatures since 1951 have ranged from 0 °C (32 °F) on 11 February 1957 and 23 December 1999[124] to 39.1 °C (102.4 °F) on 1 July 2004,[125] though an unofficial record low of −5.0 °C (23.0 °F), in which modern meteorologists believe it to be −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) was recorded on 18 January 1893 and for the station that begun records in 1912 located in Huangpu District, an unofficial record low of −0.3 °C (31.5 °F) was recorded on 8 December 1934.[126][127][128] The last recorded snowfall in the city was on January 24, 2016, 87 years after the second last recorded snowfall.[129]
Climate data for Guangzhou, elevation 71 m (233 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1934–present)
Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub of thePearl River Delta, one ofChina's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2021, its GDP reached ¥2,823 billion (US$444.37 billion in nominal), making it the 2nd largest economy in theSouth-Central China region afterShenzhen.[138] Guangzhou'sGDP (nominal) was $444.37 billion in 2021, exceeding that[139] Guangzhou's per capita was ¥151,162 ($23,794 in nominal).[138] Guangzhou is considered one of the most prosperous cities in China. Guangzhou ranks 10th in the world and 5th in China (after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen) in terms of the number of billionaires according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2020.[25] Guangzhou is projected to be among the world top 10 largest cities in terms ofnominal GDP in 2035 (together withShanghai,Beijing andShenzhen in China) according to a study by Oxford Economics,[140] and its nominal GDP per capita will reach above $42,000 in 2030.[141] Guangzhou also ranks 21st globally (between Washington, D.C., and Amsterdam) and 8th in the wholeAsia &Oceania region (behind Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen and Dubai) in the 2020Global Financial Centers Index (GFCI).[22] Owing to rapid industrialization, it was once also considered a rather polluted city. After green urban planning was implemented, it is now one of the most livable cities in China.
TheCanton Fair, formally the "China Import and Export Fair", is held every year in April and October by theMinistry of Trade. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the fair is a major event for the city. It is thetrade fair with the longest history, highest level, and largest scale in China.[142] From the 104th session onwards, the fair moved to the newGuangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center (广州国际会展中心) inPazhou, from the older complex in Liuhua. The GICEC is served by two stations onLine 8, one station onLine 11 and three stations onTram Line THZ1. Since the 104th session, the Canton Fair has been arranged in three phases instead of two phases.
Canton porcelain developed over the past three centuries as one of the major forms ofexportware. It is now known within China for its highly colorful style.
The Export Processing Zone was founded in 2005. Its total planned area is 1.36 km2 (0.53 sq mi).[143] It is located in Nansha District and it belongs to the provincial capital, Guangzhou. The major industries encouraged in the zone include automobile assembly, biotechnology and heavy industry. It is situated 54 km (34 mi) (a 70 minutes drive) south of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and close to Nansha Port. It also has the advantage of Guangzhou Metro line 4 which is being extended to Nansha Ferry Terminal.
Guangzhou Free Trade Zone
The zone was founded in 1992. It is located in the east ofHuangpu District and near to Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is also very close to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.[144] The major industries encouraged in the zone include international trade, logistics, processing and computer software. Recently the Area has been rebranded and is now being marketed under the name Huangpu District. Next to the industries above, new sectors are being introduced to the business environment, including new energy, AI, new mobility, new materials, information and communication technology and new transport. It is also home to the Guangzhou IP Court.[145]
Guangzhou is a hub for international businesses. According to an article by China Briefing, over 30,000 foreign-invested companies had settled in Guangzhou by 2018, including 297 Fortune Global 500 companies with projects and 120 Fortune Global 500 companies with headquarters or regional headquarters in the city.[146]
Population size may be affected by changes to administrative divisions.
The2010 census found Guangzhou's population to be 12.78 million. As of 2014[update], it was estimated at 13,080,500,[151][150] with 11,264,800 urban residents.[152] Itspopulation density is thus around 1,800 people per km2. The built-up area of the Guangzhou proper connects directly to several other cities. The built-up area of thePearl River Delta Economic Zone covers around 17,573 km2 (6,785 sq mi) and has been estimated to house 22 million people, including Guangzhou's nine urban districts,Shenzhen (5.36m),Dongguan (3.22m),Zhongshan (3.12m), most ofFoshan (2.2m),Jiangmen (1.82m),Zhuhai (890k), andHuizhou'sHuiyang District (760k).[citation needed] The total population of this agglomeration is over 28 million after including the population of the adjacentHong Kong Special Administrative Region.[citation needed] The area's fast-growing economy and high demand for labor has produced a huge "floating population" ofmigrant workers; thus, up to 10 million migrants reside in the area least six months each year.[citation needed] In 2008, about five million of Guangzhou's permanent residents were migrant workers.[153]
Most of Guangzhou's population isHan Chinese. Almost allCantonese people speakCantonese as their first language,[155] while most migrants speakforms of Mandarin.[153] In 2010, each language was the native tongue of roughly half of the city's population,[156] although minor but substantial numbers speakother varieties as well.[citation needed] In 2018, He Huifeng of theSouth China Morning Post stated that younger residents have increasingly favored using Mandarin instead of Cantonese in their daily lives, causing their Cantonese-speaking grandparents and parents to use Mandarin to communicate with them. He Huifeng stated that factors included local authorities discouraging the use of Cantonese in schools and the rise in prestige of Mandarin-speaking Shenzhen.[157] Jinan University released a survey result of the Guangzhou youths born in the year 2000 or after that were part of this educational study showed that 69% could still speak and understand Cantonese, 20% can understand Cantonese, but unable to speak it, and 11% completely had no knowledge of Cantonese. Jinan University's study of these Guangzhou youths also indicated when it came to the daily recreational use of Cantonese, roughly 40%-50% of them participated in these recreational functions with the usage of Cantonese with 51.4% of them in mobile games, 47% in Social Platforms, 44.1% in TV shows, and 39.8% in Books and Newspapers. Despite some decline in the use of Cantonese, it is faring better in survival, popularity, and prestige than other Chinese languages due to the historical pride in the language and culture, as well as the wide popularity and availability of mainstream Cantonese entertainment, which encourages locals to retain the Cantonese language.[158][159] As of the 2020s, additional renewed efforts were introduced to preserve the local Cantonese language and culture with some limited Cantonese language classes now being taught in some schools as well as hosting Cantonese appreciation cultural events along with hosting activities that cater to the local Cantonese culture and language as well as many local Cantonese speaking families are now placing much stronger emphasis on their children to speak Cantonese to preserve the culture and language. In a 2018 report study by Shan Yunming and Li Sheng, the report showed that 90% of people living in Guangzhou are bilingual in both Cantonese and Mandarin, though fluency will vary depending on if they are locally born to the city and the surrounding Guangdong province or migrants from other provinces, which shows how much importance the Cantonese language still has in the city despite the strict policy rules from the government to be using Mandarin as the country's official language.[160][161] Guangzhou has an even more unbalanced gender ratio than the rest of the country. While most areas of China have 112–120 boys per 100 girls, the Guangdong province that houses Guangzhou has more than 130 boys for every 100 girls.[162][163][164]
Recent years have seen a huge influx of migrants, with up to 30 million additional migrants living in the Guangzhou area for at least six months out of every year with the majority being female migrants and many becoming local Guangzhou people. This huge influx of people from other areas, called the floating population, is due to the city's fast-growing economy and high labor demands. Guangzhou Mayor Wan Qingliang told an urban planning seminar that Guangzhou is facing a very serious population problem stating that, while the city had 10.33 million registered residents at the time with targets and scales of land use based on this number, the city actually had a population with migrants of nearly 15 million. According to the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences researcher Peng Peng, the city is almost at its maximum capacity of just 15 million, which means the city is facing a great strain, mostly due to a high population of unregistered people.[162]
According to the 2000 National Census, marriage is one of the top two reasons for permanent migration and is particularly important for women as 29.3% of the permanent female migrants migrate for marriage [Liang et al., 2004]. Many of the female economic migrants marry men from Guangzhou in hopes of a better life.[167] but like elsewhere in thePeople's Republic of China, thehousehold registration system (hukou) limits migrants' access to residences, educational institutions and other public benefits. It has been noted that many women end up in prostitution.[168] In May 2014, legally employed migrants in Guangzhou were permitted to receive ahukou card allowing them to marry andobtain permission for their pregnancies in the city, rather than having to return to their official hometowns as previously.[169]
The encompassingmetropolitan area was estimated by theOECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) to have, as of 2010[update], a population of 25 million.[173][174]
Gong et al. 2018 report on the development of Guangzhou from 1990 until 2020, showing how in 1990, the developed residential districts were almost exclusively concentrated in a small part of western Guangzhou whereas other parts of Guangzhou had a smaller limited amount of developed residential communities being overwhelmingly surrounded by agricultural and forest lands. However, from 2005 until 2020, other parts of the city eventually began to develop more so residential communities and in the 2020 map report, it showed fully developed residential communities going from west to east of the city whereas the very southern part and large portions of northern Guangzhou still remain mainly agricultural and forest lands with very limited developed residential communities.[175][176]
When the first line of theGuangzhou Metro opened in 1997, Guangzhou was the fourth city inMainland China to have an underground railway system, behindBeijing,Tianjin, andShanghai. As of 2025, the metro network is made up of nineteen lines, covering a total length of more than 700 km (430 mi). It is thethird busiest metro system in the world and the 3rd largest in terms of length.[177] In addition to the metro system there is also theHaizhu Tram line which opened on December 31, 2014.[178]
TheGuangzhou Bus Rapid Transit (GBRT) system which was introduced in 2010 alongZhongshan Road. It has several connections to the metro and is the world's 2nd-largestbus rapid transit system with 1,000,000 passenger trips daily.[179] It handles 26,900pphpd during the peak hour a capacity second only to theTransMilenio BRT system in Bogota.[180] The system averages one bus every 10 seconds or 350 per hour in a single direction and contains the world's longest BRT stations—around 260 m (850 ft) including bridges.
In the 19th century, the city already had over 600 long, straight streets; these were mostly paved but still very narrow.[41] In June 1919, work began on demolishing the city wall to make way for wider streets and the development of tramways. The demolition took three years in total.[181]
In 2009, it was reported that all 9,424 buses and 17,695 taxis in Guangzhou would be operating onLPG-fuel by 2010 to promote clean energy for transport and improve the environment ahead of the2010 Asian Games which were held in the city.[182] At present[when?], 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 percent of all buses and taxis[183]
Effective January 1, 2007, the municipal government banned motorcycles in Guangdong's urban areas. Motorcycles found violating the ban are confiscated.[184] The Guangzhou traffic bureau claimed to have reported reduced traffic problems and accidents in the downtown area since the ban.[185]
Guangzhou's main airport is theBaiyun International Airport inBaiyun District; it opened on August 5, 2004.[186] This airport is the second busiest airport in terms of traffic movements in China. It replaced theold Baiyun International Airport, which was very close to the city center but failed to meet the city's rapidly growing air traffic demand. The old Baiyun International Airport was in operation for 72 years. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport now has three runways, with two more planned.[187] Terminal 2 opened on April 26, 2018.[188] Another airport located in Zengcheng District is under planning.[189]
There are daily high-speedcatamaran services between Nansha Ferry Terminal and Lianhua Shan Ferry Terminal in Guangzhou and theHong Kong China Ferry Terminal, as well as between Nansha Ferry Terminal andMacau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong.
Cantonese language,Cantonese cuisine andCantonese opera are the shared culture of the wholeGuangdong region, not just the important cultural components of Guangzhou city. With a population of diverse background, the culture of Guangzhou also includes other categories, such asHakka culture and language.
In theHakka people inhabited areas of Guangzhou, Hakka culture has been well developed and preserved, and in the long history, the integration of Canton culture and Hakka culture has derived new cultural characteristics.Zengcheng, Guangzhou is a district with a history of more than 1800 years, with the harmonious coexistence of Canton culture and Hakka culture, the derived food culture has not only the non-heritage food such as Zhengguo Wonton, Lanxi Rice Noodle, and Goose Soup, but also the special food such as Yuecun Dace Fish Skin, Paitan Roasted Chicken, and Shitan Whole Cattle Banquet.[196]
Before the postmodern era, Guangzhou had about 124 religious pavilions, halls, and temples.[41] Today, in addition to theBuddhist Association, Guangzhou also has aTaoist Association, a Jewish community,[197][198] as well as a history with Christianity, reintroduced to China by colonial powers.[clarification needed]
Taoism andChinese folk religion are still represented at a few of the city's temples. Among the most important is theTemple of the Five Immortals, dedicated to theFive Immortals credited with introducing rice cultivation at the foundation of the city. The five rams they rode were supposed to have turned into stones upon their departure and gave the city several of its nicknames.[199] However, the temple has not been restored as a Taoist temple status yet. Other famous temples include theCity God Temple of Guangzhou andSanyuan Palace. During theCultural Revolution, all Taoist temples and shrines were practically destroyed or damaged by the red guards. Only a handful of them like Sanyuan Palace were restored during the 1980s. Guangzhou, like most of southern China, is also notably observant and continues the practice ofChinese ancestral worship during major festive occasions like theQing Ming Festival andZhong Yuan Festival.
The temples were badly damaged by both theRepublican campaign to "Promote Education with Temple Property" (廟產興學) and thePRC's Cultural Revolution but have been renovated since theopening up that began in the 1980s. The Ocean Banner Temple onHenan Island, once famous in the west as the only tourist spot in Guangzhou accessible to foreigners, has been reopened as theHoi Tong Monastery.
Nestorian Christiansfirst arrived in China via the overlandSilk Road, but suffered duringEmperor Wuzong's 845persecution and were essentially extinct by the year 1000.[201][specify] TheQing-era ban on foreigners limitedmissionaries until itwas abolished following theFirst Opium War, although theProtestantRobert Morrison was able to perform some work through his service with the British factory. TheRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Guangzhou is housed atGuangzhou's Sacred Heart Cathedral, known locally as the "Stone House". AGothic Revival edifice which was built by hand from 1861 to 1888 underFrench direction, its original Latin and Frenchstained-glass windows were destroyed during the wars and amid the Cultural Revolution; they have since been replaced by English ones. The Canton Christian College (1888) and Hackett Medical College for Women (1902) were both founded by missionaries, they were known in Chinese asLingnan University and later incorporated intoSun Yat-sen University. Since the opening up of China in the 1980s, there has been renewed interest in Christianity, but Guangzhou maintains pressure on underground churches which avoid registration with government officials.[202] The Catholic archbishopDominic Tang was imprisoned without trial for 22 years; however, his present successor is recognized by both theVatican and China'sPatriotic Church.
Guangzhou has had ties with the Islamic world since theTang dynasty.[203] Relations were often strained: Arab and Persian pirates sacked the city on October 30, 758; the port was subsequently closed for fifty years.[54][55][56][57][58] Their presencecame to an end under the revenge of Chinese rebelHuang Chao in 878, along with that of theJews,Christians,[59][60][61] andParsis.[62][63] Nowadays, the city is home tohalal restaurants.[204] The city is renowned for the Huaisheng Mosque, built in 627 by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, a Companion of the Prophet who came to China in the 620s.[203]
From November 12 to 27, 2010, Guangzhou hosted the16th Asian Games. The same year, it hosted thefirst Asian Para Games from December 12 to 19. Combined, these were the major sporting events the city ever hosted.[206]
In the 1990s the local press prolifically published reviews of restaurants in Guangzhou. The local newspapers introducedlifestyle pages and relied oninfotainment to raise revenue.[208][page needed]
TheEight Views of Ram City are Guangzhou's eight most famous tourist attractions. They have varied over time since theSong dynasty, with some being named or demoted by emperors. The following modern list was chosen through public appraisal in 2025:
Guangzhou attracts more than 223 million visitors each year, and the total revenue of the tourism exceeded 400 billion in 2018.[210] There are many tourist attractions, including:
Guangzhou has two local radio stations: the provincialRadio Guangdong and the municipal Radio Guangzhou. Together they broadcast in more than a dozen channels. The primary language of both stations isCantonese. Traditionally only one channel of Radio Guangdong is dedicated toMandarin Chinese. However, in recent years there has been an increase in Mandarin programs on 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. The Beijing-basedChina National Radio also broadcasts Mandarin programs in the city. Radio Guangdong has a 30-minute weekly English programs,Guangdong Today, which is broadcast globally through theWorld Radio Network. Daily English news programs are also broadcast by Radio Guangdong.
Guangzhou has some of the most notable Chinese-language newspapers and magazines inmainland China, most of which are published by three major newspaper groups in the city, theGuangzhou Daily Press Group,Nanfang Press Corporation, and theYangcheng Evening News Group. The two leading newspapers of the city areGuangzhou Daily andSouthern 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, whileSouthern 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. The most successful isThat's Guangzhou, which started more than a decade ago and has since blossomed intoThat's PRD, producing expatriate magazines in Beijing and Shanghai as well. It also producesIn the Red.
TheGuangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, also known as Guangzhou University Town (广州大学城), is a large tertiary education complex located in the southeast suburbs of Guangzhou. It occupies the entirety ofXiaoguwei Island inPanyu District, covering an area of about 18 km2 (7 sq mi). The complex accommodates campuses from ten higher education institutions and can eventually accommodate up to 200,000 students, 20,000 teachers, and 50,000 staff.[211]
Guangzhou is a major Asia-Pacific R&D hub, ranking6th globally, 4th in the Asia & Oceania regions after (Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing) and 1st inSouth Central China region.[215] When compared to other countries in the region, Guangzhou ranked higher than India, securing fourth place in Asia and Oceania after China, Japan, and South Korea, according to the Nature Index for 2025. For instance, Guangzhou's share of the 2024 Nature Index is 1,820.05, with a count of 3,966, while India's share is 1,783.34, with 2,733 counts.[216][217]
The Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center's higher education campuses are as follows:
The two main comprehensive libraries are Guangzhou Library and Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province.Guangzhou Library is a public library in Guangzhou. The library has moved to a new building inZhujiang New Town, which fully opened on June 23, 2013.[218] Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province has the largest collection of ancient books in Southern China.[219]
As of April 2023, Guangzhou hosts 68 foreign consulates-general/consulates, excluding the Hong Kong and Macao trade office, making it one of the major cities to host more than 50 foreign representatives in China afterBeijing andShanghai.[23][24]
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