About Guangzhou

Guangzhou, the South Gate of China, is a prosperous, lively metropolis. Situated on the coast of the South China Sea, just 182 kilometres from Hong Kong, it is China's largest city in the south. This historical and cultural city is over 2,000 years old and is an important seaport for foreign trade.

Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China and is the centre of its political, economic, scientific, educational and cultural life. It was formerly known as Canton City or simply Canton.

Guangzhou is located north of the Pearl River Delta (Zhujiang), which is the third largest river of China and is navigable to the South China Sea.

Covering an area of 7,434.4 square kilometres (2,870 square miles), Guangzhou is home to more than 11 million people, including a 3.7 million transitory population. With the opening of China to the outside world, a large number of people from other regions of China swarmed into Guangzhou, one of the first “open” cities in China. This has accelerated its economic development. The city is host to the annual spring and autumn export trade fairs.

Guangzhou is located within the Tropic of Cancer and has no real winter. It is called "the City of Flowers." The kapok is the city flower and the kapok tree is the city tree.

In ancient days, Guangzhou was the capital city for three Chinese dynasties: the Nan Yue (South Yue), the Nan Han (South Han) and the Nanming (South Ming). Thus it was put in the list of the 24 most famous historical cultural cities and is a popular tourist destination.