1. Brief Introduction
Guangzhou is the capital and a political, economic, and cultural center of Guangdong Province. It is located in the southeast of Guangdong Province and in the north of the Pearl River Delta. Crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, it is located between longitude 112°57' to 114°3' east and latitude 22°26' to 23°56' north, bordering on the South China Sea, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. It is a regional central city in South China, and China's Southern Gateway to the world. Since flowers here blossom all year round, Guangzhou is called "City of Flowers". Guangzhou has other nicknames such as "Yangcheng" (City of Rams) and "Suicheng" (Rice Spike City).
2. Long History and Source of Modern Chinese Revolution
Guangzhou is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,200 years. As early as the Chou Period, in the 9th century BC, there were exchanges between the Baiyue people of Guangzhou and the people of the Chu State in the middle reaches of Yangtze River. The name "Chu Ting", which was the earliest name of Guangzhou, originated in the 33rd year of Emperor Qin Shihuang (214 BC). Qin unified Lingnan, Nanhai prefecture (the Capital was built at "Panyu") and in the year of 226, in order to strengthen his rule, Sun Quan divided the original Jiaozhou into two parts- Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, name of Guangzhou was established. When the municipal council was set up in 1921, Guangzhou became the city it is today.
The city is also a source of modern Chinese revolution. In this land, many historic events took place including the Sanyuanli Struggle against British invaders, the Huanghuagang Uprising against feudalism and the Guangzhou Uprising which established the Guangzhou Commune. Mr. Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary forerunner, set up the Huangpu Military Academy and constituted the political parties three times during his tenure as Chief of State. Comrade Mao Zedong ran the Institute of Peasant Movement training multiple cadres of key revolutionaries.
Guangzhou is the home of many celebrities, especially the great figures of China who have initiated changes the modern history of China, such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, leaders of the Reform Movement of the late Qing Dynasty, Hong Xiuquan, leader of the modern Chinese peasant revolution, and Sun Yat-sen, revolutionary leader who overthrew the rule of the Qing dynasty.
3. Economy
Guangzhou has historically been China's leading commercial port. The city has a 2,000 year history of open trade. Following the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the economic development of Guangzhou became vigorous and has scored remarkable achievements. Since 1992, Guangzhou's overall economic strength has risen to the third position among the country's 10 largest cities. Guangzhou has become a city with relatively strong secondary industry and developed tertiary industry. The city has experienced a concerted economic development and, in the past 20 years, Guangzhou's average annual economic growth rate has been more than 14% per annul. In 2006 the GDP of the city reached CNY 623.6 billion and, according to current exchange rates versus registered population, the per-capita GDP of Guangzhou will exceed 11,000 U.S. dollars. With this achievement Guangzhou becomes the first city in China Mainland with a per capita GDP of over 10,000 U.S. dollars.
4. Education and Human Resources
Guangzhou is in a leading position in the modernization of IT equipment in schools. More schools than ever before are offering IT courses and, as an example, at present 100% of the junior and senior high schools in Guangzhou have IT classes.
Guangzhou has 60 institutions of higher learning, 24 of which offer MA/MS degrees. Undergraduates number 600,000 and graduates 50,000. Guangzhou Municipal Government has also spared no effort in raising vocational education's share of the educational pie and in cultivating technicians both as students and as teachers. At present, there are 200-plus institutions of vocational training and 200-plus independent R&D organizations. Professional technicians total 700,000 with the total number of primarily-level technicians totaling more than 1,000,000.
The HEMC (Higher Educational Mega Center) is in the southeastern part of Guangzhou, just opposite Pazhou Island. It has a planned area of 43.3 km and has been in use since September, 2004. Ten universities and colleges, including Sun Yat-sen University, have located in the City. This University Mega Center helps to form a cultural environment concentrating and integrating the resources of multiple institutions and educational resources into one location. The center also plays a very positive role in intercollegiate cooperation and the improvement of the quality of teaching as well as the comprehensive cultivation of college students.
5. Transportation
Guangzhou has Southern Airlines, Air China, Eastern Airlines, other major domestic airlines and a number of foreign airlines. The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has over 50 international flight lines and 100 domestic flight lines. The terminal can handle 100 million passengers and 2.5 million tons of cargo per year.
The Jingjiu Railway passes Guangzhou, starting from the Beijing West Railway Station, through 98 cities and counties of Beijing, Guangdong Province, ending at Kowloon of Hong Kong. This north-south railway is 2,553 km. Tibet railroad from Guanzhou to Lhasa was opened on October 1st 2006. To strengthen its transportation capacity, Guangzhou has built a number of intercity express ways, Elevated roads, highway bridges and cross-river tunnels. There are long-distance buses between Guangzhou and the adjacent regions, and express buses between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Intra-city transportation consists of buses, tramways, special route buses and subways.
6. Topography and Climate
The topography is higher in the northeast, lower in the southwest. North and northeast are mountainous area with waters, south is an alluvial plain - the Pearl River Delta. Guangzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate. There is neither intense heat in summer nor severe cold in winter. It enjoys plenty rainfall and evergreen in four seasons. The average temperature is 22.8 °C(73℉), the average relative humidity is about 68%, and the annual rainfall at the urban area is over 1,600 mm.
7. Foreigners in Guangzhou
According to rough statistics, the permanent foreign residents in Guangzhou total over 50,000, which would increase with the coming years. Over 30,000 foreign citizens applied for visas in Guangzhou and over 20,000 for residence permits. Involving over 180 countries and regions, the temporary foreign residence registrations reached nearly 900,000, among which about 40,000 foreigners live in tenements or Chinese citizens' residences. The foreigners living in Guangzhou's tenements total up to 15,000, accounting for nearly half of the total and foreigners living in Chinese citizens' residences exceed 8,000, account for 26%. The rest are self-purchased apartments or dormitories. Statistics collected show that there are, annually, over 30,000 foreign experts who have worked at short-term or long-term jobs in Guangzhou in recent years. The Guangzhou Municipal Government has established the Guangzhou Friendship Award especially to commend foreign experts who have worked in Guangzhou and made outstanding contributions to the economic construction and social development of our city. As the highest honor given to foreign experts by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, the award has been presented to 46 foreign experts in the four award presentation events in 1996, 2001, 2004, and 2007.
8. Tourism and Delicacy
Guangzhou has a "multi-purpose, multi-level, complete-service" tourism industry integrating travel service, catering, accommodation, shopping and entertainment. It is a city with more than 2,200 years of history and culture, as well as being a thoroughly modern international metropolis. Its historical relics, scenery, convenient traffic, comfortable shopping environment and first-class services are bound to attract tourists from all over the world. People say "Guangzhou is a gourmet paradise" for here you can find local Guangdong style food, featuring rich color, smell, taste and form, as well as other Chinese and foreign foods. Guangzhou also has a number of five-star hotels and many well-regarded guesthouses, hotels of different grades and other types of accommodations. The "One Day Tour" has become a distinctive mark of Guangzhou.
Population: 12.9 million
Temperature: average 22.8 °C(73℉)
