1. Brief Introduction
Guiyang is the capital of Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is located in the center of the province, situated on the east of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau, and on the north bank of the Nanming River, a branch of the Wu River. The city has an elevation of about 1,100 meters. It has an area of 8,034 square kilometers. During the 2010 census, its population was 4,324,561, out of whom 3,037,159 lived in the 7 urban districts.
Guiyang was a 7th-century military outpost under the Sui and Tang, when the area around it was known as Juzhou. It grew into a city named Shunyuan under the Mongolian Yuan dynastysometime between their 1279 southwestern campaigns and 1283. By the time Guizhou became a full province in 1413, its capital at Guiyang was also known as Guizhou. It became a prefectural seat under the Ming and Qing. Guiyang grew rapidly during the development of the southwest that occurred after the Japanese invasion of Chinaduring World War II. It has also grown rapidly since Deng Xiaoping'seconomic reforms reached it in the 1990s.
2. Economy
Guiyang is the economic and commercial hub of Guizhou Province. The GDP per capita was 46,108 (US$7445) in 2013.The city is also a large center for retail and wholesale commercial activities with operations of major domestic and international general retailers such as Wal-Mart,Carrefour,RT-Mart, Beijing Hualian,Parkson, and Xingli Group as well as consumer electronics and appliance sellers Gome and Suning. Wholesale operations include large regional produce, furniture, and industrial and construction machinery depots. Wal-Mart's southwest China regional vegetable and produce distribution center is located in Guiyang. There are many foreign brands implanted in Guiyang, such as McDonald, Burger King, H&M, or Starbucks. Most of the time, they are located near the various shopping centers. The largest shopping centers are Hunter Shopping Mall, HuaGuoYuan Shopping Center, and NanGuo HuaJing.
Hydro-electric power generators are located along the city's main rivers including the Wu River. By 2007, the city's hydro electric plants supplied over 70 percent of the city's electricity.Coalis mined in the locality of Guiyang and Anshun, and there are large thermal generating plants at Guiyang andDuyun, supplying electricityfor a portion of the city's industry. A large iron and steel plant came into production in Guiyang in 1960, supplying the local machinery-manufacturing industry.
3. Education
Guiyang has a university, a teacher-training college, and a medical school. In addition, there are 224 primary and middle schools.
Guizhou University
Guizhou Normal University
Guizhou Medical university
Guizhou University of Finance and Economics
Guizhou Nationalities University
Guiyang College
Institute Of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Commercial College of Guizhou
4. Climate
Guiyang has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, tempered by its low latitude and high elevation. It has cool winters and moderate-temperature summers; the majority of the year's 1,118 millimetres of precipitation occurs from May to July. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 5.1 °C (41.2 °F) in January to 23.9 °C (75.0 °F) in July, while the annual mean is 15.35 °C (59.6 °F). Rain is common throughout the year, with occasional flurries in winter. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 12 percent in January to 41 percent in August, the city receives only 1150 hours of sunshine, making it one of China's least sunny major cities. Average monthly relative humidity is consistently above 75% throughout the year. The moderate temperature together with other factors including air quality, wind speed, etc. made Guiyang to be ranked No.2 in the "Top 10 Summer Capitals of China".
5. Transportation
Guiyang is in advantageous location, the transportation consists of an extensive network of roads, railways, river and air transport as well as public transportation system with bus system and many taxis. Guiyang Urban Rail Transit has been constructed since 2011. Based on the current planning, the whole network is formed by the 8 lines. Line 1 will be operational in 2016.
Guiyang is one of the important air transport hubs in Southwest China. Guiyang's main airport is the Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport opened on May 28, 1997. It is located in east of Guiyang, 11 km away from the city center. The airport is connected to national and international destinations: Hong Kong, Taipei, Seoul, Phuket, Singapore, Bangkok, Taichung & Taitung , Beijing, Shanghai,Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu. In 2010, the airport handled 6.2717 million passengers.
6. Tourism
Being the capital of Guizhou, a very old and traditional province of China, Guiyang is shaped by its history, and still possesses many historical sites that attract many tourists:
The Jiaxiu Pavilion: The Jiaxiu Pavilion is located in the southern tip of the Guiyang Nanming River, which is the city’s emblem and its symbol. It was built during the Ming Dynasty and has more than 400 years of history.
Qingyan Ancient Town: Qingyan Ancient Town is located in the southern tip of Guiyang. It was originally built in the year 1378, during the Ming Dynasty. It is known its beautiful Chinese ancient architecture.
Xifeng Concentration Camp: Xifeng Concentration Camp was the largest, highest-level prison of all the prisons set up by the Military commission of the KMT government during the Anti-Japanese war in 1937, and it was added by the state council to the list of major historical and cultural sites under state protection, in 1988.
Confucian Center : the Confucian center is a non-public and educational organization affiliated with the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. The Confucius Institute promotes and teaches Chinese culture and language around the world. The Confucian Temple, in the center of Qufu city, was built in 478 BC.
Xifeng Hot Spring: Xifeng Hot Spring is located in the northeast of Xifeng County. The hot spring is surrounded by many mountains, upon which rich slopes grow a profusion of pines, firs, bamboos and other plants. This beautiful place has offered its advantages for sanatoriums, hospitals and villas.
Population: 4.32 million
Temperature: average 15.35 °C (59.6 °F)
