General introduction

Guangzhou (also famed as Canton) is the largest industrial and commercial city and the largest import and export port in South China, also the economic, scientific, educational and cultural life center of Guangdong province. There are over 150 historical sites and places of interest in the city, plus various modern entertainment facilities. Here, the China Guangdong Export Commodities Fair is held twice every year. It welcomes guests from all over the world with its hospitality.

Recently Guangzhou was put in the list of the 24 most famous historical cultural cities and became a tourist destination. You can not understand most Chinese cities deeply until you know their history. This is true of Guangzhou. Many historic sights including the Western Han Nanyue King's Tomb Museum, the Zhenhai Tower and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall tell us the 2,000-year history of Guangzhou.

Location

Guangzhou is located in the middle south of Guangdong Province, north of the Pearl River Delta. It lies close to the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and Macau. Zhujiang (The Pearl River), the third largest river of China, runs through Guangzhou and is navigable to the South China Sea, covering an area of 7434.4 square kilometers (2870 square miles).

Population

Guangzhou is home to more than 11 million people, including a 3.7 million transitory population.