Guangzhou (Canton), a prosperous metropolis full of vigor, is the capital city of Guangdong Province located along the south coastline of China. Being an excellent port on the Pearl River navigable to the South China Sea, and with fast accessibility to Hong Kong and Macau, Guangzhou serves as the political, economic, scientific, educational and cultural center in Guangdong area.

Guangzhou is not a great place for sightseeing, but famous for shopping and food. Overall, it is more business friendly than for tourists. The Canton Fair was held twice a year, accounted for 1/3 of all trades taken place in China. The fair is held in April and October. Make sure to avoid this period unless you want to go there to attend the fair.

Location

In terms of geographical location, Guangzhou is an open coastal city neighboring Hong Kong and Macao, and the economic,political, and cultural center, and also the commercial center, which combines manufacturing, transportation, commerce,finance, information, education and human resources as a whole. It is located in the center of the Pearl River Delta, one of the most economically dynamic and flourishing areas in China. Guangzhou exerts an impact on China, East Asia and even the world with its economic capacity and radiation.

Climate

Guangzhou has a subtropical climate, is warm year 'round and experiences distinct rainy and dry seasons. May through August is very wet with daily rains and temperatures in the lower 30sºC (upper 80sºF). Fall and spring are drier and quite pleasant.

The coldest temperatures bottom out in January and February around 10ºC at night (low 50sºF).

Language

The spoken language of Guangzhou - Cantonese - is incomprehensible to northern Chinese, who typically speak Mandarin.Cantonese has nine tones instead of the four tones in the Mandarin dialect. (The area around Guangzhou was overcrowded even 200 years ago, and many peasants from the region emigrated to Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe; as a result,Cantonese is the most common dialect among early overseas Chinese.

Guangzhou has superior geographical and regional advantages. In terms of distance, Guangzhou is located in the geometrical center of the economic circle of Southeast Asia and therefore it is equidistant from Japan and Southeast Asian countries within a flight voyage of 3 to 4 hours in general.

Transportation

Airport:

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport provides MORE THAN 20 international airlines and regional airlines, flying to more than 70 cities at home and abroad. It takes about 30 minutes to get to the center of the city via taxi.

Bus service:

including motorbuses, trolleybuses, and buses for special lines.

There is no conductor on these buses, and the price of a ticket is 1 yuan (RMB), but the prices for some long lines are 2-4 yuan (RMB).

Subway service:

No. 1 subway line is made up of 16 stations. It begins from Guangzhou East Railway Station in the east to Xilang in the west.

The whole journey will take about 32 minutes.

No. 2-4 subways are also open now.

The prices are 2-9 yuan (RMB).

Taxi service:

The starting price is 7 yuan (RMB), 2.2~2.6 yuan (RMB) for per kilometer.

Food

Guangzhou ranks first in the number of restaurants and tea-houses in the country.

Cantonese cuisine is good in color, fragrance, taste and presentation. In addition, the delicate Cantonese pastry is also well-known for its wide range of varieties, delicious flavor and beautiful color. Cantonese cuisine is among the most famous four in the country.

Below you can find the following Guangzhou Eating Out listings. Please scroll down for:

Cantonese cuisine

Chaozhou Cuisine

Beijing Cuisine

Indian Cuisine

Hakka Cuisine

Hunan Cuisine

Seafood Cuisine

Shanghainese Cuisine

Sichuan Cuisine

Yunna n Cuisine

Taiwan Cuisine

Shopping

369,Huanshi Dong Road,Guangzhou 83576628

Garden Hotel ShoppingArcade

368,Huanshi Dong Road 82228989

World Trade Center

371-375,Huanshi Dong Road,1-3F,World Trade Center Building 87650028

Yi An Plaza

33,Jian She Liu Ma Road,Guangzhou 87650028

Teem Plaza

208,Tian He Road,Guangzhou 85592818

Citic Plaza

233,Tian He Bei Road,Guangzhou 87520789

Guangzhou Merchandise Building

295,Beijing Road,Guangzhou 83322348

Xin Da Xin Department Store

4,Zhong Shan Wu Road,Guangzhou 83322811

Contributors

August 02, 2005 change by hpharmsen

Note: You don't have to pay tips in Guangzhou, but you may still do so. Don't be offended if they refuse the tip.