Sunday, October 12, 2008

Guangzhou

Guangzhou is the capital and a sub-provincial city of Guangdong in the part of the People's Republic of China. The city is also known by an alternative name, Canton. It is a port on the , to the South China Sea, and is located about 120 km northwest of Hong Kong. As of the 2000 census, the city has a population of 6 million, and a metropolitan population of roughly 8.5 million making it the most populous city in the province and the metropolitan area in mainland China. The official estimate of the metro's population at end 2006 by the Provincial Government was 9,754,600.

Geography


Guangzhou is located at 112°57'E to 114°3'E and 22°26'N to 23°56'N. The city is part of the Pearl River Delta.

Guangzhou has a humid subtropical climate influenced by the Asian monsoon. Summers are wet with high temperatures and a high humidity index. Winters are mild, dry and sunny.

Population


Population :
Metro - 9,754,600, Urban - 6,253,300, and City - 7,607,200



Administrative divisions


Guangzhou is a sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over ten and two .



















崗區
|Luógǎng Qū
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!colspan="5" style="background-color:#F0F0F0" |County-level cities
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|增城市 / 增城市
|Zēngchéng Shì
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|从化市 / 從化市
|Cónghuà Shì
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As of April 28, 2005, the districts of Dongshan and Fangcun have been abolished and merged into Yuexiu and Liwan respectively; at the same time the district of Nansha is established out of parts of Panyu, and the district of Luogang is established out of parts of Baiyun, Tianhe, and Zengcheng also a part of Huangpu making an exclave next to Huangpu.

Road names


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History


The first known city built at the site of Guangzhou was Panyu founded in 214 BC. The city has been continuously occupied since that time. Panyu was expanded when it became the capital of the Nanyue Kingdom in 206 BC.

Recent archaeological founding of her palace suggests that the city might have traded frequently with foreigners by the sea routes. The foreign trade continued through every following dynasty and the city remains a major international trading port to this day.

The Han Dynasty annexed Nanyue in 111 BC, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so until this day. In 226 AD, the city however became the seat of the Guang Prefecture . Therefore, "Guangzhou" was the name of the prefecture, not of the city. However, people grew accustomed to calling the city Guangzhou, instead of Panyu.

Although the Chinese name of Guangzhou replaced Panyu as the name of the walled city, Panyu was still the name of the area surrounding the walled city until the end of Qing era.

Arab and pirates sacked Guangzhou in AD 758, ? according to a local Guangzhou government report on October 30 758, which corresponded to the day of ''Guisi'' of the ninth month in the first year of the of of the Tang Dynasty.

During the Northern Song Dynasty, a celebrated poet called Su Shi visited Guangzhou's and wrote the inscription "Liu Rong" because of the six banyan trees he saw there. It has since been called the Temple of the 6 Banyan Trees.

The were the first Europeans to arrive to the city by sea, establishing a monopoly on the external trade out of its harbor by 1511. They were later expelled from their settlements in Guangzhou , but instead granted use of Macau as a trade base with the city in 1557. They would keep a near monopoly of foreign trade in the region until the arrival of the Dutch in the early .


After China claimed control of Taiwan in 1683, the Qing government became open to encouraging foreign trade. Guangzhou quickly emerged as one of the most adaptable ports for negotiating commerce and before long, many foreign ships were going there to procure cargos.

Portuguese in Macau, Spanish in Manila, and Armenians and Muslims from India were already actively trading in the port by the 1690s, when the French and English British East India Company's ships began frequenting the port through the Canton System.

Other companies were soon to follow: the in 1717; Dutch East India Company in 1729; the first Danish ship in 1731, which was followed by a Danish Asiatic Company ship in 1734; the Swedish East India Company in 1732; followed by an occasional Prussian and Trieste Company ship; the Americans in 1784; and the first ships from Australia in 1788.

By the middle of the 18th century, Guangzhou had emerged as one of the world's great trading ports under the Thirteen Factories, which was a distinction it maintained until the outbreak of the Opium Wars in 1839 and the opening of other ports in China in 1842. The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top 3 cities in the world.


Guangzhou's monopoly on English trade ended with the Treaty of Nanking, signed in 1842 to end the First Opium War between and China. The treaty opened four new treaty ports, allowing British merchants to trade in Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai in addition to Guangzhou.



In 1918, the city's urban council was established and "Guangzhou" became the official name of the city. Panyu became a county's name to the southern side of Guangzhou.

In both 1930 and 1953, Guangzhou was promoted to the status of a Municipality, but each time promotion was canceled within the year.

Japanese troops occupied Guangzhou from October 12, 1938 to September 16, 1945, after . In the city, the Imperial Japanese Army conducted bacteriological research unit 8604, a section of unit 731, where Japanese doctors experimented on human prisoners.

Communist forces entered the city on October 14, 1949. Their urban renewal projects improved the lives of some residents. New housing on the shores of the Pearl River provided homes for the poor boat people. Reforms by Deng Xiaoping, who came to power in the late 1970s, led to rapid economic growth due to the city's close proximity to Hong Kong and access to the Pearl River.

As labor costs increased in Hong Kong, manufacturers opened new plants in the cities of Guangdong including Guangzhou. As the largest city in one of China's wealthiest provinces, Guangzhou attracts farmers from the countryside looking for factory work. Cantonese links to overseas Chinese and beneficial tax reforms of the 1990s have aided the city's rapid growth.

In 2000, Huadu and Panyu were merged into Guangzhou as districts, and Conghua and Zengcheng became county-level cities of Guangzhou.

Economy


Guangzhou is the economic centre of the Pearl River Delta, one of mainland China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2007, the GDP reached ?705 billion , per capita was ?71,219 , among the other 659 Chinese cities.

The , also called "Canton Fair", is held every year in April and October by Ministry of Trading. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the Fair is a major event for the city.

Industrial zones


*Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone
*Guangzhou Nansha Development Zone
*Shantou Free Trade Zone

Transportation





With the the first line of Guangzhou Metro opened in 1997, Guangzhou is the fourth city in Mainland China to have an underground railway system, behind Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai. Currently the underground network is made up of four lines, covering a total length of 116km, while another four lines are under construction and due to be completed in 2010 before the Asian Games. A long term plan is to make the city's underground system expand over 500km by 2020 with 15 lines in operation.

The existing four lines of Guangzhou Metro network:
*Line 1: From Guangzhou East Railway Station to Xilang Station
*Line 2: From Sanyuanli Station to Wanshengwei Station
*Line 3: From Guangzhou East Railway Station and Tianhe Coach Terminal Station to Panyu Square Station
*Line 4: From Wanshengwei Station to Jinzhou Station

Guangzhou's main airport is the in Huadu District open on August 5, 2004, replacing the old Baiyun International Airport which was very close to the city centre and failed to meet the fast-growing air traffic demand.

Guangzhou is well connected to Hong Kong by train, coach and ferry. Express trains depart from the Guangzhou East railway station and arrive at the in Hong Kong. The route is approximately 182km in length and the ride takes less than two hours. Frequent coach services are also provided, with coaches depart every day from different locations around the city.

There are daily ferry services including an overnight steamer service, which takes eight hours, as well as high-speed catamaran service which takes three hours, to the China Ferry Terminal or in Hong Kong. The Nansha Pier , located in the distant Nansha District outside the city centre, is also operating six daily 75-minute catamaran services to Hong Kong.

From January 1, 2007, the municipal government has banned motorcycles in the urban areas. Motorcycles found violating the ban will be confiscated. The Guangzhou traffic bureau claimed to have reported reduced traffic problems and accidents in the downtown area since the ban.

According to the official China Daily of July 6, 2007, all buses and taxis in Guangzhou will be -fueled by 2010 to promote clean energy for transportation and improve the environment . At present, Guangzhou is the city that uses the most LPG-fueled vehicles in the world. Till the end of 2006, 6,500 buses and 16,000 taxis were using LPG, taking up 85% of all buses and taxis .

Tourist attractions



Guangzhou has a lovely climate year-round with almost no winter. Annual average temperature is 21.8 degrees. Autumn, from October to December, is very moderate, cool and windy, and is the best travel time. There are many tourist attractions around the city which include:

* Chen Clan Academy
* Guangdong Museum of Folk Handcraft
* Shamian Island /
* Guangdong Provincial Museum
* Museum of the Tomb of the King of Southern Yue in Western Han Dynasty

* Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
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* Huaisheng Mosque
* Temple of Bright Filial Piety
* Chime-Long Paradise
* Chime-Long WaterPark
* Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King南越王墓
* Guangzhou Peasant Movement Institute


Local products


* Canton Sculpture includes Canton Ivory Carvings, Jade Sculpture, Wood Sculpture and Olive Sculpture.
* Canton Enamel is short for Guangzhou Colorful Pottery. It has a history of over 300 years.
* Canton Embroidery, namely Yue Embroidery, is one of the Four Famous Chinese Embroideries together with Su Embroidery, Xiang Embroidery and Shu Embroidery.
* Canton Bacon is the general designation of cured meat in the Guangzhou Area.
* Zhujiang Beer

Parks and gardens


* Baiyun Mountain
* Yuexiu Park ()
* Luhu Park
* Dongshanhu Park
* Liuhuahu Park
* Liwanhu Park
* Yuntai Garden
* Martyrs' Park ()
* Zhujiang Park
* South China Botanical Garden

Significant buildings


* Guangdong Olympic Stadium ()
* CITIC Plaza ()
* Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower ()
* Guangzhou TV Tower ()
* Pearl River Tower ()

Major hotels


* The Garden Hotel
* China Hotel, A Marriott Hotel
* White Swan Hotel
* DongFang Hotel
* Guangdong International Hotel
* The Westin Guangzhou
* Shangri-La Hotel, Guangzhou
* The Ritz-Carlton, Guangzhou
* Grand Hyatt Guangzhou
* Asia International Hotel
* Grand International Hotel
* Chime Long Hotel
* Holiday Inn City Centre Guangzhou
* Holiday Inn Shifu Guangzhou
* Baiyun Hotel
* Ramada Pearl Hotel Guangzhou

Media


Guangzhou's two local radio stations, the provincial Radio Guangdong and the municipal Radio Guangzhou, broadcast and programmes in more than ten channels. The Bejing-based China National Radio broadcast in Putonghua, while other radio stations from cities around Guangzhou broadcast mostly in Cantonese, whose channels can be received in part of the city. Radio Guangdong produces a 15-minute weekly English program, "Guangdong Today", which is broadcast globally through the World Radio Network. English news and several short English programmes can be heard in some of the channels.

Both TVB Pearl and ATV World, two English channels in Hong Kong, can be received throught cable TV in Guangzhou. Guangzhou Television, the local TV station, also has its own English channel. Though some of its daytime programmes are not in English, it runs all-English programmes from evening to midnight.

Guangzhou has three major newspaper groups, which publish some of the best Chinese-language newspapers in Mainland China. The leading newspaper of the city is the Guangzhou Daily. With a circulation of 1.8 million, it has been China's most successful newspaper for 14 years in terms of advertising revenue.

Culture


* Cantonese
* Cantonese cuisine
* Cantonese opera
* Guangdong music

Education


Higher education institutes



National universities
*Sun Yat-sen University
*South China University of Technology
*South China Normal University
*Jinan University

Public universities and colleges
*Guangdong University of Finance
*Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
*South China Agricultural University
*Zhongkai Agrotechnical College
*Guangzhou Medical College
*Guangzhou University of TCM
*Guangdong College of Pharmacy
*Guangdong University of Technology
*Guangzhou University
*Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology
*Guangdong Business College
*Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
*Xinghai Conservatory of Music
*GuangDong Polytechnic Normal University
*Guangzhou Physical Education Institute
Note: Institutes without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre

Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre also known as Guangzhou University Town, located on an island called Xiaoguwei in Panyu District, is home to campuses of ten universities, part of which also have other campuses elsewhere.

Universities which have campuses in the Mega Centre:
*Sun Yat-sen University
*South China University of Technology
*South China Normal University
*Guangdong University of Technology
*Guangdong University of Forign Studies
*Guangzhou University of TCM
*Guangdong College of Pharmacy
*Guangzhou University
*Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
*Xinghai Conservatory of Music
Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre can accommodate up to 200,000 students, 20,000 teachers and 50,000 staffs.

High schools


* Guangdong Experimental High School
* The Affiliated High School of South China Normal University
* Guangzhou No.47 High School
* Guangzhou No.6 High School
* Guangdong Guangya Middle School
* Guangzhou Zhi Xin Middle School
* Guangzhou No.8 High School
* Guangzhou 109 Secondary School

International schools


* American International School of Guangzhou
* British School of Guangzhou
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Sister cities





Guangzhou is with the following cities:

* , Japan
* Los Angeles, United States
* Manila, Philippines
* Vancouver, Canada
* Sydney, Australia
* Vi?a Del Mar, Chile
* Frankfurt am Main, Germany
* Lyon, France
* Auckland, New Zealand,
* Gwangju, South Korea
* , Japan
* Link?ping, Sweden
* Durban, South Africa
* Bristol, England
* Yekaterinburg, Russia
* Arequipa, Peru
* Birmingham, England
* Dubai, United Arab Emirates
* Recife, Brazil
* Surabaya, Indonesia

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