Guangzhou
From ChinaTravelGuide
South China (华南) » Guangdong (广东) » Guangzhou (广州)
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[edit] Overview
Guangzhou (广州) is the capital of Guangdong (广东) Province in South China (华南). It is located to north of the Pearl River Delta, and adjacent to Hong Kong (香港) and Macau (澳门). The Pearl River (Zhujiang, 珠江), the largest river in South China and the third largest in the country, goes through downtown Guangzhou. Its nickname is the "City of Five Rams", meaning never-ending prosperity.
Guangzhou has a population of over 11 million with an estimated over 3 million unregistered residents, and is China’s third largest city after Shanghai (上海) and Beijing (北京). It is of an area of 2,870 square miles (7,434 square kilometers). Guangzhou enjoys a subtropical climate, without very distinctive seasons. The average temperature of a year is about 21.5°C. The best time to visit Guangzhou is from October through December.
Guangzhou's old name is Canton. The airport code is CAN, and the food, the people and the language are still known as "Cantonese" (Cantonese cuisine (粤菜), Cantonese people (广东人), and Cantonese language (粤语)). Guangzhou and its adjacent area are the hometown of many overseas Chinese.
It was in Guangzhou that China first encountered Muslim traders and missionaries in the seventh century and one of them, Saad Abi Waqqas, has a mausoleum here in 651. China's first encounters with Europeans, from the 16th to 19th centuries, also happened in Guangzhou.
Guangzhou is well-known as a modern open city because of its friendly international trade environments. Though not as well-known as other historical cities like Xi'an (西安), Beijing (北京), Guangzhou has many historical sites, including Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family (陈家祠), Sun-Yat-sen Memorial Hall (中山纪念堂), the Zhenhai Tower (Zhenhai Lou, 镇海楼), Hall of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin Dian, 观音殿).
[edit] History
Guangzhou is a historical city with over 2,210 years of history. It was the capital city for the Nan Yue (South Yue, 南越) dynasty (203 AD - 111 AD). After a history of over 2000 years of Chinese culture influenced by many foreign cultures, Guangzhou boasts its unique Lingnan culture (岭南文化), which was reflected in many aspect of modern Guangzhou, such as Lingnan painting (岭南画派), Lingnan architecture (岭南建筑), Lingnan gardens (岭南园林), Guangdong music (粤剧), Cantonese cuisine (粤菜), Cantonese language (粤语).
[edit] Map
Click here to open Guangzhou map.
[edit] Weather
Current Conditions (2010-09-03 20:00:00, local time)
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Guangzhou |
Temp: 79°F (26°C) |
Guangzhou Weather Forecast
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| Weather averages for Guangzhou | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| Avg high °C (°F) | 18 (64) | 18 (64) | 21 (70) | 26 (79) | 30 (86) | 32 (90) | 33 (91) | 33 (91) | 32 (90) | 29 (84) | 25 (77) | 21 (70) | |
| Avg low °C (°F) | 11 (52) | 12 (54) | 15 (59) | 20 (68) | 23 (73) | 25 (77) | 26 (79) | 26 (79) | 24 (75) | 21 (70) | 16 (61) | 12 (54) | |
| Rain cm (inches) | 3.33 (1.3) | 4.45 (1.8) | 6.4 (2.5) | 14.91 (5.9) | 20.39 (8) | 22.73 (8.9) | 18 (7.1) | 18.05 (7.1) | 13.57 (5.3) | 4.88 (1.9) | 2.07 (0.8) | 2.47 (1) | |
| Source: per MSN 2008 | |||||||||||||
[edit] Getting in & Getting out
[edit] By Air
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (广州白云国际机场) is the 2nd largest airport in Southern China after Hong Kong (香港). There are flights to all major airports in China, and to many international destinations in America, Europe, Oceania, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, inclusing Los Angeles (China Southern), Paris (Air France), Helsinki (Finnair), Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore (Singapore Airlines), Bangkok (Thai Airways), Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta.
There are 8 Airport Express bus lines going to different places of Guangzhou. Line 5 departs every 15 minutes. Line 1 and 6 depart every 20 minutes. Line 2, 3, 7, 8 depart every 30 minutes. Line 4 departs every one hour. The ticket prices range from 13 Yuan to 32 Yuan.
The airport is 28 km to the north of downtown Guangzhou. Its info hotline is 020-36066999.
[edit] By Train
Guangzhou has two railway stations, the Guangzhou East Station (火车东站), which services routes to Hong Kong and other popular tourist destinations, and the Guangzhou Station (广州火车站), which is one of the biggest in the country and services routes to numerous large and mid-size cities in China. The main station is on Huan Shi Xi Lu (环市西路), and can be reached from public bus lines #7, #34, #225.
The Guangzhou East Railway Station (火车东站) has trains to Hong Kong (Hung Hom station). And there are high speed trains (200 km/h) to Shenzhen (深圳) from both the main station and the east station.
- Train station info line： 020-61357222（自动查询）, 020-86661789, 020-86682043, 020-61357581
- Train ticket hot line： 020-95105688、020-95105105
- Train # and price enquiry： 020-61346222
[edit] By Bus
Guangzhou is connected to other adjacent cities through Guangzhou-Foshan (佛山) Highway (广佛公路) and Guangzhou-Huadu (花都) Expressway (广花高速).
There are four main bus stations in Guangzhou:
- The Provincial Station (省汽车站) (Tel: 020-86661297, 020-86692865-2091). Buses from here go to other cities in Guangdong province, and also to cities in Hunan (湖南), Jiangxi (江西), Fujian (福建), Guangxi (广西). It can be reached from public bus lines 7, 15, 30, 33, 52,179, 181, 202, 211.
- Yuexiu Nan Station (越秀南站) (Tel: 020-83833949). Long-distance buses go to Guilin (桂林), Nanchang (南昌), [[Nanjing|Nanjing (南京), Zhengzhou (郑州) from here. You can get to this station through public bus lines 7, 12, 16, 61, 18, 4, 36.
- Tianhe Dasha Station (天河大厦站) (Tel: 020-37085070). Buses mainly go to cities in Hunan (湖南), Jiangxi (江西), Guangxi (广西), Guizhou(贵州), and Jiangsu (江苏). Public bus lines 39, 54, 89, 235, 251 have stops at this station.
- Huangpu Passenger Bus Station (黄埔汽车客运站) (Tel: 020-82375621). Buses from here go to other cities in Guangdong province, and other citis in adjacent provinces. Public bus lines 210, 214, 292, 883, 560, 561 go through here.
[edit] By Ship
- New Nansha Pier (新南沙客运港) (Tel: 020-84447319) has 6 lines traveling between Hong Kong and Guangzhou every day. It's a little far from downtown Guangzhou.
| Nansha to Hongkong | 09:30 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:30 |
| Hongkong to Nansha | 08:00 | 08:20 | 09:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:30 |
| Tickets: Economic 116 Yuan, Business 170 Yuan, VIP 230 Yuan. | ||||||
- Zhoutouzui Ferry Pier (洲头咀客运码头) (Tel: 020-84482418). Ships go to Xiamen, Shanghai, and Qingdao.
- Dashatou Pier (大沙头客运码头) (Tel: 020-83833691).
[edit] Getting Around
[edit] By Public Bus
This is the cheapest way to move around. Bus fares are 1 Yuan for the non-ACed buses and 2 Yuan for the air-conditioned ones.
[edit] By Tour Bus
There are three tourist bus lines in Guangzhou.
- Tourist bus line #1 starts from Tianhe Public bus station (天河公交站场), going through Sports Center, Time Square, ..., and ends at Zhongshan Ba Lu (中山八路).
- Tourist bus line #2 starts from Zhongshan Ba Lu (中山八路), going through Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family (陈家祠), Hualin Temple, ..., and ends at Tianhe Public bus station (天河公交站场). The fares for both lines are 2 Yuan.
- In addition, there is a special tourist bus line going from Yitai (以太广场) located at Jiefang Bei Lu (解放北路) to Hong Kong's Disneyland.
[edit] By Metro
Guangzhou has 4 metro lines encircling the whole city.
- Metro line 1 (Yellow line) goes from Guangzhou East Railway Station (广州东站) to Xilang (西朗) (18.5km).
- Metro line 2 (Blue line) goes from Sanyuanli (三元里) to Wanshengwei (万胜围) (18.3km).
- Metro line 3 (Orange line) is a Y-shaped line connecting Guangzhou East Railway Station (Line 1) and Tianhe Passenger Transport Station to Panyu Square (番禺广场) (36km).
- Metro line 4 (Green line) goes from Wanshengwei to Nansha (68.96km).
The fare starts from 2 Yuan, plus 1 additional Yuan for every three stations. Most of the signs and announcements are in English. You can buy the ticket (a small plastic token) from vending machines in the stations. Multi-Pass and Yangchengtong (羊城通) are also accepted and can be purchased at the customer service counter.
[edit] By Taxi & Rental Car
Guangzhou has over 16,000 taxis with different colors (mostly yellow or blue) on the taxi operators. There is a 1 Yuan fuel surcharge for each ride. The starting charge is 7 Yuan for the first 2.3 kilometers (about 1.4 miles), and either 2.2 Yuan or 2.6 Yuan for each additional kilometer, depending on the type of taxis.
[edit] Video
| Guangzhou |
Get the Flash Player to see this player. |
| Publicity film for Guangzhou's Bid for the 2010 Asian Games (广州申办2010年亚运会宣传片) |
[edit] Attractions
- Ancestral Temple of the Chen Family (Chenjia Ci, 陈家祠)
- Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (广州中山纪念堂)
- Sun Yat-sen's Former Residence Zhongshan (孙中山先生诞生地)
- Building Overlooking the Sea (Zhenhai Lou, 镇海楼)
- Canton Zoo (广州动物园)
- Cathedral of the Sacred Heart (Sehngxin Dajiaotang, 大教堂)
- College of the Peasants' Movement (Nongmin Yundon Jiangxisuo, 农民运动讲习所旧址)
- Conghua Thermal Springs (Wenquan, 温泉自然保护区)
- Cultural Park (Wenhua Gongyuan, 文化公园)
- Floral Pagoda
- Hall of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin Dian, 观音殿)
- Baiyun Mountain Scenic Spot (白云山风景名胜区)
- Xiangjiang Safari Park (香江野生动物世界)
- Guangdong Museum of Art (广东美术馆)
- Guangzhou Fanyu & Baomo Garden (广州番禺宝墨园)
- Guangzhou Fanyu Lotus Hill (广州番禺莲花山旅游区)
[edit] Hotels
[edit] Budget
[edit] Mid Range
| Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) |
|---|---|---|
2. Guangdong Victory Hotel 
| 7. Furama Hotel Guangzhou
| 13. Rosedale Hotel
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| 3. Liuhua Hotel
| 12. Lidu Hotel
| 15. Guangzhou Jiangwan Hotel
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| » Search more Guangzhou hotels ... |
[edit] Luxury
| Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) |
|---|---|---|
4. China Merchants Hotel 
| 14. Globelink Hotel
| 23. Ramada Pearl Hotel
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| 8. Guangdong Guest House
| 18. Baiyun Hotel Guangzhou
| 24. Star Hotel
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| 9. Guangdong Hotel
| 20. Holiday Inn City Center Guangzhou
| 27. China Mayors Plaza
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| 10. Hotel Canton
| 21. Ocean Hotel
| 28. Grand Palace China Hotel
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| 11. Hotel Landmark Canton
| 22. Guangdong Foreign Businessman Club | 29. New Pearl River Hotel
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| » Search more Guangzhou hotels ... |
| Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) | Hotel (star) |
|---|---|---|
1. White Swan Hotel 
| 16. Asia International Hotel
| 25. Grand Palace
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| 5. Dongfang Hotel
| 17. Guangdong International Hotel
| 26. Tianlun International Hotel
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| 6. China Hotel
| 19. The Garden Hotel
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| » Search more Guangzhou hotels ... |
[edit] Restaurants
Southern Chinese food is characterized by the staggering variety of the ingredients used, and is widely regarded as the country’s best. Cantonese cuisine (粤菜) is also known for its sometime use of 'exotic' ingredients.
[edit] Shopping
Guangzhou is known as the "Shopping Paradise", and is the most important commodity distribution center in South China. Stuffs ranging from brand-name fashionable dress, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, arts and crafts, medicines and herbs, to computer and electronic goods, photographing apparatus, sports goods, stationery, fashionable playthings, curios, sea products and endless others will meet the different tastes and demands of visitors worldwide.
- Beijing Street
- Theme: Clothes. Most items are under 100 Yuan.
- Directions: Get off at Metro Gongyuanxian station. Take exit C and walk straight for 2 short blocks.
- Changzhou Road
- Theme: jade
- Daxin Road
- Theme: folk arts and crafts
- Wendehellu Road
- Theme: antiques, calligraphy and pictures, pottery and porcelain, art crafts
- Tianhe Road (Galaxy Computer Plaza with three huge floors and a basement level full of every kind of modern electronic goods; The Grandview Mall)
- Theme: computers, and everything else in the world's 4th largest shopping mall.
- Wushan Road
- Theme: scientific equipments
- Qianjinnanlu Road
- Theme: pets products
- Dongfengxilu Road
- Theme: birds products
- Danan Road
- Theme: fresh flowers
- Qingping Road and Shufang Street of Danan Road;
- Theme: aquatic animals
- Jianglan Road
- Theme: fishing gears
- Xiangxiajiu Lu
- Theme: clothings
- Huanghuagang, Xiaogang, Shahe, Shayuan, Shangxiajiu Commercial Pedestrian Street
- Theme: night markets
[edit] Night Life & Entertainment
The bars in luxurious hotels are popular with expats and foreign visitors. There are three famous areas for night life and entertainments in Guangzhou: Binjiang Xilu, Huanshi Lu and Bai'e Tan.
- Binjiang Xilu (滨江西路沿线) is by the bank of the Zhujiang (Pearl River), and has great views. It's a very popular area for young people. If get bored, cross the bridge to Yanjiang Xilu and drink at some of the bars on the other side of the river.
- Huanshi Donglu (环市东路沿线) is located in downtown Guangzhou. Huanshi Donglu and the area behind the Garden Hotel is popular with locals and foreigners. One well-known one is the Cave, which has Tex-Mex food, billiard tables, live music, and features nightly performances by a scantily clad woman who specializes in dancing with snakes. Also 23 Club located at the first floor of Guangdong International Electronic Mansion, No. 403, Huanshi Donglu.
- Bai'e Tan area (白鹅潭), located at Changdi Lu on the bank of Bai'e Tan (White Goose Pond, 白鹅潭), is the most exotic. Famous ones are Amigo featuring Mexican food and live band music, and great river views (Daily 6pm-2am)
[edit] Sports & Recreation
- Golf
- The Guangzhou Luhu Golf and Country Club (also offers Tennis)
- The Sino Golf and Country Club
- The Guangzhou International Golf Club
- Parks
- The Yuexiu Park, China's largest city park, has large areas of open greenery, a large outdoor swimming pool, and fascinating historical monuments and structures.
- Orchid Park with over 100 different species of orchid.
- People's Park. It sometimes hosts outdoor Chinese opera, performances by the Guangzhou Acrobats School of and the occasional art exhibition.
- Guangdong Zoo and Ocean Park. Located at northestern suburb of Guangzhou's Xianli Zhong Road, it has over 200 species, including pandas.
- Paintball
- With commando-style terrain and the opportunity to get into real soldier-in-action mode. Guns are supplied and paint bullets can be purchased in large rounds to have uninterrupted offensives against your fellow players.
- Tennis
- Sha Mian Court
- Er Sha Dao Court
- Tian He Stadium Tennis Court.
Courts are normally booked by the hour. Prices vary depending on the time of day to play.
[edit] Excursions & Day Trips
Guangzhou's surrounding areas like Foshan (佛山), Jiangmen (江门), Shantou (汕头), Shenzhen (深圳), Zhaoqing (肇庆), Zhongshan (中山), Zhuhai (珠海) are quickly developing areas, and are losing much of their distinctive architecture and way of life. These places are very popular for business people and oversea Chinese trying to connect with their Chinese roots. However, they still have many charming aspects and worth seeing.
[edit] Tips & Practical Info
Guangzhou's area code is 020, and zip code is 510130.
