View source for Guangzhou

{{Short description|Capital of Guangdong, China}}
{{About|text=For other uses, see [[Guangzhou (disambiguation)]] or [[Canton (disambiguation)|Canton]]}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Guangzhou
| native_name        = {{native name|zh-Hant-CN|廣州|italics=off|paren=omit}} / {{native name|zh-Hans-CN|广州|italics=off|paren=omit}}
| other_name         = Kwangchow; Canton
| official_name      = Guangzhou City<br>({{zh|t=廣州市|s=广州市|labels=no}})
| nicknames          = {{ubl|class=nowrap
  | {{zh|c=羊城|l=The City of Rams|labels=no}}
  | {{zh|c=花城|l=The City of Flowers|labels=no}}
  | {{zh|c=穗城|l=The City of Rice Spike|labels=no}}
  }}
| settlement_type    = [[Prefecture-level city|Prefecture-level]] and<br> [[Sub-provincial division|sub-provincial city]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
|border              = infobox
|total_width         = 290
|image_style         = border:1;
|perrow              = 1/2/3/2
|image1              = Canton Tower 20241027.jpg
|caption1            = [[Canton Tower]] in front of the [[Pearl River]]
|image2              = Pazhou West.jpg
|caption2            = [[Pazhou]]
|image3              = Aerial View, Zone B, Canton Fair Complex 20230701-C.jpg
|caption3            = [[Canton Fair Complex]]
|image4              = Temple of the Six Banyan Trees pagoda 2.jpg
|caption4            = [[Liurong Temple]]
|image5              = Five-Ram Sculpture - adjusted.jpg
|caption5            = [[The Legend of Five Goats|Five-Ram Sculpture]]
|image6              = Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou 2025.06 01.jpg
|caption6            = [[Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou|Sacred Heart Cathedral]]
|image7              = Site of King’s Tomb, Nanyue King Museum 2025.06-01.jpg
|caption7            = [[Nanyue King Museum]]
|image8              = Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall 2018.jpg
|caption8            = [[Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)|Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall]]
}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 7
| mapframe-point = none
| image_map1         = Guangdong subdivisions - Guangzhou.svg
| map_caption1       = Location of Guangzhou City jurisdiction in [[Guangdong]]
| pushpin_map        = China Guangdong#China
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of the city center in Guangdong
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map2         = 
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = [[China]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[Provinces of China|Province]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Guangdong]]
| seat_type          = Municipal seat
| seat               = [[Yuexiu District]]
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 214 BC
| founder            = [[Qin dynasty]]
| parts_type         = 
| parts              = 
| government_type    = [[Sub-provincial division|Sub-provincial city]]
| governing_body     = {{ill|Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress|lt=Municipal People's Congress|zh|廣州市人民代表大會}}
| leader_title       = [[Party Secretary of Guangzhou|Party Secretary]]
| leader_name        = [[Feng Zhonghua]]
| leader_title1      = {{ill|Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress|lt=Municipal People's Congress|zh|廣州市人民代表大會}} Chairman
| leader_name1       = Wang Yanshi
| leader_title2      = [[Mayor of Guangzhou|Mayor]]
| leader_name2       = [[Sun Zhiyang]]
| leader_title3      = [[Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference|CPPCC]] Chairman
| leader_name3       = Li Yiwei
| area_total_km2     = 7434.4
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 2256.4
| area_metro_km2     = 20144.1
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="guangzhoustatarea">{{cite web |url=http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/yearqueryAction.do?method=displayRpt&ACTFLAG=3&FID=21901&RPTID=TJ_RPT_984248444736412557&RPTNAME=%CD%C1%B5%D8%C3%E6%BB%FD%BA%CD%C8%CB%BF%DA%C3%DC%B6%C8&FLTITLE=%B9%E3%D6%DD%CD%B3%BC%C6%D7%CA%C1%CF%282008%C4%EA%29 |script-title=zh:土地面积、人口密度（2008年） |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou |access-date=February 8, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150323054815/http://www.blayney.nsw.gov.au/ArticleDocuments/329/3h%20-%20Hobbys%20Yards%20Heritage%20Items.pdf.aspx |archive-date=March 23, 2015}}</ref>
| elevation_m        = 21
| elevation_ft       = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 18,676,605
| population_as_of   = 2020 census
| population_footnotes = <ref name="citypopulation.de"/>
| population_rank    = 2nd in Guangdong<br/>[[List of cities in China by urban population|4th]] in China<br/>[[List of Asian cities by population within city limits|4th]] in Asia
| population_urban   = 26,940,000
| population_metro   = 32,623,413
| population_demonym = [[Cantonese people|Cantonese]]
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_urban_km2 = auto
| population_density_metro_km2 = auto
|demographics_type2   = GDP{{normal|(2025)}}<ref name="chinanews.com.cn">{{cite web|url=http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/2022/01-25/9661144.shtml|title=2021年广州GDP达28231.97亿元 同比增8.1%|website={{lang|zh|中国新闻网|italics=no}}|trans-title=Guangzhou's GDP reached 2,823.197 billion yuan in 2021, up 8.1% based on yearly growth|access-date=January 26, 2022|archive-date=January 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220126150919/http://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/2022/01-25/9661144.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
|demographics2_title1 = City
|demographics2_info1 = {{unbulleted list|[[CN¥]] 3.2 trillion|[[US$]] 460 billion}}
| demographics2_title2 = Per capita
| demographics2_info2 = {{unbulleted list|CN¥ 171,546|US$ 24,626}}
| timezone           = [[Time in China|China Standard Time]]
| utc_offset         = +08:00
| coor_pinpoint      = Guangdong People's Government
| coordinates        = {{coord|23|07|48|N|113|15|36|E|type:adm2nd_region:CN-44|display=it}}
| postal_code_type   = [[List of postal codes in China|Postal code]]
| postal_code        = 510000
| area_code          = [[Telephone numbers in China|(0)20]]
| iso_code           = [[ISO 3166-2:CN|CN-GD-01]]
| blank4_name        = [[Vehicle registration plates of China|License plate]] prefixes
| blank4_info        = {{lang|zh-cn|粤A}}
| blank5_name        = City Flower
| blank5_info        = ''[[Bombax ceiba]]''
| blank6_name        = City Bird
| blank6_info        = [[Chinese hwamei]]
| blank7_name        = Languages
| blank7_info        = [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]], [[Standard Chinese]]
| blank_name_sec2    = Climate
| blank_info_sec2    = [[Humid subtropical climate]] (Cfa)
| website            = {{URL|https://www.gz.gov.cn/guangzhouinternational/index.html|gz.gov.cn}}
| total_type         = City
}}
{{Infobox Chinese
| pic = Guangzhou (Chinese characters).svg
| piccap = "Guangzhou" in [[Simplified Chinese characters|simplified]] (top) and [[Traditional Chinese characters|traditional]] (bottom) Chinese characters
| picsize = 120px
| t = 廣州
| s = 广州
| l = "[[Guang Prefecture (Guangdong)|Broad]] [[Zhou (country subdivision)|Prefecture]]"
| j = Gwong2zau1
| ci = {{IPAc-yue|gw|ong|2|.|z|au|7}} ''or'' {{IPAc-yue|gw|ong|2|.|z|au|1}}
| y = Gwóngjàu ''or'' {{Audio|Yue-gwong2zau1.opus|Gwóngjāu|help=no}}
| psp = Kwangchow
| p = {{Audio|Guangzhou pronunciation.ogg|Guǎngzhōu|help=no}}
| mi = {{IPAc-cmn|g|uang|3|.|zh|ou|1}}
| w = {{tone superscript|Kuang3-chou1}}
| gr = Goangjou
| myr = Gwǎngjōu
| bpmf = ㄍㄨㄤˇ&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ㄓㄡ
| poj = Kńg-chiu
| h = {{tone superscript|Kong3-ziu1}}
| wuu = Kuaon-tseu
| order = st
| altname = [[Chinese abbreviations|abbreviation]]
| c2 = {{linktext|穗}}
| p2 = Suì
| w2 = {{tone superscript|Sui4}}
| bpmf2 = ㄙㄨㄟˋ
| gr2 = Suey
| myr2 = Swèi
| mi2 = {{IPAc-cmn|s|ui|4}}
| j2 = Seoi6
| y2 = Seuih
| ci2 = {{IPAc-yue|s|eoi|6}}
| showflag = py
| tp = Guǎngjhou
| tp2 = Suèi
}}

'''Guangzhou''',{{efn|{{blist |{{IPAc-en|UK|g|w|ae|ŋ|'|dʒ|əʊ}} {{respell|gwang|JOH}}<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Guangzhou |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200928201217/https://www.lexico.com/definition/guangzhou |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 28, 2020 |title=Guangzhou |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|'|g|w|ɑː|ŋ|-}} {{respell|GWAHNG|-}}<ref>{{MW|Guangzhou}}</ref> |{{lang-zh|s=广州|p=Guǎngzhōu}} |<!-- details in infobox -->{{IPA|yue|kʷɔ̌ːŋ.tsɐ̂u|lang}} {{small|or}} {{IPA|yue|kʷɔ̌ːŋ.tsɐ́u||Yue-gwong2zau1.opus}}|<!-- Please DO NOT move the former romanization names out of the efn notes: they are already mentioned in the infobox. -->  [[Chinese postal romanization|previously romanized]] as '''Kwangchow'''<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Guangzhou |title=Guangzhou |author-last1=Kuo|author-first1=Ping-chia|author-last2=Zhong|author-first2=Gong-fu|display-authors=etal|encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |access-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321104939/https://www.britannica.com/place/Guangzhou |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}}} also known as '''Canton''',<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Canton |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Canton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814003607/https://www.lexico.com/definition/canton |archive-date=August 14, 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> is the [[Capital city|capital]] and largest city of [[Guangdong]] in [[South China|southern China]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Illuminating China's Provinces, Municipalities and Autonomous Regions |url=http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/43575.htm |publisher=PRC Central Government Official Website |access-date= May 17, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140619213210/http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/43575.htm |archive-date=June 19, 2014}}</ref> Located on the [[Pearl River]], about {{convert|120|km}} northwest of [[Hong Kong]] and {{convert|145|km}} north of [[Macau]], Guangzhou has a history of over 2,200 years and was a major terminus of the [[Silk Road]].<ref>{{cite web |script-title=zh:海上丝绸之路的三大著名港口 |trans-title=The three major famous ports of the Maritime Silk Road|url=http://history.people.com.cn/n/2014/0520/c385134-25040938.html |publisher=People.cn |access-date=May 20, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603070339/http://history.people.com.cn/n/2014/0520/c385134-25040938.html |archive-date=June 3, 2016}}</ref> 

The [[port of Guangzhou]] serves as a transportation hub. Guangzhou is also one of China's three largest cities.<ref name="Official">{{cite web |title=Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality |url=http://www.visitgz.com/en/About%20Guangzhou/Introduction/280318.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100906143754/http://www.visitgz.com/en/About%20Guangzhou/Introduction/280318.html |archive-date=September 6, 2010 |access-date=March 21, 2010 |website=visitgz.com}}</ref> For a long time, it was the only Chinese port accessible to the Europeans. Guangzhou was captured by the [[United Kingdom|British]] during the [[First Opium War]] and no longer enjoyed a monopoly after the war. Consequently, it lost trade to other ports such as Hong Kong and [[Shanghai]], but continued to serve as a major [[entrepôt]] at China.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi=10.1080/03088839.2020.1802785 |title=The Southampton system: A new universal standard approach for port-city classification |year=2020 |last1=Roberts |first1=Toby |last2=Williams |first2=Ian |last3=Preston |first3=John |journal=Maritime Policy & Management |volume=48 |issue=4 |pages=530–542 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Guangzhou is at the center of the [[Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macau Greater Bay Area]], the most populous built-up metropolitan region in the world. The area extends into neighboring cities such as [[Foshan]], [[Dongguan]], [[Zhongshan]], [[Shenzhen]], parts of [[Jiangmen]] and [[Huizhou]], as well as [[Zhuhai]] and Macau, forming an [[Urban area|urban agglomeration]] of about 70 million residents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/world/agglomerations/ |title=Major Agglomerations of the World |website=City Population |access-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140057/https://www.citypopulation.de/world/Agglomerations.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also part of the [[Pearl River Delta Economic Zone]]. Administratively, the city holds [[sub-provincial division|subprovincial]] status<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.docin.com/p-51864614.html |script-title=zh:中央机构编制委员会印发《关于副省级市若干问题的意见》的通知.|language=zh|trans-title=The Central Institutional Organization Commission on Issuing the "Opinions on Several Issues Regarding Sub-provincial Cities"|others=中编发[1995]5号 |website=docin.com |date=February 19, 1995 |access-date=May 28, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529084536/http://www.docin.com/p-51864614.html |archive-date=May 29, 2014}}</ref> and is one of China's nine [[National Central City|National Central Cities]].<ref>{{cite news |script-title=zh:全国乡镇规划确定五大中心城市 |url=http://gcontent.oeeee.com/b/15/b1563a78ec593375/Blog/300/19c802.html |newspaper=Southern Metropolitan Daily |date=February 9, 2010 |access-date=July 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731074914/http://gcontent.oeeee.com/b/15/b1563a78ec593375/Blog/300/19c802.html |archive-date=July 31, 2013}}</ref> In the late 1990s and early 2000s, nationals of [[sub-Saharan Africa]] who had initially settled in the Middle East and Southeast Asia moved in unprecedented numbers to Guangzhou in response to the [[1997 Asian financial crisis|1997/98 Asian financial crisis]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mensah Obeng |first=Mark Kwaku |date=2018 |title=Journey to the East: a study of Ghanaian migrants in Guangzhou, China |journal=Canadian Journal of African Studies |volume=53 |pages=67–87 |doi=10.1080/00083968.2018.1536557 |s2cid=149595200}}</ref> The [[Migration in China|domestic migrant population]] from other [[provinces of China]] in Guangzhou was 40% of the city's total population in 2008. Guangzhou has one of the most expensive real estate markets in China.<ref name="cnd">{{cite news |last1=Cheng |first1=Andrew |last2=Geng |first2=Xiao |date=April 6, 2017 |title=Unlocking the potential of Chinese cities |newspaper=China Daily |url=http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2017-04/06/content_28819204.htm |url-status=dead |access-date=September 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170928150228/http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2017-04/06/content_28819204.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2017}}</ref> As of the 2020 census, the registered population of the city's expansive administrative area was 18,676,605 individuals (up 47 percent from the previous census in 2010), of whom 16,492,590 lived in 9 urban districts (all but [[Conghua District|Conghua]] and [[Zengcheng District|Zengcheng]]).<ref name="citypopulation.de">{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/guangdong/admin/ |title=China: Guăngdōng (Prefectures, Cities, Districts and Counties) |website=City Population |access-date=September 19, 2021 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629091716/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/guangdong/admin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to worldwide travel restrictions at the beginning of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport]], the major airport of Guangzhou, briefly became the [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|world's busiest airport by passenger traffic]] in 2020.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Kenji|last1=Kawase|date=January 25, 2021|title=China's Guangzhou airport crowns itself the world's busiest for 2020|website=[[Nikkei Asia]]|publisher=Nikkei Inc|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/China-s-Guangzhou-airport-crowns-itself-the-world-s-busiest-for-2020|access-date=February 14, 2021|archive-date=February 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202113324/https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Transportation/China-s-Guangzhou-airport-crowns-itself-the-world-s-busiest-for-2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Guangzhou is the fifth most populous city by urban resident population in China after Shanghai, [[Beijing]], [[Shenzhen]] and [[Chongqing]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=November 18, 2022 |title=Top 10 Chinese cities by urban resident population |url=https://investinchina.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202211/18/WS637ae2d5498ea274927a8d20/top-10-chinese-cities-by-urban-resident-population.html |access-date=November 26, 2022 |website=China Daily |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330203254/https://investinchina.chinadaily.com.cn/s/202211/18/WS637ae2d5498ea274927a8d20/top-10-chinese-cities-by-urban-resident-population.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In modern commerce, Guangzhou is best known for its annual [[Canton Fair]], the oldest and largest [[trade fair]] in China.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jin |first1=Xin |last2=Weber |first2=Karin |title=The China Import and Export (Canton) Fair: Past, Present, and Future |journal=Journal of Convention & Event Tourism |date=16 September 2008 |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=221–234 |doi=10.1080/15470140802325863 |s2cid=153995277 |hdl=10397/8520 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> For three consecutive years (2013–2015), Forbes ranked Guangzhou as the best commercial city in mainland China.<ref>{{cite web |title=Guangzhou tops best mainland commercial cities rankings |publisher=chinadaily |date=December 16, 2014 |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/16/content_19100719.htm |access-date= February 1, 2016 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160824022447/http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-12/16/content_19100719.htm |archive-date= August 24, 2016}}</ref> Guangzhou is highly ranked as an [[Globalization and World Cities Research Network|Alpha (global first-tier)]] city together with [[San Francisco]] and [[Stockholm]].<ref>{{cite web |title=GaWC - The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/geography/gawc/world2020t.html |access-date=June 12, 2022 |website=www.lboro.ac.uk |archive-date=June 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220612112616/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/geography/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=live }}</ref> It is a major [[Asia-Pacific]] finance hub, ranking  21st globally in the 2020 [[Global Financial Centres Index]].<ref name="GFCI" /> Guangzhou also has [[List of cities with the most skyscrapers|the fifth largest number of skyscrapers in the world]]. As an important international city, Guangzhou has hosted numerous international and national sporting events, the most notable being the [[2010 Asian Games]], the [[2010 Asian Para Games]], and the [[2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup]]. The city hosts 65 [[List of diplomatic missions in China#Guangzhou|foreign representatives]], making it the major city hosting the third most foreign representatives in China, after Beijing and Shanghai.<ref name="GC" /><ref name="CE" /> As of 2020, Guangzhou ranked 10th in the world and 5th in China—after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen—for the number of billionaire residents by the [[Rupert Hoogewerf|Hurun]] Global Rich List.<ref name="SS">{{cite web |date=February 26, 2020 |title=Shimao Shenkong International Center·Hurun Global Rich List 2020 |url=https://hurun.net/EN/Article/Details?num=775CEFAE8BF8 |website=Hurun Report |access-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221124815/https://www.hurun.net/EN/Article/Details?num=775CEFAE8BF8 |url-status=live}}</ref> Guangzhou is one of the nation's leading hubs for academia and academic research, [[List of cities by scientific output|ranking 6th globally]],<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Leading 200 science cities 2025{{!}} {{!}} Supplements {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/supplements/nature-index-2025-science-cities/tables/overall |access-date=2025-11-14 |website=www.nature.com}}</ref> and is home to numerous [[Double First-Class Construction|Double First-Class Universities]], including [[Sun Yat-sen University]] and [[South China University of Technology|SCUT]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Nature Index 2018 Science Cities |website=Nature Index |url=https://www.natureindex.com/supplements/nature-index-2018-science-cities/global-city-map |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002014918/https://www.natureindex.com/supplements/nature-index-2018-science-cities/global-city-map |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |access-date=September 22, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Best Chinese Universities Ranking |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/bcur/2025 |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=www.shanghairanking.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=October 26, 2021 |title=US News Best Global Universities Rankings in Guangzhou |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/search?city=guangzhou |url-status=live |access-date=October 30, 2021 |website=U.S. News & World Report |archive-date=October 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030111407/https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/search?city=guangzhou}}</ref>

== Toponymy ==
[[File:Wuxian Xiadong.jpg|thumb|left|157px|Portrait of the [[Grotto of the Five Immortals]], the [[Taoist]] temple around the five stones which gave Guangzhou its nickname "The City of Rams"]]

{{Transliteration|zh|Guǎngzhōu}} is the official [[Romanization of Chinese|romanization]] of the Chinese name {{zhi|s=广州}}. The name of the city is taken from the ancient [[Guǎng Prefecture]] after it had become the prefecture's seat of government. The [[Chinese character|character]] {{linktext|lang=zh-Hant|廣}} or {{linktext|lang=zh-Hans|广}} means 'broad' or 'expansive'.

Before acquiring its current name, the town was known as Panyu (Punyü; {{linktext|lang=zh-Hant|番禺}}), a name still borne by [[Panyu District|one of Guangzhou's districts]] not far from the main city. The origin of the name is still uncertain, with 11 various explanations being offered,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.gz.gov.cn/gzgov/472/201907/e86edd6a7d684bc3b9c1d784b3b156c5/files/3bfe7fff804e4b0fba0a4755f516a2c1.pdf |script-title=zh:番禺求证 }}</ref> including that it may have referred to two local mountains.<ref>{{cite book |last=Xu |first=Jian |author-link=Xu Jian (Tang dynasty) |year=c. 720 |script-title=zh:初學記 |trans-title=Chuxueji, Records for Initial Studies |language=zh-Hant}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |script-title=zh:中国古今地名大词典 |year=2005 |location=Shanghai |publisher=Shanghai Cishu Press |page=2901}}</ref> The city has also sometimes been known as Guangzhou&nbsp;Fu or Guangfu after its status as the capital of a [[fu (administrative division)|prefecture]]. From this latter name, Guangzhou was known to medieval Persians such as [[Al-Masudi]] and [[Ibn Khordadbeh]]<ref>{{cite book |first=H. |last=Yule |title=Cathay and the Way Thither |volume=I |location=London |publisher=Hakluyt Society |year=1916}}</ref> as Khanfu ({{lang|ar|خانفو}}).<ref>{{cite book |first1=Kees |last1=Versteegh |author2=Mushira Eid |title=Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics |volume=I |year=2005 |publisher=Brill |isbn=9789004144736 |pages=378 }}</ref> Under the [[Southern Han]], the city was renamed Xingwang Fu ({{lang-zh|labels=no|t=興王府}}).<ref>{{cite book |author=Ng Wing Chung |title=The Rise of Cantonese Opera |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=2015 |page=31  |isbn=9780252097096}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chin |first=Angelina |title=Bound to Emancipate: Working Women and Urban Citizenship in Early Twentieth-Century China and Hong Kong |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2012 |page=202 |isbn=9781442215610}}</ref>

The [[Chinese abbreviation]] for Guangzhou is {{linktext|lang=zh|穗}}, pronounced {{Transliteration|yue|Seoi<sup>6</sup>}} in Cantonese and {{Transliteration|zh|Suì}} in Mandarin—although the abbreviation on car license plates, as with the rest of the province, is {{linktext|lang=zh-Hans|粤}}), after its nickname "City of Rice" ({{linktext|lang=zh|穗城}}). The city has long borne the nickname {{nowrap|City of Rams}} ({{linktext|lang=zh|羊城}}) or {{nowrap|City of the Five Rams}} ({{linktext|lang=zh|五羊城}}) from the five stones at the old [[Temple of the Five Immortals (Guangzhou)|Temple of the Five Immortals]] said to have been the sheep or goats ridden by the [[Taoism|Taoist]] [[culture hero]]es credited with introducing [[rice cultivation]] to the area around the time of the city's foundation.<ref>{{cite book |year=1834 |title=The Chinese Repository |volume=II |edition=2nd |publisher=Kraus }}</ref> The former name "City of the [[Taoist Immortal|Immortals]]" ({{linktext|lang=zh|仙城}}/{{lang|zh|五仙城}}) came from the same story. The more recent {{nowrap|City of Flowers}} ({{linktext|lang=zh|花城}}) is usually taken as a simple reference to the area's fine greenery.

The English name "Canton" derived from [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{lang|pt|Cidade de Cantão}},<ref>{{cite book |title=Santa Barbara Portuguese Studies |volume=I–II |year=1994 |page=256 |publisher=Jorge de Sena Center for Portuguese Studies}}</ref> a blend of [[dialects of Chinese|dialectal]] pronunciations of "Guangdong"<ref>{{cite book |title=T'ien Hsia Monthly |volume=VII |page=426 |year=1939 |publisher=Sun Yat-sen Institute}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary |edition=11th  |publisher=Merriam-Webster |isbn=9780877798095 |year=2004 }}</ref> (e.g., [[Cantonese]] ''Gwong2-dung1''). Although it originally and chiefly applied to the walled city, it was occasionally conflated with Guangdong by some authors. It was adopted as the [[Postal Map Romanization]] of Guangzhou, and remained the official name until its [[pinyin|name change]] to "Guangzhou". As an adjective, it is still used in describing the [[Cantonese people|people]], [[Cantonese language|language]], [[Cantonese cuisine|cuisine]] and [[Cantonese culture|culture]] of Guangzhou and the surrounding Liangguang region. The 19th-century name was "{{nowrap|Kwang-chow foo}}".{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}}

== History ==
{{For timeline}}

=== Prehistory ===
[[File:Si lü yu yi.JPG|thumb|right|180px|The [[jade burial suit]] of [[Zhao Mo]] in Guangzhou's [[Nanyue King Museum]]]]
A settlement now known as Nanwucheng was present in the area by 1100 BC.<ref>{{citation |last=Short |first=John R. |title=Human Settlement |page=212 |location=Oxford |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=1992}}</ref><ref>{{citation |editor=Peter Haggett |title=Encyclopedia of World Geography |volume=20: ''China and Taiwan'' |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |page=2844}}</ref> Some traditional Chinese histories placed Nanwucheng's founding during the reign of [[King Nan of Zhou]],<ref name=anatomy>{{harvp|Gray|1875|p=1–2}}</ref><ref name=acc>{{harvp|''ACC''|1845|p= 82}}</ref> [[list of Zhou emperors|emperor]] of [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]] from 314 to 256 BC. It was said to have consisted of little more than a stockade of bamboo and mud.<ref name=anatomy/><ref name=acc/>

=== Nanyue===
Guangzhou, then known as '''Panyu''', was founded on the eastern bank of the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]] in 214 BC.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} Ships commanded by [[tradesperson]]s arrived on the South China coast in the late [[antiquities|antiquity]]. Surviving records from the [[Tang dynasty]] confirm, that the residents of Panyu observed a range of trade missions. Records on foreign trade ships reach upon til the late 20th century.<ref>{{cite book | author1= Michael Sheridan |title=The Gate to China: A New History of the People's Republic and Hong Kong |publisher=  Oxford University Press |year=2021 |page=11 |isbn= 9780197576236}}</ref>

Panyu was the seat of [[Qin Empire]]'s [[Nanhai Commandery]], and served as a base for the [[Qin conquest of Guangdong|first invasion]] of the [[Baiyue]] lands in southern China. Legendary accounts claimed that the soldiers at Panyu were so vigilant that they did not remove their armor for three years.<ref>{{harvp|Gray|1875|p= 3}}</ref> Upon the [[fall of the Qin]], General [[Zhao Tuo]] established the kingdom of [[Nanyue]] and made Panyu its capital in 204 BC. It remained independent throughout the [[Chu-Han Contention]], although Zhao negotiated recognition of his independence in exchange for his nominal submission to the [[Han dynasty|Han]] in 196 BC.<ref name=Taylor>{{citation |last=Taylor |first=Keith Weller |title=The Birth of Vietnam |page=24 |location=Berkeley |publisher=University of California Press |date=1991}}</ref> Archeological evidence shows that Panyu was an expansive commercial center: in addition to items from central China, archeologists have found remains originating from [[Southeast Asia]], India, and even Africa.<ref>{{cite book |author-first2=Susan N. |author-last2=Erickson |author-last1=Yi |author-first1=Song-mi |author-first3=Michael |author-last3=Nylan |chapter=The Archaeology of the Outlying Lands |editor-first1=Michael|editor-last1=Nylan|editor-first2=Michael|editor-last2=Loewe |title=China's Early Empires: A Re-appraisal|date=2010 |page=163}}</ref> Zhao Tuo was succeeded by [[Zhao Mo]] and then Zhao Yingqi. Upon [[Zhao Yingqi]]'s death in 115 BC, his younger son [[Zhao Xing]] was named as his successor in violation of Chinese [[primogeniture]]. By 113 BC, his [[Han people|Chinese]] mother, the Empress Dowager Jiu ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|樛}}}}) had prevailed upon him to submit Nanyue as a formal part of the Han Empire. The native [[grand councillor|prime minister]] Lü Jia ({{lang|zh-Hant|{{linktext|呂|嘉}}}}) launched a coup, killing Han ambassadors along with the king, his mother, and their supporters.{{sfnp|Yü|1987|p=453}} A successful ambush then annihilated a Han force which had been sent to arrest him. [[Emperor Wu of Han]] took offense and launched [[Han–Nanyue War|a massive riverine and seaborne war]]: six armies under [[Lu Bode]] and Yang Pu<ref>{{citation |last1=Morton |first1=W. Scott |last2=Lewis |first2=Charlton M. |date=2004 |title=China: Its History and Culture, ''4th ed.''  |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=9780071412797 |page=56}}</ref> took Panyu and annexed Nanyue by the end of 111&nbsp;BC.{{sfnp|Yü|1987|p=453}}

=== Imperial China ===
[[File:Canton c. 1800.jpg|thumb|right|Canton in the early 1800s]]
[[File:Whampoa Anchorage.jpg|thumb|right|View of [[Pazhou]] in 1810]]

Incorporated into the [[Western Han dynasty|Han dynasty]], Panyu became a provincial capital. In AD 226, it became the seat of Guang [[zhou (country subdivision)|Prefecture]], which gave it its modern name. The ''[[Old Book of Tang]]'' described Guangzhou as an important port in southern China.<ref>刘煦.旧唐书·王方庆传〔M〕.北京：中华书局，1975</ref> Direct routes connected the Middle East and China, as shown in the records of a Chinese prisoner returning home from Iraq twelve years after his capture at [[Battle of Talas|Talas]].<ref>{{citation |script-title=zh:杜佑.通典 |volume=卷191〔M〕 |location=Beijing |publisher=中华书局 |year=1984}}</ref> Relations were often strained: while China was undergoing the [[An Lushan Rebellion]], Arab and Persian pirates<ref name="IH">{{cite book |title=Atlas of Islamic History |last1=Sluglett |first1=Peter |last2=Currie |first2=Andrew |publisher=Routledge |year=2014 |isbn=9781138821309 |page=81}}</ref> [[Sack of Guangzhou (758)|sacked the city on 30 October 758]]<ref name=bret>{{citation |title=On the Knowledge Possessed by the Ancient Chinese of the Arabs and Arabian Colonies and Other Western Countries, Mentioned in Chinese Books |first=E. |last=Bretschneider |year=1871 |publisher=Trübner & Co. |page=10 |hdl=2027/hvd.32044019826502 |hdl-access=free }}</ref><ref name="welsh">{{citation |first=Frank |last=Welsh |author-link=Frank Welsh (writer) |editor=Maya Rao |year=1974 |title=A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong |isbn=9781568361345 |page=13| publisher=Kodansha International}}</ref><ref name=need>{{citation |first=Joseph |last=Needham |author-link=Joseph Needham |title=Science & Civilisation in China |year=1954 |volume=I |page=179 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref><ref name=sima>{{cite book |author-link=Sima Guang |last=Sima |first=Guang |author-mask=Sima Guang |title=Zizhi Tongjian ''Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government''}}</ref> and in revenge thousands of Arabs and Persians were killed by Chinese rebels in the [[Yangzhou massacre (760)]]. In the [[Guangzhou massacre]] about 200,000 Arab, Persian and other foreigners were killed by Chinese rebel [[Huang Chao]] in 878, along with the city's [[Jews]], [[Christians]],<ref name=frenchy>{{citation |editor=Gabriel Ferrand |year=1922 |title=Voyage du Marchand Arabe Sulaymân en Inde et en Chine, Rédigé en 851, suivi de Remarques par Abû Zayd Hasan |page=76 |language=fr}}</ref><ref name=kaifung>{{citation |contribution-url=http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/judaism/kaifung.html |contribution=Kaifung Jews |title=Overview of World Religions |publisher=University of Cumbria |access-date=August 30, 2009 |archive-date=October 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028113532/http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/judaism/kaifung.html |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=gibberish>{{lang|ar|أبوزيد حسن السيرافي ،"رحلة السيرافي"،المجمع الثقافي، أبو ظبي، عام 1999م}} (Abu Zayd Husayn al-Sirafi, ''Rihlat al-Sirafi'', al-Mujamma' al-thaqafi, Abu Dhabi, 1990)</ref> and [[Parsi]]s.<ref name=sirafi>{{citation |author=Abu Zayd as-Sirafi |script-title=ar:رحلة السيرافي |trans-title=The Journey of As-Sirafi |language=ar}}</ref><ref name="guy">{{citation |last=Guy |first=John |year=1986 |title=Oriental Trade Ceramics in South-East Asia, Ninth to Sixteenth Centuries: With a Catalogue of Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai Wares in Australian Collections |page=7 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=Oxford |isbn=9780195825930}}</ref> The port was closed for fifty years after its destruction.<ref name="IH" />

Amid the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms]] that followed the collapse of the [[Tang dynasty]], the [[Later Liang (Five Dynasties)|Later Liang]] governor [[Liu Yan (emperor)|Liu Yan]] used his base at Panyu to establish a "Great Yue" or "[[Southern Han]]" empire, which lasted from 917 to 971. The region enjoyed considerable cultural and economic success in this period. From the 10th to 12th century, there are records that the large foreign communities were not exclusively men, but included "[[Persian people|Persian]] females".<ref>{{cite book |title=Memoirs of the Research Department of the Toyo Bunko (Oriental Library), ''No. 2'' |year=1928 |publisher=Toyo Bunko |page=34}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Les Persans à l'Extrémité Orientale de la Route Maritime (IIe A.E. -XVIIe Siècle) |journal=Archipel |last=Lombard-Salmon |first=Claudine |year=2004 |volume=68 |page=40 |doi=10.3406/arch.2004.3830}}</ref> According to [[Odoric of Pordenone]], Guangzhou was as large as three Venices in terms of area, and rivaled all of Italy in the amount of crafts produced. He also noted the large amount of ginger available as well as large geese and snakes.{{sfn|Yule|2002|p=121}} Guangzhou was visited by the [[Moroccan people|Moroccan]] traveler [[Ibn Battuta]] during his journey around the world in the 14th century.{{sfnp|Dunn|1986|p=259}} He detailed the process by which the Chinese constructed their large ships in the port's shipyards.<ref>{{lang|ar|تحفة النظار في غرائب الأمصار وعجائب الأسفار,ابن بطوطة,ص 398}}</ref>

Shortly after the [[Hongwu Emperor]]'s declaration of the [[Ming dynasty]], he reversed his earlier support of [[foreign trade]] and imposed the first of a series of [[haijin|sea bans]] ({{lang-zh|t=|labels=no|s=海禁}}).{{sfnp|Von Glahn|1996|p=90}} These banned private foreign trade upon penalty of death for the merchant and exile for his family and neighbors.{{sfnp|Li|2010|p=3}} Previous maritime intendancies of Guangzhou, [[Quanzhou]], and [[Ningbo]] were closed in 1384{{sfnp|Von Glahn|1996|p=116}} and legal trade became limited to the [[imperial Chinese tributary system|tribute delegations]] sent to or by official representatives of foreign governments.{{sfnp|Von Glahn|1996|p=91}}

Following the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] [[Capture of Malacca (1511)|conquest]] of the [[Melaka Sultanate]], [[Rafael Perestrello]] traveled to Guangzhou as a passenger on a native [[junk (ship)|junk]] in 1516.{{sfnp|''Knight's''|1841|p=135}} His report induced [[Fernão Pires de Andrade]] to sail to the city with eight ships the next year,{{sfnp|''Knight's''|1841|p=135}} but De Andrade's exploration{{sfnp|Cortesao|1944|p=xxxiv}} was understood as spying{{sfnp|Wills|1998|p=331}} and his brother Simão and others began attempting to monopolize trade,{{sfnp|Wills|1998|pp=331–332}} enslaving Chinese women{{sfnp|Douglas|2006|p=11}} and children, engaging in piracy,{{sfnp|Dutra & al.|1995|p=426}} and fortifying the island of [[Tamão]].{{sfnp|Wills|1998|pp=337–338}}{{sfnp|Cortesao|1944|p= xxxvii}} Rumors even circulated that Portuguese were eating the children.<ref name="sjay">{{citation |page= 130 |last=Subrahmanyam |first=Sanjay |title=The Portuguese Empire in Asia, 1500–1700: A Political and Economic History |publisher=Wiley Blackwell |isbn=9781118274026 |date=7 March 2012 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Wills & al.|2010|p=28}} The Guangzhou administration was charged with driving them off:{{sfnp|Dutra & al.|1995|p=426}} they bested the Portuguese at the [[Battle of Tunmen]]{{sfnp|Wills|1998|p=339}} and in [[Battle of Xicaowan|Xicao Bay]]; held a [[Tomé Pires|diplomatic mission]] hostage in a failed attempt to pressure the restoration of the [[Mahmud Shah of Malacca|sultan of Malacca]],{{sfnp|Cortesao|1944|p=xl, xliii}} who had been accounted [[Imperial Chinese tributary system|a Ming vassal]];{{sfnp|Wills|1998|p=340}} and, after placing them in [[cangue]]s and keeping them for most of a year, ultimately executed 23 by [[lingchi]].{{sfnp|Cortesao|1944|p=xliv–v}} With the help of local pirates,<ref name="sjay" /> the "[[Folangji]]" then carried out smuggling at [[Portuguese Macao|Macao]], [[Lampacau]], and {{nowrap|St John's}} Island (now [[Shangchuan Island|Shangchuan]]),{{sfnp|Douglas|2006|p=11}} until [[Leonel de Sousa]] legalized their trade with bribes to Admiral Wang Bo ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|汪|柏}}}}) and the [[Luso-Chinese agreement (1554)|1554 Luso-Chinese Accord]]. The Portuguese undertook not to raise fortifications and to pay customs dues;{{sfnp|Wills|1998|p=343}} three years later, after providing the Chinese with assistance suppressing their former pirate allies,{{sfnp|Wills|1998|p=343–344}} the Portuguese were permitted to warehouse their goods at [[Colonial Macau|Macau]] instead of Guangzhou itself.<ref name="heyporter">{{citation |last=Porter |first=Jonathan |date=1996 |title=Macau, the Imaginary City: Culture and Society, 1557 to the Present |publisher=Westview Press |isbn=9780813337494}}</ref>

[[File:Nieuhof-Ambassade-vers-la-Chine-1665 0744-2.tif|thumb|right|[[Johan Nieuhof|Nieuhof]]'s imaginative 1665 map of "Kanton",<ref>{{citation |last=La Carpentier |first=Jean-Baptiste |author-link=Jean-Baptiste Le Carpentier |title=L'Ambassade de la Compagnie Orientale des Provinces Unies vers l'Empereur de la Chine ''Embassy of the United Provinces' East India Company to the Emperor of China'' |date=1655 |language=fr}}</ref> made from secondhand accounts when Europeans were still forbidden from entering the walled city]]

In October 1646, the [[Zhu Yujian|Longwu Emperor]]'s brother, [[Zhu Yuyue]] fled by sea to Guangzhou, the last stronghold of the [[Ming dynasty|Ming empire]]. On December 11, he declared himself the Shaowu Emperor, borrowing his imperial regalia from local theater troupes.{{sfnp|Wakeman|1985|p=737}} He led a successful offense against his cousin [[Zhu Youlang]] but was deposed and executed on January 20, 1647, when the Ming turncoat Li Chengdong ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|李|成|棟}}}}) sacked the city on behalf of the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]].{{sfnp|Wakeman|1985|p=738}}

The Qing became somewhat more receptive to foreign trade after gaining control of [[Kingdom of Tungning|Taiwan]] in 1683.{{sfnp|Perdue|2009}} The [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] from [[Colonial Macau|Macau]] and [[Spanish Empire|Spaniards]] from [[Spanish Philippines|Manila]] returned, as did private Muslim, [[Armenians|Armenian]], and [[Kingdom of England|English]] traders.{{sfnp|Gunn|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&pg=PA208 208]}} From 1699 to 1714, the [[Louis XIV's East India Company|French]] and [[East India Company|British East India Companies]] sent a ship or two each year;{{sfnp|Gunn|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&pg=PA208 208]}} the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] [[Ostend Company|Ostend General India Co.]] arrived in 1717,{{sfnp|Butel|1997|p=197}} the [[Dutch East India Company|Dutch East India Co.]] in 1729,<ref>{{Citation |publisher=R. Phillips |location=London |title=An Authentic Account of the Embassy of the Dutch East-India Company, to the Court of the Emperor of China, in the years 1794 and 1795 |volume=I and II |first=Braam |last=Houckgeest |author2=Andre Everard Van ? |date=1798 |oclc=002094734}}</ref> the [[Norway-Denmark|Danish]] [[Danish Asiatic Company|Asiatic Co.]] in 1731, and the [[Kingdom of Sweden|Swedish]] [[Swedish East India Company|East India Co.]] the next year.{{sfnp|Gunn|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&pg=PA208 208]}} These were joined by the occasional [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussian]] or [[Trieste Company]] vessel. The first independent American ship arrived in 1784, and the first [[colonial Australia]]n one in 1788.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}} By that time, Guangzhou was one of the world's greatest ports, organized under the [[Canton System]].{{sfnp|Kjellberg|1975|p=99}} The main exports were [[history of tea|tea]] and [[Chinese porcelain|porcelain]].{{sfnp|Gunn|2011|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=E10tnvapZt0C&pg=PA208 208]}} As a meeting place of merchants from all over the world, Guangzhou became a major contributor to the rise of the modern global economy.<ref>{{citation |last=Van Dyke |first=Paul A. |title=The Canton Trade—Life and Enterprise on the China Coast, 1700–1845 |location=Hong Kong |date=2005 |page=161}}</ref> Guangzhou is the site of the [[Thirteen Factories]], which were the only legal place to conduct foreign trade with China from 1757 to 1842.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Chatwin |first=Jonathan |title=The Southern Tour: Deng Xiaoping and the Fight for China's Future |publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]] |year=2024 |isbn=9781350435711}}</ref>{{Rp|page=xviii}}

In the 19th century, most of the city's buildings were still only one or two stories. However, there were notable exceptions such as the [[Flower Pagoda]] of the [[Temple of the Six Banyan Trees]], and the guard tower known as the [[Zhenhai Tower (Guangzhou)|Five-Story Pagoda]]. The subsequently urbanized northern hills were bare and covered with traditional graves. The brick city walls were about {{cvt|6|mi|0}} in circumference, {{cvt|25|ft|0}} high, and {{cvt|20|ft|0}} wide. Its eight main gates and two water gates all held guards during the day and were closed at night. The wall rose to incorporate a hill on its northern side and was surrounded on the other three by a moat which, along with the canals, functioned as the city's sewer, emptied daily by the river's tides. A partition wall with four gates divided the northern "old town" from the southern "new town" closer to the river; the suburb of [[Xiguan]] (Saikwan; "West Gate") stretched beyond and the boats of fishers, traders, and [[Tanka people|Tanka]] ("boat people") almost entirely concealed the riverbank for about {{cvt|4|mi|0}}. It was common for homes to have a storefront facing the street and to treat their [[Chinese courtyard house|courtyards]] as a kind of warehouse.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} The city was part of a network of signal towers so effective that messages could be relayed to [[Beijing]]—about {{cvt|1200|mi|sp=us|0}} away—in less than 24 hours.{{sfnp|Kjellberg|1975|p=95}}

[[File:Canton River, 26 May 1841.jpg|thumb|upright=.9|Guangzhou ("Canton") and the surrounding islands of [[Haizhu, Guangzhou|Henan]], [[Pazhou]], [[Changzhou Island|Changzhou]], and [[Xiaoguwei]] in 1841]]
[[File:Guangzhou_dusk_panorama.jpg|thumb|right|Guangzhou city skyline at dusk in 2011]]
The Canton System was maintained until the outbreak of the [[First Opium War]] in 1839. Following a series of battles in the [[Pearl River Delta]], the British [[Battle of Canton (March 1841)|captured Canton]] on March 18, 1841.{{sfnp|''Bulletins &c.''|1841|p=357}} The [[Battle of Canton (May 1841)|Second Battle of Canton]] was fought two months later.{{sfnp|MacPherson|1842|pp=312 & 315}} Following the Qing's 1842 [[Treaty of Nanking|treaty]] with [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Great Britain]], Guangzhou lost its privileged trade status as more and more [[treaty port]]s were opened to more and more countries, usually including extraterritorial enclaves. Amid the decline of Qing prestige and the chaos of the [[Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856)]], the [[Punti]] and [[Hakka]] waged [[Punti-Hakka Clan Wars|a series of clan wars]] from 1855 to 1867 in which one million people died. The foreign trade facilities were destroyed by local Chinese in the [[Second Opium War|Arrow War]] (1856–1858). The international community relocated to the outskirts and most international trade moved through [[Shanghai]].<ref>John King Fairbank, ''Trade and Diplomacy on the China Coast: The Opening of the treaty ports, 1842–1854'' (Harvard U. P.) pp 267–284</ref><ref>Johnathan Andrew Farris, ''Enclave to Urbanity: Canton, Foreigners, and Architecture from the Late Eighteenth to the Early Twentieth Centuries'' (2016)</ref>

The concession for the [[Guangzhou–Hankou railway]] was awarded to the [[American China Development Company]] in 1898. It completed [[Guangzhou–Sanshui Railway|its branch line]] west to [[Foshan]] and [[Sanshui]] before being engulfed in a diplomatic crisis after a Belgian consortium bought a controlling interest and the Qing subsequently canceled its concession. [[J. P. Morgan]] was awarded millions in damages<ref>{{citation |last=Lee |first=En-han |year=1977 |title=China's Quest for Railway Autonomy, 1904–1911: A Study of the Chinese Railway-Rights Recovery Movement |publisher=Singapore University Press }}</ref> and the line to [[Wuchang District|Wuchang]] was not completed until 1936<ref>{{citation |title=Canton–Hankow Railway |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=9 June 1936}}</ref> and the completion of a unified [[Beijing–Guangzhou railway]] waited until the completion of [[Wuhan]]'s [[Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge|Yangtze River Bridge]] in 1957.

=== Modern China===
==== Revolutions====
During the late Qing dynasty, Guangzhou was the site of revolutionary attempts such as the [[First Guangzhou Uprising|Uprisings of 1895]] and [[Second Guangzhou Uprising|1911]] that were the predecessors of the successful [[1911 Revolution]], which overthrew the Qing dynasty. The 72 revolutionaries whose bodies were found after the latter uprising are honored as the city's 72 [[martyrdom in Chinese culture|Martyrs]] at the Huanghuagang ("Yellow Flower Mound") Mausoleum.

==== Republic of China====
After the assassination of [[Song Jiaoren]] and [[Yuan Shikai]]'s attempts to remove the [[Nationalist Party of China]] from power, the leader of Guangdong [[Hu Hanmin]] joined the 1913 [[Second Revolution (China)|Second Revolution]] against him<ref>{{citation |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EisnZHAMbqkC&pg=PA298 |page=298 |contribution=Second Revolution |last=Lu |first=Fang-shang |author-mask=Lu Fang-shang |title=Modern China |editor=Wang Ke-wen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EisnZHAMbqkC |publisher=Garland Publishing |location=New York |date=1998 |access-date=August 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611222408/http://books.google.com/books?id=EisnZHAMbqkC&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=June 11, 2014 |url-status=live |isbn=9780419221609}}</ref> but was forced to flee to [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] with [[Sun Yat-sen]] after its failure. The city came under national spotlight again in 1917, when Prime Minister [[Duan Qirui]]'s abrogation of the constitution triggered the [[Constitutional Protection Movement]]. [[Sun Yat-sen]] came to head the [[Constitutional Protection Junta|Guangzhou Military Government]] supported by the members of the dissolved parliament and the Southwestern warlords. The Guangzhou government fell apart as the warlords withdrew their support. Sun fled to [[Shanghai International Settlement|Shanghai]] in November 1918 until the Guangdong warlord [[Chen Jiongming]] restored him in October 1920 during the [[Yuegui Wars]].{{sfnp|Beck|2007}} On June 16, 1922, Sun was ousted in a coup and fled on the warship ''[[SS Zhongshan|Yongfeng]]'' after Chen sided with the [[Zhili clique]]'s [[Beiyang government|Beijing government]]. In the following months Sun mounted a counterattack into Guangdong by rallying supporters from Yunnan and Guangxi, and in January established [[Government of the Republic of China in Guangzhou|a government]] in the city for the third time.

From 1923 to 1926, Sun Yat-sen and the [[Kuomintang]] (KMT) [[Army and Navy Marshal stronghold of the Republic of China|used the city as a base]] to prosecute a renewed revolution in China by conquering the warlords in the north. Although Sun was previously dependent on opportunistic warlords who hosted him in the city, with the leadership of [[Chiang Kai-shek]], the KMT developed its own military power to serve its ambition. The Canton years saw the evolution of the KMT into a revolutionary movement with a strong military focus and ideological commitment, setting the tone of the KMT rule of China beyond 1927.

In 1924, the KMT made the momentous decision to ally with the Communist Party and the USSR. With Soviet help, KMT reorganized itself along the Leninist line and adopted a pro-labor and pro-peasant stance. The [[First United Front|KMT–CCP cooperation]] was confirmed in the [[1st National Congress of the Kuomintang|1st National Congress of the KMT]] and the communists were instructed to join the KMT. The allied government set up the [[Peasant Movement Training Institute]] in the city, of which [[Mao Zedong]] was a director for one term. Sun and his military commander Chiang used [[USSR|Soviet]] funds and weapons to build an armed force staffed by communist commissars, training its cadres in the [[Whampoa Military Academy]].{{sfnp|Beck|2007}} In August, the fledgling army suppressed the [[Canton Merchants' Corps Uprising]]. The next year the anti-imperialist [[May Thirtieth Movement]] swept the country, and the KMT government called for strikes in Canton and Hong Kong. The tensions of the massive strikes and protests led to the [[Shakee Massacre]].

After the death of Sun Yat-sen in 1925 the mood was changing in the party toward the communists. In August the left-wing KMT leader [[Liao Zhongkai]] was assassinated and the right-wing leader [[Hu Hanmin]], the suspected mastermind, was exiled to the Soviet Union, leaving the pro-communist [[Wang Jingwei]] in charge. Opposing communist encroachment, the right-wing [[Western Hills Group]] vowed to expel the communists from the KMT. The [[Canton Coup]] on March 20, 1926, saw Chiang solidify his control over the [[KMT|Nationalists]] and [[National Revolutionary Army|their army]] against [[Wang Jingwei]], the party's left wing, its [[Chinese Communist Party|Communist]] allies, and its [[USSR|Soviet]] advisors.<ref>{{citation |last=Van de Ven |first=Hans |date=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tx5H_DC5V-MC |title=War and Nationalism in China: 1925–1945 |series=Studies in the Modern History of Asia |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |location=London |isbn=978-0-415-14571-8 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tx5H_DC5V-MC&pg=PA101 101 ff] |access-date=August 31, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170225071802/https://books.google.com/books?id=tx5H_DC5V-MC |archive-date=February 25, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=AhXiang1998>{{citation |author=Ah Xiang |contribution-url=http://www.republicanchina.org/Zhongshan-Warship-Incident.pdf |contribution=The ''Zhongshan'' Warship Incident |title=Tragedy of Chinese Revolution |date=1998 |access-date=July 13, 2016 |archive-date=April 15, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415103136/http://www.republicanchina.org/Zhongshan-Warship-Incident.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> By May, he had ended civilian control of the military<ref name=AhXiang1998/> and begun his [[Northern Expedition (1926–1927)|Northern Expedition]] against the [[Warlord Era|warlords]] of the north. Its success led to the split of the KMT between Wuhan and Nanking and the purge of the communists in the [[April 12 Incident]]. Immediately afterwards Canton joined the purge under the auspice of [[Li Jishen]], resulting in the arrest of communists and the suspension of left wing KMT apparatuses and labor groups. Later in 1927 when [[Zhang Fakui]], a general supportive of the Wuhan faction, seized Canton and installed [[Wang Jingwei]]'s faction in the city, the communists saw an opening and launched the [[Guangzhou Uprising]]. Prominent communist military leaders [[Ye Ting]] and [[Ye Jianying]] led the failed defense of the city. Soon, control of the city reverted to [[Li Jishen]].

Li Jishen was deposed during a war between Chiang and the [[New Guangxi clique]]. By 1929, [[Chen Jitang]] had established himself as the powerholder of Guangdong. In 1931 he threw his weight behind the anti-Chiang schism by hosting a separate Nationalist government in Guangzhou.<ref>李洁之，陈济棠主粤始末，《广州文史》第三十七辑。</ref> The opposition to Chiang included KMT leaders like [[Wang Jingwei]], [[Sun Fo]] and others from diverse factions. The peace negotiations amid the armed standoff led to the [[4th National Congress of Kuomintang]] being held separately by three factions in Nanjing, Shanghai, and Canton. Resigning all his posts, Chiang pulled off a political compromise that reunited all factions. While the intraparty division was resolved, Chen kept his power until he was defeated by Chiang in 1936. During [[World War II]], the [[Canton Operation]] subjected the city to [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] occupation by the end of December 1938.

==== People's Republic of China====
Amid the closing months before total Communist victory, Guangzhou briefly served as the capital of the Republican government. Guangzhou was captured on October 14, 1949. Amid a massive exodus to [[Hong Kong]] and [[Colonial Macau|Macau]], defeated Nationalist forces blew up the [[Haizhu Bridge]] across the Pearl River in retreat. The Cultural Revolution had a large effect on the city, with many of its temples, churches and other monuments destroyed during this chaotic period.

The [[China|People's Republic of China]] initiated building projects including new housing on the banks of the Pearl River to adjust the city's [[Tanka people|boat people]] to life on land. Since the 1980s, the city's close proximity to [[Hong Kong]] and its ties to [[overseas Chinese]] made it one of the first beneficiaries of China's [[opening up policy|opening up]] under [[Deng Xiaoping]]. Beneficial tax reforms in the 1990s also helped the city's industrialization and economic development.

The municipality was expanded in the year 2000, with [[Huadu District|Huadu]] and [[Panyu District|Panyu]] joining the city as [[district (China)|urban districts]] and [[Conghua]] and [[Zengcheng]] as more rural [[county (China)|counties]]. The former districts of [[Dongshan District, Guangzhou|Dongshan]] and [[Fangcun District|Fangcun]] were abolished in 2005, merged into [[Yuexiu District|Yuexiu]] and [[Liwan District|Liwan]] respectively. The city acquired [[Nansha, Guangzhou|Nansha]] and [[Luogang District|Luogang]]. The former was carved out of [[Panyu District|Panyu]], the latter from parts of [[Baiyun District, Guangzhou|Baiyun]], [[Tianhe District|Tianhe]], [[Zengcheng]], and an exclave within [[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu]]. The [[National People's Congress]] approved a development plan for the [[Pearl River Delta]] in January 2009; on March 19 of the same year, the Guangzhou and [[Foshan]] municipal governments agreed to establish a framework to merge the two cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-03/19/content_11037051.htm |title=Guangzhou and Foshan signed "City Merge Cooperation Framework" |publisher=News.xinhuanet.com |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705135320/http://news.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/2009-03/19/content_11037051.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2009}}</ref> In 2014, [[Luogang District|Luogang]] merged into [[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu]] and both [[Conghua District|Conghua]] and [[Zengcheng District|Zengcheng]] counties were upgraded to districts.

On 16 June 2022, an [[Tornadoes of 2022#June 16 (China)|EF2 tornado struck the city]], causing major power outages and knocking out power to the city's subway lines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Awesome photo shows the nighttime monster heading for Guangzhou Metropolitan. |url=https://twitter.com/ericwang1101/status/1537426124547891200 |website=Twitter |access-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619005557/https://twitter.com/ericwang1101/status/1537426124547891200 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Damage survey suggests that the Guangzhou tornado had EF2 peak strength and traveled 1.5 km during its 5-minute lifetime. |url=https://twitter.com/cyanidecn_/status/1537801700093792256 |website=Twitter |access-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220619005635/https://twitter.com/cyanidecn_/status/1537801700093792256 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://watchers.news/2022/06/16/major-damage-after-large-tornado-hits-guangzhou-megalopolis-guangdong-china/ |title=Major damage after large tornado hits Guangzhou megalopolis – Guangdong, China |date=June 16, 2022 |website=watchers.news |publisher=The Watchers |access-date=June 20, 2022 |archive-date=April 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409132943/https://watchers.news/2022/06/16/major-damage-after-large-tornado-hits-guangzhou-megalopolis-guangdong-china/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

{{Gallery
|title=History of Guangzhou
|width=140 | height=100
|align=center
|File:Canton factories.jpg|The [[Thirteen Factories]] {{c.|1805|lk=no}}, displaying the flags of [[Denmark-Norway|Denmark]], [[Enlightenment in Spain|Spain]], the United States, Sweden, [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|Britain]], and the [[Prince's Flag|Netherlands]]
|File:Shop of Tingqua, the painter.jpg|An 1855 painting of the gallery of Tingqua, one of the most successful suppliers of "export paintings" for Guangzhou's foreign traders
|alt4=An 1855 painting of the gallery of Tingqua, one of the most successful suppliers of "export paintings" for Guangzhou's foreign traders.Common themes included the Thirteen Factories, the Whampoa Anchorage (now Pazhou), and the Sea-Banner Temple (now Hoi Tong Monastery)
|File:Canton1860.jpg|[[Daniel Vrooman|Vrooman]]'s 1860 map of the "City and Entire Suburbs of Canton", one of the first made after the treaties of [[Treaty of Tianjin|Tianjin]] and [[Convention of Peking|Beijing]] permitted foreigners full access to Guangzhou's walled city
|File:Flower Pagoda in Canton.jpg|The [[Flowery Pagoda]] at the [[Temple of the Six Banyan Trees]] in 1863
|File:Lai Afong, Five Stories Pagoda Guangzhou, c1880.JPG|The [[Five-story Pagoda]] atop [[Yuexiu Hill]] {{c.|1880|lk=no}}
|File:Lai Afong, Sacred Heart Cathedral Guangzhou, c1880.JPG|The [[Guangzhou's Sacred Heart Cathedral|Sacred Heart Cathedral]] towering over the one- and two-story homes of old Guangzhou {{c.|1880|lk=no}}
|File:Canton1920 d006 map of of the city.jpg|The [[US Navy]]'s Dept of Navigation's 1920 map of "Canton"<ref>{{citation |url=https://archive.org/stream/cantonchina00unitrich#page/4/mode/2up |title=US Navy Ports of the World: Canton |publisher=US Bureau of Navigation |series=Ditty Box Guide Book Series |year=1920 |at=[https://archive.org/stream/cantonchina00unitrich#page/n5/mode/2up Canton]}}</ref>
|File:Whampoa3.jpg|[[Sun Yat-sen]] and [[Chiang Kai-shek]] at the opening of the [[Whampoa Military Academy]] on 16 June 1924
|File:The Bund Canton.jpg|The Guangzhou Bund in 1930, with rows of [[Tanka people|Tanka]] boats
|alt11=The Guangzhou Bund in 1930, with rows of Tanka boats.
|File:1937 Canton, China VP8.webm|A short film of Guangzhou in 1937
|File:PLA Troops entered to Guangzhou.jpg|The [[People's Liberation Army]] entering Guangzhou on 14 October 1949
}}

== Geography==
[[File:Txu-oclc-10552568-nf49-4.jpg|thumb|Map of Guangzhou (labeled as KUANG-CHOU (CANTON) {{lang|zh-hant|廣州}}) and surrounding region ([[Army Map Service|AMS]], 1954)]]
[[File:Tiantang Peak.jpg|thumb|[[Tiantang Peak]], highest mountain in Guangzhou]]
The old town of Guangzhou was near [[Baiyun Mountain (Guangdong)|Baiyun Mountain]] on the east bank of the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]] (Zhujiang) about {{convert|80|mi|km|abbr=off}} from its junction with the [[South China Sea]] and about 300 miles below its [[head of navigation]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} It commanded the rich alluvial plain of the [[Pearl River Delta]], with its connection to the sea protected at the [[Humen Strait]].{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} The present city spans {{cvt|7434.4|sqkm|1|sp=us}} on both sides of the river from {{nowrap|112° 57′}} to {{nowrap|114° 03′ E}} longitude and {{nowrap|22° 26′}} to {{nowrap|23° 56′ N}} latitude in south-central Guangdong. The Pearl is the [[rivers of China|4th-largest river]] of China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/the-longest-rivers-in-china.htm |title=The longest & largest rivers in China, Major rivers in China |website=topchinatravel.com |access-date=January 28, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180725183827/https://www.topchinatravel.com/china-guide/the-longest-rivers-in-china.htm |archive-date=July 25, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Intertidal ecosystems exist on the tidal flat lining the river estuary, however, many of the tidal flats have been reclaimed for agriculture.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Murray |first1=N.J. |last2=Clemens |first2=R.S. |last3=Phinn |first3=S.R. |last4=Possingham |first4=H.P. |last5=Fuller |first5=R.A. |title=Tracking the rapid loss of tidal wetlands in the Yellow Sea |journal=Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment |date=2014 |volume=12 |issue=5 |pages=267–272 |doi=10.1890/130260 |bibcode=2014FrEE...12..267M |url=https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |access-date=September 5, 2021 |archive-date=December 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207073933/https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/60169/1/130260.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Baiyun Mountain is now locally referred to as the city's "lung" ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|市|肺}}}}).<ref name="Official"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baiyunshan.com.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/bysywb/bysjj/201003/4477.html |title=Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area |publisher=Baiyunshan.com.cn |access-date=September 11, 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008222711/http://www.baiyunshan.com.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/bysywb/bysjj/201003/4477.html |archive-date=October 8, 2013}}</ref>{{why|date=July 2016}}

The elevation of the prefecture generally increases from southwest to northeast, with mountains forming the backbone of the city and the ocean comprising the front. [[Tiantang Peak]] is the highest point of elevation at {{convert|1210|m|ft|abbr=off}} [[above sea level]].

{{Adjacent communities
|width=auto
|Centre= Guangzhou
|North= [[Qingyuan]]
|Northeast= [[Shaoguan]]
|East= [[Huizhou]]
|Southeast= [[Dongguan]]
|South= [[Zhongshan]], [[South China Sea]]
|Southwest= [[Foshan]], [[Zhongshan]]
|West= [[Foshan]]
|Northwest= [[Qingyuan]]
}}

=== Natural resources===
There are 47 different types of minerals and also 820 ore fields in Guangzhou, including 18 large and medium-sized oil deposits. The major minerals are granite, cement limestone, ceramic clay, potassium, albite, salt mine, mirabilite, nepheline, syenite, fluorite, marble, mineral water, and geothermal mineral water. Since Guangzhou is located in the water-rich area of southern China, it has a wide water area with many rivers and water systems, accounting for 10% of the total land area. The rivers and streams improve the landscape and keep the ecological environment of the city stable.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.gz.gov.cn/gzgoven/s3616/201008/789511.shtml |title=Guangzhou International |website=english.gz.gov.cn |access-date=November 8, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109085733/http://english.gz.gov.cn/gzgoven/s3616/201008/789511.shtml |archive-date=November 9, 2016}}</ref>

==== Water resources====
The main characteristics of Guangzhou's water resources are that there are relatively few local water resources and relatively abundant transit water resources. The city's water area is 74,400 hectares, accounting for 10.05% of the city's land area. The main rivers include Beijiang, Dongjiang North Mainstream, Zengjiang, Liuxi River, Baini River, Pearl River Guangzhou Reach, Shiqiao Waterway, and Shawan Waterway. Beijiang, The Dongjiang River flows through Guangzhou City and merges with the Pearl River to flow into the sea. The local average total water resources is 7.979 billion cubic meters, including 7.881 billion cubic meters of surface water and 1.487 billion cubic meters of groundwater. Calculated based on the amount of local water resources and the permanent population counted in the sixth census in 2010, there are 1.0601 million cubic meters of water resources per square kilometer, with an average of 628 cubic meters per capita, which is one-half of the country's per capita water resources. The amount of water resources for transit passengers is 186.024 billion cubic meters, which is 23 times the total local water resources. The passenger water resources are mainly concentrated in the southern Wanghe District and Zengcheng District. The passenger water resources diverted from the Xijiang and Beijiang Rivers into Guangzhou City are 159.15 billion cubic meters, and the passenger water resources diverted from the Dongjiang River into the north mainstream of the Dongjiang River are 14.203 billion cubic meters. meters and the water inflow from the upper reaches of the Zengjiang River is 2.828 billion cubic meters. The southern river network area is in the tidal influence area, with large runoff and a strong tidal effect. The three major entrances of the Pearl River, Humen, Jiaomen, and Hongqili, enter the Lingding Ocean and exit the South China Sea in the south of Guangzhou City. The annual high tide volume is 271 billion cubic meters and the annual ebb tide volume is 408.8 billion cubic meters. The annual runoff of the three major entrances is 137.7 billion cubic meters. Compared with meters, the annual tide can bring a large amount of water, part of which is freshwater resources that can be utilized.<ref>The website of The People's Government of Guangzhou Municipality. https://www.gz.gov.cn/m_index.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907222736/https://www.gz.gov.cn/m_index.html |date=September 7, 2024 }}</ref>

====Biological Resources====
Cultivated crops in Guangzhou have the distinctive characteristics of the transition from the tropics to the subtropics, and it is one of the richest regions in China in terms of fruit tree resources, including three major categories of tropical, subtropical, and temperate zones, 41 families, 82 genera and 174 species, totaling more than 500 varieties (among which there are 55 major varieties of lychee). It is the center of origin and variety of lychee, longan, yellow skin, black (white) olive, and so on. Vegetables are known for their high quality and variety, with 15 major categories, 127 species, and more than 370 varieties. Flowers include fresh cut flowers (fresh cut flowers, fresh cut leaves, fresh cut branches), potted plants (potted flowers, bonsai, flower bed plants), ornamental seedlings, edible and medicinal flowers, industrial and other uses of flowers, lawns, seedlings, etc. More than 3,000 traditional varieties and in recent years the introduction of new varieties, development, and utilization. Grain, cash crops, livestock, poultry, aquatic products, wild animals, and a wide variety of famous and excellent varieties, including Zengcheng Simiao rice is the first protected variety in Guangzhou City to obtain geographical indications.<ref name="gov.cn">The website of The Central People's Government of the P.R.China. https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2022-07/11/content_5700427.htm#allContent {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327022825/https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2022-07/11/content_5700427.htm#allContent |date=March 27, 2024 }}</ref>

====Mineral Resources====
The geological structure of Guangzhou City is quite complex, with good conditions for mineralization. Forty-seven kinds of minerals (including subspecies) have been discovered, with 820 mineral sites and 25 large and medium-sized mining areas. The main minerals are granite for construction, limestone for cement, ceramic clay, potassium, sodium feldspar, salt mines, manganese, nepheline orthoclase, fluorite, marble, mineral water, and thermal mineral water. Energy minerals and non-ferrous minerals in the area are in short supply, sporadically distributed, small in scale, and unstable in grade.<ref name="gov.cn"/>

=== Climate===
Despite being located just south of the [[Tropic of Cancer]], Guangzhou has a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cwa'') influenced by the [[East Asian monsoon]]. Summers are wet with high temperatures, high humidity, and a high [[heat index]]. Winters are mild and comparatively dry. Guangzhou has a lengthy [[monsoon]] season, spanning from April through September. Monthly averages range from {{cvt|13.8|°C|1}} in January to {{cvt|28.9|°C|1}} in July, while the annual mean is {{cvt|22.4|°C|1}}.<ref name="Official"/> Autumn, from October to December, is very moderate, cool and windy, and is the best travel time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://worldstepper-daworldisntenough.blogspot.com/2008/08/travel-china-guide-fascinating.html |title=Travel China Guide: Fascinating Guangzhou |work=[[Blogger (service)|Blogspot]] |date=August 12, 2008 |access-date= August 21, 2008 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110708072658/http://worldstepper-daworldisntenough.blogspot.com/2008/08/travel-china-guide-fascinating.html |archive-date= July 8, 2011}}</ref> The [[relative humidity]] is approximately 76 percent, whereas [[Precipitation (meteorology)|annual rainfall]] in the metropolitan area is over {{cvt|1950|mm}}.<ref name="Official"/> With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 17 percent in March to 51 percent in October, the city receives 1,559 hours of bright sunshine annually, considerably less than nearby [[Shenzhen#Climate|Shenzhen]] and [[Climate of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]]. Extreme temperatures since 1951 have ranged from {{cvt|0|°C}} on 11 February 1957 and 23 December 1999<ref>{{Cite web |title=广东省科学院广州地理研究所 |url=http://www.gig.gdas.ac.cn/kxcb/dlzs/t18988.html |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=www.gig.gdas.ac.cn}}</ref> to {{cvt|39.1|°C|1}} on 1 July 2004,<ref>{{Cite web |first= |date=2024-07-26 |title=38.2℃！广州气温创今年新高 |trans-title=38.2℃! Guangzhou's temperature hits a new high this year|url=https://www.gz.gov.cn/zt/fxbxaqdx/gg/content/post_9778105.html |access-date=2024-09-28 |website=广州市人民政府}}</ref> though an unofficial record low of {{cvt|-5.0|°C|1}}, in which modern meteorologists believe it to be {{cvt|-3.0|°C|1}} was recorded on 18 January 1893 and for the station that begun records in 1912 located in Huangpu District, an unofficial record low of {{cvt|-0.3|°C|1}} was recorded on 8 December 1934.<ref name= Mherrera/><ref>{{Cite web |title=中国各地城市的历史最低气温 |language=zh|trans-title=Record low temperatures in cities across China|url=https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404203050792315805 |access-date=2024-09-13 |website=Weibo|archive-date=September 15, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240915082858/https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404203050792315805 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=P |date=September 1981 |title=ROYAL OBSERVATORY, HONG KONG TECHNICAL NOTE (LOCAL) NO. 22 EXTREME TEMPERATURES IN HONG KONG |url=https://my.weather.gov.hk/tc/publica/tnl/files/tnl022.pdf |access-date=5 December 2024 |website=Hong Kong Observatory}}</ref> The last recorded snowfall in the city was on January 24, 2016, 87 years after the second last recorded snowfall.<ref>{{cite news |script-title=zh:广州全城多处降雪 广州塔顶现厚厚积雪 |url=http://news.southcn.com/g/2016-01/24/content_141390169.htm |publisher=southcn.com |date=January 24, 2016 |access-date=January 24, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125090429/http://news.southcn.com/g/2016-01/24/content_141390169.htm |archive-date=January 25, 2016}}</ref>

{{Weather box
| width = auto
| metric first = y
| single line = y
| collapsed = 
| location = Guangzhou, elevation {{convert|71|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1934–present)
| Jan high C = 18.7
| Feb high C = 20.0
| Mar high C = 22.3
| Apr high C = 26.4
| May high C = 30.0
| Jun high C = 32.0
| Jul high C = 33.3
| Aug high C = 33.2
| Sep high C = 32.0
| Oct high C = 29.3
| Nov high C = 25.3
| Dec high C = 20.7
| Jan mean C = 13.8
| Feb mean C = 15.5
| Mar mean C = 18.3
| Apr mean C = 22.5
| May mean C = 26.0
| Jun mean C = 27.9
| Jul mean C = 28.9
| Aug mean C = 28.6
| Sep mean C = 27.4
| Oct mean C = 24.4
| Nov mean C = 20.2
| Dec mean C = 15.4
| year mean C = 
| Jan low C = 10.6
| Feb low C = 12.5
| Mar low C = 15.5
| Apr low C = 19.6
| May low C = 23.1
| Jun low C = 25.1
| Jul low C = 25.8
| Aug low C = 25.5
| Sep low C = 24.2
| Oct low C = 20.9
| Nov low C = 16.7
| Dec low C = 11.9
| Jan record high C = 28.4
| Jan record low C = 0.1
| Feb record high C = 29.4
| Feb record low C = 0.0
| Mar record high C = 32.1
| Mar record low C = 3.2
| Apr record high C = 33.5
| Apr record low C = 7.7
| May record high C = 39.0
| May record low C = 13.7
| Jun record high C = 38.9
| Jun record low C = 18.8
| Jul record high C = 39.1
| Jul record low C = 21.6
| Aug record high C = 38.3
| Aug record low C = 20.9
| Sep record high C = 37.6
| Sep record low C = 15.5
| Oct record high C = 36.2
| Oct record low C = 9.5
| Nov record high C = 33.4
| Nov record low C = 4.9
| Dec record high C = 29.9
| Dec record low C = -0.3
| year high C = 
| year low C = 
| year high F = 
| year low F = 
| precipitation colour = green
| Jan precipitation mm = 51.1
| Feb precipitation mm = 56.1
| Mar precipitation mm = 101.0
| Apr precipitation mm = 193.8
| May precipitation mm = 329.0
| Jun precipitation mm = 364.9
| Jul precipitation mm = 242.6
| Aug precipitation mm = 270.3
| Sep precipitation mm = 203.2
| Oct precipitation mm = 67.3
| Nov precipitation mm = 37.4
| Dec precipitation mm = 33.4
| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
| Jan precipitation days = 7.2
| Feb precipitation days = 9.4
| Mar precipitation days = 13.8
| Apr precipitation days = 15.3
| May precipitation days = 17.4
| Jun precipitation days = 19.4
| Jul precipitation days = 17.0
| Aug precipitation days = 16.8
| Sep precipitation days = 12.0
| Oct precipitation days = 5.7
| Nov precipitation days = 5.7
| Dec precipitation days = 5.7
| Jan humidity = 72
| Feb humidity = 76
| Mar humidity = 80
| Apr humidity = 82
| May humidity = 81
| Jun humidity = 82
| Jul humidity = 79
| Aug humidity = 80
| Sep humidity = 77
| Oct humidity = 70
| Nov humidity = 69
| Dec humidity = 67
| Jan sun = 112.9
| Jan percentsun = 33
| Feb sun = 77.5
| Feb percentsun = 24
| Mar sun = 61.6
| Mar percentsun = 17
| Apr sun = 69.1
| Apr percentsun = 18
| May sun = 103.4
| May percentsun = 25
| Jun sun = 127.5
| Jun percentsun = 32
| Jul sun = 179.0
| Jul percentsun = 43
| Aug sun = 166.4
| Aug percentsun = 42
| Sep sun = 167.0
| Sep percentsun = 46
| Oct sun = 182.2
| Oct percentsun = 51
| Nov sun = 159.7
| Nov percentsun = 49
| Dec sun = 152.7
| Dec percentsun = 46
| Jan uv =  7
| Feb uv =  9
| Mar uv = 11
| Apr uv = 12
| May uv = 12
| Jun uv = 12
| Jul uv = 12
| Aug uv = 12
| Sep uv = 11
| Oct uv =  9
| Nov uv =  7
| Dec uv =  6
| source 1 = China Meteorological Data Service Center<ref name="IBST">{{cite web
| url = http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html
| script-title = zh:中国地面气候标准值月值(1981-2010)
| publisher = China Meteorological Data Service Center
| language = zh-hans
| access-date = November 9, 2022
| archive-date = September 5, 2018
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180905194950/http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html
| url-status = live
}}</ref><ref name="arcgis">{{cite web
 |url          = https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps
 |script-title = zh:CMA台站气候标准值(1991-2020)
 |publisher    = [[China Meteorological Administration]]
 |language     = zh
 |access-date  = April 11, 2023
 |title        = Experience Template
 |archive-date = April 4, 2023
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20230404092524/https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps
 |url-status   = live
}}</ref><ref name="CMA">{{cite web |url=http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055035/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |script-title=zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集(1971－2000年) |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language=zh |access-date= August 12, 2016}}</ref> all-time extreme temperature<ref name= Mherrera>{{cite web |url=http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm |title=Extreme Temperatures Around the World |access-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-date=August 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804202145/http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Hong Kong Observatory<ref name= HKO>{{cite web |url=https://my.weather.gov.hk/tc/publica/tnl/files/tnl022.pdf
|title= ROYAL OBSERVATORY, HONG KONG TECHNICAL NOTE (LOCAL) NO. 22 EXTREME TEMPERATURES IN HONG KONG
|access-date= 2024-12-05
}}</ref>
| date = August 2010
| source = 
}}

== Administrative divisions==
{{Main|List of administrative divisions of Guangzhou}}

Guangzhou is a [[Sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China|sub-provincial city]]. It has direct jurisdiction over eleven [[District (China)|districts]]:

{|class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|-
|rowspan=2 |
<div style="position: relative" class="left">
{{Image label begin|image=Administrative Division Guangzhou 2.png|width=450|link=}}
{{Image label|x=155|y=645|scale=450/750|text=[[Liwan District|'''Liwan''']]}}
{{Image label|x=200|y=600|scale=450/750|text=[[Yuexiu District|'''Yuexiu''']]}}
{{Image label|x=230|y=640|scale=450/750|text=[[Haizhu District|'''Haizhu''']]}}
{{Image label|x=265|y=580|scale=450/750|text=[[Tianhe District|'''Tianhe''']]}}
{{Image label|x=240|y=483|scale=450/750|text=[[Baiyun District, Guangzhou|'''Baiyun''']]}}
{{Image label|x=340|y=540|scale=450/750|text=[[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|'''Huangpu''']]}}
{{Image label|x=280|y=722|scale=450/750|text=[[Panyu District|'''Panyu''']]}}
{{Image label|x=160|y=390|scale=450/750|text=[[Huadu District|'''Huadu''']]}}
{{Image label|x=340|y=850|scale=450/750|text=[[Nansha, Guangzhou|'''Nansha''']]}}
{{Image label|x=400|y=256|scale=450/750|text=[[Conghua District|'''Conghua''']]}}
{{Image label|x=500|y=440|scale=450/750|text=[[Zengcheng District|'''Zengcheng''']]}}
{{Image label end}}</div>
|
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="text-font:90%; width:auto; text-align:center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|-
! colspan="10" |Administrative divisions of Guangzhou
|-
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |[[Administrative division codes of the People's Republic of China|Division<br />code]]<ref>{{cite web |language=zh-hans |url=http://files2.mca.gov.cn/cws/201502/20150225163817214.html |script-title=zh:中华人民共和国县以上行政区划代码 |publisher=[[Ministry of Civil Affairs]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402113603/http://files2.mca.gov.cn/cws/201502/20150225163817214.html |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=November 13, 2015}}</ref>
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Division
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Area<br />{{small|(km<sup>2</sup>)}}<ref>{{cite book |language=zh-hans |author=Guangzhou Bureau of Statistics (广州市统计局) |script-title=zh:《广州统计年鉴2023》 |trans-title=Guangzhou Bureau of Statistics Yearbook 2023|date=September 2023 |publisher=[[:zh:中国统计出版社|China Statistics Print]] |isbn=978-7-5230-0177-6 |url=http://tjj.gz.gov.cn/attachment/7/7513/7513176/9343675.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326182150/http://tjj.gz.gov.cn/attachment/7/7513/7513176/9343675.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Population<br />{{small|(2022)}}<ref>{{cite book |language=zh-hans |author=Guangzhou Bureau of Statistics (广州市统计局) |script-title=zh:《广州统计年鉴2023》 |date=September 2023 |publisher=[[:zh:中国统计出版社|China Statistics Print]] |isbn=978-7-5230-0177-6 |url=http://tjj.gz.gov.cn/attachment/7/7513/7513176/9343675.pdf |access-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-date=March 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240326182150/http://tjj.gz.gov.cn/attachment/7/7513/7513176/9343675.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Seat
!! scope="col" rowspan=2 |Postal<br />code
!! scope="col" colspan=4 |Subdivisions<ref>{{cite book |language=zh-hans |author=Ministry of Civil Affairs |script-title=zh:《中国民政统计年鉴2014》 |date=August 2014 |publisher=[[:zh:中国统计出版社|china Statistics Print]] |isbn=978-7-5037-7130-9 |author-link=Ministry of Civil Affairs}}</ref>
|-
!! scope="col" |[[Subdistrict (China)|Subdistricts]]
!! scope="col" |[[Town (China)|Towns]]
!! scope="col" |[[Residential community|Residential<br />communities]]
!! scope="col" |[[Villages of the People's Republic of China|Administrative<br />villages]]
|- style="font-weight: bold"
|440100 ||Guangzhou ||7,434.40 ||18,734,100 ||[[Yuexiu District|Yuexiu]] ||510000 ||136 ||34 ||1533 ||1142
|-
|440103 ||[[Liwan District|Liwan]] ||59.10 ||1,123,700 ||Shiweitang Subdistrict ||510000 ||22 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;||195 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;
|-
|440104 ||[[Yuexiu District|Yuexiu]] ||33.80 ||1,028,500 ||[[Beijing Subdistrict, Guangzhou|Beijing Subdistrict]] ||510000 ||18 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;||267 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;
|-
|440105 ||[[Haizhu District|Haizhu]] ||90.40 ||1,798,300 ||Jianghai Subdistrict ||510000 ||18 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;||257 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;
|-
|440106 ||[[Tianhe District|Tianhe]] ||96.33 ||2,221,700 ||Tianyuan Subdistrict ||510000 ||21 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;||205 ||style="background:gray;"|&nbsp;
|-
|440111 ||[[Baiyun District, Guangzhou|Baiyun]] ||795.79 ||3,637,000 ||Jingtai Subdistrict ||510000 ||18 ||4 ||253 ||118
|-
|440112 ||[[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu]] ||484.17 ||1,191,800 ||Luogang Subdistrict ||510500 ||14 ||1 ||90 ||28
|-
|440113 ||[[Panyu District|Panyu]] ||529.94 ||2,807,400 ||[[Shiqiao Subdistrict, Guangzhou|Shiqiao Subdistrict]] ||511400 ||11 ||5 ||87 ||177
|-
|440114 ||[[Huadu District|Huadu]] ||970.04 ||1,706,200 ||Huacheng Subdistrict ||510800 ||4 ||6 ||50 ||188
|-
|440115 ||[[Nansha, Guangzhou|Nansha]] ||783.86 ||929,400 ||[[Huangge]] Town ||511400 ||3 ||6 ||28 ||128
|-
|440117 ||[[Conghua District|Conghua]] ||1,974.50 ||739,700 ||Jiekou Subdistrict ||510900 ||3 ||5 ||46 ||221
|-
|440118 ||[[Zengcheng District|Zengcheng]] ||1,616.47 ||1,550,400 ||Licheng Subdistrict ||511300 ||4 ||7 ||55 ||282
|}
|-
|
{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed" style="text-font:90%; width:auto; text-align:center; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"
|-
! colspan="5" |Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations
|-
! English !! Chinese !! Pinyin !! Guangdong<br />Romanization !! Kejiahua<br />Pinyin Fang'an
|-
|[[Liwan District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|荔湾区}} ||Lìwān Qū ||lei6 wan1 kêu1 ||lai4 van1 ki1
|-
|[[Yuexiu District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|越秀区}} ||Yuèxiù Qū ||yud6 seo3 kêu1 ||yet6 siu4 ki1
|-
|[[Haizhu District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|海珠区}} ||Hǎizhū Qū ||hoi2 ju1 kêu1 ||hoi2 zu1 ki1
|-
|[[Tianhe District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|天河区}} ||Tiānhé Qū ||tin6 ho4 kêu1 ||tien1 ho2 ki1
|-
|[[Baiyun District, Guangzhou|Baiyun District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|白云区}} ||Báiyún Qū ||bak6 wan4 kêu1 ||pak6 yun2 ki1
|-
|[[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|黄埔区}} ||Huángpǔ Qū ||wong4 bou3 kêu1 ||vong2 bu4 ki1
|-
|[[Panyu District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|番禺区}} ||Pānyú Qū ||pun1 yu4 kêu1 ||pan1 ngi2 ki1
|-
|[[Huadu District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|花都区}} ||Huādū Qū ||fa1 dou1 kêu1 ||fa1 du1 ki1
|-
|[[Nansha, Guangzhou|Nansha District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|南沙区}} ||Nánshā Qū ||nam4 sa1 kêu1 ||nam2/lam2 sa1 ki1
|-
|[[Conghua District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|从化区}} ||Cónghuà Qū ||cung4 fa3 kêu1 ||vung2 fa3 ki1
|-
|[[Zengcheng District]] ||{{lang|zh-hans|增城区}} ||Zēngchéng Qū ||zeng1 xing4 kêu1 ||zen1 sang2 ki1
|-
! Guangzhou City !!{{lang|zh-hans|广州市}} !!Guǎngzhōu Shì !!guong2 zeo1 xi5 !!kong3 ziu1 si4
|}
|}

{{anchor|Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center}}

== Economy==
Guangzhou is the main manufacturing hub of the [[Pearl River Delta]], one of [[China]]'s leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2021, its GDP reached ¥2,823 billion (US$444.37 billion in nominal), making it the 2nd largest economy in the [[South Central China|South-Central China]] region after [[Shenzhen]].<ref name="RN">{{Cite web |date=February 7, 2022 |title=Decoding China's 2021 GDP Growth Rate: A Look at Regional Numbers |url=https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-2021-gdp-performance-a-look-at-major-provinces-and-cities/ |access-date=September 22, 2022 |website=China Briefing News |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819091517/https://www.china-briefing.com/news/chinas-2021-gdp-performance-a-look-at-major-provinces-and-cities/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Guangzhou's [[GDP (nominal)]] was $444.37 billion in 2021, exceeding that<ref>{{Cite web |title=GDP (current US$) -locations=NG&most_recent_value_desc=true&year_high_desc=true |website=data.worldbank.org}}{{full citation needed|date=April 2025}}</ref> Guangzhou's per capita was ¥151,162 ($23,794 in nominal).<ref name="RN" /> Guangzhou is considered one of the most prosperous cities in China. Guangzhou ranks 10th in the world and 5th in China (after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Shenzhen) in terms of the number of billionaires according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2020.<ref name="SS" /> Guangzhou is projected to be among the world top 10 largest cities in terms of [[nominal GDP]] in 2035 (together with [[Shanghai]], [[Beijing]] and [[Shenzhen]] in China) according to a study by Oxford Economics,<ref>{{cite web|author-first1=Iman|author-last1=Ghosh|title=These will be the most important cities by 2035 |url=https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/cities-in-2035/ |access-date=November 3, 2020 |website=World Economic Forum |date=October 31, 2019 |archive-date=November 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103162218/https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/10/cities-in-2035/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and its nominal GDP per capita will reach above $42,000 in 2030.<ref>{{cite web |title=World's Richest Cities in 2030, and Where Southeast Asian Cities Stand {{!}} Seasia.co |url=https://seasia.co/2020/04/03/world-s-richest-cities-in-2030-and-where-southeast-asian-cities-stand |access-date=November 3, 2020 |website=Good News from Southeast Asia |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109203037/https://seasia.co/2020/04/03/world-s-richest-cities-in-2030-and-where-southeast-asian-cities-stand |url-status=live}}</ref> Guangzhou also ranks 21st globally (between Washington, D.C., and Amsterdam) and 8th in the whole [[Asia]] & [[Oceania]] region (behind Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, Shenzhen and Dubai) in the 2020 [[Global Financial Centres Index|Global Financial Centers Index]] (GFCI).<ref name="GFCI">{{cite web |date=September 2020 |title=The Global Financial Centres Index 28 |url=https://www.longfinance.net/media/documents/GFCI_28_Full_Report_2020.09.25_v1.1.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118104905/https://www.longfinance.net/media/documents/GFCI_28_Full_Report_2020.09.25_v1.1.pdf |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |access-date=September 26, 2020 |publisher=Long Finance}}</ref> Owing to rapid industrialization, it was once also considered a rather polluted city. After green urban planning was implemented, it is now one of the most livable cities in China.

=== Zhujiang New Town ===

[[Zhujiang New Town]] is the [[central business district]] of Guangzhou in the 21st century. It covers 6.44&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> in [[Tianhe District]]. Multiple financial institutions are headquartered in this area.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:02540-Guangzhou.jpg|Zhujiang New Town
File:GD 廣東 Guangdong 廣州 Guangzhou 天河區 TianHe 花城大道 HuaCheng Avenue 珠江新城 ZhuJiang New Town September 2024 R12S 03.jpg|Skyscrapers in Zhujiang New Town
File:Zhujiang New Town at night 7.jpg|Skyscrapers in Zhujiang New Town
File:Hai Xin Bridge of Guangzhou 01.jpg|Haixin Bridge and [[Canton Tower]] near Zhujiang New Town
File:Zhujiang New Town 8.jpg|Zhujiang New Town at night
</gallery>

=== Canton Fair===
The [[Canton Fair]], formally the "China Import and Export Fair", is held every year in April and October by the [[Ministry of Trade (China)|Ministry of Trade]]. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the fair is a major event for the city. It is the [[trade fair]] with the longest history, highest level, and largest scale in China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en/about/index.shtml |title=Canton Fair Online |date=January 19, 2016 |access-date=January 19, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160123155215/http://www.cantonfair.org.cn/en/about/index.shtml |archive-date=January 23, 2016}}</ref> From the 104th session onwards, the fair moved to the new [[Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center]] ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|广州|国际|会展|中心}}}}) in [[Pazhou]], from the older complex in Liuhua. The GICEC is served by two stations on [[Line 8 (Guangzhou Metro)|Line 8]], one station on [[Line 11 (Guangzhou Metro)|Line 11]] and three stations on [[Haizhu Tram|Tram Line THZ1]]. Since the 104th session, the Canton Fair has been arranged in three phases instead of two phases.
<gallery mode="packed">
File:1957 Canton Fair.jpg|The first [[Canton Fair]] (1957) at the [[China|Sino]]–[[USSR|Soviet]] Friendship Building
File:Canton Fair.jpg|The former Canton Fair site at [[Yuexiu District|Yuexiu]]'s Liuhua Complex
File:Aerial View, Zone B, Canton Fair Complex 20230701-C.jpg|The new [[Canton Fair Complex]]
File:Zone D of Canton Fair Complex 20230103 Part 5.jpg|Interior of the [[Canton Fair Complex]]
</gallery>

=== Local products===
{{more citations needed section|date=June 2016}}
* [[Cantonese cuisine]] is one of China's most famous and popular [[Chinese cuisine|regional cuisines]], with a [[chengyu|saying]] stating simply to "Eat in Guangzhou" ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|食|在|廣州}}}}).
* Cantonese [[sculpture in China|sculpture]] includes work in [[Chinese jade|jade]], [[History of wood carving#Indochina and the Far East|wood]], and ([[Destruction of ivory|controversially]]) [[ivory trade|ivory]].
* [[Canton porcelain]] developed over the past three centuries as one of the major forms of [[Chinese export porcelain|exportware]]. It is now known within China for its highly colorful style.
* Cantonese [[embroidery]] is one of [[Chinese embroidery|china's four main styles]] of the embroidery.
* [[Zhujiang Beer]], a [[pale lager]], is one of China's most successful brands.

=== Industry===
[[File:GAC cars -- 2018 North American International Auto Show (41255545421).jpg|thumb|alt=Automobile manufacturer GAC Group headquartered in Guangzhou|Automobile manufacturer [[GAC Group]] headquartered in Guangzhou]]
*[[GAC Group]]
*[[Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone]]
*Guangzhou Nansha Export Processing Zone
*: The Export Processing Zone was founded in 2005. Its total planned area is {{cvt|1.36|km2|2|sp=us}}.<ref name="rightsite1">{{cite web |url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/guangzhou-nansha-export-processing-zone/ |title=Guangzhou Nansha Export Processing Zone |website=RightSite.asia |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091119195012/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/guangzhou-nansha-export-processing-zone |archive-date=November 19, 2009}}</ref> It is located in Nansha District and it belongs to the provincial capital, Guangzhou. The major industries encouraged in the zone include automobile assembly, biotechnology and heavy industry. It is situated {{cvt|54|km|abbr=off|sp=us}} (a 70 minutes drive) south of Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and close to Nansha Port. It also has the advantage of Guangzhou Metro line 4 which is being extended to Nansha Ferry Terminal.
*Guangzhou Free Trade Zone
*: The zone was founded in 1992. It is located in the east of [[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu District]] and near to Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. It is also very close to Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/guangzhou-free-trade-zone/ |title=Guangzhou Free Trade Zone |website=RightSite.asia |access-date=May 6, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091113050747/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/guangzhou-free-trade-zone |archive-date=November 13, 2009}}</ref> The major industries encouraged in the zone include international trade, logistics, processing and computer software. Recently the Area has been rebranded and is now being marketed under the name Huangpu District. Next to the industries above, new sectors are being introduced to the business environment, including new energy, AI, new mobility, new materials, information and communication technology and new transport. It is also home to the&nbsp;Guangzhou IP Court.<ref>{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.huangpu-europe.com/ |access-date=February 4, 2021 |website=www.huangpu-europe.com |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122084605/https://www.huangpu-europe.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
*[[Guangzhou Science City]]

===Business Environment===
Guangzhou is a hub for international businesses. According to an article by China Briefing, over 30,000 foreign-invested companies had settled in Guangzhou by 2018, including 297 Fortune Global 500 companies with projects and 120 Fortune Global 500 companies with headquarters or regional headquarters in the city.<ref>{{cite web |date=June 19, 2019 |title=Guangzhou City Profile: Industry, Economics, and Policy |url=https://www.china-briefing.com/news/guangzhou-industry-economics-policy/ |access-date=December 14, 2021 |website=China Briefing News |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214214329/https://www.china-briefing.com/news/guangzhou-industry-economics-policy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|type=China
|1950<ref name="census">{{cite web |url=http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214182656/http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2009 |script-title=zh:广州50年统计年鉴 |website={{lang|zh|italics=no|广州统计信息网}}|language=zh}}</ref>|2567645
|1960<ref name="census"/>|3683104
|1970<ref name="census"/>|4185363
|1980<ref name="census"/>|5018638
|1990<ref name="census"/>|5942534
|2000<ref name="census"/>|9943000
|2002<ref name="1990ppl">{{cite web |url=http://scjss.mofcom.gov.cn/table/gz_3.pdf |script-title= zh:广州市商业网点发展规划主报告（2003–2012）（下篇） |publisher=Department of Market System Development, Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China |language=zh-hans |access-date= August 4, 2011 |url-status   = live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20051104054733/http://scjss.mofcom.gov.cn/table/gz_3.pdf |archive-date= November 4, 2005}}</ref>|10106229
|2005<ref name="gzannals2012">{{cite web |url=http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20091214182656/http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |url-status  = dead |archive-date= December 14, 2009 |trans-title= Statistical Yearbook 2012 |script-title= zh:统计年鉴2012 |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou |language=zh-hans |date=September 2012 |access-date= July 9, 2013}}</ref>|9496800
|2006<ref name="gzannals2012"/>|9966600
|2007<ref name="gzannals2012"/>|10530100
|2008<ref name="gzannals2012"/>|11153400
|2009<ref name="gzannals2012"/>|11869700
|2010<ref name="census"/>|12701948
|2011<ref name="statyb2012">{{cite web |url=http://www.gzstats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjxxsc/ |website=Guangzhou Statistical Yearbook 2012–2015 |title=Major social and economic indicators in main years |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou |access-date= May 1, 2015 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160521003254/http://www.gzstats.gov.cn/tjsj/tjxxsc/ |archive-date= May 21, 2016}}</ref>|12751400
|2012<ref name="statyb2012"/>|12832900
|2013<ref name="statyb2012"/>|12926800
|2014<ref name="statyb2012"/>|13080500
|2018|14,904,400
|footnote= <small>Population size may be affected by changes to administrative divisions.</small>
|}}
The [[2010 PRC census|2010 census]] found Guangzhou's population to be 12.78 million.
=== 2020 census ===
According to the Seventh National Population Census, Guangzhou's permanent resident population reached 18,676,605 as of 1 November 2020, representing an increase of 5,975,805 people—47.05%—over the 2010 figure of 12,700,800.<ref name="GZCensus1">{{cite web |title=广州市第七次全国人口普查公报（第一号）——全市常住人口情况 |trans-title=Bulletin of the Seventh National Population Census of Guangzhou (No. 1) – Total Population |url=https://tjj.gz.gov.cn/zwgk/tjgb/content/post_7283634.html |website=Guangzhou Municipal Statistics Bureau |date=18 May 2021 |language=zh |access-date=6 December 2025}}</ref> The census also reported that 86.19% of the population (16,096,724 people) lived in urban areas, while 13.81% (2,579,881 people) resided in rural areas.<ref name="GZCensus6">{{cite web |title=广州市第七次全国人口普查公报（第六号）——城乡人口和流动人口情况 |trans-title=Bulletin of the Seventh National Population Census of Guangzhou (No. 6) – Urban–Rural Population and Floating Population |url=https://tjj.gz.gov.cn/zwgk/tjgb/content/post_7286220.html |website=Guangzhou Municipal Statistics Bureau |date=18 May 2021 |language=zh |access-date=6 December 2025}}</ref> 

Migration continued to play a major role in Guangzhou's demographic structure. The 2020 census recorded 11,522,907 people living apart from their registered household location, including 9,378,825 members of the floating population, highlighting Guangzhou's position as one of China's largest migrant-receiving cities.<ref name="GZCensus6" /> 
{{As of|2014}}, it was estimated at 13,080,500,<ref name="gzdaily2014">{{cite web |url=http://gz.southcn.com/content/2019-02/16/content_185155489.htm |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:广州常住人口去年末超1490万 |access-date=March 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216065355/http://gz.southcn.com/content/2019-02/16/content_185155489.htm |archive-date=February 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="statyb2012"/> with 11,264,800 urban residents.<ref name="gzannals2014">{{cite web |url=http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091214182656/http://data.gzstats.gov.cn/gzStat1/chaxun/njsj.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2009 |trans-title=Statistical Yearbook 2014 |script-title=zh:统计年鉴2014 |publisher=Statistics Bureau of Guangzhou |language=zh-Hanns [[Guangzhou Cantonese]] |date=April 7, 2015 |access-date=May 1, 2015}}</ref> Its [[population density]] is thus around 1,800 people per km<sup>2</sup>. The built-up area of the Guangzhou proper connects directly to several other cities. The built-up area of the [[Pearl River Delta Economic Zone]] covers around {{cvt|17573|km2|mi2|sp=us}} and has been estimated to house 22 million people, including Guangzhou's nine urban districts, [[Shenzhen]] (5.36m), [[Dongguan]] (3.22m), [[Zhongshan]] (3.12m), most of [[Foshan]] (2.2m), [[Jiangmen]] (1.82m), [[Zhuhai]] (890k), and [[Huizhou]]'s [[Huiyang District]] (760k).{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} The total population of this agglomeration is over 28 million after including the population of the adjacent [[Hong Kong Special Administrative Region]].{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} The area's fast-growing economy and high demand for labor has produced a huge "floating population" of [[migrant workers]]; thus, up to 10 million migrants reside in the area least six months each year.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} In 2008, about five million of Guangzhou's permanent residents were migrant workers.<ref name=cri>{{cite report |url=http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/01/25/44@317459.htm |website=CRI English|title=Migrants In Guangzhou|publisher=China Radio International |date=January 25, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2013 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063823/http://english.cri.cn/4026/2008/01/25/44@317459.htm |url-status=dead |first1=Dan|last1=Dan}}</ref>

=== Ethnicity and language===
Most of Guangzhou's population is [[Han Chinese]]. Almost all [[Cantonese people]] speak [[Cantonese language|Cantonese]] as their first language,{{refn|''[[The People's Daily]]'',{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} cited by ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref name=indirectcite/>}} while most migrants speak [[Mandarin dialects|forms of Mandarin]].<ref name=cri/> In 2010, each language was the native tongue of roughly half of the city's population,{{refn|''[[The People's Daily]]'',{{citation needed|date=June 2016}} cited by ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref name=indirectcite>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/25/protesters-guangzhou-protect-cantonese |location=London |work=The Guardian |title=Protesters gather in Guangzhou to protect Cantonese language |first=Tania |last=Branigan |date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915154652/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/25/protesters-guangzhou-protect-cantonese |archive-date=September 15, 2013}}</ref>}} although minor but substantial numbers speak [[Varieties of Chinese|other varieties]] as well.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} In 2018, He Huifeng of the ''[[South China Morning Post]]'' stated that younger residents have increasingly favored using Mandarin instead of Cantonese in their daily lives, causing their Cantonese-speaking grandparents and parents to use Mandarin to communicate with them. He Huifeng stated that factors included local authorities discouraging the use of Cantonese in schools and the rise in prestige of Mandarin-speaking Shenzhen.<ref>{{cite news |author=He, Huifeng |url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136237/why-has-cantonese-fallen-out-favour-guangzhou-youngsters |title=Why has Cantonese fallen out of favour with Guangzhou youngsters? |newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=March 12, 2018 |access-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707062441/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2136237/why-has-cantonese-fallen-out-favour-guangzhou-youngsters |archive-date=July 7, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>  Jinan University released a survey result of the Guangzhou youths born in the year 2000 or after that were part of this educational study showed that 69% could still speak and understand Cantonese, 20% can understand Cantonese, but unable to speak it, and 11% completely had no knowledge of Cantonese. Jinan University's study of these Guangzhou youths also indicated when it came to the daily recreational use of Cantonese, roughly 40%-50% of them participated in these recreational functions with the usage of Cantonese with 51.4% of them in mobile games, 47% in Social Platforms, 44.1% in TV shows, and 39.8% in Books and Newspapers. Despite some decline in the use of Cantonese, it is faring better in survival, popularity, and prestige than other Chinese languages due to the historical pride in the language and culture, as well as the wide popularity and availability of mainstream Cantonese entertainment, which encourages locals to retain the Cantonese language.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vincehkblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/is-cantonese-dying-in-canton-2/ |title=Is Cantonese dying in Canton? – Vince's News Corner |date=May 12, 2018 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |archive-date=July 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729120128/https://vincehkblog.wordpress.com/2018/05/13/is-cantonese-dying-in-canton-2/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mironline.ca/the-slow-death-of-chinas-dialects/ |title=The Slow Death of China's Dialects – MIR |author1=Wing Wong|date=February 21, 2019 |access-date=July 29, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812204137/https://www.mironline.ca/the-slow-death-of-chinas-dialects/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of the 2020s, additional renewed efforts were introduced to preserve the local Cantonese language and culture with some limited Cantonese language classes now being taught in some schools as well as hosting Cantonese appreciation cultural events along with hosting activities that cater to the local Cantonese culture and language as well as many local Cantonese speaking families are now placing much stronger emphasis on their children to speak Cantonese to preserve the culture and language. In a 2018 report study by Shan Yunming and Li Sheng, the report showed that 90% of people living in Guangzhou are bilingual in both Cantonese and Mandarin, though fluency will vary depending on if they are locally born to the city and the surrounding Guangdong province or migrants from other provinces, which shows how much importance the Cantonese language still has in the city despite the strict policy rules from the government to be using Mandarin as the country's official language.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008922/cantons-unease-as-mandarin-spreads%2C-locals-face-identity-crisis | title=Canton's Unease: As Mandarin Spreads, Locals Face Identity Crisis | date=November 10, 2021 | access-date=April 20, 2022 | archive-date=May 15, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515121649/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008922/cantons-unease-as-mandarin-spreads%2C-locals-face-identity-crisis | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | doi=10.1177/1868102620983939 | title=Today in Guangzhou, Tomorrow in Hong Kong? A Comparative Study of the Language Situation in Two Cities | year=2020 | last1=Sautman | first1=Barry | last2=Xie | first2=Xinyi | journal=Journal of Current Chinese Affairs | volume=49 | issue=2 | pages=207–232 | s2cid=232040733 | doi-access=free }}</ref> Guangzhou has an even more unbalanced gender ratio than the rest of the country. While most areas of China have 112–120 boys per 100 girls, the Guangdong province that houses Guangzhou has more than 130 boys for every 100 girls.<ref name="worldpopulationreview1">{{cite web |url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/guangzhou-population/ |title=Guangzhou Population 2019 (Demographics, Maps, Graphs) |access-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321104937/http://worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/guangzhou-population/ |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008922/cantons-unease-as-mandarin-spreads%2C-locals-face-identity-crisis|title=Canton's Unease: As Mandarin Spreads, Locals Face Identity Crisis|first=Sixth|last=Tone|date=November 10, 2021|website=#SixthTone|access-date=April 20, 2022|archive-date=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515121649/https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008922/cantons-unease-as-mandarin-spreads%2C-locals-face-identity-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=侍建国 |title=港式粤语及其身份认同功能 |journal=语言战略研究 |date=2018 |volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=42–48 |doi=10.19689/j.cnki.cn10-1361/h.20180304 |trans-title=Hong Kong Cantonese and its identity function |trans-journal=Language Strategy Research |language=zh }}</ref>

Guangzhou also possesses a large resident population who are [[Hakka people]]. There are seven administrative districts in Guangzhou with a considerable [[Hakka]] population: [[Zengcheng, Guangzhou|Zengcheng District]], [[Huadu, Guangzhou|Huadu District]], [[Conghua, Guangzhou|Conghua District]], [[Baiyun, Guangzhou|Baiyun District]], [[Tianhe, Guangzhou|Tianhe District]], [[Yuexiu, Guangzhou|Yuexiu District]] and [[Panyu, Guangzhou|Panyu District]]. It is estimated that in Zengcheng district and Huadu district of Guangzhou, Hakka speakers account for about 40 percent and a third of the district's population.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wenku.baidu.com/view/6634c593a65177232f60ddccda38376bae1fe04b?fr=xueshu_top&_wkts_=1709099087088 |title=Hakka Dialect in the Guangzhou Area |access-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-date=March 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327084932/https://wenku.baidu.com/view/6634c593a65177232f60ddccda38376bae1fe04b?fr=xueshu_top&_wkts_=1709099087088 |url-status=live |website=Baidu}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://61.154.14.234:8080/pub/kjwh/yj/201409/P020140915605245530890.pdf |title=Hakka Studies: Hakka and Meizhou Book Series |access-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907222727/http://61.154.14.234:8080/pub/kjwh/yj/201409/P020140915605245530890.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

Recent years have seen a huge influx of migrants, with up to 30 million additional migrants living in the Guangzhou area for at least six months out of every year with the majority being female migrants and many becoming local Guangzhou people. This huge influx of people from other areas, called the floating population, is due to the city's fast-growing economy and high labor demands. Guangzhou Mayor Wan Qingliang told an urban planning seminar that Guangzhou is facing a very serious population problem stating that, while the city had 10.33 million registered residents at the time with targets and scales of land use based on this number, the city actually had a population with migrants of nearly 15 million. According to the Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences researcher Peng Peng, the city is almost at its maximum capacity of just 15 million, which means the city is facing a great strain, mostly due to a high population of unregistered people.<ref name="worldpopulationreview1"/>

According to the 2000 National Census, marriage is one of the top two reasons for permanent migration and is particularly important for women as 29.3% of the permanent female migrants migrate for marriage [Liang et al., 2004]. Many of the female economic migrants marry men from Guangzhou in hopes of a better life.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ouyang |first1=Jun |last2=Zhong |first2=Wei |last3=Xiao |first3=Ling |last4=Zhang |first4=Yuaner |last5=Chen |first5=Chaolong |last6=chen |first6=Chun |last7=Xia |first7=Lili |last8=Zhou |first8=Xiaofang |title=Residents' Intermarriage behavior in Guangzhou, China in Last 60 Years: Social Geographic Report |journal=Espace populations sociétés |date=December 2009 |issue=2009/3 |pages=485–495 |doi=10.4000/eps.3803 |doi-access=free }}</ref> but like elsewhere in the [[People's Republic of China]], the [[hukou system|household registration system]] (''hukou'') limits migrants' access to residences, educational institutions and other public benefits. It has been noted that many women end up in prostitution.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.followcn.com/women/2018/06/18/prostitution-in-china/ |title=Prostitution in China – Chinese Women |access-date=March 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321104941/http://www.followcn.com/women/2018/06/18/prostitution-in-china/ |archive-date=March 21, 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In May 2014, legally employed migrants in Guangzhou were permitted to receive a ''hukou'' card allowing them to marry and [[one-child policy|obtain permission for their pregnancies]] in the city, rather than having to return to their official hometowns as previously.<ref name="NYTHukou">{{cite news |last=Tatlow |first=Didi Kirsten |date=July 9, 2014 |title=Go South to Guangzhou, a 'Home' Away From Home |url=http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/go-south-to-guangzhou-a-home-away-from-home/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0 |newspaper=New York Times |location=New York, New York |access-date=July 10, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714202651/http://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/09/go-south-to-guangzhou-a-home-away-from-home/?_php=true&_type=blogs&partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0 |archive-date=July 14, 2014}}</ref>

Historically, the Cantonese people have made up a sizable part of the 19th- and 20th-century [[Chinese diaspora]]; in fact, many [[overseas Chinese]] have ties to Guangzhou. This is particularly true in the [[Chinese Americans|United States]],<ref name="Lai">{{cite book |last=Lai |first=H. Mark |title=Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions |publisher=AltaMira Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7591-0458-7}}</ref> [[Chinese Canadians|Canada]],<ref>{{citation |mode=cs1 |title=2006 Census Profile of Federal Electoral Districts (2003 Representation Order): Language, Mobility and Migration and Immigration and Citizenship |publisher=Statistics Canada |location=Ottawa |year=2007}}</ref> and [[Chinese Australians|Australia]].

Demographically, the only significant immigration into China has been by [[overseas Chinese]], but Guangzhou sees many foreign tourists, workers, and residents from the [[Demographics of China#People from other immigration jurisdictions|usual locations]] such as the [[Americans in China|United States]]. Notably, it is also home to thousands of [[Africans in Guangzhou|African immigrants]], including people from [[Nigeria]], [[Somalia]], [[Angola]] and the [[Democratic Republic of Congo]].<ref name="Guardian">{{cite web|author-first1=Tania|author-last1=Branigan|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/06/china-crackdown-african-immigration|title=China cracks down on African immigrants and traders|website=The Guardian|date= 6 October 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116075754/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/06/china-crackdown-african-immigration|archive-date=November 16, 2016|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited}}</ref>

=== Metropolitan area===
The encompassing [[metropolitan area]] was estimated by the [[OECD]] (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) to have, {{As of|2010|lc=y}}, a population of 25 million.<ref name="oecd2015">{{cite book |doi=10.1787/9789264230040-5-en |chapter=The Chinese urban system and its challenges |title=OECD Urban Policy Reviews: China 2015 |date=2015 |pages=29–81 |isbn=978-92-64-23003-3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Justina |last1=Crabtree |title=A tale of megacities: China's largest metropolises |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/20/biggest-megacities-in-china.html |work=CNBC |date=September 20, 2016 |quote=slide 3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209044105/https://www.cnbc.com/2016/09/20/biggest-megacities-in-china.html |archive-date=December 9, 2017}}</ref>

{{Clear}}

===Development of Guangzhou===
Gong et al. 2018 report on the development of Guangzhou from 1990 until 2020, showing how in 1990, the developed residential districts were almost exclusively concentrated in a small part of western Guangzhou whereas other parts of Guangzhou had a smaller limited amount of developed residential communities being overwhelmingly surrounded by agricultural and forest lands. However, from 2005 until 2020, other parts of the city eventually began to develop more so residential communities and in the 2020 map report, it showed fully developed residential communities going from west to east of the city whereas the very southern part and large portions of northern Guangzhou still remain mainly agricultural and forest lands with very limited developed residential communities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Gong |first1=Jianzhou |last2=Hu |first2=Zhiren |last3=Chen |first3=Wenli |last4=Liu |first4=Yansui |last5=Wang |first5=Jieyong |title=Urban expansion dynamics and modes in metropolitan Guangzhou, China |journal=Land Use Policy |date=March 2018 |volume=72 |pages=100–109 |doi=10.1016/j.landusepol.2017.12.025 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2018LUPol..72..100G }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0264837716310547-gr5.jpg |title=Map showing development of land from 1990 to 2020 |access-date=August 4, 2022 |archive-date=April 7, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407154545/https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0264837716310547-gr5.jpg |url-status=live }}{{full citation needed|date=April 2025}}</ref>

== Transportation==

=== Urban mass transit===
{{Main|Guangzhou Metro}}

[[File:Guangzhou Metro L6 Stock For Xunfenggang Station 20201209.jpg|thumb|alt=Guangzhou Metro|[[Guangzhou Metro]]]]
When the first line of the [[Guangzhou Metro]] opened in 1997, Guangzhou was the fourth city in [[Mainland China]] to have an underground railway system, behind [[Beijing subway|Beijing]], [[Tianjin Metro|Tianjin]], and [[Shanghai Metro|Shanghai]]. As of 2025, the metro network is made up of nineteen lines, covering a total length of more than {{cvt|700|km|}}. It is the [[Metro systems by annual passenger rides|third busiest metro system]] in the world and the 3rd largest in terms of length.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gzmtr.com/ygwm/xwzx/gsxw/202312/t20231229_80181.html |title=广州地铁五号线东延段、七号线二期工程正式开通初期运营|publisher=Guangzhou Metro |date=January 9, 2024 |access-date=January 9, 2024 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171229172003/http://www.gzmtr.com/ygwm/xwzx/gsxw/201712/t20171227_55523.html |archive-date=December 29, 2017}}</ref> In addition to the metro system there is also the [[Haizhu Tram]] line which opened on December 31, 2014.<ref name="trials">{{cite web |language=zh-hans |url=http://news.ycwb.com/2014-09/14/content_7765649_3.htm |script-title=zh:广州首列新型有轨电车昨日开放试乘 有望年内上路 |last1=Liu |first1=Yong |last2=Mou |first2=Xuaoyi |website=ycwb.com/ |publisher=Guangdong Yangcheng Evening News Digital Media |access-date=September 14, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140914112441/http://news.ycwb.com/2014-09/14/content_7765649_3.htm |archive-date=September 14, 2014  |title=广州首列新型有轨电车昨日开放试乘 有望年内上路}}</ref>

The [[Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit]] (GBRT) system which was introduced in 2010 along [[Zhongshan Road]]. It has several connections to the metro and is the world's 2nd-largest [[bus rapid transit]] system with 1,000,000 passenger trips daily.<ref>{{cite news |author-first1=Timothy|author-last1=Hurst|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUS331644810020110405 |title=Guangzhou's Remarkable Bus Rapid Transit System |date=April 5, 2011 |work=Reuters |access-date=April 15, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531075635/http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/05/idUS331644810020110405 |archive-date=May 31, 2013}}</ref> It handles 26,900 [[Passengers per hour per direction|pphpd]] during the peak hour a capacity second only to the [[TransMilenio]] BRT system in Bogota.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kuchingptc.com/download1.php |title=Case Study of the Guangzhou BRT |publisher=International Public Transport Conference 2010 |access-date=August 5, 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713173303/http://www.kuchingptc.com/download1.php |archive-date=July 13, 2011}}</ref> The system averages one bus every 10 seconds or 350 per hour in a single direction and contains the world's longest BRT stations—around {{cvt|260|m|ft}} including bridges.

=== Motor transport===
{{See also|List of bus routes in Guangzhou}}
[[File:Guangzhou BRT Corridor.jpg|thumb|alt=Buses in Guangzhou|Buses in Guangzhou]]
In the 19th century, the city already had over 600 long, straight streets; these were mostly paved but still very narrow.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} In June 1919, work began on demolishing the city wall to make way for wider streets and the development of tramways. The demolition took three years in total.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Edward Bing-Shuey |title=Modern Canton |date=1936 |publisher=The Mercury Press |location=Shanghai}}</ref>

In 2009, it was reported that all 9,424 buses and 17,695 taxis in Guangzhou would be operating on [[Liquefied petroleum gas|LPG]]-fuel by 2010 to promote clean energy for transport and improve the environment ahead of the [[2010 Asian Games]] which were held in the city.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2009-07-17/1840198.html |title=Guangzhou expects to run all buses and taxis on LPG for Asiad |work=Official website of the Chinese Olympic Committee |date=July 17, 2009 |access-date=March 20, 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827083731/http://en.olympic.cn/news/olympic_news/2009-07-17/1840198.html |archive-date=August 27, 2012}}</ref> At present{{when|date=March 2014}}, Guangzhou is the city that uses the most LPG-fueled vehicles in the world, and at the end of 2006, 6,500 buses and 16,000 taxis were using LPG, taking up 85 percent of all buses and taxis<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Leung |first=Vivian |date=2011-06-01 |title=Slow diffusion of LPG vehicles in China—Lessons from Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0301421511002783 |journal=Energy Policy |volume=39 |issue=6 |pages=3720–3731 |doi=10.1016/j.enpol.2011.03.081 |bibcode=2011EnPol..39.3720L |issn=0301-4215|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
[[File:Yellow taxi of Guangzhou - GAC Aion S.jpg|thumb|A [[Aion S|GAC Aion S]] yellow taxi of Guangzhou]]
Effective January 1, 2007, the municipal government banned motorcycles in Guangdong's urban areas. Motorcycles found violating the ban are confiscated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/03/116778797013245.shtml |title=Guangzhou Bans Motorcycles |publisher=Life of Guangzhou |date=January 3, 2007 |access-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206010658/http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/03/116778797013245.shtml |archive-date=December 6, 2008}}</ref> The Guangzhou traffic bureau claimed to have reported reduced traffic problems and accidents in the downtown area since the ban.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/19/116916856413959.shtml |title=Traffic Jam Improve after Motorcycle Ban |publisher=Life of Guangzhou |date=January 19, 2007 |access-date=August 28, 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206010704/http://www.lifeofguangzhou.com/node_10/node_37/node_85/2007/01/19/116916856413959.shtml |archive-date=December 6, 2008}}</ref>

=== Airports===
[[File:Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport T2.jpg|thumb|alt=Baiyun International Airport Terminal 2|[[Baiyun International Airport]] Terminal 2]]
Guangzhou's main airport is the [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Baiyun International Airport]] in [[Baiyun District, Guangzhou|Baiyun District]]; it opened on August 5, 2004.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2004-08-06/01193307040s.shtml |script-title=zh:广州新白云机场正式运营(图) |website=[[Sina Corp|Sina]] News |date=August 6, 2004 |access-date=May 2, 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502184419/http://news.sina.com.cn/c/2004-08-06/01193307040s.shtml |archive-date=May 2, 2014}}</ref> This airport is the second busiest airport in terms of traffic movements in China. It replaced the [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former)|old Baiyun International Airport]], which was very close to the city center but failed to meet the city's rapidly growing air traffic demand. The old Baiyun International Airport was in operation for 72 years. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport now has three runways, with two more planned.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.wcarn.com/news/40/40610.html |title=Guangzhou Airport Set to Open Its 3rd Runway on Feb. 5 |publisher=wcarn.com |date=January 10, 2015 |access-date=January 30, 2016 |archive-date=April 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230404160006/http://www.wcarn.com/news/40/40610.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Terminal 2 opened on April 26, 2018.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://m.xinhuanet.com/gd/2018-04/26/c_1122743199.htm |script-title=zh:确认过眼神，一图带你打开白云机场T2航站楼大门 |publisher=xinhuanet.com |date=April 26, 2018 |access-date=September 2, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902043539/http://m.xinhuanet.com/gd/2018-04/26/c_1122743199.htm |archive-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref> Another airport located in Zengcheng District is under planning.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.ifeng.com/a/20171120/53414621_0.shtml |script-title=zh:广州第二机场选址获突破性进展 |publisher=news.ifeng.com |date=November 20, 2017 |access-date=September 2, 2018 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902044026/http://news.ifeng.com/a/20171120/53414621_0.shtml |archive-date=September 2, 2018}}</ref>

Guangzhou is also served by [[Hong Kong International Airport]]; ticketed passengers can take ferries from the Lianhuashan Ferry Terminal and [[Nansha Ferry Port]] in [[Nansha, Guangzhou|Nansha District]] to the HKIA [[Skypier]].<ref>"[https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/transport/mainland-connection/ferry-transfer.page Ferry Transfer] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508152345/https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/transport/mainland-connection/ferry-transfer.page |date=2018-05-08 }}." [[Hong Kong International Airport]]. Retrieved on May 8, 2018.</ref> There are also coach bus services connecting Guangzhou with HKIA.<ref>"[https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/transport/mainland-connection/mainland-coaches/index.page Mainland Coaches] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508154704/https://www.hongkongairport.com/en/transport/mainland-connection/mainland-coaches/index.page |date=2018-05-08 }}." [[Hong Kong International Airport]]. Retrieved on May 8, 2018.</ref>

=== Rail===
{{further|Guangzhou railway station|Guangzhou East railway station|Guangzhou South railway station|Guangzhou North railway station|Guangzhou Baiyun railway station}}

Guangzhou is the terminus of the [[Beijing–Guangzhou railway|Beijing–Guangzhou]], [[Guangzhou–Shenzhen railway|Guangzhou–Shenzhen]], [[Guangzhou–Maoming railway|Guangzhou–Maoming]] and [[Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway|Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou]] conventional speed railways. In late 2009, the [[Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway]] started service, with [[multiple unit]] trains covering {{cvt|980|km|2}} at a top speed of {{cvt|320|km/h|0}}. In December 2014, the [[Guiyang–Guangzhou high-speed railway]] and Nanning-Guangzhou railway began service with trains running at top speeds of {{cvt|250|km/h|0}} and {{cvt|200|km/h|0}}, respectively.<ref name=SMD20141226>{{cite web |language=zh-hans |url=http://news.southcn.com/g/2014-12/26/content_115108037.htm |author=Chen Qingjie (陈清浩) |script-title=zh:贵广高铁正式开通运营 从贵阳到广州4小时可达 |publisher=Southern Post (南方日报) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095808/http://news.southcn.com/g/2014-12/26/content_115108037.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |date=December 26, 2014}}</ref> The [[Guangzhou–Kowloon through train|Guangdong Through Train]] departs from the [[Guangzhou East railway station]] and arrives at the [[Hung Hom station]] in [[Kowloon]], Hong Kong. The route is approximately {{cvt|182|km}} in length and the ride takes less than two hours. Frequent coach services are also provided with coaches departing every day from different locations (mostly major hotels) around the city. A number of [[regional rail]]ways radiating from Guangzhou started operating such as the [[Guangzhou–Zhuhai intercity railway]] and the [[Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing intercity railway]].

=== Water transport===
There are daily high-speed [[catamaran]] services between Nansha Ferry Terminal and Lianhua Shan Ferry Terminal in Guangzhou and the [[Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal]], as well as between Nansha Ferry Terminal and [[Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal|Macau Ferry Pier]] in Hong Kong.
<gallery mode="packed" style="text-align:center" caption="Transport in Guangzhou">
File:Panyu Square Station Line 18 & Line 22 Concourse 20210928 Part 1.jpg|[[Panyu Square station]] of the [[Guangzhou Metro]]
File:A1 Train (1x27-28) and B5 Train (07x011-012) at Guangzhou CRRC Base, Guangzhou Metro 20230626.jpg|Trains used by the [[Guangzhou Metro]]
File:GBRT Gangding Station at night 20131025.jpg|A [[Guangzhou BRT|GBRT]] station, ''Gangding''
File:Flying Seed Sculpture, Terminal 3, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport 20251221-A.jpg|[[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport|Baiyun International Airport]] in [[Huadu District]]
File:CRH380A-0259@GZN (20180923094804).jpg|[[CRH380A]] at [[Guangzhou South Railway Station]]
File:Guangzhou Huangpu Tram Line 1 Train 102 20210127.jpg|[[Guangzhou Tram]]
</gallery>

== Culture==
[[File:Guangzhou Opera House(Near).JPG|thumb|right|Guangzhou Opera House]]
[[File:Chen Clan Ancestral Hall 2025.06 03.jpg|thumb|alt=Chen Clan Ancestral Hall|[[Chen Clan Ancestral Hall]], a complex with significant Cantonese architecture style.]]
Guangzhou's culture is mainly [[Cantonese culture]], which is a subset of the larger "[[northern and southern China|Southern]]" or the "[[Lingnan culture|Lingnan]]" culture, followed by [[Hakka culture]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ce.zju.edu.cn/cef/2014/0516/c51484a2117974/page.htm |title=廣州城市簡介 |access-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-date=March 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240329045401/http://www.ce.zju.edu.cn/cef/2014/0516/c51484a2117974/page.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Notable aspects of [[Cantonese culture|Cantonese cultural]] heritage include:

*[[Cantonese language]], the local and [[Prestige (sociolinguistics)|prestige variant]] of [[Yue Chinese]].
*[[Cantonese cuisine]], one of China's eight major culinary traditions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eight Cuisines of China – Shandong & Guangdong |url=http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/eight_cuisines.htm |website=TravelChinaGuide.com |ref=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828122551/http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/cuisine_drink/cuisine/eight_cuisines.htm |archive-date=August 28, 2011}}</ref>{{NoteTag|The other seven are the cuisines of [[Anhui cuisine|Anhui]], [[Fujian cuisine|Fujian]], [[Hunan cuisine|Hunan]], [[Jiangsu cuisine|Jiangsu]], [[Shandong cuisine|Shandong]], [[Sichuan cuisine|Sichuan]] and [[Zhejiang cuisine|Zhejiang]].<ref name="beautyfujian">[https://web.archive.org/web/20130731165745/http://beautyfujian.com/Fujian/Fujian_Cuisine.html "Fujian Cuisine.] [http://beautyfujian.com/ Beautyfujian.com] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710001538/http://beautyfujian.com/ |date=July 10, 2011 }}. Accessed June 2011.</ref>}}
*[[Cantonese opera]], usually divided into martial and literary performances.
*[[Xiguan]] (Saikwan), the area west of the former walled city.

The [[Guangzhou Opera House]] and [[Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra|Symphony Orchestra]] also perform classical Western music and Chinese compositions in their style. [[Guangdong music (genre)|Cantonese music]] is a traditional style of Chinese instrumental music, while [[Cantopop]] is the local form of [[pop music]] and [[rock-and-roll]] which developed from neighboring [[Hong Kong]].

[[Cantonese language]], [[Cantonese cuisine]] and [[Cantonese opera]] are the shared culture of the whole [[Guangdong]] region, not just the important cultural components of Guangzhou city. With a population of diverse background, the culture of Guangzhou also includes other categories, such as [[Hakka]] culture and language.

In the [[Hakka people]] inhabited areas of Guangzhou, Hakka culture has been well developed and preserved, and in the long history, the integration of Canton culture and Hakka culture has derived new cultural characteristics. [[Zengcheng, Guangzhou]] is a district with a history of more than 1800 years, with the harmonious coexistence of Canton culture and Hakka culture, the derived food culture has not only the non-heritage food such as Zhengguo Wonton, Lanxi Rice Noodle, and Goose Soup, but also the special food such as [[Rooster olives]], Yuecun Dace Fish Skin, Paitan Roasted Chicken, and Shitan Whole Cattle Banquet.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20230331A0A7B000 |title=Foodies! Zengcheng Special Food Map|date=March 31, 2023 }}</ref>

=== Religions===
Before the postmodern era, Guangzhou had about 124 religious pavilions, halls, and temples.{{sfnp|''EB''|1878|p=37}} Today, in addition to the [[Chinese Buddhist Association|Buddhist Association]], Guangzhou also has a [[Chinese Taoist Association|Taoist Association]], a Jewish community,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mondestay.com/guangzhou/worship-associations.html |title=Places of Worship and Associations in Guangzhou |access-date=June 23, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415061521/http://www.mondestay.com/guangzhou/worship-associations.html |archive-date=April 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://china.hrw.org/book/export/html/50307 |title=Viii. Appendix Ii |publisher=China.hrw.org |date=December 28, 1997 |access-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111003101609/http://china.hrw.org/book/export/html/50307 |archive-date=October 3, 2011}}</ref> as well as a history with Christianity, reintroduced to China by colonial powers.{{clarify|date=July 2016}}

==== Taoism====
[[Taoism]] and [[Chinese folk religion]] are still represented at a few of the city's temples. Among the most important is the [[Temple of the Five Immortals (Guangzhou)|Temple of the Five Immortals]], dedicated to the  [[Xian (Taoism)|Five Immortals]] credited with introducing rice cultivation at the foundation of the city. The five rams they rode were supposed to have turned into stones upon their departure and gave the city several of its nicknames.<ref>{{citation |last=Glancey |first=Jonathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_leHhzKlI7kC |title=Architecture |series=Eyewitness Companions |location=Attleborough |publisher=CobaltId for Dorling Kindersley |editor=Paula Regan |editor2=Debra Wolter |editor3=Louise Dick |date=2006 |isbn=978-0-7566-1732-5 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=_leHhzKlI7kC&pg=PA177 177] |access-date=June 30, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170308230138/https://books.google.com/books?id=_leHhzKlI7kC&printsec=frontcover |archive-date=March 8, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> However, the temple has not been restored as a Taoist temple status yet. Other famous temples include the [[List of City God Temples in China|City God Temple of Guangzhou]] and [[Sanyuan Palace]]. During the [[Cultural Revolution]], all Taoist temples and shrines were practically destroyed or damaged by the red guards. Only a handful of them like Sanyuan Palace were restored during the 1980s. Guangzhou, like most of southern China, is also notably observant and continues the practice of [[Chinese ancestral veneration|Chinese ancestral worship]] during major festive occasions like the [[Tomb Sweeping Festival|Qing Ming Festival]] and [[Zhong Yuan Festival]].

==== Buddhism====
[[Chinese Buddhism|Buddhism]] is the most prominent religion in Guangzhou.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.excelguangzhou.com/sixbanyan.html |title=Six Banyan Trees Temple – Famous Buddhist temple of Guangzhou |publisher=Excelguangzhou.com |access-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110729215426/http://www.excelguangzhou.com/sixbanyan.html |archive-date=July 29, 2011}}</ref> The Zhizhi Temple was founded in AD&nbsp;233 from the estate of a [[Eastern Wu|Wu]] official; it is said to comprise the residence of [[Zhao Jiande]], the last of the [[Nanyue]] [[king of Nanyue|kings]], and has been known as the [[Guangxiao Temple (Guangzhou)|Guangxiao Temple]] ("Temple of Bright Filial Piety") since the [[Ming dynasty]]. The [[Buddhist missionary|Buddhist missionary monk]], [[Bodhidharma]] is traditionally said to have visited Panyu during the [[Liu Song dynasty|Liu Song]] or [[Liang dynasty]] (5th or 6th century). Around AD&nbsp;520, [[Emperor Wu of Liang|Emperor Wu]] of the [[Liang dynasty|Liang]] ordered the construction of the Baozhuangyan Temple and the Xilai Monastery to store the relics of [[Cambodia]]n [[Arahant|Buddhist saints]] which had been brought to the city and to house the monks beginning to assemble there. The Baozhuangyan is now known as the [[Temple of the Six Banyan Trees]], after a famous poem composed by [[Su Shi]] after a visit during the [[Northern Song dynasty|Northern Song]].{{citation needed|date=July 2018}} The Xilai Monastery was renamed as the [[Hualin Temple (Guangzhou)|Hualin Temple]] ("Flowery Forest Temple") after its reconstruction during the [[Qing dynasty]].

The temples were badly damaged by both the [[Republic of China|Republican]] campaign to "Promote Education with Temple Property" ({{lang|zh-hant|{{linktext|廟|產|興|學}}}}) and the [[People's Republic of China|PRC]]'s Cultural Revolution but have been renovated since the [[opening up policy|opening up]] that began in the 1980s. The Ocean Banner Temple on [[Henan Island]], once famous in the west as the only tourist spot in Guangzhou accessible to foreigners, has been reopened as the [[Hoi Tong Monastery]].

==== Christianity====
[[Nestorian]] Christians [[Christianity in China|first arrived in China]] via the overland [[Silk Road]], but suffered during [[Emperor Wuzong of Tang|Emperor Wuzong]]'s 845 [[Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution|persecution]] and were essentially extinct by the year 1000.<ref>{{cite book |last=Keung |title=Ching Feng |page=235}}</ref>{{Specify|reason=No mention of Nestorianism in Guangzhou|date=October 2019}} The [[Qing dynasty|Qing]]-era ban on foreigners limited [[Christian mission|missionaries]] until it [[Treaty of Nanking|was abolished]] following the [[First Opium War]], although the [[Protestantism in China|Protestant]] [[Robert Morrison (missionary)|Robert Morrison]] was able to perform some work through his service with the British factory. The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Guangzhou]] is housed at [[Guangzhou's Sacred Heart Cathedral]], known locally as the "Stone House". A [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] edifice which was built by hand from 1861 to 1888 under [[Second French Empire|French]] direction, its original Latin and French [[stained-glass window]]s were destroyed during the wars and amid the Cultural Revolution; they have since been replaced by English ones. The Canton Christian College (1888) and Hackett Medical College for Women (1902) were both founded by missionaries, they were known in Chinese as [[Lingnan University (Guangzhou)|Lingnan University]] and later incorporated into [[Sun Yat-sen University]]. Since the opening up of China in the 1980s, there has been renewed interest in Christianity, but Guangzhou maintains pressure on underground churches which avoid registration with government officials.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beijing-and-Guangzhou-attack-underground-Churches-21186.html |title=CHINA Beijing and Guangzhou attack underground Churches – Asia News |publisher=Asianews.it |access-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612140825/http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Beijing-and-Guangzhou-attack-underground-Churches-21186.html |archive-date=June 12, 2011}}</ref> The Catholic archbishop [[Dominic Tang]] was imprisoned without trial for 22 years; however, his present successor is recognized by both the [[Vatican City|Vatican]] and China's [[Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association|Patriotic Church]].

==== Islam====
Guangzhou has had ties with the Islamic world since the [[Tang dynasty]].<ref name="lipman29" /> Relations were often strained: Arab and Persian pirates sacked the city on October 30, 758; the port was subsequently closed for fifty years.<ref name="IH" /><ref name=bret/><ref name=welsh/><ref name=need/><ref name=sima/> Their presence [[Guangzhou massacre|came to an end]] under the revenge of Chinese rebel [[Huang Chao]] in 878, along with that of the [[Jews in China|Jews]], [[Christians in China|Christians]],<ref name=frenchy/><ref name=kaifung/><ref name=gibberish/> and [[Parsi]]s.<ref name=sirafi/><ref name=guy/> Nowadays, the city is home to [[Chinese Islamic cuisine|halal restaurants]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fls.sysu.edu.cn/fls/deut/guangzhou/charaktereigenschaften-der-guangzhouer.html |title=Charaktereigenschaften der Guangzhouer – Guangzhou – Deutschabteilung Der SYSU |publisher=Fls.sysu.edu.cn |date=October 9, 2007 |access-date=August 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118191132/http://fls.sysu.edu.cn/fls/deut/guangzhou/charaktereigenschaften-der-guangzhouer.html |archive-date=January 18, 2012}}</ref> The city is renowned for the Huaisheng Mosque, built in 627 by Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, a Companion of the Prophet who came to China in the 620s.<ref name="lipman29">{{cite book |first=Jonathan Neaman |last=Lipman |publisher=University of Washington Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-962-209-468-0 |title=Familiar Strangers: A history of Muslims in Northwest China |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4_FGPtLEoYQC |page=29 |access-date=August 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170109081703/https://books.google.com/books?id=4_FGPtLEoYQC |archive-date=January 9, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

<gallery mode="packed" heights="150" caption="Religious sites in Guangzhou">
File:Huaisheng Mosque Minaret.jpg|The [[Huaisheng Mosque]] and Guangta Minaret
File:WuXianGuan-rams-0484.jpg|[[Guangzhou's Temple of the Five Immortals]]
File:John Thomson - Wah Lum Chu, Canton - cropped.jpg|{{nowrap|The Hall of the 500 Arhats}} at the {{nowrap|[[Hualin Temple (Guangzhou)|Flowery Forest Temple]]}} (Hualin) in the 1870s
File:The Mahavira Palace of Guangxiaosi.jpg|{{nowrap|The [[Guangxiao Temple (Guangzhou)|Temple of Bright Filial Piety]]}}
File:Guangzhou Chenghuang Miao 2014.01.24 16-47-58.jpg|Guangzhou's [[City God (China)|City God Temple]]
File:The Sea-screen Temple at Honam Canton.png|The sacred pigs of the [[Ocean Banner Temple]] ({{nowrap|Hoi Tong)}} in the 1830s
</gallery>
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:Canton pagoda de las flores.JPG|{{nowrap|The [[Flower Pagoda]]}} at the [[Temple of the Six Banyan Trees]] (Liurong)
File:Hoi Tong Monastery Pagoda.JPG|The Thousand Buddha Tower at the present-day {{nowrap|[[Hoi Tong Monastery]]}}
File:Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou 2025.06 01.jpg|[[Guangzhou's Sacred Heart Cathedral|Sacred Heart Cathedral]]
File:廣州基督教天河堂.jpg|[[Tianhe Church]], built in 2017
</gallery>

== Sports==
[[File:Aerial View, Central Stadium, Guangdong Olympic Sports Center 20230604-A.jpg|thumb|[[Guangdong Olympic Stadium]]]]
The 11,468 seat [[Guangzhou Gymnasium]] was a [[2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup]] venue.<ref>{{cite web |title=Cities and Venues – FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 |url=http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/event-guide |website=FIBA |access-date=November 12, 2020|archive-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107160809/http://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2019/event-guide |url-status=live}}</ref>

From November 12 to 27, 2010, Guangzhou hosted the [[16th Asian Games]]. The same year, it hosted the [[2010 Asian Para Games|first Asian Para Games]] from December 12 to 19. Combined, these were the major sporting events the city ever hosted.<ref>{{cite news |title=Guangzhou wins Asiad bid |url=http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200407020009.htm |access-date=June 30, 2010 |newspaper=News Guangdong |date=July 2, 2004 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127024559/http://www.newsgd.com/specials/gzbidforasiad/asiadbidnews/200407020009.htm |archive-date=November 27, 2010}}</ref>

[[File:Aerial View, Tianhe Stadium 20230520-B.jpg|left|thumb|[[Tianhe Stadium]]]]
Guangzhou also hosted the following major sporting events:
*1987 The 6th [[National Games of China]]
*1991 The [[1991 FIFA Women's World Cup|1st FIFA Women's World Cup]]
*2001 The [[2001 National Games of China]]
*2007 The 8th {{Wikidata fallback link|Q10872050}}
*2008 The [[2008 World Team Table Tennis Championships|49th World Table Tennis Championships]]
*2009 The [[2009 Sudirman Cup|11th Sudirman Cup]]: the world badminton mixed team championships

Current professional sports clubs based in Guangzhou include:
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Sports
!League
!Tier
!Club
!Stadium
|-
|[[Basketball]]
|[[Chinese Basketball Association]]
|align=center|1st
|[[Guangzhou Loong Lions]]
|[[Tianhe Gymnasium]]
|-
|[[Baseball]]
|[[China Baseball League]]
|align=center|1st
|[[Guangdong Leopards]]
|[[Tianhe Stadium|Tianhe Sports Center baseball field]]
|}

[[File:Aerial View, Guangzhou Baoneng Qoros Arena 20230604.jpg|thumb|[[Guangzhou International Sports Arena|Guangzhou Baoneng Qoros Arena]]]]
In the 2010s, [[Guangzhou F.C.|Guangzhou]] became a Chinese football powerhouse, having won eight [[List of Chinese football champions|national titles]] between 2011 and 2019. The team also won the [[AFC Champions League]] in [[2013 AFC Champions League|2013]] and [[2015 AFC Champions League|2015]]. As a result, Guangzhou participated in the [[2013 FIFA Club World Cup|2013]] and [[2015 FIFA Club World Cup]], where it lost 3–0 in the semifinal stage against the [[2012–13 UEFA Champions League]] winners [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] and the [[2014–15 UEFA Champions League]] winners [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]], respectively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/17/guangzhou-evergrande-bayern-munich-club-world-cup |title=Bayern Munich's Franck Ribéry leads rout of Guangzhou Evergrande |date=December 18, 2013 |work=The Guardian |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131218162629/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/dec/17/guangzhou-evergrande-bayern-munich-club-world-cup |archive-date=December 18, 2013}}</ref>

== Restaurants ==
In the 1990s the local press prolifically published reviews of restaurants in Guangzhou. The local newspapers introduced [[Lifestyle (social sciences)|lifestyle]] pages and relied on [[infotainment]] to raise revenue.<ref>{{cite book | editor1=Jakob Klein | editor2= Kevin Latham | editor3= Stuart Thompson |title=Consuming China: Approaches to Cultural Change in Contemporary China |publisher= Taylor & Francis |year= 2012 |page= |isbn= 9781135791438 }}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2024}}

== Destinations ==
=== Eight Views ===
{{Main|Eight Views|Eight Views of Guangzhou}}

[[File:Canton Tower 2017-10-02.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Canton Tower]]<ref>{{cite web |title=GZ's New Television Tower Named Canton Tower |url=http://www.gz.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/cngzyw/s4171/201009/635572.html |date=September 30, 2010 |access-date=October 5, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716043613/http://www.gz.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/cngzyw/s4171/201009/635572.html |archive-date=July 16, 2011}}</ref>]]
The [[Eight Views of Guangzhou|Eight Views of Ram City]] are Guangzhou's eight most famous tourist attractions. They have varied over time since the [[Song dynasty]], with some being named or demoted by emperors. The following modern list was chosen through public appraisal in 2025:
{{div col|colwidth=40em}}
* '''Taying Huacheng''' ({{zh|c=塔映花城|p=tǎ yìng huāchéng|l=Tower Reflected in Flower City}}): [[Canton Tower]], [[Guangzhou Art Museum]], [[Flower City Square]], Nocturnal Charm of the Pearl River, [[Haizhu Wetland]], [[Guangzhou Cultural Center]]
* '''Yunshan Diecui''' ({{zh|c=云山叠翠|p=yúnshān diécuì|l=Emerald Layers of Cloudy Mountain}}): [[Baiyun Mountain (Guangdong)|Baiyun Mountain]], Yunluo Botanical Garden, Yunxi Botanical Garden
* '''Yuexiu Fenghua''' ({{zh|c=越秀风华|p=yuèxiù fēnghuá|l=Vibrant Charm of Yuexiu}}): [[Beijing Road (Guangzhou)|Beijing Road]], [[Museum of the Nanyue King Mausoleum]], [[Yuexiu Park]], [[Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)|Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall]]
* '''Liwan Shengjing''' ({{zh|c=荔湾胜境|p=lìwān shèngjìng|l=Scenic Beauty of Liwan}}): [[Yongqing Fang]], [[Chen Clan Ancestral Hall]], [[Bai'etan|White Goose Tan]], Greater Bay Area Art Center, [[Shamian Island]]
* '''Nansha Xuri''' ({{zh|c=南沙旭日|p=nánshā xùrì|l=Sunrise over Nansha}}): [[Nansha Mazu Temple]], Puzhou Garden, Nansha Binhai Park, [[Nansha Wetland Park]]
* '''Huangpu Yunfan''' ({{zh|c=黄埔云帆|p=huángpǔ yúnfān|l=Cloud Sails of Huangpu}}): [[Nanhai Temple (Guangzhou)|Nanhai Temple]], [[Whampoa Military Academy]]
* '''Huanle Changlong''' ({{zh|c=欢乐长隆|p=huānlè chánglóng|l=Happy Chimelong}}): [[Chimelong Tourist Resort|Guangzhou Chimelong Tourist Resort]]
* '''Liuxi Yanzhu''' ({{zh|c=流溪烟渚|p=liúxī yānzhǔ|l=Misty Islets of Liuxi}}): [[Liuxi River National Forest Park]], [[Conghua Hot Spring Tourist Resort]], [[China National Archives of Publications and Culture (Guangzhou Branch)|China National Archives of Publications and Culture - Guangzhou Branch]]
{{div col end}}

[[File:Bombax ceiba 2.jpg|thumb|''[[Bombax ceiba]]'', Guangzhou's [[official flower]]]]

=== Parks and gardens===
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
*[[Baiyun Mountain (Guangdong)|Baiyun Mountain]]
*[[Nansha Wetland Park]]
*[[People's Park (Guangzhou)|People's Park]]
*[[South China Botanical Garden]]
*[[Yuexiu Park]]
* [[Guangdong Tree Park]]
*Dongshanhu Park ({{lang-zh|s=东山湖公园|t=東山湖公園|labels=no}})
*Liuhuahu Park ({{lang-zh|s=流花湖公园|t=流花湖公園|labels=no}})
*Liwanhu Park ({{lang-zh|s=荔湾湖公园|t=荔灣湖公園|labels=no}})
*Luhu Park ({{lang-zh|s=麓湖公园|t=麓湖公園|labels=no}})
*Martyrs' Park ({{lang-zh|s=广州起义烈士陵园|t=廣州起義烈士陵園|labels=no}})
*Pearl River Park ({{lang-zh|s=珠江公园|t=珠江公園|labels=no}})
*Yuntai Garden ({{lang-zh|s=云台花园|t=雲臺花園|labels=no}})
*Shimen National Forest Park({{lang-zh|s=石门国家森林公园|t=石門國家森林公園|labels=no}})
*Haizhu Lake Park({{lang-zh|s=海珠湖公园|t=海珠湖公園|labels=no}})
{{div col end}}

=== Tourist attractions===
[[File:Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Guangzhou.jpg|thumb|[[Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)|Sun Yat sen Memorial Hall]]]]
Guangzhou attracts more than 223 million visitors each year, and the total revenue of the tourism exceeded 400 billion in 2018.<ref>{{cite web |language=zh-cn |script-title=zh:广州2018年旅游业总收入超4000亿 接待人次2.23亿 |url=http://gd.ifeng.com/a/20190125/7186786_0.shtml |date=January 25, 2019 |access-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223135959/http://gd.ifeng.com/a/20190125/7186786_0.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> There are many tourist attractions, including:
{{div col|colwidth=36em}}
*[[Canton Tower]]
*[[Chen Clan Ancestral Hall]], housing Guangzhou's folk art museum
*[[Chime-Long Paradise]]
*Chime-Long Waterpark ({{lang-zh|s=长隆水上乐园|t=長隆水上樂園}})
*[[Guangdong Provincial Museum]]
* {{Wikidata fallback link|Q11062008}}
*[[Mulberry Park (Guangdong)|Mulberry Park]], public center which demonstrates mulberry growing and silk making
*[[Nanyue King Museum]]
*[[Peasant Movement Training Institute at Guangzhou|Peasant Movement Training Institute]], an important Maoist site
*[[Sacred Heart Cathedral of Guangzhou|Sacred Heart Cathedral]] (Stone House)
*[[Guangxiao Temple (Guangzhou)|Temple of Bright Filial Piety]] (Guangxiao)
*[[Temple of the Six Banyan Trees]] (Liurong), site of the Flowery Pagoda
*[[Sanyuan Palace]]
*[[Shamian Island|Shamian]] or Shameen Island, the old trading compound
*[[Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (Guangzhou)|Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall]], site of Guangzhou's former presidential palace
*[[Xiguan]] (Saikwan), the western suburbs of the old city
{{div col end}}

=== Pedestrian streets===
In every district there are many shopping areas where people can walk on the sidewalks; however most of them are not set as pedestrian streets.
[[File:Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street 2.jpg|thumb|[[Shangxiajiu]] Pedestrian Street]]
The popular pedestrian streets are:
{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
*Beijing Road pedestrian street
*[[Shangxiajiu Pedestrian Street]]
*[[Huacheng Square]] (Flower City Square)
{{div col end}}

=== Malls and shopping centers===
There are many malls and shopping centers in Guangzhou. The majority of the new malls are located in the Tianhe district.
[[File:Aerial View, Parc Central, Guangzhou 20230520-A.jpg|thumb|alt=Par Central|Aerial view of Parc Central Mall]]

{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
*101 Dynamics
*China Plaza
*Liwan Plaza
*[[Teem Plaza]]
*[[Victory Plaza]]
*Wanguo Plaza
*Grandview Mall ([[Grandview Mall Aquarium]])
*Wanda square
*[[Happy Valley (Guangzhou)|Happy Valley]]
*[[Taikoo Hui Guangzhou|TaiKoo Hui]]
*Parc Central
*OneLinkWalk
*Rock Square
*Aeon Mall
*GT Land Plaza
*IFC Plaza
*IGC Mall
*[[Huacheng Square|Mall of the World]]
*K11
*Fashion Tianhe
{{div col end}}

=== Major buildings===
{{Main|List of tallest buildings in Guangzhou}}

 {{see also|List of historic buildings in Guangzhou}}

{{div col|colwidth=26em}}
*[[CITIC Plaza]]
*[[Canton Tower]]
*[[Guangzhou Circle]] Mansion
*[[Guangdong Olympic Stadium]]
*[[Guangzhou Opera House]]
*[[Guangzhou TV Tower]]
*[[Pearl River Tower]]
*The [[Guangzhou Twin Towers|Twin Towers]]:
**[[Guangzhou International Finance Center]] (West)
**The [[Guangzhou East Tower|CTF Guangzhou]] (East)
{{div col end}}

<gallery mode="nolines" heights="150px" widths="150px">
File:Guangzhou custom house.jpg|Canton Custom House <small>(est. 1916)</small>, one of the oldest surviving in China
File:Ai Qun Hotel.JPG|[[Aiqun Hotel]], Guangzhou's tallest building from 1937 to 1967
File:Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel.jpg|Our Lady of Lourdes Chapel on [[Shamian Island|Shamian]]
File:Dabenying (Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen%27s Mansion).jpg|The Canton Cement Factory <small>(est. 1907)</small>, which housed [[Sun Yat-sen]] from 1923 to 1925
File:Guangzhou Guangdong Ziyi Ju Jiuzhi 2014.01.24 15-05-46.jpg|The old provincial capitol, now the [[Guangdong Museum of Revolutionary History|Museum of Revolutionary History]]
File:Guangzhou twin towers.jpg|Guangzhou's [[Central business district|CBD]], including the [[Guangzhou International Finance Center|IFC]] (''left'') and [[Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre|CTF]] (''right'')
</gallery>

== Media==
{{more citations needed section|date=September 2024}}
Guangzhou has two local radio stations: the provincial [[Radio Guangdong]] and the municipal Radio Guangzhou. Together they broadcast in more than a dozen channels. The primary language of both stations is [[Cantonese]]. Traditionally only one channel of Radio Guangdong is dedicated to [[Standard Mandarin|Mandarin Chinese]]. However, in recent years there has been an increase in Mandarin programs on most Cantonese channels. Radio stations from cities around Guangzhou mainly broadcast in Cantonese and can be received in different parts of the city, depending on the radio stations' locations and transmission power. The Beijing-based [[China National Radio]] also broadcasts Mandarin programs in the city. Radio Guangdong has a 30-minute weekly English programs, ''Guangdong Today'', which is broadcast globally through the [[WRN Broadcast|World Radio Network]]. Daily English news programs are also broadcast by Radio Guangdong.

Guangzhou has some of the most notable Chinese-language newspapers and magazines in [[mainland China]], most of which are published by three major newspaper groups in the city, the [[Guangzhou Daily]] Press Group, [[Southern Daily|Nanfang Press Corporation]], and the [[Yangcheng Evening News]] Group. The two leading newspapers of the city are ''[[Guangzhou Daily]]'' and ''[[Southern Metropolis Daily]]''. The former, with a circulation of 1.8 million, has been China's most successful newspaper for 14 years in terms of advertising revenue, while ''Southern Metropolis Daily'' is considered one of the most liberal newspapers in mainland China. In addition to Guangzhou's Chinese-language publications, there are a few English magazines and newspapers. The most successful is ''That's Guangzhou'', which started more than a decade ago and has since blossomed into ''[[That's PRD]]'', producing expatriate magazines in Beijing and Shanghai as well. It also produces ''In the Red''.

{{anchor|Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center}}

== Education and research==
[[File:Guangzhou South Campus, Sun Yat-sen University.jpg|thumb|[[Sun Yat-sen University]]]]
[[File:华南农业大学 行政办公楼北面 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[South China Agricultural University]]]]
[[File:Guangzhou Library 2013.11.15 18-30-36.jpg|thumb|Guangzhou Library]]
The [[Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center]], also known as Guangzhou University Town ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|广州|大学|城}}}}), is a large tertiary education complex located in the southeast suburbs of Guangzhou. It occupies the entirety of [[Xiaoguwei]] Island in [[Panyu District]], covering an area of about {{cvt|18|km2|0|abbr=out|sp=us}}. The complex accommodates campuses from ten higher education institutions and can eventually accommodate up to 200,000 students, 20,000 teachers, and 50,000 staff.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/guangzhou_higher_education.pdf |year=2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227005555/http://www.intel.com/business/casestudies/guangzhou_higher_education.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2008 |title=Mega Campus goes Wireless |publisher=[[Intel Corporation]] |access-date=August 28, 2008}}</ref>

As of June 2023, Guangzhou hosts 84 institutions of higher education (excluding adult colleges), ranking 2nd nationwide after [[Beijing]] and 1st in [[South China]] region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-15 |title=全国普通高等学校名单 (National List of Higher Education Institutions) |url=https://hudong.moe.gov.cn/qggxmd/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Government Portal Website of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China |archive-date=June 21, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240621120742/https://hudong.moe.gov.cn/qggxmd/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The city has many [[Rankings of universities in China|highly ranked educational institutions]], with seven universities listed in 147 [[National Key Universities]] under the [[Double First-Class Construction]], ranking fourth nationwide (after Beijing, [[Shanghai]] and [[Nanjing]]). Two reputable ones are [[Sun Yat-sen University]] and [[South China University of Technology]], ranking 65 and 101-150 worldwide, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities |url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2025 |access-date=2025-08-20 |website=www.shanghairanking.com}}</ref> Guangzhou is also an important hub for international students and it was ranked 110th globally by the QS Best Student Cities Rankings in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=QS Best Student Cities Rankings 2023 |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2023 |access-date=2023-07-20 |website=Top Universities |archive-date=July 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707082508/https://www.topuniversities.com/city-rankings/2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Guangzhou is a major Asia-Pacific R&D hub, ranking [[List of cities by scientific output|6th]] globally, 4th in the Asia & Oceania regions after (Beijing, Shanghai and Nanjing) and 1st in [[South Central China]] region.<ref name="auto"/> When compared to other countries in the region, Guangzhou ranked higher than India, securing fourth place in Asia and Oceania after China, Japan, and South Korea, according to the Nature Index for 2025. For instance, Guangzhou's share of the 2024 Nature Index is 1,820.05, with a count of 3,966, while India's share is 1,783.34, with 2,733 counts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-14 |title=Leading 200 science cities 2025{{!}} {{!}} Supplements {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/supplements/nature-index-2025-science-cities/tables/overall |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=www.nature.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=2025 Research Leaders: Leading countries/territories {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/research-leaders/2025/country/all/global |access-date=2025-11-23 |website=www.nature.com}}</ref>

The Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center's higher education campuses are as follows:
*[[Guangdong Pharmaceutical University]]
*[[Guangdong University of Foreign Studies]]
*[[Guangdong University of Technology]]
*[[Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts]]
*[[Guangzhou University]]
*[[Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine]]
*[[South China Normal University]]
*[[South China University of Technology]]
*[[Sun Yat-sen University]]
*[[Xinghai Conservatory of Music]]

Guangzhou's other fully accredited and degree-granting [[List of universities and colleges in Guangdong|universities and colleges]] include:<!-- Alphabetical order; must at least provide bachelorate -->
*[[Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology]]
*Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
*[[Guangdong University of Finance & Economics]]
*Guangdong University of Finance
*Guangzhou College of South China University of Technology
*[[Guangzhou Medical University]]
*[[Guangzhou Sports University]]
*[[Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou)]]
*[[Jinan University]]
*[[South China Agricultural University]]
*[[Southern Medical University]]
*[[Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering]]

The two main comprehensive libraries are Guangzhou Library and Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province. [[Guangzhou Library]] is a public library in Guangzhou. The library has moved to a new building in [[Zhujiang New Town]], which fully opened on June 23, 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://english.gz.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/gzgoven/s4171/201306/2476873.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314212149/http://english.gz.gov.cn/publicfiles/business/htmlfiles/gzgoven/s4171/201306/2476873.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 14, 2017 |title=New Guangzhou Library Opens |date=June 25, 2013 |website=Guangzhou International |quote=The brand-new Guangzhou Library officially opened on June 23 after six months of trial service.}}</ref> Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province has the largest collection of ancient books in Southern China.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.zslib.com.cn/Lang/eng/TempletPage/Page.aspx?column=tc |title=Rare Collections |publisher=Sun Yat-sen Library of Guangdong Province |access-date=January 18, 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180118182406/http://www.zslib.com.cn/Lang/eng/TempletPage/Page.aspx?column=tc |archive-date=January 18, 2018}}</ref>
{{Further|Guangzhou High School}}

== Notable people ==
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦--->
*[[Choh Hao Li]] (1913–1987), American biochemist, expert on hormones
*[[Zhi Cong Li]] (born 1993), racing driver
*[[Liang Xiao Ping|Xiao Ping Liang]] (born 1959), internationally exhibited calligrapher
*[[I. M. Pei]] (1917–2019), Chinese-American architect
*[[Kuang Sunmou]] (1863&ndash;1929), railway engineer, businessman, and bureaucrat
*[[Gene Wu]] (born 1978), [[Texas]] state politician<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zhou |first=May |date=25 July 2014 |title=Gene Wu: Changing the stereotypes |url=https://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/epaper/2014-07/25/content_17924088.htm |access-date=2 June 2025 |work=[[China Daily]]}}</ref>
*[[Bolo Yeung]] (born July 3, 1946), Hong Kong martial artist, competitive bodybuilder, and film actor
*[[Qi Yuwu]] (born November 28, 1976), actor based in Singapore
*[[Donnie Yen]] (born 27 July 1963), Hong Kong martial artist, action director and choreographer, and film director and actor

== International relations==
=== Twin towns and sister cities===
{{Main|List_of_twin_towns_and_sister_cities_in_China#G|l1 = List of twin towns and sister cities in China}}

=== Consulates General/consulates===
{{See also|List of diplomatic missions in China}}As of April 2023, Guangzhou hosts 68 foreign consulates-general/consulates, excluding the Hong Kong and Macao trade office, making it one of the major cities to host more than 50 foreign representatives in China after [[Beijing]] and [[Shanghai]].<ref name="GC">{{cite web |title=Consulates in Guangzhou, China |url=https://www.embassypages.com/city/guangzhou |access-date=November 9, 2020 |website=embassypages.com |archive-date=January 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118104908/https://www.embassypages.com/city/guangzhou |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CE">{{cite web |title=CHINA EMBASSIES & CONSULATES |url=https://www.embassypages.com/china |access-date=November 9, 2020 |website=embassypages.com |archive-date=July 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711192446/https://www.embassypages.com/china |url-status=live}}</ref>

== See also==
*[[Canton System]] and [[Old China Trade]]
*[[Historical capitals of China]]
*[[List of largest cities]]
*{{Slink|Mezitli Producer Women's Market|Guangzhou Innovation Award}}
*[[2021 Guangzhou bombing]]
*[[Chinese ship Guangzhou|Chinese ship ''Guangzhou'']]
* [[First‑tier city]]

== Notes==
{{Notelist}}
{{NoteFoot|40em}}

== References==
{{reflist}}

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*{{citation |last=Kjellberg |first=Sven T. |title=Svenska Ostindiska Compagnierna 1731–1813: Kryddor, Te, Porslin, Siden |trans-title=The Swedish East India Company 1731–1813: Spice, Tea, Porcelain, Silk |edition=2nd |year=1975 |publisher=Allhem |location=Malmö |isbn=978-91-7004-058-0 |url=http://libris.kb.se/bib/107047 |language=sv |access-date=February 7, 2016 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042136/http://libris.kb.se/bib/107047 |url-status=live }}
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{{refend}}

== External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikivoyage|Guangzhou}}
{{Wikisource category|Guangzhou}}
{{wikiquote}}

*[http://english.gz.gov.cn/ Guangzhou International] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227095151/http://english.gz.gov.cn/ |date=December 27, 2019 }}: Official website of government of Guangzhou municipality
*[http://www.guangzhou.gov.cn/ Guangzhou, China Network] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080120060228/http://www.guangzhou.gov.cn/ |date=January 20, 2008 }}
*{{osmrelation-inline|3287346}}

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{{s-bef|before=N/A}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Nanyue|Capital of Nanyue]]
|years=204–111 BC
|dynasty=[[Nanyue]]}}
{{s-aft|after=N/A}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Shenyang|Fengtian]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Historical capitals of China|Capital of China]]
|years=July 1, 1925 – February 21, 1927
|dynasty=[[Nationalist government|Republic of China]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Wuhan]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Taiyuan]]}}
{{s-ttl |title=[[Historical capitals of China|Capital of China]]
|years=May 28, 1931 – December 22, 1931
|dynasty=[[Nationalist government|Republic of China]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chongqing]]}}
{{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Nanjing]]}}
{{s-ttl |rows=2|title=[[Historical capitals of China|Capital of China]]
|years=April 23, 1949 – October 14, 1949
|dynasty=[[Government of the Republic of China|Republic of China]]}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Chongqing]]<br><small>for the [[Republic of China]]</small>}}
|-
{{S-aft|after=[[Beijing]]<br>(from October 1)<br /><small>for the People's Republic of China</small>}}
{{s-end}}

{{Guangzhou}}
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