Panyu, Guangzhou

Panyu, formerly romanized as Punyü,Template:Efn is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Since January 1975, Panyu County has been under Guangzhou's administration. In 1992, Panyu County was renamed to Panyu county-level city, still under Guangzhou's administration. It was subsequently renamed to Panyu District on 10 July 2000. The present district covers an area of about .

Geography

Panyu lies at the heart of the Pearl River Delta. It extends from latitudes 22.26' to 23.05', and from longitudes 113.14' to 113.42'. Facing the Lion Sea in the east and the estuary of the Pearl River in the south, its eastern border is separated from Dongguan by a strip of water, and the western border of Panyu is adjacent to the cities of Nanhai, Shunde and Zhongshan, while it abuts the downtown of Guangzhou in the north. The site of the People's government of Panyu is Shiqiao which is from downtown Guangzhou and from the cities of Hong Kong and Macau, respectively. Shiqiao may have once been called "Stone Bridge town", but because of war, the characters changed, so Shiqiao was rewritten using the characters for "city" and "bridge".

History

File:Qin lacquer box.JPG

A Chinese lacquerware box with the "Panyu" name on its surface, dating from the Qin dynasty.

The Chinese settlement at Panyu was established by the Qin armies under Zhao Tuo during their first failed invasion of the Baiyue in Guangdong in 214 BC. There are at least 11 separate theories on the etymology of the name. Upon the fall of the Qin, Zhao Tuo established Panyu as the capital of his kingdom of Nanyue in 204 BC. Archaeological evidence shows that it was a burgeoning commercial center: among the present material object remnants, there are those of Southeast Asian, Indian, and even African origin.

Yuexiu District, most of Baiyun and Huangpu Districts, and parts of parts of Liwan, Haizhu, and Tianhe Districts were originally part of Panyu County but were ceded to Guangzhou as it expanded. In January 1975, Panyu County is under Guangzhou's administration. In 1992, Panyu County renamed to Panyu county-level city and still under Guangzhou's administration. It renamed to Panyu District on 10 July 2000. By 28 April 2005, the southern part of Panyu was split off as the new Nansha District. On 30 September 2012, three southern towns of Panyu—Dongchong, Dagang, and Lanhe—were removed to Nansha's jurisdiction.

Administrative divisions

File:Panyu from 2012 (CHS and Pinyin).png

Administrative divisions of Panyu

Panyu district administers ten subdistricts () and six towns (). The district's executive and legislative headquarters, and its judiciary are based in the Shiqiao, together with the CPC and PSB branches. On 1 December 2012 three towns (Dongchong, Dagang, & Lanhe) were transferred to Nansha District.

Name	Chinese (S)	Hanyu Pinyin	Canton Romanization	Population (2010)	Area (km2)
Shiqiao Subdistrict	市桥街道	Shìqiáo Jiēdào	xi5 kiu4 gai1 dou6	168,701	20.15
Zhongcun Subdistrict	钟村街道	Zhōngcūn Jiēdào	zung1 qun1 gai1 dou6	104,598	23.41
Shibi Subdistrict	石壁街道	Shíbì Jiēdào	ség6 big1 gai1 dou6	32,989	27.01
Dashi Subdistrict	大石街道	Dàshí Jiēdào	dai6 ség6 gai1 dou6	116,107	19.34
Luopu Subdistrict	洛浦街道	Luòpǔ Jiēdào	log6 pou2 gai1 dou6	89,294	25.38
Dalong Subdistrict	大龙街道	Dàlóng Jiēdào	dai6 lung4 gai1 dou6	129,515	24.80
Donghuan Subdistrict	东环街道	Dōnghuán Jiēdào	dung1 wan4 gai1 dou6	52,965	11.00
Qiaonan Subdistrict	桥南街道	Qiáonán Jiēdào	kiu4 nam4 gai1 dou6	72,695	17.85
Shatou Subdistrict	沙头街道	Shātóu Jiēdào	sa1 teo4 gai1 dou6	35,201	18.10
Xiaoguwei Subdistrict	小谷围街道	Xiǎogǔwéi Jiēdào	xiu2 gug1 wei4 gai1 dou6	131,470	20.15
Nancun town	南村镇	Náncūn Zhèn	nam4 qun1 zan3	129,076	47.00
Xinzao town	新造镇	Xīnzào Zhèn	sen1 lung4 zou6 zan3	27,248	14.12
Hualong town	化龙镇	Huàlóng Zhèn	fa3 lung4 zan3	53,142	55.70
Shilou town	石楼镇	Shílóu Zhèn	ség6 leo4 zan3	90,381	126.50
Shiqi town	石碁镇	Shíqí Zhèn	ség6 gei1 zen3	97,434	71.26
Shawan town	沙湾镇	Shāwān Zhèn	saa1 waan1 zan3	88,695	37.45

Transfer Towns

The following towns have been abolished, some by absorption into the Development zone of the Nansha District.

• Lianhuashan (), named after Lianhuashan Hill
• Xinken ()
• Tanzhou ()
• Yuwotou ()
• Huangge ()
• Hengli ()
• Wanqingsha ()
• Dongchong ()
• Dagang ()
• Lanhe ()

Villages

Under its various Subdistricts and Towns (and in the one Development zone), Panyu has 305 administration villages (行政村) - i.e. 305 village governments.

There are other 'natural villages' (自然村) which administratively count as being in one or another of the administration villages.

Economy

Statistics shows that in the year 1998, the GDP in the district was 33.25 billion yuan, an increase of 13% over the previous year, and the GDP per capita was 35.5 thousand Yuan, an increase of 11% compared with the previous year.

The amusement park operator Chimelong has its headquarters on the grounds of Chimelong Paradise in the district.

Transportation

Guangzhou Metro Lines 2 and 3 serve parts of Panyu District. Line 2 was extended into the district in September 2010. Guangzhou South railway station, the main high-speed railway station serving Guangzhou, is situated within the boundaries of Panyu District.

Panyu Public Transport operates buses in the district.

Metro

File:Guangzhou Municipality Panyu District Nancun Wanbo Business Area 20211029-08.jpg

Nancun Wanbo Business Area

Panyu is currently serviced by seven metro lines operated by Guangzhou Metro:

• Template:Rcb - Luoxi, Nanpu, Huijiang, Shibi (Template:Rint), Guangzhou South Station (Template:Rint Template:Rint) (Template:Rint Template:Rint)
• Template:Rcb - Xiajiao, Dashi, Hanxi Changlong (Template:Rint), Shiqiao, Panyu Square, Template:Stl, Template:Stl, Template:Stl, Template:Stl (Template:Rint)
• Template:Rcb - Higher Education Mega Center North (Template:Rint), Higher Education Mega Center South (Template:Rint, Template:Rint), Xinzao, Guanqiao (not open), Shiqi, Haibang (Template:Rint), Dichong, Qingsheng
• Template:Rcb - Guangzhou South Station (Template:Rint), Shibi (Template:Rint), Xiecun, Zhongcun, Hanxi Changlong (Template:Rint), Nancun Wanbo (Template:Rint), Yuangang, Banqiao, Higher Education Mega Center South (Template:Rint, Template:Rint)
• Template:Rcb - Template:Stl (Template:Rint), Template:Stl (Template:Rint, Template:Rint)
• Template:Rcb - Template:Stl, Template:Stl (Template:Rint), Template:Stl (Template:Rint Template:Rint)
• Template:Rcb - Template:Stl (Template:Rint Template:Rint), Template:Stl, Template:Stl (Template:Rint Template:Rint) (Template:Rint Template:Rint), Template:Stl

Tourist attractions

File:Aerial View, Guanyin Statue, Guangzhou Lotus Hill 20230225.jpg

Lotus Hill

• Yuyin Mount Garden：One of the four famous gardens in Guangdong Province in the Qing dynasty.
• Baomo Garden
• Lotus Hill
• Changlong Night Zoo
• Xiangjiang Wildlife World
• Chime-Long Paradise
• Shawan Ancient Town

Major educational institutions

The Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center includes more than ten higher education institutions.

Schools for Chinese students:

• Guangdong Zhongyuan High School
• Nord Anglia School Guangzhou Panyu

International schools:

• Canadian International School of Guangzhou
• Guangzhou Korea School
• Clifford International School

Notable individuals

People born in or with family links to the Panyu District:

International Relations

Panyu has a cooperational agreement with:

• Template:Flagdeco Aveiro, Portugal
• Template:Flagdeco Prague 5, Czech Republic

See also

• Hung Shing

External links

• Template:Sister-inline
• Panyu Panyu District official website
• Photos of Panyu, courtesy of Vince K. Chan
• Panyu Travel Guide
• 'Red Diamond', on Panyu's diamond processing industry, by Venkatesan Vembu, Daily News & Analysis, 11 March 2007