Guangdong 广东

Kaiping Diaolou

Kaiping Diaolou By Kevin Poh. Sourced via Flickr under Creative Commons Attribution License.

Guǎngdōng (广东) province is one of the most prosperous and developed areas of China. The province accounts for 12% of China's national economic output. This prosperity is not only in modern times. It dates back centuries to when the Guangdong capital, Guangzhou, was the sole port for foreign trade in China. This monopoly on trade made the province rich. It also meant that Guangdong had greater foreign influences, creating a distinct culture. To the north of Guangdong lie the provinces of Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian. To the south of Guangdong is the South China Sea and the former foreign colonies of Hong Kong and Macau. They are now Special Administration Regions belonging to China but outside of Guangdong province control. To the west lies Guangxi province. The Pearl River runs through the Province and the area around the lower section of the river, known as the Pearl River Delta is a highly prosperous zone which including the cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhe, Zhouhai, Hong Kong and Macau.

The people of Guangdong have a distinct spoken dialect of Chinese which, within China, is known as Yueyu, and abroad known as Cantonese. This dialect is related to Mandarin but distinct. The written Chinese (Hanzi) is, however, the same for both Cantonese and Mandarin dialects. Guangdong is famous for its special food. It is food from this region that has influenced most Chinses style restaurants in the west (since many immigrants to the west came from Guangdong province.) However, Guangdong is also famous for more extreme types of food including monkey, snake, jellyfish and other items that outsiders would turn their noses up at.

Transport within Guangdong is very convenient. A good network of highways connect all the major cities. Many large international airports are located in Guangdong, especially in the Pearl River Delta area. High speed catamarans and hydrofoils also connect the main Cities across and along the river. Plans are under way to construct a massive bridge linking across the Delta between Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong. The southern cities of Guangdong, namely Zhouhai and Shenzhen, are popular with day trippers from Hong Kong, who can pick up some bargains across the border. Equally, Guangdong is popular with Expats who can enjoy the lower cost lifestyle of Guangdong while still being convenient to Hong Kong.

Tourist Attractions

Below is a list of tourist attractions in Guangdong:

Happy Valley Park__Shenzhen__China by Mohammad Emdadi. Sourced via Flickr.

(深圳华侨城旅游度假区; shēnzhèn huáqiáochéng lǚyóu dùjià qū): Shenzhen Subway Line 1 and get off at "Huaqiaocheng" (Overseas Chinese Town) station, Exit D. A large group of amusement parks in Shenzhen city. This tourist attraction is rates as AAAAA on China's national tourism scale. Opening times at each park vary. In general parks open between 9am and 9:30am and close between 6pm and 10:30pm. Each park within the OCT and OCT east has it's own entrance fee. These are typically 120 to 150 yuan per person. Combined tickets can also be bought with some discount.

by orangekim. Sourced via Flickr.

(广州市长隆旅游度假区; guǎng zhōu shì zhǎng lóng;lōng lǚ yóu dù jià qū): Bus routes 221, 247, 512, 562 go past the park. A taxi form the city centre will typically cost 55 yuan. Phone: 4008 830083. China's largest amusement park in Guangzhou. Covering over 1 million square metres and with over 70 rides. This tourist attraction is rates as AAAAA on China's national tourism scale. The park is open from 9:30am to 6pm daily. Entry to the park costs 170 yuan per adult and 90 for children and over 65's. A family ticket for 2 adults and 1 child costs 380 yuan. Other ticket combinations are available.

The small town of Zhang Bei Cun is on the north side of this stream and is the seat of the Xihe sub-district. In Dabu District, Meixian County, Guangdong Province. by █ Slices of Light █▀ ▀ ▀. Sourced via Flickr.

(梅县雁南飞度假村; méixiàn yàn nán fēi dùjiàcūn): Mei, Meizhou, Guangzhou, China. The mountains surrounding Mei county (Meixian) in Meizhou prefecture, Guangdong, China, are covered with tea gardens. Here the visitor can watch the traditional tea growing and harvesting. This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州西汉南越王博物馆; Guǎngzhōu xī hànnányuè wáng bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汕头南澳岛旅游区; shàntóu nánào dǎo lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(梅县华银雁鸣湖旅游度假区; Méixiàn Huayín yànmíng hú lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州番禺莲花山旅游区; Guǎngzhōu fānyú liánhuā shān lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(佛山清晖园; fóshān qīng huī yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(恩平市锦江温泉旅游度假区; ēnpíng shì jǐn jiāng wēnquán lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(新会古兜温泉旅游度假村; xīnhuì gǔ dōu wēnquán lǚyóu dùjiàcūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广东省飞来峡水利枢纽风景区; guǎngdōngshěng fēi lái xiá shuǐlì shūniǔfēngjǐngqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(中山詹园; zhōngshān Zhān Yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(惠州市龙门温泉旅游度假区; huìzhōushì lóngmén wēnquán lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(清远玄真古洞生态旅游度假区; qīngyuǎn xuán zhēn gǔ dòng shēngtài lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(惠州市龙门县南昆山生态旅游区; huìzhōushì lóngmén xiàn nán kūnshān shēngtài lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(孙中山故居; Sūn Zhōngshān Gùjū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州从化碧水湾温泉度假村; Guǎngzhōu cōnghuà bì shuǐ wān wēnquán dùjiàcūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(惠州西湖风景名胜区; huìzhōuxīhú fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江蓝月湾温泉度假邨; zhànjiāng lán yuè wān wēnquán dùjià 邨): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(碧桂园假日半岛故乡里旅游度假区; bì guì yuán jiàrì bàndǎo gùxiàng lǐ lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(佛山市三水荷花世界; fóshānshì sān shuǐ héhuā shìjiè): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(江门开平立园; Jiāng Mén kāipíng lì yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(清远黄藤峡生态旅游区; qīngyuǎn Huáng Téngxiá shēngtài lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(惠州市龙门南昆山温泉旅游大观园; huìzhōushì lóngmén nán kūnshān wēnquán lǚyóu dàguān yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广东美术馆; guǎngdōng měishùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汕尾玄武山旅游区; shàn wěi xuán wǔshān lǚyóuqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(西樵山风景名胜区; xī qiáo shān fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江湖光岩风景名胜区; zhànjiāng hú guāng yán fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汕头礐石风景名胜区; shàntóu hú shí fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(汕头中信高尔夫海滨度假村; shàntóu zhōngxìn gāoěrfū hǎibīn dùjiàcūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(江门圭峰风景区; Jiāng Ménguī fēngjǐngqū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(东莞鸦片战争博物馆; dōngguān yāpiànzhànzhēng bówùguǎn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(河源新丰江国家森林公园; héyuán xīnfēng jiāng guójiā sēnlín gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(深圳市仙湖植物园; shēnzhènshì xiān hú zhíwùyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州香江野生动物世界; Guǎngzhōu xiāng jiāng yěshēngdòngwù shìjiè): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州黄花岗公园; Guǎngzhōu Huáng Huāgǎng gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州白云山风景名胜区; Guǎngzhōu báiyúnshān fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州番禺宝墨园; Guǎngzhōu fānyú Bǎo Mòyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(深圳观澜湖高尔夫球会; shēnzhèn guān Lán Hú gāoěrfūqiú huì): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(丹霞山风景名胜区; dān xiá shān fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(阳江海陵岛大角湾风景名胜区; yángjiāng hǎi líng dǎo dà jiǎo wān fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州中山纪念堂; Guǎngzhōu zhōngshān jì niàn táng): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(珠海圆明新园; zhūhǎi yuán míng xīn yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(肇庆星湖风景名胜区; zhào qìng xīng hú fēngjǐngmíngshèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(韶关市曹溪温泉假日度假村; sháoguān shì Cáo Xī wēnquán jiàrì dùjiàcūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(江门金山温泉旅游度假区; Jiāng Mén jīnshān wēnquán lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州越秀公园; Guǎngzhōu yuèxiù gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(佛山市三水森林公园; fóshānshì sān shuǐ sēnlín gōngyuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(清新温矿泉旅游度假区; qīngxīn wēn kuàngquán lǚyóu dùjià qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(珠海农科奇观; zhūhǎi nóng kēqíguān): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(清远市连州地下河; qīngyuǎn shì Lián Zhōu dìxià hé): This tourist attraction is rates as AAAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州抽水蓄能电站旅游度假区; yăn zhōu chōu shuĭ xù néng diàn zhàn lǚ yóu dù jiă qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(茂名西江温泉度假村; mào míng xī jiāng wēn quán dù jiă cūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(茂名天马山生态旅游区; mào míng tiān mă shān shēng tài lǚ yóu qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(茂名水东湾第一滩旅游度假区; mào míng shuĭ dōng wān dì yī tān lǚ yóu dù jiă qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江南亚热带植物园; zhàn jiāng nán yà rè dài zhí wù yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江吴川吉兆湾旅游度假区; zhàn jiāng wú chuān jí zhào wān lǚ yóu dù jiă qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州天成台旅游度假村; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu tiān chéng tái lǚ yóu dù jiă cūn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州气象卫星地面站; yăn zhōu qì xiàng wèi xīng dì miàn zhàn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州洪秀全故居纪念馆; yăn zhōu hóng xiù quán gù jū jì niàn guăn): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(潮州韩文公祠; cháo zhōu hán wén gōng cí): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(河源霍山风景区; hé yuán huò shān fēng jĭng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州十九路军淞沪抗日将士陵园; yăn zhōu shí jiŭ lù jūn sōng hù kàng rì jiāng shì líng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(梅州五华热矿泥山庄; méi zhōu wŭ huá rè kuàng ní shān zhuāng): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(梅州五指石风景名胜区; méi zhōu wŭ zhĭ shí fēng jĭng míng shèng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AAA on China's national tourism scale.

(河源新丰江大坝旅游区; hé yuán xīn fēng jiāng dà bà lǚ yóu qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州西湖公园; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu xī hú gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州雷祖祠游览区; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu léi zŭ cí yóu lăn qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州三元塔公园; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu sān yuán tă gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(东莞冠和博物馆; dōng guăn guàn hé bó wù guăn): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州西湖公园; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu xī hú gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州雷祖词游览区; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu léi zŭ cí yóu lăn qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江金鹿园; zhàn jiāng jīn lù yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(湛江雷州三元塔公园; zhàn jiāng léi zhōu sān yuán tă gōng yuán): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

(广州丹水坑风景区; yăn zhōu dān shuĭ kēng fēng jĭng qū): This tourist attraction is rates as AA on China's national tourism scale.

History

Guangdong was far away from the center of ancient Chinese civilization in the north China plain. It was populated by peoples collectively known as the Hundred Yue, who may have been Kradai and related to the Zhuang people in modern Guangxi.

Chinese administration in the region began with the Qin Dynasty. After establishing the first unified Chinese empire, the Qin expanded southwards and set up Nanhai Commandery at Panyu, near what is now part of Guangzhou. It used to be independent as Nanyue between the fall of Qin and the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The Han Dynasty administered Guangdong, Guangxi, and northern Vietnam as Jiaozhi Province. Under the Wu Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms period, Guangdong was made its own province, the Guang Province, in 226.

As time passed, the demographics of what is now Guangdong slowly shifted to (Han) Chinese-dominance, especially during several periods of massive migration from the north during periods of political turmoil and/or nomadic incursions from the fall of the Han Dynasty onwards. For example, internal strife in northern China following the rebellion of An Lushan resulted in a 75% increase in the population of Guangzhou prefecture between 740s-750s and 800s-810s. As more migrants arrived, the local population was gradually assimilated to Han Chinese culture, or displaced.

Together with Guangxi, Guangdong was made part of Lingnan Circuit (political division Circuit), or Mountain-South Circuit, in 627 during the Tang Dynasty. The Guangdong part of Lingnan Circuit was renamed Guangnan East Circuit guǎng nán dōng lù in 971 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). "Guangnan East" is the source of "Guangdong".

As Mongols from the north engaged in their conquest of China in the 13th century, the Southern Song Dynasty retreated southwards, eventually ending up in today's Guangdong. The Battle of Yamen 1279 in Guangdong marked the end of the Southern Song Dynasty (960-1279).

During the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, Guangdong was a part of Jiangxi. Its present name, "Guangdong Province" was given in early Ming Dynasty.

Since the 16th century, Guangdong has had extensive trade links with the rest of the world. European merchants coming northwards via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea, particularly the Portuguese and British, traded extensively through Guangzhou. Macau, on the southern coast of Guangdong, was the first European settlement in China since 1557. It was the opium trade through Guangzhou that triggered the Opium Wars, opening an era of foreign incursion and intervention in China. In addition to Macau, which was then a Portuguese colony, Hong Kong was ceded to the British, and Kwang-Chou-Wan to the French.

In the 19th century, Guangdong was also the major port of exit for labourers to Southeast Asia and the West, i.e. United States and Canada. As a result, many overseas Chinese communities have their origins in Guangdong. The Cantonese language therefore has proportionately more speakers among overseas Chinese people than mainland Chinese. In the US, there is a large number of Chinese who are descendants of immigrants from the otherwise unremarkable Guangdong region of Taishan (Toisan in Cantonese), who speak a distinctive dialect of Cantonese called Taishanese (or Toishanese).

During the 1850s, the first revolt of the Taiping Rebellion by the Hakka people took place in Guangdong. Because of direct contact with the West, Guangdong was the center of anti-Manchu and anti-imperialist activity. The generally acknowledged founder of modern China, Sun Yat-Sen, was from Guangdong.

During the early 1920s of the Republic of China, Guangdong was the staging area for Kuomintang (KMT) to prepare for the Northern Expedition, an effort to bring the various warlords of China back under the central government. Whampoa Military Academy was built near Guangzhou to train military commanders.

In recent years, the province has seen extremely rapid economic growth, aided in part by its close trading links with Hong Kong, which borders it. It is now the province with the highest gross domestic product in China.

In 1952, a small section of Guangdong's coastline was given to Guangxi, giving it access to the sea. This was reversed in 1955, and then restored in 1965. Hainan Island was originally part of Guangdong but it was separated as its own province in 1988.

People and Culture

Guangdong officially became the most populous province in January 2005. Official statistics had traditionally placed Guangdong as the 4th most populous province of China with about 80 million people, but recently released information suggests that there are an additional 30 million migrants who reside in Guangdong for at least six months every year, making it the most populous province with a population of more than 110 million. The massive influx of migrants from other provinces, dubbed the "floating population", is due to Guangdong's booming economy and high demand for labor.

Guangdong is also the ancestral home of large numbers of overseas Chinese. Most of the railroad laborers in Canada, Western United States and Panama in the 19th century came from Guangdong. Emigration in recent years has slowed with economic prosperity, but this province is still a major source of immigrants to North America and elsewhere in the world.

The majority of the province's population is Han Chinese. There is a small Yao population in the north. Other smaller minority groups include She, Miao, Li, and Zhuang.

Within the Han Chinese, the largest group in Guangdong are the Cantonese people. Two other major groups are the Hakka people in Meizhou and the Teochew people in Chaoshan.

Guangdong is a multicultural province. The central region, which is also the political and economic center, is populated predominantly by Cantonese speakers, though the influx in the last three decades of millions of Putonghua-speaking immigrants has diminished Cantonese linguistic dominance somewhat. This region is associated with Cantonese cuisine (simplified Chinese: 粤菜; traditional Chinese: 粵菜). Cantonese opera (simplified Chinese: 粤剧; traditional Chinese: 粵劇) is a form of Chinese opera popular in Cantonese speaking areas.

The Hakka people live in large areas of Guangdong, including Huizhou, Meizhou, Shenzhen, Heyuan, Shaoguan and other areas. Much of the Eastern part of Guangdong is populated by the Hakka people except for the Chaozhou and Hailufeng area. Hakka culture include Hakka cuisine (客家菜), Han opera (simplified Chinese: 汉剧; traditional Chinese: 漢劇), Hakka Hanyue and sixian (traditional instrumental music) and Hakka folk songs (客家山歌).

The area comprising the cities of Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang in east Guangdong, known as Chaoshan, forms its own cultural sphere. The Teochew people here, alongside with Hailufeng people in Shanwei, speak Teochew (simplified Chinese: 潮语, traditional Chinese: 潮語), which is closely related to Min-nan and their cuisine is Teochew cuisine. Teochew opera (simplified Chinese: 潮剧, traditional Chinese: 潮劇) is also very famous with a unique form.

In addition to their mother tongue of Cantonese, Putonghua (Mandarin Chinese) is increasingly spoken, especially by the younger generation.

Industry

This is a trend of official estimates of the gross domestic product of the Province of Guangdong with figures in millions of Chinese Yuan:

Year Gross domestic product
1980 24,521
1985 55,305
1990 140,184
1995 538,132
2000 966,223
2008 3,570,000

After the communist takeover and until the start of the Deng Xiaoping reforms in 1978, Guangdong was an economic backwater, although a large underground, service-based economy has always existed. Economic development policies encouraged industrial development in the interior provinces which were weakly linked to Guangdong via transportation links. The government policy of economic autarchy made Guangdong's access to the ocean irrelevant.

Deng Xiaoping's open door policy radically changed the economy of the province as it was able to take advantage of its access to the ocean, proximity to Hong Kong, and historical links to overseas Chinese. In addition, until the 1990s when the Chinese taxation system was reformed, the province benefited from the relatively low rate of taxation placed on it by the central government due to its post-Liberation status of being economically backward.

Although Shanghai is often cited as evidence of China's success, Guangdong's economic boom exemplifies the reality of the vast labor-intensive manufacturing powerhouse China has become, and all the rewards and shortcomings that come with it. Guangdong's economic boom began with the early 1990s and has since spread to neighboring provinces, and also pulled their populations inward. The economy is based on manufacturing and export.

The province is now one of the richest in the nation, with the highest GDP among all the provinces, although wage growth has only recently begun to rise due to a large influx of migrant workers from neighboring provinces. Its nominal GDP for 2008 was 3.57 trillion yuan (US$514 billion).

In 2008, Guangdong's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 197 billion yuan, 1.84 trillion yuan, and 1.53 trillion yuan respectively. Its per capita GDP reached 37,588 yuan (about US$5,410). Guangdong contributes approximately 12% of the total national economic output. Now, it has three of the six Special Economic Zones: Shenzhen, Shantou and Zhuhai. The affluence of Guangdong, however, remains very much concentrated near the Pearl River Delta.

In 2008 its foreign trade also grew 7.8% from the previous year and is also by far the largest of all of China. By numbers, Guangdong's foreign trade accounts for more than a quarter of China's US$2.56 trillion foreign trade or roughly US$683 billion.

Recently, more than 7000 factories based in southern Guangdong cities such as Shenzhen and Dongguan has shut due to rapidly falling demand from western consumers, stricter labour and environmental regulations and the global financial crisis.

Geography

Guangdong faces the South China Sea to the south and has a total of 4,300 km of coastline. Leizhou Peninsula is on the southwestern end of the province. There are a few inactive volcanoes on Leizhou Peninsula. The Pearl River Delta is the convergent point of three upstream rivers: the East River, North River, and West River. The river delta is filled with hundreds of small islands. The province is geographically separated from the north by a few mountain ranges collectively called the Southern Mountain Range (南岭). The highest peak in the province is Shikengkong 1,902 meters above sea level.

Guangdong borders Fujian province to the northeast, Jiangxi and Hunan provinces to the north, Guangxi autonomous region to the west, and Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions to the south. Hainan province is offshore across from the Leizhou Peninsula.

Cities around the Pearl River Delta include Dongguan, Foshan, Guangzhou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Shenzhen, Shunde, Taishan, Zhongshan and Zhuhai. Other cities in the province include Chaozhou, Chenghai, Kaiping, Nanhai, Shantou, Shaoguan, Xinhui, Zhanjiang, Zhaoqing, Yangjiang and Yunfu.

Guangdong has a humid subtropical climate (tropical in the far south), with short, mild, dry, winters and long, hot, wet summers. Average daily highs in Guangzhou in January and July are 18 °C (64 °F) and 33 °C (91 °F) respectively, although the humidity makes it feel much hotter in summer. Frost is rare on the coast but may happen a few days each winter well inland.

Guangdong Province is subdivided into 21 sections of which 19 are Prefecture-level cities and 2 are Sub-provincial cities:

Map # Name Hanzi Hanyu Pinyin Type
Map of Guangdong Province in China 1 Qingyuan 清远 Qīngyuǎn Prefecture-level city
2 Shaoguan 韶关 Sháoguān Prefecture-level city
3 Heyuan 河源 Héyuán Prefecture-level city
4 Meizhou 梅州 Méizhōu Prefecture-level city
5 Chaozhou 潮州 Cháozhōu Prefecture-level city
6 Zhaoqing 肇庆 Zhàoqìng Prefecture-level city
7 Yunfu 云浮 Yúnfú Prefecture-level city
8 Foshan 佛山 Fóshān Prefecture-level city
9 Guangzhou 广州 Guǎngzhōu Sub-provincial city
10 Dongguan 东莞 Dōngguǎn Prefecture-level city
11 Huizhou 惠州 Hùizhōu Prefecture-level city
12 Shanwei 汕尾 Shànwěi Prefecture-level city
13 Jieyang 揭阳 Jiēyáng Prefecture-level city
14 Shantou 汕头 Shàntóu Prefecture-level city
15 Zhanjiang 湛江 Zhànjiāng Prefecture-level city
16 Maoming 茂名 Màomíng Prefecture-level city
17 Yangjiang 阳江 Yángjiāng Prefecture-level city
18 Jiangmen 江门 Jiāngmén Prefecture-level city
19 Zhongshan 中山 Zhōngshān Prefecture-level city
20 Zhuhai 珠海 Zhūhǎi Prefecture-level city
21 Shenzhen 深圳 Shēnzhèn Sub-provincial city

News About Guangdong

Mothers face penalties after breaking rule
Zheng Feng, family planning department director of Guangdong, said women who gave birth to their second child in Hong Kong were fined when they returned home, the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported. The fine is up to six times their per capita ... »

Transport and Housing Bureau's response to media enquiries on the arrangements ...
The spokesman said: "In fact, both Hong Kong and Guangdong authorities have been discussing the cross-boundary private cars ad hoc quota trial scheme for a long time. Over the past few years, the scheme had been discussed by the Legco Panel on ... »

Easou Releases Chinese Mobile Internet Report
Guangdong province led among China Mobile subscribers with 15.87% of China's mobile internet users, followed by Henan, Hebei, Shandong, and Jiangsu, each of which accounted for roughly 7% of users - though Guangdong's share of users is displaying a ... »

China Ming Yang to Supply Turbines for Bulgarian Wind Projects
China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd., a Guangdong-based wind turbine manufacturer, agreed to supply machines on 125 megawatts of projects in Bulgaria. Ming Yang Wind Power (International) Co. Ltd., a unit of the company, signed contracts to provide ... »

Rio, Guangdong Nuclear Held Talks on Namibia, Ritchie Says
7 (Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group, the world's third- largest mining company, said it's held talks with China Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Co. on a possible venture in Namibia, where it owns the Rossing uranium mine. Guangdong Nuclear last week said it ... »

Hong Kong rages at wave of pregnant Chinese
The head of Guangdong province's family planning department told local media this week the government would fine anyone caught giving birth to a second child in Hong Kong as that would be an infringement of mainland China's one-child policy. »

Chinese rural ire grows with land grabs: survey
It's the arbitrary seizure of farmers' fields, and the farmers have complaints about this, and it's even sparking mass incidents," Wen said in Guangdong on Saturday, according to a Xinhua news agency report. "Mass incidents" is the official euphemism ... »

Rio ponders Rossing options
Rio Tinto faces a decision between selling its Rossing uranium mine to China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp or pursuing a joint venture with the Chinese group over their neighbouring Namibian assets, according to analysts. A sale would give CGNPC access ... »The West Australian

China: One fire may be out, but tensions over rural land rights are still ...
By Yu Gao / February 6, 2012 Election workers burn remaining unused ballots before vote counting at a school, turned into a polling station, in Wukan village in Lufeng, Guangdong province in China Feb 1. Thousands of residents of the restive village in ... »Christian Science Monitor

Baby rush will be solved, says Guangdong
The problem of pregnant mainland women flocking to give birth in Hong Kong will be solved, visiting Guangdong governor Zhu Xiaodan has assured. "Don't worry, Hongkongers. There must be a way to solve the problem," Zhu said after a meeting with ... »

China morning round-up: Wen Jiabao on 'rural democracy'
Wen Jiabao's comments - made as he toured the southern province of Guangdong - referred to a major speech made by the late leader Deng Xiaoping 20 years ago. His comments also come as the Guangdong village of Wukan prepares to elect new village ... »BBC News

China Should Maintain 'Stable' Trade Policies, Premier Says
Any adjustment should be more “encouraging” than “restrictive,” according to comments that Wen made during a visit to Guangdong on Feb. 3 and 4. He was in the southern province with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The Chinese economy expanded ... »

HK-Guangdong talks on China mums influx
The Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Raymond Tam, says he has discussed the influx of mainland women wanting to give birth in Hong Kong with the visiting Guangdong governor, Zhu Xiaodan. He expressed the hope that their Guangdong ... »

Water prices to stay put until 2014
The current raw water supply agreement between Macau and Guangdong expires in 2014. Since May 2011, Macau has been paying RMB2.07 per cubic metre of water. Ms Wong says the chances are high that the prices Guangdong charges Macau will be increased when ... »Macau Business

China bust cross-border smuggling gang
Border police on Friday prevented the gang from transporting 81 illegal immigrants to the nearby province of Guangdong, according to sources with the public security frontier defense forces of Guangxi. Large numbers of illegal immigrants have been ... »

Premier Stresses Unwavering Reform, Rural Democracy
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao waves to the crowd as he visits Shuili Village in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, Feb. 4, 2012. Premier Wen made a visit to Guangdong, a southern province that took the lead in China's opening-up and reform, ... »CRIENGLISH.com

20 held over 80m yuan fake health product ring
These were sold in 13 provinces and cities around the country, such as Hubei, Hebei and Guangdong provinces. It was reported that police raided five illegal workshops and seized more than 5 million illegal capsules and 200000 packaging items, ... »

Guangdong calls for Macau railway link
The leaders of the MSAR and Guangdong province have called for closer ties, including the first railway connection between the two sides. The Governor of Guangdong, Zhu Xiaodan, said during his speech at a Lunar New Year banquet held in Macau, ... »

Guangdong Wins CBA Regular Season in Advance
The victory has secured Guangdong the regular season crown, with 4 more games still to go. This is Guangdong's 8th regular season crown. Meanwhile, the second-placed Beijing Ducks were upset by the 11th-ranked Qingdao Doublestars 114-102. »CRIENGLISH.com

BREAKFAST DEALS: Extract fans
It's expected that Extract will update the market sometime today about the takeover that's assumed to be coming from China Guangdong Nuclear Power Corp, now that it has secured Extract's 43 per cent shareholder Kalahari Minerals. »

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