A city in the PRC - Guangzhou - is the capital of Guangdong province and is considered the economic and political center of southern China. Guangzhou has a population of about 14.9 million, making it the third largest city in the country.
Name
The oldest and largest city in China has many names. For a long time the whole world knew him under a different name - Canton (Guangzhou).
The Chinese themselves often call it the city of five goats, and also the city of flowers. The official language is Chinese, but many speak English.
Geography
Megapolis area 7434.4 km2 located north of the Pearl River Delta, whose bed is crossed by the city itself, and next to the coast of the South China Sea.
The port of Gouangzhou is the largest in China and receives international vessels.
Story
Foundation date - IX century. BC. Then it was named Panyue after the Pan and Yu mountains in the vicinity. In those days, the Pearl River (translated as "Pearl River") was the center of the pearl industry that has survived to this day. The city in the delta became the starting point of the maritime Silk Road.
The name Canton in China was given by the Portuguese in the 16th century. For a very long time, the Cantonese port was the only one accessible to European ships in China. Even then, it was surrounded by a brick wall 10 km long.
In 1921, a revolution took place that overthrew the last imperial dynasty and turned the country into a Republic. The modern name was given after the Communist Party came to power in1949 g.
Additional Information! Modern explosive growth began in Guangzhou in 1984, when the national policy of "open China" was proclaimed. Now, the Canton Fair is held here every year in the specially built giant Pazhou Exhibition Center, where Chinese industry products are presented on 60 thousand stands.
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How to get there
Since 2004, the city has had its own international airport Guangzhou - Baiyun (translated as "white clouds"). The name is borrowed from the nearby mountain of the same name. The main terminal has an area 320 thousand m2... It is separated from the center of Guangzhou 28 km... In total, there are more than a hundred directions in the flight map, but departures are mainly within China.
Direct charters follow from Moscow, but you can also fly in transit with a transfer via Beijing or Shanghai, with which the city is connected by bus and rail. Duration of direct flight from take-off to arrival - 11 h... For tourists from Russia, there is a visa regime, with the exception of the nearby island of Hainan, where you can fly on a voucher without a visa for 21 days. Arriving at the station, you can get to any point by taxi, or even better - immediately hire a guide.
Climate
Guangzhou and the surrounding area are located in the subtropics. The climate here is humid and warm, which is why the streets are buried in flowers all year round. Temperatures are roughly as follows:
- from May to October the average temperature is +28 .. + 32 ° С;
- in December and January - from +3 to +22 ° С, depending on the weather and wind direction;
- the rainy season lasts from April to June;
- autumn is warm and dry.
Guangzhou travel guide
The oldest city in the country can offer tourists a colossal number of attractions. Some of them are 2 thousand years old! When deciding what to see in Guangzhou, it is worth considering the amount of free time.
Central City Square "Huacheng Square"
HuaCheng is the name of the square next to the two tallest skyscrapers in Guangzhou, which means "Flower City".
Green alley long 1.5 km is surrounded by about 40 of the most significant objects of the city, including the opera, library, museum and others. The underground level is occupied by the Mall of the World.
Guangzhou-Yuan
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The high-rise building in the form of a giant 136-meter donut (33 floors) was built in 2013 according to the design of the Italian Giuseppe di Pasquali.
A unique place in Guangzhou is where almost the Pearl River is located. The facades are completely made of metal and glass. There is a hotel in the building, offering guests to climb to the very top and see the panorama of the city.
Tv tower
This Guangzhou TV Tower is the second largest in the world. Its construction was carried out in 2005-2009.
The hyperboloid structure of metal and concrete reaches a height 600 m... About 10 thousand tourists from all over the world visit it every day. The glazed observation platform at a height of 488 m gives a good view from the Guangzhou tower, as does the stained glass windows of the two revolving restaurants at a height 418 and 428 m.
Chen Clan House
Temple of 1894 with an area of 13000 m2 Built with donations from members of the numerous Chen families in Guangdong Province.
For reference! Here is the Academy of Classical Education and the Museum of Folk Art of the Celestial Empire.
The building consists of 19 premises for various purposes and 6 courtyards surrounded by a single brick wall. The architectural monument is made in the Lingnan style, which is a fusion of traditional Japanese, Chinese and European traditions.
Flower mountains
From the old quarry for the extraction of stone, from which the city was built, mountains in the shape of lotuses remained in memory - only 48 hills of red sandstone.
This is a beautiful natural park with multi-level observation platforms, waterfalls, ponds, landscaped stone paths and sculptures made of white marble.
Attention! The tallest statue of Buddha in the world (108 m) is also located here.
Sanctuary of the five saviors
A temple dedicated to the legend of the founders of Guangzhou. According to legend, five spirits (three men and two women) descended from heaven on clouds of different colors on horseback. The animals had ears of rice in their mouths - a divine gift to the townspeople.
Inside the pagoda are five statues of immortals.
Huayshenn Mosque
The main and oldest mosque in Guangzhou. The first mention of her refers to by 1206
Minaret high 35.75 m called "Guanta", which means "tower of light". There is reason to believe that the light at its top served as a beacon for ships in the port.
According to legend, it is believed that the foundation of the temple was laid by Saad ibn Abu Waqqas, who was the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad.
Cathedral of the Heart of the Lord
The Catholic Cathedral looks like it was taken out of the French Middle Ages and moved to China.
Its height is about 60 m, and the area is 2700 m2... Construction began in 1861 with funds allocated by Napoleon III and French Catholics.
It is interesting! The first stone in the foundation was brought from Jerusalem, and covered with earth brought from Rome. The project copies the Basilica of Saint Clotilde in Paris.
Sanyuan Temple
The oldest and largest Taoist temple in Guangzhou was built during the Wing Dynasty. It was erected in the southern part of Yuexiu Hill.
The name of the sanctuary is made up of words translated from Chinese meaning water, earth and sky. According to the Taoist theory, the Universe itself consists of these elements.
Excursions
Sightseeing tours cover attractions, focusing on the needs of tourists: shopping, visiting an exhibition, temples and pagodas, walks in parks and museums, etc.
Guangzhou is ready to offer something interesting for everyone. Visiting viewing platforms, of which there are a great many in the city at very different heights, is in particular demand. A sightseeing tour can be booked in any hotel.
The best beaches
Within the city there are comfortable river beaches near the Pearl River. The swimming season lasts from May to October. Address - Liwan district, get off the subway at Zhong Shan Ba station.
The best ones are:
- Dameisha is the most visited, its length 1800 m, located on the shore of Dapengwan Bay;
- Xiaomeisha - less crowded, 1 km long, attracts tourists with the "Xiaomeisha Nights" show organized at night with the participation of magicians, acrobats, dancers.
Festivals and Holidays
Along with those holidays that are celebrated throughout China, it is here that the brightest and most spectacular local holidays are recommended to visit:
- Boluo Temple Festival - held in early February and dedicated to the god of the South China Sea Nanhai;
- Shavan carnival - welcomes the arrival of spring in early March;
- Guangzhou Temple Fair - lasts a week in mid-January and promotes the national way of life in the Guangdong region;
- flower festival in January - at this time the city is literally foaming with flower arrangements and bouquets;
- rowing festival - amateurs and professionals compete in dragon boat rowing in May;
- food festival - a holiday with international roots, where you can taste national and European cuisine.
Note! When determining the dates of any holidays and festivals, you should clarify them in Chinese sources, since they are all tied not to the Gregorian, but to the lunar calendar and the dates change annually.
Other types of entertainment
Adult tourists, children, students, newlyweds in Guangzhou will always find an interesting activity for their liking. The choice of attractions in Guangzhou (China) is huge, because the city never sleeps.
Note! You should have a route map with you so as not to get lost.
Leisure
Once you find yourself where Guangzhou is located, you will not be bored.
Changlong Water Park, or Water World, which is the largest in Asia, invites you to have fun outdoors. About 40 thousand tourists visit it annually.
Chimelong Paradise, an amusement park for children and adults, is no less interesting. Huge oceanarium (13 thousand m2) "Water World" is ready to showcase 200 species of marine life, including dolphins, seals and sharks.
Night life
For those who prefer to spend their nights outside the hotel room, the city is ready to offer a lot of entertainment: bars, restaurants, theaters, cafes, baths, clubs, which you can go to at any time.
Famous bar streets:
- Binjiang,
- Baye Tan,
- Huanshi.
For an unforgettable experience, visit Changlong Night Animal World - a night zoo with a colorful circus performance, tickets can be bought online. The description of the opera house based on the futuristic project of Zaha Hadid deserves special attention.
note! In hotels, the interior traditionally repeats the rules of feng shui, and the most expensive rooms face the river or mountains.
Rest for children
There are a variety of entertainment centers and amusement parks for children, among which the most popular are:
- Chang Long is an entertainment center with the Chime-Long Paradise amusement park, where more than a hundred different extreme carousels operate, and the height of the roller coaster reaches 40 m.
- Chime-Long Xiangjiang is a safari park where you can observe 300 species of birds, reptiles and animals (lions, tigers, antelopes, etc.) in their natural environment.
- Chang Long is a circus, which is often called - "Chinese du Soleil".
- Zoo - covers an area of 430 m2, about 5 thousand birds and animals live here.
Twin cities
Guangzhou has 18 sister cities, including Russian Kazan and Yekaterinburg, French Lyon, Canadian Vancouver and others. The last was Kazan in2012 r.
Shopping in Guangzhou
The city consists of districts, each of which has shops. One of these in Guangzhou is Panyu. The 10 largest streets of the city have become the epicenters of trade, each with its own specifics (clothing, fabrics, footwear, electronics, etc.).
For example, precious wood furniture and jade ornaments are to be found on Hualinsa Street, and antiques are on display on Wendalu. For souvenirs, you need to go to Shangxiaziulu Street. Shopping malls and markets compete with them.
Guangzhou Markets
Guangzhou is the hub of wholesale trade that sustains the region's economy. At the same time, wholesale markets are focused on certain categories of goods. Only buyers are interested in visiting them. Tourists are interested in others:
- Ball. There are most of all counterfeits of the world's best brands in China. Copy quality is excellent.
- White horse. Here they sell extra-class clothes for the average category of buyers. Manufacturers' offices are also concentrated here.
- Three horses. Another market specializing in fakes. A cascade of shopping centers with a height of8-12 floors combines wholesale and retail.
- Golden horse. A very popular market, where clothes for children made of leather and fur are not of the highest quality, but very affordable prices.
Guangzhou shopping malls
Shopping centers within the city are located almost at every turn. The largest of them are as follows:
- Tianhe - located on the square of the same name. As close as possible to the European standard. Exit the subway at Tiyu Xilu station.
- China Plaza - 18 floors of restaurants, shops, entertainment centers.
- La Pearl is an elite shopping center with branded boutiques of world famous brands.
- Taikoo Hui is one of the most expensive and prestigious shopping centers with beautiful architecture and a high level of amenities.
For reference! The biggest sales are usually announced on New Year's Day, October 1 (Education Day of the People's Republic of China) and May 1 (Workers' Day).
Safety in Guangzhou: what to watch out for
In recent years, the crime rate in Guangzhou has increased, but remains not very high.
The biggest problem can be caused by a high level of corruption. But it is practically impossible to suffer from the threat of racism, thanks to tourism it is easy to meet representatives of almost any nationality here.
They can rob on the streets, but this phenomenon is not widespread. A tourist who is attentive to his belongings most likely will not get hurt.
Guangzhou is second only to Beijing and Shanghai in all respects, and otherwise serves as a recognized center for tourism, shopping, trade, and manufacturing. It is worth coming here in order to see China from a different point of view.
