Guangdong South Central China

Guangdong province

Guangdong 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.

Guangdong is divided into twenty-one prefecture-level divisions: all prefecture-level cities (including two sub-provincial cities)

One of the most prosperous and developed areas of China. Guangdong's capital, Guangzhou, was once know as Canton and has been China's main trading centre for hundreds of years. The southern cities of Shenzhen and Zhouhai border Hong Kong and Macau. The strange buildings of Kaiping Diaolou are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  

Shenzhen is a major city in the south of Southern China’s Guangdong Province, situated immediately north of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The area became China’s first—and one of the most successful—Special Economic Zones (SEZs). It currently also holds sub-provincial administrative status, with powers slightly less than a province. According to a report published by Shenzhen Daily in 2012, Shenzhen has a population of approximately 15 million.

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