Capital of Guangdong in southern China and a trading port for over 2,000 years. Guangzhou is the home of Cantonese food and culture, close to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, and host of the twice-yearly Canton Fair.
Climate
Humid subtropical: long, hot and humid summers with heavy rain and the occasional typhoon, and mild winters that rarely need more than a jacket.
Local language
Mandarin is spoken everywhere, but Cantonese (粤语) is the local language you will hear on the street.
Food to try
Photo: afterdog · CC0 Dim sum and morning tea 早茶点心
Yum cha means tea with small dishes such as har gow shrimp dumplings and siu mai, shared over a long morning.
Photo: Peachyeung316 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Char siu 叉烧
Cantonese barbecued pork with a sweet, sticky glaze, served over rice or in buns.
Photo: ZhengZhou · CC BY-SA 4.0 Rice noodle rolls 肠粉
Silky steamed rice sheets rolled around shrimp, beef or egg and dressed with sweet soy sauce.
Sights
Photo: そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0 Canton Tower 广州塔
The 600-metre TV tower on the Pearl River, with observation decks and a slow sky wheel at the top.
Photo: Andrews Garory · CC BY-SA 4.0 Pearl River night cruise 珠江夜游
Boats along the illuminated riverfront between the old city and the new skyline.
Photo: Shujianyang · CC BY-SA 4.0 Chen Clan Ancestral Hall 陈家祠
A 19th-century ancestral hall covered in intricate wood, stone and ceramic carving, now a folk art museum.
Photo: Anthony Hartman from Meizhou, China · CC BY 2.0 Shamian Island 沙面
A quiet island of 19th-century European buildings and shady streets on the Pearl River.
Culture
Cantonese opera 粤剧
Opera sung in Cantonese with elaborate costumes and percussion, listed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.
Lingnan culture 岭南文化
The distinctive culture of southern China, seen in arcaded qilou street houses, ancestral halls and lion dance.
