Guangdong

Guangdong is a coastal province in South China, right next to the South China Sea. Its capital city is Guangzhou. It is the most crowded province in China, with many people living there.

The economy of Guangdong is very strong. It helps a lot with China's overall money and trade. The province holds a big trade fair called the Canton Fair. The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone is very busy, with cities like Guangzhou and Shenzhen. This area is important for high tech, manufacturing, and international trade.

Guangdong has a rich culture. It has influenced places in Southeast Asia through its special Cantonese, Hakka, and Teochew traditions. It was also where Sun Yat-sen, an important person in Chinese history, was born. Today, Guangdong is a leader in learning and research, with many schools and universities.

Name

"Guǎng" (traditional Chinese: 廣; simplified Chinese: 广) means "wide" or "vast". It has been linked to this area since AD 226. The name "Guang" started from a place called Guangxin, built in the Han dynasty near today's Wuzhou. Together with Guangxi, the area is known as Two Guangs.

"Dōng" (traditional Chinese: 東; simplified Chinese: 东) means "east". The word "Canton" comes from the Portuguese word "Cantão". It usually means the main city, Guangzhou. People sometimes use it for the whole area. The local people and their language are Cantonese.

History

Main article: History of Guangdong

Guangdong has a long and interesting history. About 7,000 years ago, during the Neolithic period, people began to live in the Pearl River Delta. Later, many groups lived there, including the Baiyue.

During the Qin dynasty, the area became part of China and was named Nanhai Commandery near today’s Guangzhou.

Over time, Guangdong became an important place for trading. It was a busy port where people from many lands, such as Persians, Arabs, and Malays, came to trade things like silk and chinaware.

During the Tang dynasty and Song dynasty, the name “Guangdong” was created. In recent times, Guangdong has been very important for trade and growth, especially after changes in the late 20th century. It is now China’s largest economy.

Geography

Guangdong is a coastal province in southern China, next to the South China Sea. It has a long coastline and includes the Leizhou Peninsula on its southwest. The Pearl River Delta is where three rivers—the East River, North River, and West River—come together, making many small islands.

The province is separated from northern areas by mountain ranges called the Nan Mountains. Its highest point is Shikengkong, which is 6,240 feet above sea level. Guangdong touches Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Guangxi, as well as the special regions of Hong Kong and Macau. It has a warm climate with mild winters and hot, rainy summers.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Guangdong

Guangdong is one of the richest and most important places in China for business. In 2022, its total money made (called GDP) was very big—13.57 trillion RMB. This made Guangdong the place with the most money in China since 1989.

The big growth in Guangdong started in the early 1990s, mainly because of making lots of things to sell to other countries. Today, Guangdong makes and buys more things than any other part of China. It also has special areas where businesses can grow quickly, like Shenzhen, Shantou, and Zhuhai. Most of the money is made close to the Pearl River Delta.

Demographics

Guangdong is the most populous province in China. Many people live there because they find jobs. If Guangdong were a country, it would be one of the largest by population.

Most people in Guangdong live in cities. The province has many different groups of people. It is where many Chinese people living outside of China come from. The most common language is Cantonese, but people speak many other languages there.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Guangdong

For a more comprehensive list, see List of provincial leaders of the People's Republic of China.

Guangdong, like other areas in mainland China, has a system where the CCP Guangdong Provincial Committee Secretary has more power than the Governor. The CCP Guangdong Provincial Committee makes important decisions and watches over the Guangdong Provincial People's Government.

Law enforcement and safety in Guangdong are handled by the Guangdong Provincial Public Security Department. The People's Armed Police Guangdong Corps deals with special tasks, and the Guangdong Provincial Fire and Rescue Department works on firefighting and rescues. The Guangdong Provincial state security department protects security interests. Corrections are managed by the Guangdong Prison Administrative Bureau.

Guangdong has special ties with Hong Kong and Macau, which are special administrative regions. These areas manage their own local issues, and any agreements with Guangdong are made through talks between their governments and the Guangdong provincial government.

Media

Guangdong and the Guangzhou area have many radio and television stations. These include Radio Guangdong, Guangdong Television, Southern Television Guangdong, Shenzhen Television, and Guangzhou Television. These stations share news and stories about the region. Radio Guangdong also makes an English program. This program reaches listeners all over the world through the WRN Broadcast.

Culture

Main article: Lingnan culture

Further information: Cantonese cuisine and Music of Guangdong

Guangdong has many different cultures because people from many places live there. Most people in the middle of Guangdong speak a language called Yue Chinese. They enjoy eating Cantonese cuisine, which includes tasty small dishes called dim sum. They also love watching Cantonese opera, a special kind of Chinese opera.

On the eastern coast, places like Chaozhou, Shantou, and Jieyang have their own culture called Chaoshan. People there, known as the Teochew people, speak a language called Haklau. They have their own style of food called Teochew cuisine and a unique kind of opera called Teochew opera.

The Hakka people live in many parts of Guangdong. They have their own special food, music, and songs.

People also play a game called Xiangqi, or Chinese chess, and Guangdong has produced many great players.

Education and research

Guangdong is an important place for learning and research in China. In 2022, it had 160 colleges and universities, the most in the South Central China area. Many big cities, like Shenzhen and Guangzhou, have lots of schools. Guangzhou alone has 83 colleges, which is second most in all of China.

By 2025, two cities in Guangdong—Guangzhou and Shenzhen—were among the top 20 cities in the world for research, according to the Nature Index. The province has many types of schools, including technology, science, medicine, and arts.

Colleges and universities

For a more complete list, see List of universities and colleges in Guangdong.

Provincial

• Dongguan Institute of Technology
• Dongguan University of Technology
• Foshan University
• Guangdong Education and Research Network
• Guangdong General Hospital
• Guangdong Institute of Education
• Guangdong Institute of Science and Technology
• Guangdong Medical College
• Guangdong Ocean University
• Guangdong Petrochemical Academy
• Guangdong Pharmaceutical University
• Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
• Guangdong Radio and TV University
• Guangdong University of Finance & Economics
• Guangdong University of Finance
• Guangdong University of Technology
• Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
• Guangzhou Education College
• Guangzhou Normal University
• Guangzhou Sports University
• Guangzhou University
• Hanshan Teachers College
• Huizhou University
• Panyu Polytechnic
• Shaoguan University
• Shenzhen Party School
• Shantou University
• Shenzhen University
• Shenzhen Technology University
• Shenzhen Polytechnic
• Shunde University
• Southern Medical University
• Wuyi University
• Xijiang University
• Xinghai Conservatory of Music
• Zhanjiang Normal University
• Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering
• Zhaoqing University

Sports

Guangdong has many professional sports teams. These teams play in sports like basketball and football. They bring excitement to the province and attract fans from everywhere.

Tourism

Guangdong has many places to visit. Popular spots include Danxia Mountain in Shaoguan, Yuexiu Hill, and Baiyun Mountain in Guangzhou. Other attractions are Star Lake, the Seven Star Crags, Dinghu Mountain in Zhaoqing, and the Huangmanzhai waterfalls in Jieyang. In Shenzhen, you can see the Window of the World, visit Happy Valley, or relax at Rose Beach and Xiaomeisha Beach. The Zhongshan Sun Wen Memorial Park in Zhongshan honors Sun Yat-sen, an important person in history.

Administrative divisions

For a more comprehensive list, see List of administrative divisions of Guangdong and List of township-level divisions of Guangdong.

Guangdong is divided into twenty-one prefecture-level divisions, all of which are prefecture-level cities, including two sub-provincial cities. These twenty-one Prefecture are further divided into 122 county-level divisions, which include 65 districts, 20 county-level cities, 34 counties, and 3 autonomous counties. For more details on county-level divisions, see the list of administrative divisions of Guangdong.

International relations

Guangdong works with many places around the world. It has friendly ties with Aichi Prefecture in Japan, Caruaru in Brazil, Hawaiʻi in the United States of America, New South Wales in Australia, Gujarat, India, and California in the United States of America. These ties help the areas share ideas and work together.