Guangdong
Facing
the south China sea in the southernmost of China's continent, Guangdong
Province constitutes the region through which South China's trade is
primarily channeled. It is the province with the longest coastline in
China. It has an area of 177,600 square kilometers with a population of
more than 110 million. Guangdong is China's richest province and its GDP
in 2009 reached CNY3,908,159 million, or US$572,121 million.
Location and Climate
It
is bordered by the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the west, and by
the provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi to the north, and Fujian Province to
the northeast, and by Hainan Province and the South China Sea to the
south. Hong Kong and Macao are on the coast of Guangdong.
Guangdong
features tropical and sub-tropical climates. The average July
temperature is little different from temperature on the lower reaches of
the Yangtze River and on the Yellow River, but the average January
temperature is considerably higher, ranging from 13°to 16°C.
Population and Overseas Chinese
Guangdong
is the third largest province of China in terms of its population.
According to the sampling survey done in 2002, the population of
permanent residents in Guangdong Province was 78,585,800 with an annual
growth rate of 0.97%, accounting for 6.12% of the whole country and
continually ranking the third in China. The average population density
is 442 persons per square kilometer.
Guangdong
is a renowned hometown of overseas Chinese. At present, those who
originated from Guangdong amount to nearly 30 million people, including
Chinese nationals living abroad, ethnic Chinese, and compatriots living
in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan.
Chinese
nationals abroad and ethnic Chinese add up to 20 million people in more
than two hundred countries and regions across the world. Compatriots in
Hong Kong and Macao total over six million, and Taiwan compatriots
about four million.
In
addition, over 20 million of returned overseas Chinese and their
families now live all over the province, particularly in the Pearl River
Delta and Chaoshan plain followed by Meizhou region.
"The
World's Hakkas Kinship Conference", "The International Chaozhou
Friendship Association" and "The World's Zhongshan Middle Schools Alumni
Kinship Conference" are some of the Guangdong overseas Chinese
organizations that have clout abroad.
Transportation
Getting
in and out of the city is convenient because of the well-planned
transportation system. If you want to come by water, there are a series
of international and domestic sea routes in ports of Guangzhou, Zhuhai
and Shantou.
If
you plan to arrive by air, Baiyun International Airport and other
airports will offer excellent service. Of course, arriving in Guangdong
by land is another option, while trains or long-distance buses are yet
another alternative.
History
Guangdong
was originally occupied by non-Han ethnic groups, and was first
incorporated into the Chinese Empire in 222 BC. In 111 BC Emperor Wu of
the Han Dynasty extended rule as far as to Hainan Island. During the
five centuries of the Sui, Tang, and Northern Song dynasties from AD 581
to 1126, the military and agricultural settlement of Guangdong, coupled
with increasing overseas trade through Guangzhou port. Two major
southward thrust of the Han Chinese took place, one in 1126, when
Jurchens captured the Song capital, the other in 1279, when Mongols
subdued Song dynasty. These migrations marked the beginning of the rapid
cultural development of Guangdong. The population grew so fast that by
the late 17 century, Guangdong had already become an area from which
emigration took place. Migrants from Guangdong moved first to Guangxi,
Sichuan and Taiwan and then in mid-19th century began to pour into
Southeast Asia and North America.
Culture and Tourism
The
handicraft industry in Guangdong is in the lead in the whole country
with a long history and unique features. As early as 1870s, the
handicraft industry in Ganging had become well known as "guanghuo".
Hardware (such as keys, knives, flashlights), umbrella, leather
products, furniture (especial the carved mahogany furniture) are all
well-known in the world. Among the artware, the ivory carving, gem
carving, iron carving, porcelain carving and golden-wood carving are
well known for their excellent design. The Guangdong embroidery and the
Chaozhou embroidery, one of the four kinds of best embroideries in
China, are known for their beautiful patterns and exquisite craft.
Besides, there are also Zhaoqing's inkstone, Dongguan's fireworks,
Shiwan's porcelain and Xingning's folding fan.
This
region is associated with Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese opera is a form
of Chinese opera popular in Cantonese speaking areas. Related Yue
dialects are spoken in most of the western half of the province. 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, Han
opera, Hakka Hanyue and sixian (traditional instrumental music) and
Hakka folk songs.
Notable
attractions include Danxia Mountain, Yuexiu Hill in Guangzhou, Star
Lake and the Seven Star Crags, Dinghu Mountain, and the Zhongshan Sun
Wen Memorial Park for Sun Yat-sen in Zhongshan.
Universities in Guangdong
•Sun Yat-sen University
•Jinan University
•Guangdong University of Foreign Studies
•Shenzhen University
•South China Normal University
•Guangdong University of Technology
•Shaoguan University
•Jiaying University
•Monash College China Programs
•Shenzhen Polytechnic
•SouthChina University of Technology
•Guangzhou University
•Guangdong Polytechnic Normal University
•Guangdong University of Business Studies
•Guangdong Education Institute
•Guangdong Baiyun University
•Guangdong Lingnan institute of Technology
•Guangdong Technical College of Water Resources and Electric Engineering
•Guangdong Industry Technical College
•Guangdong Radio &TV University
•Guangzhou Maritime College
•Guangdong Vocational College of Posts and Telecom
•Guangdong University of Finance
•Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering
•Guangdong Women’s Polytechnic College
•South China Agricultural University
•Guangdong Police College
•Guangdong Peizheng College
•Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine
•Southern Medical University
•Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts
•Xinhai Conservatory of Music
•Chinese Educational Base of Guangdong Province
•Shenzhen University