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Guangzhou

City in ChinaGuangzhou lies on the Pearl River in southern China, about 120 km north-west of Hong Kong. It is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province.

What it's known for

From 1757 to 1842, Guangzhou's Thirteen Factories were the only legal place where foreigners could trade with China. The city also holds the Canton Fair, the oldest and largest trade fair in China, and from 1923 to 1926 it was the base of Sun Yat-sen and the Kuomintang.

Fun facts

  1. The old English name 'Canton' comes from the Portuguese 'Cantão', a blend of local ways of saying 'Guangdong'.
  2. Its nickname 'City of Rams' comes from five stones at the Temple of the Five Immortals, said to be the sheep or goats ridden by Taoist heroes.
  3. The Canton Tower, 604 m tall with its antenna, opened in 2010 and is nicknamed 'Slim Waist' because of its narrow middle.

Finding it on the globe

Find Hong Kong at the mouth of the Pearl River, then follow the river inland to the north-west to reach Guangzhou.

Easy to mix up

Guangzhou is the city and Guangdong is the province around it, so the names are easy to mix up. China's national capital is Beijing, about 1,890 km to the north.

Sources: Wikipedia: Guangzhou, Wikipedia: Canton Tower, Wikipedia: List of national capitals