A coastal province in southern China, with a developed economy and a frontier region for reform and opening up.
Guangzhou City (Guangzhou City, Canton [166]), referred to as "Sui", also known as Yangcheng, Huacheng, and Wuyangcheng, [162] is a prefecture-level city, provincial capital, sub-provincial city, national central city, megacity, [53] a world-class city under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. It is located in the south-central part of Guangdong Province and the northern edge of the Pearl River Delta [46] [81], with a total area of 7,434.40 square kilometers [1] [14]. The common languages are Cantonese and Mandarin. [35] As of March 2025, Guangzhou City has 11 districts under its jurisdiction. As of the end of 2024, Guangzhou City has a permanent population of 18.978 million. [448] Guangzhou City has a significant marine climate, and both the ocean and the continent have a significant impact on Guangzhou's climate. [115] [116] Guangzhou City is a hilly area, with high terrain in the northeast and low terrain in the southwest. [34] As early as the Neolithic period six or seven thousand years ago, our ancestors lived and multiplied on this land. [82] The city of Guangzhou in the Qin Dynasty was named Renxiao City because it was built by the Qin general Renxiao. Its official name is Panyu City. [113] In the third year of Shunzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1646), Zhu Yuanzhang's descendants proclaimed themselves emperors in Guangzhou, with the reign title "Shaowu". This was known as the "Southern Ming" regime, which lasted only 40 days. [113] On October 14, 1949, Guangzhou was liberated and became a centrally administered municipality. In 1950, it was changed to the leadership of the Central South Military and Political Committee. In 1954, it was transferred to the leadership of Guangdong Province and became a provincial-level city. In 1994, it was upgraded to a sub-provincial city. [226] Guangzhou is the core city of the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area. It is an important central city, international trade center and comprehensive transportation hub in China approved by the State Council. [80] It is an international trade center, a national advanced manufacturing base, a comprehensive portal, and an important carrier of the international science and technology innovation center. [76] [169] [413] Guangzhou's main industries are shipping services, science and technology services, special finance, international trade, professional services and other productive services. [125] Guangzhou is one of the first national historical and cultural cities, one of the starting points of the Maritime Silk Road, and is known as the "Millennium Commercial Capital". It has been a place where Chinese and foreign cultures have blended since ancient times, one of the birthplaces of Cantonese culture, and the headquarters of China's Southern Theater Command. [170-171] In 2024, Guangzhou's GDP will be 3,103.25 billion yuan, an increase of 2.1% over the previous year at comparable prices.
Shenzhen City, abbreviated as "Shen", also known as Pengcheng, is a prefecture-level city, a sub-provincial city, a national planned city, and a megacity under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province. It is a Chinese special economic zone approved by the State Council, a national innovative city, a modern marine city, an international comprehensive transportation hub city, a national economic center, a national advanced manufacturing base, a gateway to the outside world, an important carrier of an international science and technology innovation center, and a pilot demonstration zone of socialism with Chinese characteristics [1] [346-347]. It is located in the southern part of Guangdong Province, on the east bank of the Pearl River Estuary, bordering Daya Bay and Dapeng Bay to the east, the Pearl River Estuary and Lingdingyang to the west, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to the south, and Dongguan City and Huizhou City to the north [191]. By the end of 2024, the city will have 9 districts, a total area of 1,997.47 square kilometers, and a permanent population of 17.9895 million [378]. Shenzhen has a 7,000-year history of human activities and a 1,700-year history of city construction [326]. It is a comprehensive landform with hills as the main feature, and a combination of low mountains, hills, plateaus, terraces, and plains [323]. It has a subtropical monsoon climate, with long summers and short winters, mild weather, abundant sunshine, and abundant rainfall [324]. Shenzhen's predecessor was Bao'an County [236] [238] [285]. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the main part of the city belonged to Xin'an County of Guangzhou Prefecture [234-235]. Before the establishment of the city, it belonged to Huiyang District [239]. The name Shenzhen first appeared in historical records in the eighth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1410). In March 1979, Bao'an County was renamed Shenzhen City, which was under the dual leadership of Guangdong Province and Huiyang District. In November, it was directly under the leadership of Guangdong Province. On August 26, 1980, Shenzhen established the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone [290] [376]. Shenzhen is one of the key overseas Chinese hometowns in Guangdong Province, one of the important old revolutionary bases, and one of the birthplaces of the Dongjiang Column during the Anti-Japanese War [327-328]; it is a window of China's reform and opening up and an emerging immigrant city, creating the world-renowned "Shenzhen Speed" and is known as the "Silicon Valley of China" [254]; it is also one of the four central cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, a national logistics hub, an international science and technology industry innovation center [2], and one of China's three national financial centers [3]. In 2024, Shenzhen's GDP will reach 3680.187 billion yuan, an increase of 5.8% over the previous year