Guangzhou is the capital city of Guangdong Province, a center of politics, economy, science and technology, education and culture with jurisdiction over 10 districts--, Dongshan, Liwan, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Tianhe, Fangcun, Baiyun, Huangpu, Panyu, Huadu and two cities-Zengcheng and Conghua at county level. It is situated in the mid-south of Guandong, with Dongjiang, Beijiang and Xijiang converging here and flowing out to the sea. The Pearl River streams through the city, making it a pivot of transport and telecommunication and trading port, winning the name of "South Gate of the Motherland". Since June 2000, Panyu and Huadu, which had been cities at the county level were transformed into districts, Guangzhou has become a seaside city in South China. It is a cultural city with a history of more than two thousand long years. It was called "Chuting" in the ninth century BC; in AD 226 Sun Quan divided Gaozhou into two parts: Jiaozhou and Guangzhou. Hence the name has been used ever since. A legend goes that five immortals brought some rice ears, riding on five rams to Guangzhou, so the city is also called "Rams City", "Rice Ears City".

Guangzhou is a well-known homeland of overseas Chinese, a big city with the biggest number of overseas Chinese. There are 1.35 million folk people living abroad, of which 0.52 million were overseas Chinese and Chinese with foreign citizenship, 0.83 million compatriots in Hong Kong and Macau. It the city there are over a million of returned overseas Chinese, their kin and kin folks in Hong Kong and Macau.

Guangzhou has rich resources: over 30 kinds of mineral reserves found, 146 mining spots; total volume of water of 8,.129 billion cubic meters, hydro-power resource reaches 0.409 million KW; there are several thousand kinds of plants, 210 kinds of wild animals. Rice is the main food plant here, with two crops every year. Cash crops are sugar canes, peanuts, vegetables, fruit in the main. Guangzhou is a land of fruits, with more than 500 kinds. Lichees, bananas, mandarin oranges and pineapples are noted as the 'four fine fruits of Lingnan'. Flowers and scenic pots are also specialties in Guangzhou, including three major kinds of ornamental flowers, leaves and fruits of 150 species.

Guangzhou is bestowed with green hills and clean waters, beautiful scenery and rich tourist resources. There are dozens of cultural tourist spots in the city, of which the most well-known are Chen Clan Temple, Yuntai Park ( in Baiyun Mountain scenic area), Five Rams Statue, Zhenhai Building (Yuexiu Park, Guangzhou Museum), The Glory of 1911 (Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mmorial Hall, Huanghuagang Mausoleum), Guangzhou Grand World Views, Sunny Dawn Over Lotus (Lotus Hill Tourist Area), Dongfang Amusement Park, Xiguan Shopping Arcade, Six Banyan Trees Pagoda, Hong Xiuquan's Formal Residence, Baomo Garden, Xiangjiang Wild Animals Garden in Panyu, and Changlong Evening Wild Animal World.



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