Its English name used to be Canton. It was the first (and for a long time, the only) city open to westerners in China. Six months after the end of the American Revolutionary War, the trade ship Empress of China sailed from New York to Guangzhou and eventually led to diplomatic relations between the two countries. (How cool to be a diplomat in a city with that much diplomatic history!)
It has a subtropical climate with three seasons: muggy, miserably hot, and cool. (Note: do not judge the weather based upon what you see people wearing; doing so will result in you being overdressed and sweaty.)
It is nicknamed the “City of Flowers” because it is covered in flowers all year long. The city is especially beautiful during Spring Festival as flower markets and flower sculptures fill the streets.
It is the third largest city in China with a population of over 13 million people.
The local language is Cantonese, though schools are required to exclusively use Mandarin.
It has more tea houses and restaurants than any other city in China. A large part of the culture includes morning tea with dim sum (a meal comprised of small dishes such as steamed buns, dumplings and pastries). When someone refills your cup of tea, use your index and middle fingers to tap on the table twice as a way of saying ‘thank you’ without interrupting the conversation.
The U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou is the center of the new business district. U.S. diplomats were actually disappointed when they were given the lot for the consulate in 2001–there was nothing around but fields and rice paddies. Today it is surrounded by skyscrapers and cultural centers, bringing in tourists, migrant workers, and business owners. (My cultural policy brain loves this stuff!)
The consulate here is the only one in China where American adoptions can take place.
Places nearby:
We are a one- to two-hour train ride away from Hong Kong. So whenever we are craving a genuine Shake Shack burger, we can hop on a train!
The beautiful karst mountains of Guilin are only three hours away by train. It’s a stunning getaway that we’ve already taken advantage of multiple times.
