Guangdong is also one of the leading provinces in research and education in China. It hosts 160 institutions of higher education,ranking first in the South Central China region and second among all Chinese provinces/municipalities,after Jiangsu.[16] As of 2025,two major cities in the province ranked in the world's top 20 cities (Guangzhou 6th and Shenzhen 18th) by scientific research output.[17]
Name
"Guǎng" (traditional Chinese:廣;simplified Chinese:广) means "wide" or "vast" and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226.[18] The name "Guang" ultimately came from Guangxin (廣信;广信),an outpost established in Han dynasty near modern Wuzhou,whose name is a reference to an order by Emperor Wu of Han to "widely bestow favors and sow trust". Together,Guangdong and Guangxi are called Loeng gwong (兩廣;两广;liǎng guǎng) During the Song dynasty,the Two Guangs were formally separated as Guǎngnán Dōnglù (廣南東路;广南东路;'EastCircuit in Southern Guang') and Guǎngnán Xīlù (廣南西路;广南西路;'WestCircuit in Southern Guang'),which became abbreviated as Guǎngdōng Lù (廣東路;广东路) and GuǎngxīLù (廣西路;广西路).
"Canton",though etymologically derived from Cantão (the Portuguese transliteration of "Guangdong"),usually by itself refers to the provincial capital Guangzhou.[19][20] Historically,Canton was also used for the province itself,[21] but often either specified as a province (e.g. Canton Province),[22] or written as Kwangtung in the Wade–Giles system and now most commonly as Guangdong in Pinyin.[23] The local people of the city of Guangzhou (Canton) and their language are called Cantonese in English. Because of the prestige of Canton and its accent,Cantonese can also be used,in a wider sense,for the phylogenetically related residents and Chinese dialects outside the provincial capital.[citation needed]
The Neolithic era began in the Pearl River Delta (珠江三角洲) 7,000 years before present (BP),with the early period from around 7000 to 5000 BP (c. 5050–3050 BC),and the late period from about 5000 to 3500 BP (c. 3050–1550 BC). In coastal Guangdong,the Neolithic was likely introduced from the middle Yangtze River area (Jiao 2013). In inland Guangdong,the Neolithic appeared in Guangdong 4,600 years before present (BP). The Neolithic in northern inland Guangdong is represented by the Shixia culture (石峽文化),which occurred from 4600 to 4200 BP (c. 2650–2250 BC).[24]
Imperial
Originally inhabited by a mixture of tribal groups known to the Chinese as the Baiyue ("Hundred Yue"),the region first became part of China during the Qin dynasty. Under the Qin Dynasty,Chinese administration began and along with it,reliable historical records about the region. After establishing the first unified Chinese empire,the Qin expanded southwards and set up Nanhai Commandery at Panyu,near what is now part of Guangzhou. The region was later controlled by an independent kingdom known as Nanyue between the fall of Qin and the reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The Han dynasty administered Guangdong,Guangxi,and northern Vietnam as Jiaozhi Province;southernmost Jiaozhi Province was used as a gateway for traders from the west—as far away as the Roman Empire. Under the Wu Kingdom of the Three Kingdoms period,Guangdong was made its own province,the Guang Province,in 226 CE.[18]
Canton was a prosperous port city along a tropical frontier region beset by disease and wild animals,but rich in oranges,banyan,bananas,and lychee fruits. They traded slaves,silk and chinaware with Persians,Brahmans and Malays in exchange for their renowned medicines and fragrant tropical woods. Shi'a Muslims who had fled persecution in Khorasan and Buddhists from India lived side by side in the thriving town each erecting their own houses of worship. A foreign quarter sprang up along the river where many traders of diverse backgrounds including Arabs and Singhalese took up residence.[25]
The port's importance declined after it was raided by Arabs and Persians in 758 and the foreign residents were at times troubled by the corrupt local officials,sometimes responding violently. During one incident in 684,for example,a merchant vessel's captain murdered a corrupt governor who had used his position to steal from the merchant.[25]
Together with Guangxi,Guangdong was made part of Lingnan Circuit (political division Circuit),or Mountain-South Circuit,in 627 during the Tang dynasty. The Guangdong part of Lingnan Circuit was renamed Guangnan East Circuit (廣南東路) in 971 during the Song dynasty (960–1279). "Guangnan East" (廣南東) is the source of the name "Guangdong" (廣東;广东).[26]:227
Cantonese food
As time passed,the demographics of what is now Guangdong gradually shifted to (Han)[when?] Chinese dominance as the populations intermingled due to commerce along the great canals. From the fall of the Han dynasty onwards,it shifted more abruptly through massive migration from the north during periods of political turmoil and nomadic incursions. For example,internal strife in northern China following the rebellion of An Lushan resulted in a 75% increase in the population of Guangzhou prefecture between the 740s–750s and 800s–810s.[27] As more migrants arrived,the local population was gradually assimilated to Han Chinese culture[28] or displaced.
As Mongols from the north engaged in their conquest of China in the 13th century,the Southern Song court fled southwards from its capital in Hangzhou. The defeat of the Southern Song court by Mongol naval forces in The Battle of Yamen 1279 in Guangdong marked the end of the Southern Song dynasty (960–1279).[29]
During the Mongol Yuan dynasty,large parts of current Guangdong belonged to Jiangxi.[30] Its present name,"Guangdong Province" was given in early Ming dynasty.
Since the 16th century,Guangdong has had extensive trade links with the rest of the world. European merchants coming northwards via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea,particularly the Portuguese and British,traded extensively through Guangzhou. Macau,on the southern coast of Guangdong,was the first European settlement in 1557.[citation needed]
Due to the large number of people that emigrated out of the Guangdong province,and in particular the ease of immigration from Hong Kong to other parts of the British Empire (later British Commonwealth),many overseas Chinese communities have their origins in Guangdong and/or Cantonese culture. In particular,the Cantonese,Hakka,Teochew dialects have proportionately more speakers among overseas Chinese people than Mandarin-speaking Chinese. Additionally,many Taishanese-speaking Chinese emigrated to Western countries,with the results that many Western versions of Chinese words were derived from the Cantonese dialects rather than through the mainstream Mandarin language,such as "dim sum". Some Mandarin Chinese words originally of foreign origin also came from the original foreign language by way of Cantonese. For example,the Mandarin word níngméng (simplified Chinese:柠檬;traditional Chinese:檸檬),meaning "Lemon",came from Cantonese,in which the characters are pronounced as lìng mung.[31] In the United States,there is a large number of Chinese who are descendants of immigrants from the county-level city of Taishan (Toisan in Cantonese),who speak a distinctive dialect related to Cantonese called Taishanese (or Toishanese).
During the 1850s,the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom,whose leader Hong Xiuquan was born in Guangdong and received a pamphlet from a Protestant Christian missionary in Guangdong,was allied with a local Guangdong Red Turban Rebellion (1854–1856). Because of direct contact with the West,Guangdong was the centre of anti-Manchu and anti-imperialist activity. The generally acknowledged founder of modern China,Sun Yat-sen,was also from Guangdong.
20th century
During the early 1920s of the Republic of China,Guangdong was the staging area for the Kuomintang (KMT) to prepare for the Northern Expedition,an effort to bring the various warlords of China back under a unified central government. The Whampoa Military Academy was built near Guangzhou to train military commanders.
The new Chinese Communist Party administration issued harsh taxes,requisitioning between 22 and 60 percent of grain annually. However,the local party boss Fang Fang tried to moderate Chinese land reform policy in order to protect successful businesses in the Pearl River Delta,landholdings by overseas Chinese seeking to eventually return to the country,and commercial relations with British Hong Kong. In response Mao Zedong purged Fang and thousands of cadres from the province in 1952,sending Tao Zhu to implement a much harsher program under the slogan "Every Village Bleeds,Every Household Fights."[33]
During Reform and Opening Up,Guangdong was supported by the central government to be "one step ahead" of the rest of the country.[34]:43 Most major cities in Guangdong underwent liberalizing economic reforms in the mid-1980s.[34]:43 Since Reform and Opening Up,the province has seen extremely rapid economic growth,aided in part by its close trading links with Hong Kong,which borders it. It is now the province with the highest gross domestic product in China.
In 1952,a small section of Guangdong's coastline (Qinzhou,Lianzhou (now Hepu County),Fangchenggang and Beihai) was given to Guangxi,giving it access to the sea. This was reversed in 1955,and then restored in 1965. Hainan Island was originally part of Guangdong,but it was separated into its own province in 1988.
Geography
A horse in Hongshan village
Guangdong faces the South China Sea to the south and has a total of 4,300km (2,700mi) of coastline. The Leizhou Peninsula is on the southwestern end of the province. There are a few inactive volcanoes on Leizhou Peninsula. The Pearl River Delta is the convergent point of three upstream rivers:the East River,North River,and West River. The river delta is filled with hundreds of small islands. The province is geographically separated from the north by a few mountain ranges collectively called the Nan Mountains (Nan Ling). The highest peak in the province is Shikengkong with an elevation of 6,240 feet (1,900 meters) above sea level.
Guangdong has a humid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa inland,Cwa along the coast). Winters are short,mild,and relatively dry,while summers are long,hot,and very wet. Average daily highs in Guangzhou in January and July are 18 and 33°C (64 and 91°F),although the humidity makes it feel hotter in summer. Frost is rare on the coast but may happen a few days each winter.
In 2022, Guangdong's GDP was 13.57trillion RMB ($1.9trillion in GDP nominal, $3.78trillion in PPP), with a per capita GDP of CN¥102,465 (US$15,234 in nominal or US$25,016 in PPP).[8] It is the richest province in South Central China region and the seventh richest among all provinces by GDP per capita. Guangdong has been the largest province by GDP since 1989 in Mainland China.[38] Its GDP exceeded that of Australia ($1.70trillion) and South Korea ($1.67trillion), the world's 12th and 13th largest economy, respectively.[39] If it was a country, Guangdong would be the 12th-largest economy as of 2022 and the 11th most populous.[8] Compared to country subdivisions in dollar terms, Guangdong's GDP in nominal is larger than all but four country subdivisions: California, Texas, New York State, and England. Compared to country subdivisions in PPP terms, Guangdong's GDP is larger than all, except California.[39] By PPP terms, as of 2022, Guangdong's economy ranked between Turkey and Italy with a GDP of $3.35trillion and US$3.06trillion respectively, the 11th and 12th largest in the world respectively.[39]
Shops in one of the electronic markets of Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, specialize in selling various electronic components, supplying the needs of local and global consumer electronics manufacturers.
Historical GDP of Guangdong Province for 1978 –present (SNA2008)[7] (purchasing power parity of Chinese Yuan, as Int'l.dollar based on IMF WEO October 2017[40])
year
GDP
GDP per capita (GDPpc) based on mid-year population
After the communist revolution and until the start of the Deng Xiaoping reforms in 1978, Guangdong was an economic backwater, although a large underground, service-based economy has always existed. Economic development policies encouraged industrial development in the interior provinces which were weakly joined to Guangdong via transportation links. The government policy of economic autarky made Guangdong's access to the ocean irrelevant.[citation needed]
Deng Xiaoping's open door policy radically changed the economy of the province as it was able to take advantage of its access to the ocean, proximity to Hong Kong, and historical links to overseas Chinese. Guangdong was one of the first provinces to receive permission from the central government to receive foreign investment.[41]:148 In addition, until the 1990s when the Chinese taxation system was reformed, the province benefited from the relatively low rate of taxation placed on it by the central government due to its post-Liberation status of being economically backward.[citation needed]
Shenzhen famous building and tourist attractions
Guangdong's economic boom began with the early 1990s and has since spread to neighboring provinces, and also pulled their populations inward. The economic growth of Guangdong province owes much to the low-value-added manufacturing which characterized (and in many ways still defines) the province's economy following Deng Xiaoping's reforms. Guangdong is not only China's largest exporter of goods, it is the country's largest importer as well.[42]
The province is now one of the richest in the nation, with the most billionaires in mainland China,[43] the highest GDP among all the provinces, although wage growth has only recently begun to rise due to a large influx of migrant workers from neighboring provinces. By 2015, the local government of Guangdong hopes that the service industry will account for more than 50percent of the provinces GDP and high-tech manufacturing another 20percent.[42]
In 2021, Guangdong's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 534billion RMB (US$79.4billion), 5.28trillion RMB (US$785.6billion), and 7.09trillion RMB (US$1.05trillion), respectively.[8] Guangdong contributes approximately 10.6% of the total national economic output.[8] Now, it has three of the six Special Economic Zones: Shenzhen, Shantou and Zhuhai. The affluence of Guangdong, however, remains very concentrated near the Pearl River Delta.
Hainan Province part of Guangdong Province until 1988. Guangzhou part of Guangdong Province until 1947; dissolved in 1954 and incorporated into Guangdong Province.
Guangdong officially became the most populous province in 2005.[56][12] Official statistics had traditionally placed Guangdong as the fourth-most populous province of China with about 80million people, though an influx of migrants, temporary workers, and newly settled individuals numbered around 30million.[57] The massive influx of migrants from other provinces, dubbed the "floating population", is due to Guangdong's booming economy and high demand for labor. If Guangdong were an independent nation, it would rank among the twelfth largest countries of the world by population.
Largest cities in Guangdong
Source: China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook 2018 Urban Population and Urban Temporary Population[58]
The majority of the province's population is Han Chinese, though the Han population is so diverse that the province has been called the "treasure trove of regional languages" (方言寶庫).[59] Within the Han Chinese, the largest subgroup in Guangdong are the Cantonese people, with significant Hakka and Teoswa populations east of the Pearl River Delta. Guangdong is also home to small Mien, She, Hmong, Li, and Zhuang minorities.
Guangdong is the traditional heartland of Yue Chinese (simplified Chinese:粤语; traditional Chinese:粵語; pinyin:yuèyǔ; Jyutping:jyut6 jyu5), which has a high degree of internal diversity. The vast majority of these speakers live at or west the Pearl River Delta. A total of 35,810,000 Yue Chinese speakers live in Guangdong.[60]
Cantonese and other Yue varieties spoken at the delta such as Weitou dialect and Shiqi dialect make up the greatest number of speakers, numbering at around 20,720,000 speakers.[61] Due to the large overseas population and cultural impact of Cantopop and Cantonese television shows, Cantonese is a well-known variety of Chinese throughout the world.
Sze Yap or Siyi Yue, including Hoisanese, is spoken in much of Jiangmen prefecture, numbering at around 3,880,000 speakers.[61] Siyi was once the representative variety of Chinese in many Chinese American communities.
The highlands of the Jiangxi-Fujian-Guangdong tripoint are the traditional heartland of the Hakka Chinese (simplified Chinese:客家话; traditional Chinese:客家話; pinyin:kèjiāhuà; Jyutping:haak3 gaa1 waa6-2; Moiyenese: hag5 ga1 fa4)-speaking people, and Meizhou is often dubbed the capital of Hakka culture. Downhill Hakka migrations started in the early modern period, and due to them being newcomers to the lowlands, they were dubbed "guest families" by the original inhabitants (the Puntis). There are around 20,000,000 Neo-Hakka speakers in Guangdong, of which 2,000,000 live significantly west of the traditional Hakka area.
Around 500,000 speakers of Shaozhou Tuhua live in small communities in Shaoguan prefecture, typically surrounded by Hakka speakers.[61] These varieties have been observed to be similar to Hakka, and have been dubbed "Paleo-Hakka" by, for instance, W. South Coblin.
There are also around 40,000Southwestern Mandarin speakers in Guangdong, with around half of them being remnants of Northern juntun [ zh ] that date back to the Ming dynasty. These communities largely live in small villages in coastal eastern Guangdong in places such as Haifeng and Huidong counties. The other half live in parts of Lechang close to Hunan province, which explains the Mandarin language they use.[61]
Gender ratio
Guangdong has a highly unbalanced gender ratio that is among the highest of all provinces in China. According to a 2009 study published in The British Medical Journal, in the 1–4 age group, there are over 130 boys for every 100 girls.[62]
According to Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor, Guangdong accounted for 17% of dissent events in the first quarter of 2024 – over 100 events despite heavy Censorship in China.[73] In 2024, Freedom House rated China as below zero on political rights (−2 out of 40).[74]
Relations with Hong Kong and Macau
Hong Kong and Macau, while historically parts of Guangdong before becoming colonies of the United Kingdom and Portugal, respectively, are special administrative regions (SARs). Furthermore, the Basic Laws of both SARs explicitly forbid provincial governments from intervening in local politics. As a result, many issues with Hong Kong and Macau, such as border policy and water rights, have been settled by negotiations between the SARs' governments and the Guangdong provincial government.
The har gow are classical Cantonese dumplings served as dim sum.
The central region, which is also the political and economic center, is populated predominantly by Yue Chinese speakers, though the influx in the last three decades of millions of Mandarin-speaking immigrants has slightly diminished Cantonese linguistic dominance. This region is associated with Cantonese cuisine. Dim sum is one famous example of Cantonese cuisine, dividing Cantonese food into small portions and served with small dishes. 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 (simplified Chinese:汉剧; traditional Chinese:漢劇), Hakka Hanyue and sixian (traditional instrumental music) and Hakka folk songs (客家山歌).
Jieyang architecture
The outcast Tanka people traditionally live on boats throughout the coasts and rivers of Guangdong and much of Southern China.
Zhanjiang in southern Guangdong is dominated by Leizhounese, a variety of Min; Cantonese and Hakka are also spoken there.
Mandarin is the language used in education and government and in areas where there are migrants from other provinces, above all in Shenzhen. Cantonese maintains a strong and dominant position in common usage and media, even in eastern areas of the province where the local languages and dialects are non-Yue ones.
Guangdong Province is notable for being the birthplace of many famous Xiangqi (Chinese chess) grandmasters such as Lü Qin, Yang Guanli, Cai Furu and Xu Yinchuan.
Education and research
As of 2022, Guangdong hosts 160 institutions of higher education, ranking first in South Central China region and 2nd among all Chinese provinces/municipalities after Jiangsu (168).[16] Guangdong is also the seat of 14 adult higher education institutions.[16] Many universities and colleges are located in major cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou. Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, hosts 83 institutions of higher education (excluding adult colleges), ranking 1st in South China region and 2nd (tie) nationwide after Beijing.[75]Guangdong Province Department of Education is the department of the provincial government that oversees education.
As of 2025, two major cities in the province ranked in the top 20 cities in the world (Guangzhou 6th and Shenzhen 18th) by scientific research output, as tracked by the Nature Index.[76]
* – not including the new districts which are not registered under the Ministry of Civil Affairs (not included in the total Districts' count) ** – direct-piped cities – does not contain any county-level divisions
Administrative divisions in Chinese and varieties of romanizations
↑New district established after 2010 census: Dianbai (Dianbai County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Chao'an (Chao'an County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Jiedong (Jiedong County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Qingxin (Qingxin County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
12New district established after 2010 census: Gaoyao (Gaoyao CLC). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Yangdong (Yangdong County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Meixian (Meixian County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
↑New district established after 2010 census: Yun'an (Yun'an County). The new district not included in the urban area count of the pre-expanded city.
12Schafer, Edward H. (1963). The Golden Peaches of Samarkand: A Study of Tang Exotics. University of California Press. p.15. ISBN978-0-520-05462-2.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
↑史为乐 (Shǐ Wéilì); 邓自欣 (Dèng Zìxīn); 朱玲玲 (Zhū Línglíng) (2005). 史为乐 (Shǐ Wéilì) (ed.). 中国历史地名大词典[Large Dictionary of Chinese Historical Place Names] (in Chinese) (1sted.). Beijing: China Social Sciences Press. ISBN978-7-5004-4929-4. OCLC61167815.
↑Zhang Tingyu; etal. (1739). "Records XXI, Geography VI". History of Ming (in Chinese). Vol.45. 廣東《禹貢》揚州之域及揚州徼外。元置廣東道宣慰使司，治廣州路。屬江西行中書省。
↑Lydia He Liu (1995). Translingual practice: literature, national culture, and translated modernity—China, 1900–1937 (illustrated, annotateded.). Stanford University Press. p.364. ISBN978-0-8047-2535-4. Retrieved 8 December 2011. last car 拉斯卡 lasi ka Shanghainese origin lemon 檸檬 ningmeng Cantonese origin: lihngmung lemonade # MK* ningmeng shui lemon time wmmw ningmeng shijian lepton w&m leibodun Leveler / B»&:£ niweila dang (political party) liaison mm lianyong libido Wc& laibiduo()
↑Dikötter, Frank (2013). The Tragedy of Liberation: A History of the Chinese Revolution, 1945–1957 (1ed.). London: Bloomsbury Press. pp.31–32. ISBN978-1-62040-347-1.
↑汕尾市. 广东省民政厅网站 (in Simplified Chinese). May 2005. Archived from the original on 3 November 2020. 城区{...}（东沙群岛不是镇建制）
↑广东省国土资源厅 (30 June 2018). 城区地图 (Map). Department of Natural Resources of Guangdong Province 广东省自然资源厅 (in Simplified Chinese). Archived from the original on 7 July 2020 – via Internet Archive. 东沙群岛{...}北卫滩{...}南卫滩{...}东沙岛{...}东沙礁
↑Purchasing power parity (PPP) for Chinese yuan is estimate according to IMFWEO (October 2017Archived 17 July 2011 at Wikiwix) data; Exchange rate of CN¥ to US$ is according to State Administration of Foreign Exchange, published on China Statistical YearbookArchived 20 October 2015 at the Wayback Machine .
↑Lawrence, Susan; Martin, Michael (20 March 2013). "Understanding China's Political System"(PDF). Federation of American Scientists. Congressional Research Service. Archived(PDF) from the original on 8 January 2012. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
↑党委书记权力究竟有多大？[How much power does a Party Secretary really have?]. 人民论坛 (in Chinese (China)). People's Daily Press. 23 January 2007. Archived from the original on 2 July 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
↑Wang, Xu; Chen, Bowen; Shi, Ruipeng (19 July 2023). "Talim lands twice, heads for Vietnam". China Daily. Retrieved 19 March 2025. Cui Gang, a public relations director of the Guangdong Fire and Rescue Corps, said his team had dispatched 440 firefighters to Zhanjiang, Maoming and other areas before the arrival of Talim.
↑广东省专职消防队建设管理规定[Provisions on the Construction and Management of Professional Fire and Rescue Corps in Guangdong Province]. Guangdong Fire and Rescue Corps.
↑"国家安全机关是一支怎样的队伍？广东省国安厅有关负责人接受采访_南方网"[What kind of team are the national security organs? The relevant person in charge of the Guangdong Provincial Department of State Security was interviewed]. Southern Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 19 December 2024.
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