The city is now a home to the most number of restaurants per capita in China and a sought-after destination for one of the eight renowned cuisines, so no expat can ever skip a lunch break over a workload again.
Its urban land area makes it the third largest city, next to Beijing and Shanghai, respectively. More so, Guangzhou is the third most populated urban area in China. Expats may not sing praises about its consistent traffic congestion, smog-tinted skies, and disability-unfriendly surroundings but underneath this modern façade lays the elegance of the old China. Guangzhou will eventually grow on you.
The adoption of "open door" economic policy in 1978 paved the way for the province's success in export businesses for computers, clothing and household products.
All Guangzhou districts have something to boast about. Yuexiu is considered the commercial, financial, and political center; both provincial and municipal government offices can be found there. Huangpu, also known as Whampoo, houses the "Marine Silk-road" and China's pioneer military academy. Liwan continues to be Guangzhou's trading port since the Qing Dynasty.
Other districts like Tianhe take pride in being named one of the 10 most vital software manufacturing areas in China and its 56 institutions of higher learning, Haizhu connects travelers to the 14 bridges, Baiyun functions as a transportation hub with its 6 out of 10 land exits in the province, Luogang being tapped to be the administrative center to work on culture, sports, residence and retail support facilities, Nansha is being turned by the government into the next Shenzhen.
But they key economic areas include Panyu with over 3,000 foreign companies such as Siemens, General Electric, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hitachi, among others, Conghua, which is thriving to be Guangzhou's niche for advanced technology and green ecology industries; and Zengcheng, which immensely stable with the ever flourishing automobile, motorcycle and textile companies.
Visitors and expats will experience a humid subtropical climate in Guangzhou, which explains the high heat index during summer and dryness in winter. Expats can leave winter clothes behind and fill bags with comfortable outfits for after-work or weekend strides in the crowded streets. Most Western items you are accustomed to back home are most likely available in Guangzhou; but you might as well bring any irreplaceable brands.
Mobile phones would be necessary in conducting business. Imitation phones are quite rampant so you may want to either purchase quad-band phone back home or buy one in Hong Kong. SIM cards are sold at the nearest convenience store.
Bringing animals to Guangzhou proves to be stressful for some expats, as is the task of locating quality veterinarians and pet sitters.
Most expats with family find their stay satisfactory as the availability and affordable services of ayi(household help) allow them to pursue other desires and explore more of the city. On the other hand, a number of single expats often resort to Hong Kong or other Asian destinations for more attractions when boredom sets in.
But this does not mean you have to leave your sense of adventure behind. It cannot be stated enough how Guangzhou offers a glimpse of the glorious days in China and a preview of their astounding futures.
