China Sign and LED Fall Expo 09

The original name of Guangzhou was "Chu Ting". In 214 BC, Emperor Qin Shihuang unified Lingnan and set up the Nanhai Eparchy. The Administration office was based in Panyu, so Guangzhou was called Panyu at that time. Until the year 226 AD, to strengthen his rule, Sun Quan divided Jiaozhou into two parts: Jiaozhou and Guangzhou. The administration office was then based in Guangxin (today's Wuzhou of Guangxi province and Fengkai county of Guangdong Province), so the name of Guangzhou took the part "Guang" from Guangxin. After the division of Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, the administration office of Guangzhou moved to Panyu and the name Guangzhou appeared. Until the establishment of City Hall in 1921, "Guangzhou" became the name of the present city.

Since flowers here blossom all year round, Guangzhou is called "City of Flowers". Guangzhou has other nicknames such as "Yangcheng" (City of Rams) and "Suicheng" (Rice Spike City) and there is a beautiful legend which goes : long, long ago in the Zhou Dynasty, there were five celestials riding five rams with rice spikes in their mouths. The five celestials gave rice spikes to the residents of Guangzhou wishing them a bumper harvest and the banishment of famine for all time. Finally, the celestials flew away and left the five rams who immediately turned into stones. Today, the five rams sculpture at Yuexiu Park is the symbol of Guangzhou.

Guangzhou is the capital and a political, economic, and cultural center of Guangdong Province. It is located in the southeast of Guangdong Province and in the north of the Pearl River Delta. Crossed by the Tropic of Cancer, it is located between longitude 112Ўг57' to 114Ўг3' east and latitude 22Ўг26' to 23Ўг56' north, bordering on the South China Sea, adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao. It is a regional central city in South China, and China's Southern Gateway to the world.

The topography is higher in the northeast, lower in the southwest. North and northeast are mountainous area with waters, south is an alluvial plain - the Pearl River Delta. Guangzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate. There is neither intense heat in summer nor severe cold in winter. It enjoys plenty rainfall and evergreen in four seasons. The average temperature is 22.8Ўж, the average relative humidity is about 68%, and the annual rainfall at the urban area is over 1,600 mm.

According to rough statistics, the permanent foreign residents in Guangzhou total over 50,000, which would increase with the coming years. It has been estimated that by 2010 the number would have exceeded 200,000, which makes Guangzhou second to none among provincial capitals in terms of permanent foreign residents. Over 30,000 foreign citizens applied for visas in Guangzhou during the same year and over 20,000 for residence permits. Involving over 180 countries and regions, the temporary foreign residence registrations reached nearly 900,000, among which about 40,000 foreigners live in tenements or Chinese citizens' residences. The foreigners living in Guangzhou's tenements total up to 15,000, accounting for nearly half of the total, and foreigners living in Chinese citizens' residences exceed 8,000, accounting for 26%. The rest are self-purchased apartments or dormitories. These foreigners distribute mainly in Tianhe, Yuexiu, Panyu, Baiyun and other districts. The police stations with over 200 foreigners living within their jurisdiction total 40, among which 12 have over 500 foreigners and 6 have over 1,000 (that is, Zhongcun and Dashi of Panyu District, Linhe, Shipai and Wushan of Tianhe District, and Hongqiao of Yuexiu District.)

(2) the area surrounding Tian He Bei Lu, including Ti Yu Dong Lu, Tian He Lu, Long Kou Xi Lu and Lin He Zhong Lu. There are many offices of foreign organizations in the CITIC Plaza building, so foreigners in this area are mainly businessmen from Japan, America and Europe;

(3) There are also large residential districts with complete facilities in Panyu District, including the Clifford Estate, the Riverside Garden and the Star River Hotel Apartments where foreigners are mostly from countries in Southeast Asia like Japan, Thailand and Malaysia; and

(4) the area around San Yuan Li, including Jin Gui Village and Ji Chang Lu. Most of the foreigners here are businessmen from Africa and Asia who deal with treaditional costumes and shoes. Too, some Koreans have begun to gather and settle in this area.

Statistics collected show that there are, annually, over 30,000 foreign experts who have worked at short-term or long-term jobs in Guangzhou in recent years. The Guangzhou Municipal Government has established the Guangzhou Friendship Award especially to commend foreign experts who have worked in Guangzhou and made outstanding contributions to the economic construction and social development of our city. As the highest honor given to foreign experts by the Guangzhou Municipal Government, the award has been presented to 46 foreign experts in the four award presentation events in 1996, 2001, 2004, and 2007.

Guangzhou is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,200 years. As early as the Chou Period, in the 9th century BC, there were exchanges between the Baiyue people of Guangzhou and the people of the Chu State in the middle reaches of Yangtze River. The name "Chu Ting", which was the earliest name of Guangzhou, originated in the 33rd year of Emperor Qin Shihuang (214 BC). Qin unified Lingnan, Nanhai prefecture (the Capital was built at "Panyu") and in the year of 226, in order to strengthen his rule, Sun Quan divided the original Jiaozhou into two parts- Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, name of Guangzhou was established. When the municipal council was set up in 1921, Guangzhou became the city it is today.

Three feudal dynasties, Nanyue, Nanhan and Nanming, chose Guangzhou as their capital. During the Qin (221 B.C. to 206 B.C) and Han (206 B.C. to A.D. 220) Dynasties, Guangzhou was a prosperous city. It was the earliest trade port in China and was the starting point of the "Silk Road of the Sea" beginning with the Han (206 B.C. to A.D. 220) and Tang (A.D. 618 to A.D.907) Dynasties.

The city is also a source of modern Chinese revolution. In this land many historic events took place including the Sanyuanli Struggle against British invaders, the Huanghuagang Uprising against feudalism and the Guangzhou Uprising which established the Guangzhou Commune. Mr. Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary forerunner, set up the Huangpu Military Academy and constituted the political parties three times during his tenure as Chief of State. Comrade Mao Zedong ran the Institute of Peasant Movement training multiple cadres of key revolutionaries.

Guangzhou is the home of many celebrities, especially the great figures of China who have initiated changes the modern history of China, such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, leaders of the Reform Movement of the late Qing Dynasty, Hong Xiuquan, leader of the modern Chinese peasant revolution, and Sun Yat-sen, revolutionary leader who overthrew the rule of the Qing dynasty.

It is the center of Chinese Lingnan Culture. Cantonese Opera is a typical local opera that enjoys the name of "Nanguo Ruby". With Guangzhou as its center, it is popular in Guangdong Province, Hong Kong, Macau and Southeast Asian countries. Guangdong music originated from Guangzhou and the Pearl River Delta. It has absorbed and combined with ancient music from the Central China, popular tune of Jiangnan, Kun Opera, local ballads and rhymes, so it has become a special local folk music. Lingnan painting school is one of China's modern painting schools. Guangzhou's carvings, porcelains and ceramics and embroideries are fine art crafts famous both at home and abroad. Cantonese cuisine with more than 1,000 varieties is one of the major cuisines in China. "Guangzhou is a gourmet paradise" is well known throughout the world.

There are five religious beliefs in this city such as Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity. The main sites for religious activities are Liurong Temple, Sanyuan Taoist Temple, Huaisheng Taoist Temple, Stone Catholic Church and Dongshan Christian Church, etc.

The top four famous fruits of Guangzhou are banana, litchis, pineapples, and oranges. Other famous fruits include carambolas, papayas, longans and wampees. Green litchis, black olives and white olives from Zengcheng, litchi honey from Conghua, sugar cane and bananas from Panyu, sweet oranges from Luogang, and longans from Shixia, are also known far and wide for their flavors and quality.

The origin of Chinese embroidery can be traced back over 2,000 years of history. The Beijing, Suzhou, Hunan and Guangdong schools of embroidery are the nation's top four that contribute to the fame of this specialty. Guangdong embroidery (also known as Cantonese embroidery) is a generic term for folk techniques found in Guangzhou and neighboring Nanhai, Panyu and Shunde. "All birds paying homage to the phoenix" and the double-faced "Golden Fish" are typical of Guangdong Embroidery.

Guangdong embroidery is famous for its rich content, bright colors, vivid patterns, clear threads, and delicate stitches, and use on garments, articles for everyday use, ornaments, pictures, and costumes. Major professional makers of Guangdong embroidery include Guangzhou Embroidery Products Factory, Zhonghua Costume Craft Factory, and Guangzhou Machine Embroidering Factory.

Guangdong embroidery falls into four categories: floss embroidery, gold and silver thread embroidery (also known as Panjin embroidery and Dingjin), pearl embroidery, and machine embroidery. Its varieties have increased steadily in recent years yet, for example, there are no needle embroidery, brocade embroidery, machine embroidery, embroidered clothes, silk embroidery, pearl embroidery, and hand-woven embroidery categories included in the styles produced by Guangzhou houses. Pearl-embroidered footwear and evening wear are immensely popular in the international market, enjoying brisk sales in more than 50 countries and regions including Europe, the United States, Australia, and Asia.

Also known as Guangzhou Golden Colored Enamel, has a history of more than 300 years. It is a typically Eastern technique whereby enamels are painted onto the whole surface of copper, ceramics, and other earthenware pieces. Once the painting is completed, the pieces were heated to bond the enamel firmly to the surface of the object creating a colorful piece that exudes color and liveliness.

Each Canton enamel piece goes through seven steps: line drawing, color filling, gold painting, green filling, coloring, mouth gilding, and firing. Canton enamel pieces usually depict people, flowers, birds, beasts, fish and natural landscapes and they are classified as artistic enamel, household ornamental enamel, and craftwork enamel and are available in more than 500 varieties with over 2,000 floral patterns.

The origin of Guangzhou jade carving can be traced back to the middle and late Tang Dynasties and dating to more than 1,000 years ago. Guangzhou jade carving is noted for its special "color retaining" technique, which helps retain the natural color of raw jade and improve the exquisite appearance of the jade.

Jade carving falls into two categories: jade jewelry and jade ornaments. Jade jewelry pieces are typically made of precious Burmese emerald jade and fall into three categories: sleek individual pieces, floral individual pieces and brackets. Jade ornaments mostly depict people, flowers, birds or beasts or are shaped into bottles, balls, boats, pagodas, or incense burners. The most exquisite form of jade carving is jade balls, with ingeniously carved small balls, each one placed inside larger ones and each of which has uniform thickness, can move freely, and features patterns of natural landscapes, flowers, people, fish, birds, and beasts. The most exquisite jade ball has 20 layers, forming an integral system.

Wood carving, a traditional folk technique in Guangzhou, is famous for its exquisite elegance .Wood carving falls into two categories: architectural ornaments and furniture carving. Architectural ornaments are mostly made of camphor wood and used on hallways, doors, windows, screens, and tables. The columns, beams, doors, windows and screens in the Qing-Dynasty Chen Clan's Temple (Guangzhou Folk Art Museum) epitomize the rich varieties and features of Guangzhou's wood craving technique.

The most sought-after forms of carved furniture are rosewood furniture and wooden cases. Rosewood furniture is a combination of China's traditional craving technique and advanced wood structural techniques, featuring ancient appearance, exquisite patterns, sturdiness, and durability constituting a highly prized artistic object for Eastern halls.

Lingnan potted plants are mostly made with locally sourced plants and rocks which, when they are subject to artistic treatment and carefully cultivated, reflect the natural landscapes in Lingnan. Lingnan potted plants represent one of China's top five schools and they are popular in the Pearl River Delta and the central and southern regions of Guangxi Province, but the most typical ones can be found in Guangzhou.

Lingnan potted plants enjoy immense popularity with local people, decorating the living rooms and balconies of many local residences and lining park corridors and roads. They are also a major presence in potted plant markets. Guangzhou Xi Yuan (also called Western Garden) by Liuhua Lake is dubbed the "Home of Potted Plants", containing many masterly Lingnan potted plants which visitors can enjoy, feasting their eyes on fine examples and purchasing fine examples to take home.

The Lingnan school of painting, initially known as "The Middle of the Road" school of painting, is a major part of China's painting history. Working with the slogan of "revolutionizing the arts", the school advocates a "middle of the road" position between traditional forms of Chinese expression and foreign painting and pushes for an integration of traditional and modern paintings. It places a high value on realistic representation of real life and on the reflection of the spirits of the era of Chinese painting, and strives to inject fresh energy into the genre. Highly prized Lingnan paintings include "Desolation at Jiangguan" by Gao Jiangfu, founder of the Lingnan school of painting; "Spring Rains over the Willow Pond" and "White Horses" by Gao Qifeng, and "Spring Over Lingnan" by Chen Shuren, all of which combine the exaggeration technique of the Japanese School and the gouache techniques of the Ju School of painting.

The origin of ivory carving can be traced back more than 2,000 years ago to the Jin Dynasty. Guangzhou's ivory carving techniques feature motifs depicting people, birds, beasts and flowers and carved ivory ornaments are common in the study of the literati.

Traditional ivory products include ivory balls, slabs and vases with ivory balls being the most sought-after in the genre. By technique Guangzhou ivory carving falls into two categories: round carving and hollowed carving. Round ivory carvings are mostly solid handiworks featuring patterns of people, animals and natural landscapes whereas hollow ivory carvings are primarily ivory vases, miniature floral towers, crab cages and ivory balls.

Shiwan brick carving, popular in Panyu District, Guangzhou, falls into three categories: shallow relief carving, high relief carving and hollowed carving. Bricks used for carving are grey clay bricks of good quality chosen because such bricks are sturdy, not prone to crack yet easy to carve. Folk artists use chisels, wooden hammers, saws and drills to carve grey bricks into various shapes, including people, flowers, birds, and beasts, for ornamental purposes at entrances and on roof ridges, corners, walls, screens, upturned eaves, balusters, shrines and skylights in ancestral halls, temples and residences.

Olive kernel carving, an intricate artistic form, has been around for more than 300 years. Olive kernels used for this purpose are mostly black olive kernels from Guangdong, especially those from Xintang township, Zengcheng county. These kernels are of the right size for carving into miniature boats and other forms. Xintang Township is also the cradle of the olive kernel carving technique. In the Qing Dynasty, carved olive kernels were articles of tribute.

The most famous olive kernel carving in history is a carved miniature boat featuring "So Dongpo's night visit to Chibi" (Su Dongbo is a renown Chinese poet in ancient times) by Zhan Gusheng, a veteran carver from Xintang of the Qing Dynasty (1616-1911) who was dubbed the "King of Carving". He even carved a 537-character poem by Su Dongpo on the bottom of the boat. Carved figures on the boat are characterized by realistic expressions and lively gestures. This priceless carving masterpiece now sits in Zengcheng Museum.

The varieties of modern olive kernel carving products have increased from three at the outset, to total of more that 50 in modern times. Current forms including multi-level floral boats, hollowed crab cages, fishing boats casting nets, imperial palace lanterns, floral tower, ancient furnace, and chess pieces attract buyers from all over the world.

Guangdong Shiwan artistic pottery sculpting has a long history. Archeological findings suggest that this was a sizable industry in the Tang Dynasty. Early Shiwan pottery sculptures were mostly used on clan ancestral halls and temples and, since the mid-Qing Dynasty, they have primarily depicted people and the Goddess of Mercy and other figurines, enjoying immense popularity among local people.

The origin of Shiwan figurines can be traced back to the Qing Dynasty when pottery workers casually kneaded clay into various shapes after work as a form of amusement. Shiwan figurines generally feature historic, literary, dramatic and bureaucratic motifs and depict birds, animals and fish. They are a vivid representation of Lingnan folklore, exquisite, realistic and highly interesting.

Guangzhou has historically been China's leading commercial port. The city has a 2,000 year history of open trade. Following the implementation of the reform and opening-up policy, the economic development of Guangzhou became vigorous and has scored remarkable achievements. Since 1992, Guangzhou's overall economic strength has risen to the third position among the country's 10 largest cities. Guangzhou has become a city with relatively strong secondary industry and developed tertiary industry. The city has experienced a concerted economic development and, in the past 20 years, Guangzhou's average annual economic growth rate has been more than 14% per annum. In 2006 the GDP of the city reached RMB 623.6 billion and, according to current exchange rates versus registered population, the per-capita GDP of Guangzhou will exceed 11,000 U.S. dollars. With this achievement Guangzhou becomes the first city in China Mainland with a per capita GDP of over 10,000 U.S. dollars.

Taking "high quality, high yield and high efficiency, professional, commercial and social development" as working principles, Guangzhou's agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, sideline production and fishery have all been developing rapidly. Township enterprises have also developed rapidly becoming a pillar of the rural economy With Guangzhou's agriculture changing to modern urban agriculture.

Guangzhou is an important industrial base in China and a comprehensive industrial manufacturing center of South China. Through years of development the city has established itself as an export-oriented modern industrial system with a complete range of specialties, a relatively developed light industry, and a heavy industry of certain scale. It boasts comprehensive capabilities, a highly developed scientific research capability and the ability to develop new products rapidly. Of China's 40 major categories of industrial sectors, Guangzhou has 34. Industry plays an important role in the city's contribution to the national economy. This added value accounts for more than one third of the city's GDP. The industrial output value of the three pillar industries--Automobile manufacturing, electronic communications and petrochemical industries--accounts for about one-third of the city's industrial output value. With the introduction of advanced technology and the upgrade of light textiles, food, medicine, building materials and other traditional industries, many new industries and high-tech industries represented by electronic communications, electrical appliances, fine chemical industries and petrochemical products are developing rapidly.

Guangzhou is the largest commercial and communications center in South China. The tertiary industry sector has been developing so rapidly that it is being called "industrialized", having many levels, offering high-quality services, and presenting local color. At present, Guangzhou's tertiary industry has developed into such an important industrial structure including the communications and transportation industries, commerce and trade, social services and tourism, the real estate industry, and the financial and insurance industries are classed as the main industries in the area.

With a long history, and being China's earliest foreign trading port, Guangzhou has a quite important position in the world. From the 1950s to now, the world-renowned Chinese Export Commodities Fair has been held in Guangzhou. It won the title of "China's First Exhibition ", for it has the largest scale, the longest exhibiting time, the highest grade of participants and the largest turnover of all fairs in China. In 2007, with the important change in China's foreign trade strategy, the Chinese Export Commodities Fair was renamed the China Import and Export Commodity Fair, and for the first time an import gallery was set up.

In four consecutive years from 2003 to 2006, every year, Guangzhou's Foreign Trade realized an increase of 10 billion dollars, totaling 63.767 billion U.S. dollars in 2006. As of January 2007, among the world's top 500 multinational enterprises, 151 have come to Guangzhou for investment with 329 foreign direct investment enterprises have been established and with a total investment of 11.244 billion U.S. dollars. Most multinational companies take Guangzhou as part of its regional processing and manufacturing bases in their global strategy. Some enterprises have set up research and development centers and as well as maintenance test centers in Guangzhou.

In the past, Guangzhou's major export commodities were textile products and primary products but now, with industrial upgrading, the export product structure has changed. Guangzhou's major export products now also include high-end manufacturing products, high-tech products, biotechnology, aerospace technology, materials products, software, automobiles etc. Its major export markets are the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the United States, the EU, Japan, and ASEAN.

Guangzhou owns lots of commercial outlets selling a variety of commodities and has smooth, well-developed distribution channels. The City has more than 100,000 commercial outlets, ranking in first place among the top 10 Chinese cities. Large shopping malls, large storage-on-demand wholesale and retail centers, bazaars and other types of outlets diversify its commercial network.

Guangzhou has a "multi-purpose, multi-level, complete-service" tourism industry integrating travel service, catering, accommodation, shopping and entertainment. It is a city with more than 2,200 years of history and culture, as well as being a thoroughly modern international metropolis. Its historical relics, scenery, convenient traffic, comfortable shopping environment and first-class services are bound to attract tourists from all over the world. People say "Guangzhou is a gourmet paradise" for here you can find local Guangdong style food, featuring rich color, smell, taste and form, as well as other Chinese and foreign foods. Guangzhou also has a number of five-star hotels and many well-regarded guesthouses, hotels of different grades and other types of accommodations. The "One Day Tour" has become a distinctive mark of Guangzhou.

As a regional financial center, the workings of Guangzhou's financial system are being improved. Financial networks are developing quickly. Many domestic and foreign financial institutions take Guangzhou as their first choices among places for business expantion. Banks, rural cooperative financial institutions, securities companies and other financial institutions are developing rapidly. Foreign financial institutions have set up more than 60 branches in Guangzhou. More than 2,800 various financial outlets are distributed in the city. Financial businesses have a wide coverage, showing the important position of Guangzhou in the domestic financial structure of China. Guangzhou is both a regional financial hub and a regional financial management and control center.

As one of Guangzhou's three pillar industries, information industry is continually expanding, keeping pace with the sound development tendencies of clusterization, internationalization and high quality levels. In 2007, Guangzhou's information industry realized an added value of RMB 53 billion, accounting for 7.52% of Guangzhou's GDP. The information service industry is developing at a high speed with total revenues in the sector in Guangzhou totaling RMB 70 billion, with an added value of about RMB 36 billion, and accounting for 68% of the added value of the information industry category and about 5% of the GDP.

Guangzhou's science and technology grows rapidly, with even stronger innovation abilities. Guangzhou is now home to 80% of the technological professionals in Guangdong Province, as well as 557 independent R&D institutions. It has established partnerships with over 200 R&D institutions, universities and academic organizations in more than 20 countries and regions, forming a high-tech industrial group pillared by IT, raw chemical materials and chemical products.

Guangzhou has Southern Airlines, Air China, Eastern Airlines, other major domestic airlines and a number of foreign airlines. The Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport has over 50 international flight lines and 100 domestic flight lines. The terminal can handle 100 million passengers and 2.5 million tons of cargo per year.

The Jingjiu Railway passes Guangzhou, starting from the Beijing West Railway Station, through 98 cities and counties of Beiing, Tianjin, Hebei Province, Shandong Province, Henan Province, Anhui Province, Hubei Province, Jiangxi Province and Gunagdong Province, ending at Kowloon of Hong Kong. This north-south railway measures 2553 km. Tibet railroad from Guanzhou to Lhasa was opened on October 1st 2006. The first passenger train from Guangzhou to Sanya departed from Guanzhou Station on April 17th, 2007.

To strengthen its transportation capacity, Guangzhou has built a number of intercity express ways, Elevated roads, highway bridges and cross-river tunnels. There are long-distance buses between Guangzhou and the adjacent regions, and express buses between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Intra-city transportation consists of buses, tramways, special route buses and subways.

The Guangzhou Economic Development Zone has the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Passenger Port, Zhoutouzui Passenger Port, Zengcheng Xintang Passenger Port, Panyu Lianhua Mountain Port and Nansha Passenger Port, providing water transportation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In April 2007, Guangzhou launched water-bus service, easing the pressure on road transport during rush hour.

In September 2003, Guangzhou launched a project named "Beautiful Mountain, Green Land, Blue Sky and Clean River" to improve the living standards for the people. It seeks to protect the environment while promoting economic development, thus generating impressive results.

Guangzhou has shut down rock quarries and replaced them with green lands. It has carried out an over-bridge greening project, upgraded the city's green project, and improved the parks' eco-system, forming a grid-shaped multi-dimensional eco-structure.

To improve the air quality, Guangzhou has put effective controls on the emission of sulfur dioxide. It has transferred the polluting enterprises in the downtown area to its suburbs according to the policy of "phase out the secondary industry and promote the tertiary industry". Guangzhou has adopted the National Standard III since Sept 1, 2006. It has pushed forward the "gas instead of oil" program in the catering and service industries, effectively curbing air pollution from the source.

The Guangzhou Government has made great efforts to control the pollution of the Pearl River and inland rivers. Its sewage handling capacity grew from 580,000 tons/day in 2001 to 1.533 million tons/day in 2005. The Swimming across the Pearl River Campaign, which has been suspended for decades, was re-launched on July 12, 2006. A dream has finally been realized.