Guangzhou

Guangzhou is the capital and most populous city of the province of Guangdong in southern China. It is part of the part of the Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region, one of the most densely urbanized regions in the world, which also includes Shenzhen, Huizhou and, of course, Hong Kong. In November 2006 I made a short day trip to Guangzhou from Hong Kong, because I wanted to visit the old town before it would be gone for good and because I wanted to see the transformation going on in the city. Of course, that was a bit too ambitious for a day trip, but even so it was interesting to see the meaning of rapid economic growth.

I found Gaungzhou dirty and congested, but for all that also photogenic. But note that my views are totally unrepresentative. In the meantime most Chinese cities have become much cleaner due to the increasing popularity of electric cars.