PANYU is a new district under the administration of Guangzhou, located in the southeast of Guangzhou. It is geometrically the center of the Pearl River delta region. Totaling an area of 1313.8 square kilometers, Panyu is 38 sea miles away from Hong Kong and 42 sea miles from Macao.
Benefited from the opening and reform policy and its advantages in geography, the economy of Panyu has grown rapidly and drastically. Many investors from over 30 countries and regions have launched more than 3000 companies in Panyu including worldwide famous General Electric, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Panasonic, Hitachi, etc. So far, the aggregate utilization of foreign fund is up to 4.411billion USD and 3 pillar industries as photoelectron, jewellery processing and chemical industry were established. According to the statistics, in 2004, the GDP in Panyu was 47.094 billion RMB, an increase of 15.3% over last year, and the total value of import and export in 2004 amounted to 11.873 billion USD, among which the export accounted for 1/3 of the total in Guangzhou city.
In 2000, Guangzhou began to implement its Southward Urban Development Plan. Panyu, with an aim to build a powerful economic strength, beautiful natural environment and famous cultural city, became the core area for the new city constructions. The Plan also brings a golden opportunity to Panyu's overall development. In the years to come, Guangzhou Municipal Government will continuously invest huge amount of money to better Panyu' s infrastructure. So far, there are many key construction projects and reserved key construction projects as follows: The University Town, which has put into operation, The New Railway Station, two metroline projects, a couple of expressways and Nansha Branch of Guangzhou Port etc.
The forthcoming years will be the fast-developed period for Panyu' s urbanization. To the year of 2020, the whole district will cover an construction land of 381 square kilometers for urban development with a population of 3.5 million. By then, Panyu will become a most suitable land for business and residence.
Panyu was set up as a town as early as in 214 BC, under the reign of Qin Shihuang, the first emperor of China (221-206 BC). It has a population of over 1.631 million at present.
Panyu returned back to a suburban district at county level in 2000. The district government is located in Shiqiao Township. Situated on the Pearl River Delta and in the subtropical zone, Panyu is suitable for agriculture, with an average temperature of 13℃ in January and 28℃ in July. Annual precipitation averages more than 1,600 mm. It has been one of the major farming counties in Guangdong for commodity grains and other agricultural products, such as litchi, peanut, banana, longan, sugarcane and papaya.
With a crisscross network of highways and water channels, Panyu is conveniently located geographically. Lianhuashan Harbor provides a direct shipping access to Hong Kong and Kowloon.
Panyu is the hometown of Xian Xinghai, one of the greatest musicians in China. Xian composed a lot revolutionary songs in 1930s-40s, during the Anti-Japanese War period, when China was ruled over by both the warlords and the foreign powers. Some of his songs are still popular in China even today.
Another historic figure is Qu Dajun, who was born in Sixian Xiang in Panyu District. Qu was a popular poet and renowned scholar of Lingnan culture in the transitional period of the late Ming and the early Qing dynasties.
In the past decades, an export-oriented industrial economic system has been formed majoring in sugar refining, papermaking, textile, chemical fiber and fertilizer, printing and dying, clothing, shoemaking, food processing and building materials. Local business is booming and very attractive to businessmen from both abroad and home.
Just half an hour by car from Guangzhou' s Haizhu District is Panyu' s administrative center of Shiqiao, and seven kilometers southwest of Shiqiao is the ancient town of Shawan. One of Shawan' s impressive features is the preponderance of classical style buildings, typical of the Pearl River Delta area. Here one can visit Liugeng Hall, a well-known temple in South China, outstanding for its magnificent architecture and carvings.
Throughout history, Shawan has had a reputation for being a town of culture. Many famous opera actors, actresses and musicians of the modern era are from Shawan. The festival held on the third day of the third lunar month is a reflection of the superb artistic achievements of the locals.
Situated at the mouth of the Pearl River and about 20 kilometers southeast of Shiqiao, Mt. Lianhuashan (Lotus) is one of the four well-known mountains in Guangdong. On its top it stands the Flower Pagoda built in the Ming Dynasty. The standing bronze statue of Guanyin (Chinese Goddess of Mercy) overlooking the sea is as high as 40.88 meters, the highest one gilded with gold in the world. Located on Shiziyang at the mouth of the Pearl River, the sight has been elected one of the eight most attractive spots in Guangzhou Municipality. Actually, the mountain was an ancient quarry begun during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), which has been under state protection as one of the 48 national cultural relics so far in Guangdong. On the mountain one can visit the Lotus Flower Pagoda, built during the Ming Dynasty, and the ancient Lotus Flower Fort built in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
There are other sites associated with the Opium War as well, such as Upper and Lower Hengdang (Ledge) Islands in the southeast of Panyu. One can reach these scenic spots from Shiqiao by taking the highway to Nansha and changing to a boat at the Nansha Ferry Pier. The canons here once guarded the strategic military post at Humen. Together with Weiyuan Fort across the river, they both controlled the mouth of the Pearl River, defending Guangzhou. Other local spots of historic and cultural interest include:
Xiangjiang Safari Park and Chime-Long Night Zoo are new attractions to visitors. Both of them offer grand shows at night. Children are keen on animals, especially in the wild.
Yuyinshanfang (Ancestral Beneficence) Garden, one of the four famous gardens built in the Qing Dynasty in Guangdong Province. Located in Nancun Township, covering an area of 1,598 square meters and 17 kilometers away from Guangzhou City Proper, this garden is well known for the family of Wu Yantian, the father and his two sons once scored among top three at the national imperial examinations. It is very symbolic today for the ambitious students and their parents.
Baomo Garden is situated in Zini Village. It was originally built in the later Qing Dynasty, unfortunately destroyed in 1950s. It took 6 years to rebuild Baomo Garden (1995-2000), and now it is expanded to more than 6 million sq meters. Baomo Garden consists of a group of ancient buildings in Southern style, traditional Lingnan gardening arts, and elegant waterside scenery. The buildings, the gardens, the hills, the waters and the bridges are distributed naturally in balance, forming an attractive sight of a typical traditional Lingnan garden.
Initial signs of the new city are already visible in Nansha Economic Development Zone in the down south of Panyu. Formerly a peninsula created by alluvial sand, it is now covered with a network of roads.
Merchandise stores, modern factories and trading companies are continually springing up on the land neatly crisscrossed by roads and along the riverside. New residential quarters are mushrooming up amazingly, forming a new urban center along the riverside. Humen Bridge connects Humen and Nansha, which brings over 10, 000 vehicles across the Pearl River every day, South of the Ferry Pier a series of deepwater berths are under construction, of which Nansha Deepwater Port on Longxie Island will become the largest river port in South China when it is completed in the coming years. Petroleum and petrochemical industries, iron and steel processing plants, logistic companies and shipping enterprises are the economic pillars.
Furthermore, Guangzhou University Town is also located in this area. Covering as area of over 40 square kilometers, it is connected with Guangzhou City Proper by No.3 Metro Line, Urban Light Rail System and Huanan Expressway. The town will be made up of a dozen universities, with Guangzhou University moving in first in 2003.
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