'World's workshop' boasts a rich history

Guangzhou - formerly known in the West as Canton - is the capital and commercial hub of Guangdong province, and a major port at the apex of the Pearl River Delta, about 120km northwest of Hong Kong.

A sprawling city, Guangzhou is the most important manufacturing hub of the delta, which is sometimes referred to as the 'world's workshop', owing to the massive amount of goods that are produced there. The biannual Import and Export Fair, also known as the Canton Trade Fair, has been held in the city since 1957 and it has recently moved into a new venue in the city's up-and-coming Pazhou district.

There are three key industrial zones: the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Guangzhou Nansha Development Zone and the Shantou Free Trade Zone. There is an international airport, with a growing number of domestic and foreign carriers linking the city to domestic and international destinations. The city also boasts a modern metro and rail links to Hong Kong.

Guangzhou dates back to at least 214 BC, when a settlement was established at Panyu, and it has been continuously populated ever since. Temples, monuments and archaeological finds dot the city, often in out-of-the-way places.

Prior to the Opium Wars, Guangzhou had a monopoly on trade with Britain and, by the mid-1800s, it attracted merchants from around the globe. Remnants of this heady era are scattered about town, most notably on Shamian Island in the city's Liwan district, with its stately Western-style buildings - among the oldest on Chinese soil - that are being restored one by one. The old Customs House has been renovated and turned into a museum, while Starbucks occupies another historic structure.

Another key heritage site, the Chen Clan Temple, is also located in the district and is arguably the finest example of traditional Chinese architecture in the city.