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Guiyang

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Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou province in China.

Guiyang old town
Guiyang old town

It sits on the eastern part of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. The city is located on the north bank of the Nanming River. This river flows into the larger Wu River. Mountains and green forests surround the entire area.

Guiyang dongshan temple
Guiyang dongshan temple

The city feels very lush and wet. It has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Most of the rain falls between May and July. Winters stay cool while summers have moderate temperatures. It is actually one of the least sunny major cities in China. The air feels moist because the humidity stays above 75% all year.

Nanming River 85296-Guiyang (49047014516)
Nanming River 85296-Guiyang (49047014516)

This city has a very long history of people living there. People have inhabited this valley since the Spring and Autumn period. In the 7th century, it was a military outpost. It grew into a city called Shunyuan during the Yuan dynasty. Guiyang officially became the provincial capital in 1413 during the Ming dynasty.

Qingyan Ancient Town 86163-Guiyang (44546347322)
Qingyan Ancient Town 86163-Guiyang (44546347322)

You can still visit the beautiful Qingyan Ancient Town today. This town was built in 1378 and shows ancient Chinese architecture. Another famous spot is the Jiaxiu Pavilion. It sits at the southern tip of the Nanming River. It was first built in 1598.

Many different groups of people call Guiyang home. There are 49 different ethnic minority groups living here. The Miao and Bouyei people are the largest minority populations.

Ethnic townships in Guiyang
Ethnic townships in Guiyang

You can hear many different languages spoken in the streets. Most people speak a type of Southwestern Mandarin. This local language uses only three tones. It sounds different from common Mandarin. Many old characters are still used in the local speech. This makes the language sound unique to the region.

Guiyang is a very busy place for business and science. In the past, it was known for mining phosphate and making aluminum. Now, the service sector is the biggest part of the economy. Since 2015, the city has become a hub for big data.

Guiyang Urban Rail Transit Map
Guiyang Urban Rail Transit Map

Many famous tech companies like Microsoft and Huawei have offices here. The city is even ranked among the top 150 science cities in the world. It is also home to Guizhou University. This is a major place for national research.

Visiting Guiyang is a treat for your senses. The food is very famous for being spicy. You might try fish in sour soup or beef in sour soup. There are also sweet treats like Gaoba porridge.

Guiyang old town
Guiyang old town

If you visit in the summer, you can eat ice jelly with peanuts. The city also has a very big coffee culture. By 2025, there were over 3,000 coffee shops in the city. This is the highest density of coffee shops in all of China. It is a wonderful place to explore.

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🖼️ Images & Media (7)
File:Txu-oclc-10552568-ng48-8.jpg
Txu-oclc-10552568-ng48-8.jpg
File:Guiyang dongshan temple.jpg
Guiyang dongshan temple.jpg
File:Guiyang old town.jpg
Guiyang old town.jpg
File:Ethnic townships in Guiyang.png
Ethnic townships in Guiyang.png
File:Nanming River 85296-Guiyang (49047014516).jpg
Nanming River 85296-Guiyang (49047014516).jpg
File:Qingyan Ancient Town 86163-Guiyang (44546347322).jpg
Qingyan Ancient Town 86163-Guiyang...
File:Guiyang_Urban_Rail_Transit_Map.png
Guiyang_Urban_Rail_Transit_Map.png
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