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Guiyang

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Guiyang is the capital city of Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China.

Guiyang old town
Guiyang old town

It is located on the eastern side of the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau. The city sits on the north bank of the Nanming River. This river is a tributary of the larger Wu River. The landscape is defined by surrounding mountains and thick forests.

Guiyang dongshan temple
Guiyang dongshan temple

While it is the provincial capital, it is not the largest city in Guizhou. That title belongs to the city of Zunyi.

The climate in Guiyang is a humid subtropical type. This is classified as Cwa under the Köppen climate system. The weather is tempered by high elevation and low latitude. This results in cool winters and summers with moderate temperatures. Most precipitation falls between May and July. The city is one of the least sunny major cities in China. It receives only 1,150 hours of sunshine annually. The relative humidity remains above 75% throughout the entire year.

Human history in this valley stretches back to the Spring and Autumn period. In the 7th century, the area served as a military outpost. It was known as Juzhou during the Sui and Tang dynasties. The city later grew into Shunyuan under the Mongolian 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)

The city saw rapid growth after the Japanese invasion during World War II. It also expanded quickly following economic reforms in the 1990s.

The city is a diverse home for many different people. There are 49 different ethnic minority groups living in the municipality. The Miao and Bouyei people are the most populous minority groups.

Ethnic townships in Guiyang
Ethnic townships in Guiyang

Most residents speak a variety of Southwestern Mandarin. This local dialect is unique because it lacks retroflex sounds. While standard Mandarin uses five tones, this local language uses only three. Many ancient Chinese characters are still used in the local speech. This gives the language a sound that can resemble Korean or Japanese.

Guiyang has a very strong and changing economy. Historically, the region was known for phosphate mining and aluminum production. It also had a large iron and steel plant that began in 1960. Today, the service sector provides the majority of the economic output. Since 2015, the city has focused on big data development. This has helped Guiyang become a local hub for innovation.

Guiyang Urban Rail Transit Map
Guiyang Urban Rail Transit Map

As of 2025, it ranks among the top 150 science cities globally. This ranking is based on research outputs tracked by the Nature Index.

Many major global companies have opened offices in Guiyang. These include Microsoft, Huawei, Tencent, and Alibaba. The city also hosts Guizhou University, a national research institution. Economic growth is supported by various sectors and investments. In 2017, the regional GDP totaled 353.8 billion yuan. The local economy has grown at a pace of approximately 10% per year. The city has even completed a project for city-wide free WiFi. This project is a joint venture between the government and tech companies.

Visitors to Guiyang can explore many famous historical sites. The Jiaxiu Pavilion sits at the southern tip of the Nanming River. It was first built in 1598 during the Ming dynasty. Another important site is the Qingyan Ancient Town. It was built in 1378 and features traditional Chinese architecture.

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

The city is also famous for its spicy cuisine. Popular dishes include fish in sour soup and beef in sour soup. Interestingly, Guiyang has a massive coffee culture. By 2025, it had over 3,000 coffee shops. This is the highest density of coffee shops in China.

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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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