Panyu, formerly romanized as Punyü, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. In January 1975, Panyu County is under Guangzhou's administration. In 1992, Panyu County renamed to Panyu county-level city and still under Guangzhou's administration. It renamed to Panyu District on 10 July 2000. The present district covers an area of about 530 km².

Geography

Panyu lies at the heart of the Pearl River Delta, its boundary straddles from latitudes 22.26' to 23.05', and sprawls from longitudes 113.14' to 113.42'. Facing the Lion Sea in the east and the estuary of the Pearl River in the south, its eastern border is separated from Dongguan by a strip of water, and the western border of Panyu is adjacent to the cities of Nanhai, Shunde and Zhongshan, while it abuts the downtown of Guangzhou in the north. The site of the People's government of Panyu is Shiqiao which is 17 km from downtown Guangzhou and 38 and 42 nmi from the cities of Hong Kong and Macau, respectively. Shiqiao may have once been called "Stone Bridge town", but because of war, the characters changed, so Shiqiao was rewritten using the characters for "city" and "bridge".

History

The Chinese settlement at Panyu was established by the Qin armies under Zhao Tuo during their first failed invasion of the Baiyue in Guangdong in 214 BC. There are at least 11 separate theories on the etymology of the name. Upon the fall of the Qin, Zhao Tuo established Panyu as the capital of his kingdom of Nanyue in 204 BC. Archaeological evidence shows that it was a burgeoning commercial center: among the present material object remnants, there are those of Southeast Asian, Indian, and even African origin. Yuexiu District, most of Baiyun and Huangpu Districts, and parts of parts of Liwan, Haizhu, and Tianhe Districts were originally part of Panyu County but were ceded to Guangzhou as it expanded. In January 1975, Panyu County is under Guangzhou's administration. In 1992, Panyu County renamed to Panyu county-level city and still under Guangzhou's administration. It renamed to Panyu District on 10 July 2000. By 28 April 2005, the southern part of Panyu was split off as the new Nansha District. On 30 September 2012, three southern towns of Panyu—Dongchong, Dagang, and Lanhe—were removed to Nansha's jurisdiction.

Administrative divisions

Panyu district administers ten subdistricts and six towns (镇). The district executive, legislature and judiciary are based in the Shiqiao, together with the CPC and PSB branches. On 1 December 2012 three towns (Dongchong, Dagang, & Lanhe) were transferred to Nansha District.

Transfer Towns

The following towns have been abolished, some by absorption into the Development zone of the Nansha District.

Villages

Under its various Subdistricts and Towns (and in the one Development zone), Panyu has 305 administration villages (行政村) - i.e. 305 village governments. There are other 'natural villages' (自然村) which administratively count as being in one or another of the administration villages.

Climate

Economy

Statistics shows that in the year of 1998, the GDP in the district was 33.25 billion yuan, an increase of 13% over the previous year, and the GDP per capita was 35.5 thousand Yuan, an increase of 11%, compared with the previous year. The amusement park operator Chimelong has its headquarters on the grounds of Chimelong Paradise in the district.

Transportation

Guangzhou Metro Lines 2 and 3 serve parts of Panyu District. Line 2 was extended into the district in Sept. 2010. Guangzhou South railway station, the main high-speed railway station serving Guangzhou, is situated within the boundaries of Panyu District. Panyu Public Transport operates buses in the district.

Metro

Panyu is currently service by four metro lines operated by Guangzhou Metro:

Tourist attractions

Major educational institutions

The Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center includes more than ten higher education institutions. Schools for Chinese students: International schools:

Notable individuals

People born in or with family links to the Panyu District: • Xian Xinghai • Deng Shichang • Wang Jingwei • Guan Liang • Henry Fok • Wong Jim • Patrick Tse • Nicholas Tse • Francis Ng • Sandra Ng • Lawrence Ng • Nick Cheung Ka Fai • Edmund Ho • Frankie Lam • Hu Hanmin • Selina Chow • Michael Hui • Samuel Hui • Ricky Hui • Shih Kien • Chen Zhizhao • Charles Sew Hoy

International Relations

Panyu has a cooperational agreement with: