City Asia
Guiyang
Guiyang is a big city in China. It has many tall buildings, with green hills between them.
Guiyang is a big city in southern China and the capital of Guizhou Province, 320 kilometers south of Chongqing. It is a meeting point of roads and railways and a city of industry. China's 2020 census counted 4,021,275 people in its urban districts.
Guiyang, capital of Guizhou Province, lies 320 km south of Chongqing (Store norske leksikon); a road and rail crossroads with metallurgy, chemicals and electronics (Larousse). Census of 1 November 2020: urban population 4,021,275, first in Guizhou; the whole prefecture-level city 5,987,018 on 8,051 km² (City Population, from the National Bureau of Statistics and Guizhou's statistics bureau).
Photo: CanonNi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Guiyang
Guiyang is a big city in China.
It is the main city of a province called Guizhou.
Guiyang lies in southern China, 320 kilometers south of the big city of Chongqing, says Store norske leksikon, Norway's big encyclopedia. It is the capital of Guizhou Province.
China's census of 1 November 2020 counted 4,021,275 people in Guiyang's urban districts, more than in any other city of Guizhou.
Store norske leksikon ('Guiyang'): a city in China, capital of Guizhou Province, 320 km south of Chongqing; 2,871,000 inhabitants (UN, 2015). Larousse ('Guiyang ou Kouei-yang'): a city of China, capital of Guizhou; agglomeration 2,457,594 (2010 estimate). City Population (China National Bureau of Statistics; Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Statistics for 2020): urban population of Guiyang 1,079,652 (1990), 1,894,344 (2000), 2,520,061 (2010), 4,021,275 (census 1 November 2020), counted on district level, first among Guizhou's major cities; Guiyang prefecture-level city 2,960,996 (1990) to 5,987,018 (2020) on 8,051 km².
- Where
- southern China, 320 km south of Chongqing (Store norske leksikon)
- People (census 2020, urban districts)
- 4,021,275
- Province
- Guizhou, with Guiyang as its capital (Larousse)
- Size
- the largest urban population in Guizhou at the 2020 census (City Population)
Towers, a long avenue and green hills
Look at all the tall buildings, packed close together!
A long road runs between them, and hills rise far away.
CanonNi took this photo on 17 July 2023. In his own words, it is a bird's-eye view of Guiyang, taken from a hotel balcony. Tall towers stand close together, a long avenue with cars and a row of green trees runs through the middle, a yellow crane reaches over the front, and green hills and far mountains rise behind under a hazy sky.
On Wikidata, the Jiaxiu Pavilion, a protected historic building, is about 1 kilometer east-southeast of the city's point, and the Guizhou Provincial Museum about 10 kilometers northwest.
Commons: File:Bird-eye view of Guiyang, Guizhou.jpg, by CanonNi (own work, CC BY-SA 4.0), dated 17 July 2023 08:34, uploaded 15 July 2024; his English description: 'Bird-eye view of Guiyang, Guizhou, taken from a hotel balcony' (the balcony words added by him the same day); he added the categories 'Guiyang' and 'Bird's-eye views in China' and marked the photo as retouched; his camera point (Location template) is 0.67 km E of the city point, looking southwest (heading about 222°). Seen in the 1,280-pixel copy: dense tall towers, a long avenue with cars and a line of green trees, a yellow tower crane in front, a small Ferris wheel, green hills between buildings, a mountain line on the horizon under a hazy sky. Wikidata from the city point (Q192271): Jiaxiu Pavilion (Q15934153), a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level, 0.96 km ESE; Guizhou Normal University (Q5616948) 1.77 km NE; Guizhou Provincial Museum (Q19853749) 10.45 km NW.
- In the photo
- a bird's-eye view of Guiyang from a hotel balcony, 17 July 2023 (CanonNi)
- Jiaxiu Pavilion
- a building on China's list of major protected historical and cultural sites, about 1 km east-southeast of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Guizhou Provincial Museum
- about 10 km northwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
A city that grew fast
Guiyang grew very fast.
In 2020, nearly four times as many people lived there as in 1990.
China's censuses show how fast Guiyang grew. Its urban districts had 1,079,652 people in 1990, 1,894,344 in 2000, 2,520,061 in 2010 and 4,021,275 in 2020, nearly four times as many as thirty years before.
The whole area that Guiyang governs covers 8,051 square kilometers and had 5,987,018 people in 2020.
City Population (census results): urban population of Guiyang 1,079,652 (1 July 1990), 1,894,344 (1 November 2000), 2,520,061 (1 November 2010), 4,021,275 (1 November 2020), a factor of 3.7 in thirty years; the urban population is counted on district or county level, and districts with continuous settlement areas are aggregated as a city. Guiyang prefecture-level city: 2,960,996 (1990), 3,718,449 (2000), 4,322,611 (2010), 5,987,018 (2020), 8,051 km².
- 1990
- 1,079,652 people in the urban districts (census, via City Population)
- 2010
- 2,520,061 people (census, via City Population)
- 2020
- 4,021,275 people (census, via City Population)
Roads, railways and an airport
Many roads and railways meet in Guiyang.
The city also has a big airport.
Larousse calls Guiyang a crossroads of roads and railways, and Store norske leksikon calls it a communications hub.
On Wikidata, Guiyang Railway Station is about 2.3 kilometers south-southwest of the city's point, Guiyang North railway station about 6 kilometers northwest, and Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport about 10 kilometers east-southeast.
Larousse: 'carrefour routier et ferroviaire' (a road and rail crossroads). Store norske leksikon: a communications hub ('kommunikasjonsknutepunkt'). Wikidata from the city point: Guiyang Railway Station (Q11634822) 2.29 km SSW; Guiyang North railway station (Q18121548) 5.93 km NW; Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport (Q3243613; inception 1997) 10.31 km ESE; Guiyang Metro stations nearby (e.g. Q60682730 at the railway station).
- Crossroads
- a meeting point of roads and railways (Larousse) and a communications hub (Store norske leksikon)
- Guiyang Railway Station
- about 2.3 km south-southwest of the city's point (Wikidata)
- Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport
- about 10 km east-southeast of the city's point (Wikidata)
Mild winters and rainy summers
Guiyang is cool in winter and warm in summer.
Most of its rain falls from May to August.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for Guiyang cover 1991 to 2020; the weather station is about 2 kilometers east of the city's point. January is the coolest month, with an average temperature of 4.1 °C, and July and August the warmest, with 23.5 °C.
About 1,113 millimeters of rain fall in a year. June is the wettest month, with 207.7 millimeters, and February the driest, with 21.7. More than half of the year's rain falls from May to August.
Japan Meteorological Agency world station normals, Guiyang (26.58° N, 106.73° E; station height not given; 2.21 km E of the city point; period 1991-2020 as stated on JMA's normals index page): monthly mean temperature 4.1 °C (Jan), 7.3, 11.4, 16.1, 19.4, 21.6, 23.5 (Jul), 23.5 (Aug), 20.6, 15.8, 11.6, 6.0 °C (Dec); precipitation 28.2, 21.7 (Feb), 46.2, 83.4, 182.0, 207.7 (Jun), 174.8, 120.6, 95.7, 88.2, 39.4, 24.7 mm; sum 1,112.6 mm; May to August together 685.1 mm.
- January, average temperature (JMA, Guiyang, 1991–2020)
- 4.1 °C
- July and August, average temperature (same table)
- 23.5 °C
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1,113 mm
Iron, steel and machines
Factories in Guiyang make iron, steel and machines.
Power stations by the rivers make electricity for the city.
Store norske leksikon calls Guiyang an industrial city. It makes iron and steel, using iron ore and coal found nearby, and aluminum. Its metal is used to build machines, mining equipment and railway equipment, and hydroelectric power stations along the riverbanks give the city electricity.
Larousse lists metallurgy, chemicals and electronics among Guiyang's industries.
Store norske leksikon: a communications hub and an industrial city producing iron and steel (based on local deposits of iron ore and coal) and aluminum; metal production is the basis for engineering (machines, mining equipment, railway equipment); hydroelectric power stations along the riverbanks supply the city with electricity. Larousse: 'Métallurgie. Chimie. Électronique.' Wikidata: Guizhou Normal University (Q5616948) 1.77 km NE; Guiyang University (Q17039460) 7.38 km ESE.
- Metals
- iron and steel from local iron ore and coal, and aluminum (Store norske leksikon)
- Machines
- machines, mining equipment and railway equipment (Store norske leksikon)
- Other industries
- metallurgy, chemicals and electronics (Larousse)
Guiyang on the map
Find China on the globe. Look in the south, below the big city of Chongqing. There is Guiyang!
Guiyang lies at about 26.58° north and 106.71° east, 320 kilometers south of Chongqing.
On Wikidata, the Jiaxiu Pavilion is about 1 kilometer east-southeast of the city's point, Guiyang Railway Station about 2.3 kilometers south-southwest, the provincial museum about 10 kilometers northwest and the airport about 10 kilometers east-southeast.
Guiyang lies at about 26.58° N, 106.71° E (Wikidata point of Guiyang, Q192271; the sheet point is 1.07 km ENE of it). Wikidata from the city point: Jiaxiu Pavilion 0.96 km ESE; Guizhou Normal University 1.77 km NE; Guiyang Railway Station 2.29 km SSW; Guiyang North railway station 5.93 km NW; Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport 10.31 km ESE; Guizhou Provincial Museum 10.45 km NW.
- Latitude
- about 26.58° north
- Longitude
- about 106.71° east
- Chongqing
- 320 km to the north (Store norske leksikon)
Amazing facts
-
In 2020, nearly four times as many people lived in Guiyang as in 1990!
China's censuses counted 1,079,652 people in Guiyang's urban districts in 1990 and 4,021,275 in 2020, nearly four times as many.
Census urban population (via City Population): 1,079,652 (1990) to 4,021,275 (2020), a factor of 3.7.
-
Power stations by Guiyang's rivers make electricity from moving water!
Store norske leksikon says hydroelectric power stations along the riverbanks supply Guiyang with electricity.
Store norske leksikon: hydroelectric power stations along the riverbanks supply the city with electricity.
-
Guiyang's factories make things for railways!
Store norske leksikon says Guiyang's metal is used to make machines, mining equipment and railway equipment.
Store norske leksikon: metal production is the basis for engineering: machines, mining equipment, railway equipment.
Words to know
- province
- one of the large areas a country is divided into
- census
- an official count of all the people living in a place
- urban district
- a part of a city where the town is built up, not countryside
- hydroelectric
- making electricity from the power of moving water
- iron ore
- rock dug from the ground that iron is made from
- communications hub
- a place where many roads, railways or other routes meet
Discovery challenge
-
Guiyang is a city in which country?
Guiyang, 320 kilometers south of Chongqing, is in which country?
Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, is in which country?
- China
- Argentina
- Canada
Show the answer
China
China!
China.
China.
-
Guiyang is the main city of which province?
Guiyang is the capital of which Chinese province?
Of which province is Guiyang the capital?
- Guizhou
- Yunnan
- Sichuan
Show the answer
Guizhou
Guizhou!
Guizhou.
Guizhou.
-
Which month brings the most rain to Guiyang?
In JMA's 1991-2020 averages, which is Guiyang's wettest month?
Which month has the highest mean precipitation in JMA's Guiyang normals?
- June
- January
- December
Show the answer
June
June!
June, with 207.7 millimeters.
June, 207.7 mm.
-
How do Guiyang's power stations make electricity?
What kind of power stations along the riverbanks supply Guiyang with electricity?
Store norske leksikon says Guiyang's electricity comes from which kind of power station?
- Water power stations
- Wind farms
- Sun panels
Show the answer
Water power stations
With moving water!
Hydroelectric (water) power stations.
Hydroelectric power stations along the riverbanks.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Guiyang in southern China, south of Chongqing.
- Read census numbers and work out how much a city grew in thirty years.
- Explain the difference between a city's urban districts and the whole area it governs.
- Describe how local iron ore, coal and river power can shape a city's industry.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a city where roads and railways meet grow fast?
- Why might factories be built close to where iron ore and coal are found?
- How might a city change when almost four times as many people live there?
Try at home or in class
- Growth bars: draw bars for Guiyang's 1,079,652 (1990), 1,894,344 (2000), 2,520,061 (2010) and 4,021,275 (2020) people.
- Rain chart: color twelve boxes for Guiyang's monthly rain, from 21.7 millimeters in February to 207.7 in June.
- Water wheel: put a toy pinwheel under a gently running tap to see how moving water can turn a wheel.
Key vocabulary: province, census, urban district, hydroelectric, iron ore, communications hub
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Guiyang , Store norske leksikon
- Guiyang ou Kouei-yang , Larousse
- Guìzhōu (China): Prefectural Division & Major Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Statistics
- Guiyang: world station climate normals (平年値データ) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World normals by region and country (normals period 1991-2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:Bird-eye view of Guiyang, Guizhou.jpg , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.