China torch relay: Guangzhou

As part of a series following the Olympic torch around China, the spotlight falls on Guangzhou with a resident's view of the forthcoming relay and a picture gallery of the city.

In pictures: Easy-going Guangzhou Guangzhou: A resident's view

The Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province is one of China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions - and Guangzhou is its economic centre.

The city is no stranger to trade. From the 16th Century its port was used by foreign maritime powers.

By the early 19th Century, Guangzhou - or Canton as it was known in the English-speaking world - was one of the world's leading ports.

In the 1980s Guangdong became the first province to be opened to foreign investment under the communists.

And its importance for China's economic miracle in the past two decades cannot be understated. Factories in Guangdong manufacture everything from cuddly toys to refrigerators.

Measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), the province is the nation's wealthiest.

CHINA RELAY CITIES IN FOCUS Use the map to see the full Olympic torch relay route or read about some of the key cities: Full route map, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Jinggangshan, Shanghai, Nanjing, Huangshan, Three Gorges, Kaili, Lhasa, Urumqi, Xian, Yanji, Weihai, Qufu, Anyang, Beijing.

And it is also believed to be China's most populous province, with more than 80 million registered residents and an additional 30 million migrant workers.

Despite being a thriving industrial centre, Guangzhou is a city where picturesque temples, leafy squares and the occasional colonial era building can still be found.

And the province is at the heart of China's southern belt - with a subtropical climate, Cantonese dialect and distinctive Cantonese cuisine.

Certain southern Chinese cultural traditions such as Cantonese opera remain powerful.

But the untrammelled economic development of the area has not come without a price.

In recent years the province has witnessed violent demonstrations and land disputes involving villagers, local officials and developers.

The torch arrives in Guangzhou on 7 May.