GBA city guide
Guangzhou brings Cantonese tea-house food, Xiguan's old streets and the Canton Fair into one city. For New Zealanders, it also opens a chapter of our own history: Panyu and Zengcheng were among the places from which early Chinese migrants left for New Zealand. Between meetings, there is time for shrimp dumplings, coloured-glass windows and the Pearl River waterfront.
Guangzhou sits at the northern end of the Pearl River estuary. Liwan holds much of the old city, Tianhe includes Zhujiang New Town and Guangzhou East station, and Haizhu contains Pazhou. Guangzhou South station is farther south in Panyu; Baiyun and Nansha bring different manufacturing and port districts into this eleven-district city.
Find local places and services with a New Zealand connection, whether you live here, are visiting or are doing business. Each listing identifies its ownership or connection.
Explore Kiwi businesses in GuangzhouBars and live sport
New Zealand-owned business
Food and hospitality
Australian and New Zealand-owned venue
Living & visiting
Liwan brings together Shamian's former-concession streets, Yongqing Fang's covered shopping arcades and the domestic history in Liwan Museum. Tea houses and older streets give this western part of central Guangzhou its Cantonese character.
Tianhe combines Zhujiang New Town's office district with the Tianhe Road shopping area. It is a useful base for central business meetings and evening plans. ATOC Bar is in Zhujiang New Town, while the New Zealand Consulate-General is at TaiKoo Hui on Tianhe Road; these are distinct destinations within the district.
Pazhou in Haizhu hosts the Canton Fair. Xingangdong metro station serves exhibition Area A, while Pazhou station serves B and C. Elsewhere on the south bank, Party Pier is a riverside dining destination and home to JoJo's Riverside.
Baiyun Airport connects with Guangzhou's metro network. Pazhou's Canton Fair venues are in Haizhu, Tianhe contains Zhujiang New Town and TaiKoo Hui, and Guangzhou South railway station is in Panyu. The official metro map covers these city destinations.
From New Zealand, compare China Southern flights into Guangzhou Baiyun with a Hong Kong arrival and onward travel. The airport, Tianhe offices and Pazhou's Canton Fair venue are separate parts of the journey; use the actual hotel and exhibition address when planning the airport transfer.
Consulate-General: Unit 3006, TaiKoo Hui Tower 1, 385 Tianhe Road, Tianhe. Telephone: +86 20 8931 9600. Email: [email protected]. Notarial services require an appointment.
Guangzhou's delegation rules effective from 1 August 2026 assign work-permit applications, changes and cancellations to the Huangpu and Nansha science and technology authorities. Confirm the handling office with your employer; applications already accepted remain with the original authority.
The municipal foreign-worker service window is on the fourth floor of the Foreigners Entry-Exit Reception Hall, 155 Jiefang South Road, Yuexiu. Enquiries: +86 20 12345. Huangpu and Nansha have the district responsibilities listed above.
The police portal links directly to self-service accommodation registration for overseas residents and preliminary applications for foreigner visas and residence permits.
The health commission lists hospitals, licensed clinics and primary-care institutions by district, with official booking routes and Guangzhou Health appointments. Its directory also identifies lunchtime, evening and holiday clinics.
Shamian's protected historic buildings and old trees make it a rewarding walking destination. Former consulates, banks and trading-company buildings recall Guangzhou's international commerce, with the river beside the island's streets.
Yongqing Fang's restored qilou - buildings with covered street-level walkways - and Liwan Museum offer complementary ways into Xiguan culture. The museum's folk-customs displays explore domestic interiors, festivals and wedding traditions, including the coloured glass of Manchurian windows. Outside, the covered arcades show how shopping streets adapted to Guangzhou's sun and sudden rain.
Yum cha means drinking tea, but a Guangzhou tea-house table is also a meal of small dishes. Start with shrimp dumplings, siu mai and char siu bao - steamed buns filled with roast pork. Sampan congee adds a savoury rice porridge to the table. The variety makes a tea-house meal an easy way for a group to try several Cantonese flavours together.
Many early Chinese New Zealanders came from Panyu; Zengcheng was another place of origin. In 1866, the first organised group of Chinese gold miners arrived in Otago from Victoria, Australia, recruited by the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce after European miners left for the West Coast. These links give Guangzhou a place in New Zealand's migration history alongside present-day trade.
Explore social gatherings, business networking and cultural activities. The Events page keeps the dates, locations and participation details together.
See NZGBA events
NZGBA's first Kiwi networking evening at the Canton Fair: a free gathering in Guangzhou during Phase 2 for New Zealanders, Kiwi businesses and friends of New Zealand.
RSVP by scanning the QR code on the poster or using the registration button.
Business & industry
The Canton Fair is a practical introduction to many product sectors, but each phase has different categories. Start with the organiser's exhibitor and registration information, then arrange any separate company meetings. The NZGBA fair gathering is a social activity with its own event details.
Guangzhou's industrial geography extends beyond Tianhe and Pazhou. Baiyun's clothing, leather goods and cosmetics businesses and Nansha's port logistics represent different destinations and meeting purposes. Use the industry guide to identify the relevant area before building a programme.
Huadu; Hualong and Shilou, Panyu; Huangge, Nansha
Baiyun District, including Zhongluotan
Huangpu District / Guangzhou Development District
Population: 19.101 million
Land area: 7,238 km²
2025 GDP: RMB 3,203.946 billion (approx. NZ$767.7 billion)
NZD conversion uses the same-year SAFE annual average.
Tell NZGBA your dates and interests if your New Zealand group is visiting Guangzhou. We can discuss community connections and opportunities to meet other Kiwis in the GBA.