South China

South has always been outward-looking. Many of China's mariners and traders have come from this region and many overseas Chinese can trace their ancestry to South China.
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Essential Destinations

Top destinations include Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

is the capital of Guangdong Province in southern China. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 18.7 million, making it China's fourth-largest city after Chongqing, Shanghai and Beijing.

is a fast-paced city of ambition and enterprise: engineers on the cutting edge of modern technology, hardscrabble farmers coming to the big city in search of a better life, middle managers who dream of someday opening their own factories, designers looking to sell to a global market, and all manner of entrepreneurs from across China.

is a city in Province, . The name means Pearl Sea; is where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. is known for its beautiful long coastline, waving palm trees, open spaces, low population density, and its many islands; 's nicknames are the city of romance and the city of a hundred islands.

Destinations to Discover

Explore places such as Guangdong and Guangxi.

in South China is the country's most populous province, and one of the richest. A global center for manufacturing and trade, has a long history connecting China with the outside world, with maritime trade going back centuries, borders with and , and as the ancestral homeland of many overseas Chinese.

is a relatively poor but highly scenic area in southern . It is known as the Zhuang Autonomous Region, because of its large Zhuang minority population.

is an island province of , famous for its tropical beaches. It has a thriving tourist industry and is being heavily promoted as "China's Hawaii".

South China

Latitude of center
22.6° or 22° 36′ north
Longitude of center
111° east
Wiki­data ID
Q1038564
This page is based on Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wikivoyage.
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Satellite Map

Discover South China from above in high-definition satellite imagery.

In Other Languages

From Belarusian to Yue Chinese—“South China” goes by many names.
  • Belarusian: Паўднёвы Кітай
  • Bhojpuri: दक्खिन चीन
  • Bulgarian: Южен Китай
  • Central Kanuri: South China
  • Chinese: Hôa-lâm
  • Chinese: 中国华南
  • Chinese: 华南
  • Chinese: 华南地区
  • Chinese: 華南
  • Chinese: 華南地區
  • Dutch: Zuid-China
  • Esperanto: Suda Ĉinio
  • French: Chine du Sud
  • Galician: China meridional
  • German: Südchina
  • Greek: Νότια Κίνα
  • Hebrew: דרום סין
  • Indonesian: Tiongkok Selatan
  • Japanese: 南支
  • Japanese: 南支那
  • Japanese: 華南
  • Kanuri: Anem china bǝ
  • Korean: 화난 지방
  • Korean: 화난
  • Korean: 화남 지방
  • Korean: 화남
  • Korean: 화남지방
  • Macedonian: Јужна Кина
  • Malay: China Selatan
  • Min Nan Chinese: Hôa-lâm
  • Norwegian Bokmål: Sør-Kina
  • Norwegian: Sør-Kina
  • Persian: جنوب چین
  • Portuguese: China meridional
  • Russian: Хуаньань
  • Russian: Южный Китай
  • Santali: ᱮᱛᱚᱢ ᱪᱤᱱ
  • Slovenian: Južna Kitajska
  • Spanish: China meridional
  • Tamil: தென்சீனா
  • Turkish: Güney Çin
  • Ukrainian: Південний Китай
  • Urdu: جنوبی چین
  • Vietnamese: Hoa Nam
  • Vietnamese: Miền nam nước Tàu
  • Vietnamese: Miền Nam Trung Quốc
  • Vietnamese: Nam Trung Quốc
  • Western Panjabi: جنوبی چین
  • Yue Chinese: 華南
  • Yue Chinese: 華南地區
  • दक्खिन चीन

China: Must-Visit Destinations

Delve into Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Tianjin.

Explore These Curated Destinations

Discover places selected for their distinct character and enduring appeal.
About Mapcarta. Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, except for photos, directions, and the map. Description text is based on the Wikivoyage page “South China”. Photo: Chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0.