Guangzhou (Nansha) Guide

Guangzhou (Nansha) Ferry Port

Found within the labyrinth of waterways and inlets that branch away from the Shizi Ocean, a narrow strait that cuts through the centre of Guangzhou city in south-east China, is the port of Nansha. Guangzhou (sometimes called Canton), is the third largest city in the country, just behind the capital of Beijing and Shanghai. It has an extensive history stretching back to the beginning of the 3rd Century when it was established as a military base during the Qin Empire. Today Guangzhou is a sprawling modern metropolis backed by rugged mountains to the north. The cityscape is shaped by soaring skyscrapers, their sleek bodies ablaze with light during the dark hours, and avant-garde architecture including the Liede suspension bridge and the striking hourglass figure of the Canton TV Tower. The port of Nansha in Guangzhou is a facility found in the Nansha residential district by the southern coast. The ferry terminal here is a modern building with a curvaceous roof and a large open-plan lobby designed to accommodate the 1.6 million passengers that pass through each year. Just outside the terminal entrance is a number of stops from which buses embark on a loop around the Nansha peninsula, taking passengers around the verdant expanse of the Huangshanlu Forest Park and to locations including the old town and Jinzhou metro station. Guangzhou is riven by a network of major roads that make travelling to the port easy. A number of highways lead to the central district of the city as well as to the industrial region of Dongguan in the east and the Cantonese cultural hub of Foshan in the west. The nearest underground train line, found a half-hour drive from the port, whisks passengers directly into the vibrant centre of Guangzhou along the Line 4 line. One ferry service currently operates from Nansha port. A fast TurboJet line sails to the airport found on the Lantau Island region of Hong Kong. It’s a short route that takes ferry-goers out from the mouth of the Shizi Ocean strait and through an island peppered pocket of the South China Sea.