The native language of locals in Guangzhou is Cantonese. As the Guangzhou dialect of Cantonese is considered by some to be the most prestigious, this is a good place, for anyone who is interested, to learn the language in its "purest" form. However, due to the large number of migrants in recent years, many of whom do not speak Cantonese, standard Mandarin is fast becoming the lingua franca in this city. As Mandarin is the medium of instruction in all mainland Chinese schools, most younger locals will be bilingual in Cantonese and Mandarin.
English is not widely spoken, but is still better understood here than in most places in mainland China. It is a good idea to carry your hotel's business card with you. To save yourself the hassle and agony when asking for directions, have names of your destinations clearly written down in Chinese by the hotel staff before venturing out. That being said, staff at the more expensive hotels, as well as bars and restaurants catering specifically to foreigners generally speak an acceptable level of English.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Guangzhou
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Guangzhou - updated May 2024
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Guangzhou Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
