Guangzhou, the largest city in South China, sits on the Pearl River northwest of Hong Kong. This Chinese megalopolis is home to a staggering 12.78 million inhabitants (compared to London and New York’s respective populations of roughly 8.2 million). As a thriving business hub, Guangzhou has a decidedly cosmopolitan feel to it, partly owing to its strong links with Hong Kong. While the majority of people do not speak English, international pockets thrive throughout the city. Tianhe is a popular area among foreigners. Bars and restaurants are in abundance and those feeling homesick can chase away their blues in McCawleys pub, Cowboys Bar-B-Que, Ocean 7, McDonalds, Nova, Starbucks, or Japanese fusion to name a few. Grandview and TeeMall are within walking distance, and ample parks provide green relief to the area. Panyu is another popular area, just south of the city. It has a vibrant international community and is popular among families and singles alike. The cost of living here is reasonable and you’ll never be short of things to do and see. The city prides itself on its performing arts scene and is committed to supporting a packed cultural calendar. Getting around Guangzhou can be daunting, but is easily do-able. The city recently installed the world’s second-largest Bus Transit Rapid system, which hauls no fewer than 800,000 commuters across town and back every day. The Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail was opened to long distance commuters in 2009, while the Guangzhou-Zhuhai intercity rail (opened in 2011), has further opened up the city. Motorbikes have been banned in this burgeoning city as a means of improving traffic control, and in a bid to clean the heavily polluted air the majority of vehicles now run on LPG gas. The recently opened Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (which is soon to add a further two runways) has made the city considerably easier to get to and from.