Haizhu Lake. [Photo/haizhu.gov.cn]

Located on the south bank of the Pearl River, Haizhu is the only district in Guangzhou that is on an island. It covers 90.40 square kilometers and has a shoreline of 47.35 kilometers.

Haizhu district enjoys a long history dating back to the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 BC).  There are many cultural relics and ancient buildings in the area including Yungui Bridge, Pazhou Tower and Chigang Tower, all built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). Additionally, the famous institution of higher learning, Sun Yat-sen University, is in this district. 

Haizhu district is also famous for its unique ecosystem consisting of rivers, inlets, hills and gardens, all of which make it an ideal place to work and live.

At present, Haizhu district is working to develop the business alliance of the Jiangnan Culture, Business, and Tourism Integration Circle and the "one zone-one valley-one circle,” in which the one zone refers to Pazhou Artificial Intelligence and Digital Economy Experimental Zone, one valley refers to SYSU International Innovation Valley, and one circle refers to Haizhu's cultural, business, and tourism integration circle.

There are 18 administrative subdistricts and 265 communities within Haizhu district. The GDP of Guangzhou's Haizhu district was 286.01 billion yuan ($39.49 billion) in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent.