Zhongshan

Zhongshan (中山; Jūngsāan in Cantonese, Zhōng​shān in Mandarin​) is a city in Guangdong Province just north of Zhuhai. Zhongshan is most famous as the birthplace of Chinese national hero Sun Yat-Sen (for whom the city was renamed after his death). It's now something of a manufacturing center, like the rest of the Pearl River Delta, but it's quieter than the other cities in the area and still has lots of farmland and small towns.

Understand
Zhongshan is in the Pearl River Delta region of Guangdong Province, on the west bank of the Pearl River estuary. It is connected by road and rail to Guangzhou (capital of Guangdong Province) to the north and Zhuhai to the south. Hong Kong can be reached by ferry and Macao via Zhuhai.

Zhongshan covers an area of 1,800 km² and has a permanent population of some 4.4 million in 2020. The city is in a subtropical humid zone with an annual average temperature around 23 °C.

Zhongshan has nurtured numerous prominent historical figures throughout its history. On November 12, 1866, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen (also Sun Zhongshan) the great leader of China's republican revolution, was born at Cuiheng village of Zhongshan. In memory of him, the county of Xiangshan, which was set up in 1152, was renamed after Dr. Sun as Zhongshan in 1925. It's one of very few cities in China named after a person.

Zhongshan was also the location of a strong guerrilla force during World War II, and the villages that hid the guerrillas are a short drive away through wooded lanes.

Zhongshan has a vibrant downtown river area, some beautiful Buddhist temples. It is an affordable place to live and work with housing being about one third that of its bigger sister cities nearby.

Talk
Zhongshan is a linguistically diverse city, with Cantonese being the lingua franca, and several other closely-related dialects being spoken by residents in different districts. The main dialect in Shiqi District, the historical downtown area, is the Shiqi Dialect, which is similar to Cantonese but differs significantly in pronunciation and tone structure, making it tricky to understand even if you are fluent in standard Cantonese. Several languages from the Min (Fujian) family of Chinese languages are the main languages in some parts of the city, while Hakka is the main language in some other parts of the city, though speakers of these languages are usually able to speak Cantonese as well. As Mandarin is the official language of China, most locals are also able to speak Mandarin, and Zhongshan is also home to many migrants from other parts of China who speak Mandarin but not the local languages. As with elsewhere in China, English is not widely spoken, though some younger people may know some basic English.

By plane
If you are a newcomer to Zhongshan you may wish to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport. Direct ferries are available from the airport to Zhongshan. To take the ferry to Zhongshan, go directly to the ticket counter without passing through Hong Kong immigration or customs; see Hong Kong International Airport for details.

Hong Kong allows travelers from many nations to enter visa-free, and Chinese visas are easy to obtain at many locations. This will generally involve one or two nights' stay in Hong Kong.

The closest airport to Zhongshan City is Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.

(You will have to have your Chinese visa organised before departure from your country of origin. This can be done at any consulate.)

Travelers have easy access to airport shuttle busses.

The schedule for buses between CAN and Zhongshan is as follows: (Price:¥68/per, 150 minutes)

CAN→Zhongshan

Departure location: A and B airport lounge of CAN

Departure times: once an hour from 08:50 to 19:50 at the A lounge; Once an hour from 09:00 to 20:00 at the B lounges.

Zhongshan→CAN

Departure location: Zhongshan Seasons View Executive Hotel, No.93, Dongyu Road, Eastern District. (Take bus 1, 6, 9, or 12 to get to the hotel)

Departure times: once an hour from 06:00 to 10:00 as well as from 11:30 to 17:30. Leave at least 2½ hours before your plane is scheduled to depart.

From Shenzhen Airport, there are buses and ferries connecting to Zhongshan (see below).

By ferry
High-speed ferries sail between and Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Airport, the Macau ferry terminal, and Shenzhen's Fuyong Ferry Terminal (near Shenzhen Airport).

The trip from Zhongshan to the Hong Kong International Airport takes about an hour and ten minutes, the trip to Shenzhen takes 45 minutes, while the other journeys take about an hour and a half.

Hong Kong–Zhongshan: seven or eight times a day.

Hong Kong International Airport–Zhongshan: four or five times a day.

Macau ferry terminal–Zhongshan: twice a day.

Shenzhen Fuyong Ferry Terminal–Zhongshan: seven times a day.

The ferry terminal has no amenities beyond a restroom; the nearest place to get a bite to eat is a 10–minute walk south. Buses to Zhongshan Port are the Numbers 1, 25, 34, 36, 62, and 212.

By bus
Most visitors and locals rely on the bus system for both everyday and travel transport.

The Zhongshan Main Bus Station connects to Hainan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Hunan and Henan provinces. 15 bus routes connect to other parts of Guangdong Province as well.

The Zhongshan Main Bus Station is on the corner of Fuhua Road and the 105 National Highway.

Buses to Guangzhou depart once every 25 minutes; buses to Shenzhen depart once every 20 minutes.

The ticket office is open from 06:00-21:00, and tickets are available four days before your departure date. The Zhongshan Station for these services is on the corner of Fuhua Road and Zhongshan 1st Road.

There are buses from Shenzhen Airport, 11:00–20:00, for ¥60.

By train
Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity Rail was put in to use in January 2011.

There are two train stations in Zhongshan called and.

Zhongshan Station is in Zhongshan Torch Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and Zhongshan North Station is between the north part of Shiqi and the port area.

Shiqi is considered to be the city center, so Zhongshan North is closer to the city center.

Passengers to Shiqi, West District, South District and the Port District should get out the train at Zhongshan North Station, while those who go to East District, Wuguishan District and the industrial development zone should get off at Zhongshan Station.

There are about forty trains leaving from Guangzhou South to Zhongshan through to Zhuhai and the return Zhuhai to Zhongshan and through to Guangzhou South.

Trains are available at Guangzhou South from 06:30-23:00 and at Zhongshan or Zhongshan North at 07:20-23:00.

It takes about 35 minutes from Guangzhou to Zhongshan North and 45 minutes to Zhongshan Station.

The full ticket price to Zhongshan North is ¥24 for the first class seat and ¥20 for the second class. ¥26 and ¥22 are the full price to Zhongshan Station.

By bus
You can travel around Zhongshan easily on the city buses. Over 80 bus lines operate in Zhongshan, most of which are self-service so have correct change of ¥2 when you board each bus. Some buses are more expensive and can cost as much as ¥10; some of these will have an attendant who can give change.

The sights of Zhongshan are wide spread and no special tour lines and sightseeing buses are available. However, there are city buses running to some scenic spots.

For example, Bus No.2 passes Sun Yat-sen's Memorial Hall.

Bus 33 can help you getting to the beautiful water town in Minzhong Town.

The highly praised green cascade of the Yangtze River can be visited by Bus No.006. Get off the bus at Changjiang Leyuan. Zhongshan Spring and gulf course are easy of access with Bus No.11 A and B,

Bus 12 Zhongshan-Zhuhai Bus can take you there straight from the city center. You need to change at the Zhuhai terminal to Zhuhai Bus 10.

By taxi
There are more than 1000 taxis in Zhongshan. The fare is about ¥7 for the first 2 km and then ¥2.48 for every additional kilometer. The other rate is for trips further than 10 km. The same start-rate is the same as the former, but each additional kilometer is ¥2.6.

During the night from 22:00 to 05:00, 20% of basic fare per kilometer is additionally charged if the distance is more than 2 km.

There are also motor cycles available for the more adventurous on short hops and the fair for these is negotiable.

A great form of travel available is the electric rickshaw if you are heading out for dinner or just want to enjoy the night air on a short distance ride. The price is negotiable.

Downtown area
The main sights in Zhongshan's downtown area are not far apart and could be covered in a single day on foot.

(孙文西路文化旅游步行街) is lined with beautiful old European-style buildings, many of which now have shops on their first floors.

Buy
There is an antique furniture shopping area in the Zhongshan Sanxiang Guhe area. The prices are high by national standards and expats should bargain fierce (hire local to assist) as Chinese business people are good bargainer. Most of the pieces look like real antiques, but are actually newly made replicas from tropical rain forest wood.

Guzhen town at the border of Jiangmen is lighting central. If you're feeling hungry or underdressed, too bad—the central town core is light shop after light shop selling everything from bulbs to chandeliers to accessories. Hotels will have multiple light shops in the lobby and banks are rare because they can't compete against the rents offered by light shops.

Drink
Beware: Chinese bars/disco are extremely loud and you can lose your hearing if you are a frequent guest. Expat bars are among the few places that one can have nice beer and still speak.

Stay safe
Zhongshan is a reasonably safe place with a low crime rate, but occasionally trouble may occur, especially, as everywhere, late at night around bars. Caution and common sense are advised at all times. Pickpockets, although not plentiful, are about and the foreign traveler is often a target.

Go next

 * Guangzhou
 * Jiangmen
 * Zhuhai