Huangpu, alternately romanized as Whampoa, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Despite its name, it does not include Huangpu Island (now Pazhou) or its famous anchorage. Huangpu absorbed Guangzhou's former Luogang District in 2014. The district has been awarded the status of "Happiest District of China" in 2020.
History During the Canton trade, Changzhou was known as "Dane's Island" and used by Danish crews for repairs and burials. It lay on the eastern side of the Huangpu or "Whampoa" anchorage, named for Huangpu Island (now Pazhou in Haizhu District). The Whampoa Military Academy was founded on Changzhou in 1924.
Huangpu district played an important role in China's economic development. Originally called "Guangzhou Development District", it was one of the first economic and technological development districts in China.
On 12 February 2014, Luogang District was dissolved by China's central government and its area added to Huangpu.
According to historical records, the family of one of the first two Chinese to immigrate to Germany in 1821/22 originally came from Huangpu. In an 1822 essay for the magazine Isis, Lorenz Oken described the two Chinese immigrants as "Aßing von Heong San, Aho von Wong Bu". As Rainer Schwarz argues, "Wong Bu" refers to the old transliteration "Whampoa", which means the family of Aho (whose actual name appears to have been FENG Yaxue) originated from the area that is today Huangpu District.
The new Huangpu district covers an area of 480.56 square kilometers.
Population As of the end of 2021, Whampoa District had a resident population of 1,197,900, with a population density of 2,474 people per square kilometer. The total household population was 636,600, an increase of 36,300 over the previous year, or a year-on-year increase of 6.1%. The birth rate of the household population was 17.6 per thousand, the death rate was 3.8 per thousand, and the natural population growth rate was 13.8 per thousand.
Administrative divisions Name Chinese (S) Hanyu Pinyin Canton Romanization Population (2010) Area (km2) Dasha Subdistrict 大沙街道 Dàshā Jiēdào dai6 sa1 gai1 dou6 44,641 13.10 Huangpu Subdistrict 黄埔街道 Huángpǔ Jiēdào wong4 bou3 gai1 dou6 64,255 7.38 Hongshan Subdistrict 红山街道 Hóngshān Jiēdào hung4 san1 gai1 dou6 42,127 7.30 Yuzhu Subdistrict 鱼珠街道 Yúzhū Jiēdào jyu4 zyu1 gai1 dou6 59,529 9.11 Wenchong Subdistrict 文冲街道 Wénchōng Jiēdào men4 cung1 gai1 dou6 46,877 10.07 Nangang Subdistrict 南岗街道 Nángǎng Jiēdào nam4 gong1 gai1 dou6 76,747 13.74 Changzhou Subdistrict 长洲街道 Chángzhōu Jiēdào cêng4 zeo1 gai1 dou6 36,478 11.5 Suidong Subdistrict 穗东街道 Suìdōng Jiēdào sêu6 dung1 gai1 dou6 45,025 13.58 Lilian Subdistrict 荔联街道 Lìlián Jiēdào lei6 lün4 gai1 dou6 42,251 6.58 GuangzhouEconomicandTechnologicalDevelopmentZone Luogang Subdistrict 萝岗街道 Luógǎng Jiēdào lo4 gong1 gai1 dou6 45,717 80.10 Changling Subdistrict 长岭街道 Chánglǐng Jiēdào cêng4 léng5 gai1 dou6 Xiagang Subdistrict 夏港街道 Xiàgǎng Jiēdào ha6 gong2 gai1 dou6 44,528 14.54 Dongqu Subdistrict 东区街道 Dōngqū Jiēdào dung1 kêu1 gai1 dou6 85,235 54.00 Yunpu Subdistrict 云埔街道 Yúnpǔ Jiēdào wen4 bou3 gai1 dou6 49,867 51.76 Lianhe Subdistrict 联和街道 Liánhé Jiēdào lün4 wo4 gai1 dou6 Yonghe Subdistrict 永和街道 Yǒnghé Jiēdào wing5 wo4 gai1 dou6 55,044 34.00 Jiufo Subdistrict 九佛街道 Jiǔfó Jiēdào geo2 fed6 gai1 dou6 93,265 53.50 Longhu Subdistrict 龙湖街道 Lónghú Jiēdào lung4 wu4 gai1 dou6 45.73 Xinlong town 新龙镇 Xīnlóng Zhèn sen1 lung4 zen3 75.87 In September 2017, Huangpu District and Guangzhou Development District were deeply integrated. On September 18, 2018, Luogang Street was abolished and new Luogang Street and Changling Street were established; Lilian Street and East District Street were abolished and Yunpu Street was established.On March 7, 2019, Nine Dragons Town was abolished and Xinlong Town, Nine Buddhas Street and Longhu Street were established; on March 27, Yunpu Street was put up for establishment; on March 28, Changling Street was established; on March 30, the new Luogang Street was established.
Economy Huangpu District is the major innovation carrier for the Greater Bay Area which aims to make Guangzhou China's national core city and an integrated gateway. It will cultivate as a technological, educational, and cultural center, and develop as an international metropolis .
According to the unified accounting results of Guangzhou's regional gross domestic product (GDP), Huangpu District realized a regional gross domestic product (GDP) of 431.517 billion yuan in 2023, with a year-on-year growth of 1.2%. Among them, the added value of primary industry was 534 million yuan, an increase of 10.1% year-on-year; the added value of secondary industry was 232.594 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 2.0%; the added value of tertiary industry was 198.390 billion yuan, an increase of 5.5% year-on-year; the structure of the three industries was adjusted to 0.1 : 53.9 : 46.0, with the proportion of the tertiary industry increasing by 3.8 percentage points compared with that of the previous year. The annual per capita GDP was 357,500 yuan, an increase of 0.2% year-on-year, higher than the city's average level of 195,900 yuan, 2.2 times the city's average level.
A series of innovative reforms were introduced, establishing national-level import trade promotion zones and enhancing the business ecosystem. This led to over 400 signed projects with investments exceeding 350 billion yuan, reinforcing Guangzhou's appeal to domestic and international investors.
In the first half of 2025, Guangzhou's Huangpu District continued to play a central role as a hub for technological innovation and advanced manufacturing in the Greater Bay Area. In manufacturing, Huangpu accelerated the development of key sectors such as high-end equipment, semiconductors, and new materials. Industry leaders including GAC AION, GE, Sany, SMIC, and Foxconn have established strong operations in the district, contributing to a robust ecosystem in smart vehicles, intelligent manufacturing, and green energy. The district has introduced a "Manufacturing First" policy suite to promote digital transformation and sustainability in its industrial base.
In 2023, Huangpu District in Guangzhou reported total research and experimental development (R&D) expenditure of RMB 29.383 billion, with R&D intensity (R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP) reaching 6.81 percent, ranking highest among all Guangzhou districts. In 2024, Huangpu District recorded a gross domestic product (GDP) of 433.89 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 2.2% in real terms according to unified GDP accounting results for Guangzhou.
Improving livelihood and infrastructure
Huangpu district is one of the developing industrial districts in Guangzhou. According to a 2020 study by Deloitte, the district is already especially competitive in the industries of automobiles, electronics, energy, high-end chemicals, food and beverage, and electrical machinery. Emerging industries in the district include ICT, intelligent equipment, biomedicine, new energy, new materials, and services.
Huangpu district is at the heart of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) and is home to a large development area, which is considered one of China's most important economic centres. It is producing a regional GDP of US$49.3 billion and the district received a fixed asset investment of US$19.68 billion in 2019. The development district contributes 43% to Guangzhou's industrial output value and 70% of its high-tech product output value.
Huangpu district is an important area for international trade and investment. In 2019, the district recorded the highest volumes in exports and imports among the districts of Guangzhou, with an export volume of US$24.766 billion and an import volume of US$19.878 billion. Foreign investment in actual use for Huangpu district was US$2.28 billion the same year, prompting it to rank first among all development districts within China. The actual utilization of foreign investment reached in 2021 $2.57 billion while the district's foreign trade value exceeded 326 billion yuan.
Huangpu is home to the Guangzhou IP Court, which handles intellectual property (IP) right protection for companies and institutions. The application and approval process allows for founding and registering a new company or branch within one day, a process sometimes described as fast.
In 2021, Huangpu District counted a total of over 1,000 national institutions including laboratories, technology innovation centers, a series of Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes and various high-end R&D centers, accounting for half of Guangzhou's total. Furthermore, it is home to nine provincial high-level innovation institutes, accounting for two-thirds of the total in Guangdong Province. The area of science and technology incubators exceeded 5 million square meters, with a total of 113 incubators built, including 16 national incubators, accounting for 38% of the total in Guangzhou. The total number of high-tech enterprises in the region was 2,256, including 128 new high-tech enterprises in the same year; the number of science and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises was over 2,000; 413 gazelle companies and 5 unicorn (potential unicorn) enterprises in the region were identified. Furthermore, 692 key projects in science and technology were approved with funding amounting to US$54.1 million by higher officials. The number of patents granted to enterprises was 26,813, accounting for 14.5% of the total number in Guangzhou. The total number of top talents selected for national talent programs at all levels reached 1,151, ranking first in Guangzhou and in the forefront of Guangdong Province.Guangzhou Huangpu District Guangzhou Development Zone Statistical Bulletin of National Economic and Social Development in 2021
Annual GDP growth of 1.2%, the region's fixed asset investment exceeded 200 billion yuan, an increase of 4.1%, the total amount of investment to maintain the national economic development zones and the province's first districts. General public budget revenue of 20.81 billion yuan, an increase of 14.3%, of which 16.78 billion yuan of tax revenue at the district level. Market players have flourished, with 49,000 newly registered market players, an increase of 91.5%, and 247,000 market players, an increase of 14.2%. The company has held 3 focused activities to start construction and put into trial production, with 183 projects started construction and 120 projects put into trial production. It has completed 8,630 acres of industrial land storage and introduced 402 new high-quality projects.
Industry Sectors The division between primary, secondary and tertiary sectors has shifted since 2015. Back then, the tertiary sector accounted for 29.1% of Huangpu District's GDP, while the secondary sector accounted for 70.6% and the primary sector for only 0.3%. In 2019, the tertiary sector accounted for 35.7% of Huangpu District's GDP, with the secondary sector accounting for 64.1% and the primary sector having fallen to 0.2%. Thus, although the share of the tertiary sector has been growing, the dominating industry in Huangpu is still the secondary industry.
The dominance of the secondary sector can also be seen from the growing industrial output. Between 2017 and 2019, total industrial output value above designated size rose from RMB 745.91 Billion to RMB 739.65 Billion. Sector-wise, the total industrial output is divided as follows:
In 2021, Huangpu District counted a total of over 1,000 national institutions including laboratories, technology innovation centers, a series of Chinese Academy of Sciences institutes and various high-end R&D centers, accounting for half of Guangzhou's total. Furthermore, it is home to nine provincial high-level innovation institutes, accounting for two-thirds of the total in Guangdong Province.