| With a history
of over 2200 years, Guangzhou is the largest and most prosperous city
in South China, and therefore so called the ˇ°South Gate of Chinaˇ±.
It is not only a civilized ancient city, but also a modern city which
is the political, economic, educational, cultural as well as scientific
and technological center in South China. Guangzhou is also a popular
tourist destination with a few beautiful and legendary nick names,
Huacheng (the Flower City), Yangcheng (the Goat City) and Suicheng
(the Rice-ear City). Vegetation is evergreen and flowers bloom all
the year round thanks to a moist subtropical climate. There are more
than 150 famed scenes and sights in Guangzhou, and a good variety
of modern facilities for recreation and entertainment. The
Pearl River Delta, represented by the ˇ°Golden Triangleˇ± of Guangzhou-Hong
Kong-Macao, has been the fastest developing region in China since
the country adopted the ˇ°open door and reformˇ± policy in the late
1970s. Over the past 25 years, economic development at annual growth
rates of nearly 20% on the average (world records of continuous
growth for such a long period) has been maintained in the delta
region, leading to over 100-fold increase of GDP in many counties
and municipalities. The region is also called ˇ°World Factoryˇ± due
to its massive export-oriented manufacturing. As a result of rapid
urbanization and industrialization, this region has witnessed enormous
environmental changes within only one to two decades and such changes
in developed countries may have occurred only after up to one century
of development. The rapidly changing environment of the delta region
exhibits a variety of very typical water problems also faced by
many other urbanized areas in Asia. Moreover, the Pearl River Delta
also uniquely has one of the most complex deltaic drainage networks
in the world, as well as a highly dense agglomeration of over 100
towns and cities. To conduct the conference in Guangzhou will provide
participants with excellent opportunities to visit this highly dynamic
region and experience the water problems.
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