We have now migrated to the far south of China and you will note how different things are in this region. Historically this is the area which was the first real "trading" area in China. Guangdong or Canton as it used to be known was the main area for many years where foreign traders came to and did commerce.

Let us begin with Hong Kong. This is part of China since 1997 but it is operated as "one country two systems". For example, you can enter and stay in Hong Kong on a Canadian passport for 90 days without a visa, while a Chinese passport holder needs a separate HKSAR visa to enter Hong Kong from China. The exception to this rule is if a Chinese passport holder enters Hong Kong from Canada by air, for example, and has a valid return ticket, then they are granted a 7 day stay.

If your business in China is primarily southern China cities of Dongguan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, etc, then it makes sense to arrive in Hong Kong from Canada and take a day or so to decompress. Hong Kong's Chek Lap Kok Airport has wonderful connections to both Kowloon and Hong Kong Island by either train or bus.

From Hong Kong, you can take the KCRC express train from Hung Hom station in Kowloon to Guangzhou. It is a very comfortable ride that takes around two hours and stops in Dongguan as well. If your destination is Shenzhen, and you have a manageable amount of luggage, I suggest the subway to the border crossing of LoWu and you can walk across there to the Shangri-La Hotel and then arrange transport to your appointment.

You will also notice that in this area, the Chinese language seems different, and that's because it is different. The local language in this area is Cantonese and while this is changing over to mandarin by government edict, it is spoken more than mandarin. English, however, is very common in Hong Kong.

If you are already in China and are flying down south to your meetings in this area, Hong Kong is a more expensive flight since it is still considered and international destination from China. In this case I suggest either Shenzhen or Guangzhou. Guangzhou is a new and extremely busy airport and if you have business in Dongguan, I suggest Shenzhen, which is nice and compact.

Finally, this area probably should be avoided during two periods in the year. July is extremely hot and humid and September is typhoon season, otherwise it is an enjoyable destination.