Get to know Tianhe District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Guangzhou
- Chinese name
- 天河区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 96.33 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 2,241,826
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and landscape
The land steps down from north to south in three tiers. The north is low hills of igneous rock, the highest point being Dahezhang (大和嶂) at 391 metres, with Huolu Mountain (火炉山) south of the Shaojiwo Reservoir (筲箕窝水库). The middle is a tableland of metamorphic rock, where Shougou Ridge (瘦狗岭) rises to 131 metres. The south is an alluvial plain along the Pearl River, crossed by seven creeks that all flow south into the river, including the Shahe (沙河涌) and Liede (猎德涌) creeks; the district has 11 kilometres of riverbank.
History
For centuries the area was part of Panyu County (番禺县). Tianhe District was created on 24 May 1985 out of Guangzhou's suburban district. Its name comes from the Tianhe Sports Centre (天河体育中心), built from 1984 on the site of Tianhe Airfield (天河机场), which opened in 1931 and was itself named after Tianhe village. Nine Hawk III fighters of the Guangdong air force flew from the airfield against Japanese bombers in 1937, and Japanese forces took it in October 1938.
The district government counts five former airfields in Tianhe. The Yantang airfield (燕塘机场), where a Belgian aviator flew on 8 April 1911, is described as Guangdong's first; the aviator Feng Ru (冯如) was killed there in a display flight on 25 August 1912, and a memorial marks the crash site. The Shipai racecourse airfield (石牌跑马场机场) became, in the district government's words, China's first airport with an international service when a Guangzhou-Hanoi route opened in July 1936; its runway lay on what is now the South China Normal University (华南师范大学) campus.
What to see
The Tianhe Sports Centre hosted the Sixth National Games in 1987 and the opening of the first Women's World Cup on 16 November 1991. The Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre (广东奥林匹克体育中心), built in 2001 on the former Huangcun airfield, seats 80,012 and opened the Ninth National Games. Green spaces include the South China Botanical Garden (华南植物园), Tianhe Park (天河公园) and Haixinsha Asian Games Park (海心沙亚运公园). Landmarks include Huacheng Square (花城广场), the Guangzhou Library (广州图书馆) and the twin towers of the Guangzhou International Finance Center (广州西塔) and CTF Finance Centre (广州东塔); Tianhe Road (天河路) gathers shopping centres such as Teem Plaza (天河城) and Taikoo Hui (太古汇). Jinan University (暨南大学) and South China University of Technology (华南理工大学) have campuses here.
Highlights
- Tianhe Sports Centre 天河体育中心: Built from 1984 on the old Tianhe Airfield; gave the district its name.
- Guangdong Olympic Sports Centre 广东奥林匹克体育中心: Opened in 2001 on the former Huangcun airfield; seats 80,012.
- South China Botanical Garden 华南植物园: Listed among the district's parks.
- Feng Ru crash memorial 冯如坠机处纪念碑: Marks where the aviator Feng Ru died in 1912.
Sources for this guide
天河区基本情况 · Tianhe District People's Government, Guangzhou
历史文化 广州市天河区人民政府门户网站 · Tianhe District People's Government, Guangzhou
天河区 - 维基百科，自由的百科全书 · Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Tianhe District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Tianhe District
South China National Botanical Garden · 中国科学院华南国家植物园South China National Botanical Garden中国科学院华南国家植物园
The South China National Botanical Garden (中国科学院华南国家植物园) in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, is a botanical research institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences together with a large living collection of tropical and subtropical plants grown for conservation.
Read the place guide →
Guangdong Museum in Zhujiang New Town, Guangzhou, September 2017.Guangdong Museum广东省博物馆
Guangdong Museum’s current building stands in Zhujiang New Town, within Guangzhou’s modern cultural district. Its collections bring together the province’s history, natural environment and local artistic traditions. The…
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Huacheng Square with the Guangzhou Library and Guangdong Museum buildings and the city skyline behind, Tianhe District, Guangzhou. · 广州市天河区花城广场，可见广州图书馆、广东省博物馆及城市天际线。 Source-recorded photograph date: 2012-11-18 09:33:31.Huacheng Square花城广场
A 56-hectare car-free square on Guangzhou's central axis in Zhujiang New Town, facing the Canton Tower and home to the November light festival.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Tianhe District is about 10 km in a straight line from central Guangzhou. Search for 天河区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
South China National Botanical Garden and Guangdong Museum are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Guangzhou →More in Guangzhou
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Some facts checked against 天河区 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: South China National Botanical Garden · Source photographer · License not provided. EXIF orientation normalized; resized without changing aspect ratio; converted to WebP. No subject edits.
Photo: Guangdong Museum · そらみみ · CC BY-SA 4.0. Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.
Photo: Huacheng Square · Zhangzhugang · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.