Not to be confused with the Zhongshan District in Taipei.

Zhongshan (中山; Zhōng​shān​) is a city in Guangdong Province in China, located just north of Zhuhai.

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. Macao can be reached via Zhuhai and Hong Kong by ferry.

Zhongshan covers an area of 1,800 sq km and has a permanent population of some 1.4 million. The city is located in a subtropical humid zone with an annual average temperature around 23.0°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.

Zhongshan was also the location of a strong guerrilla force during WWII, 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 a affordable place to live and work with housing being about 1/3rd that of its bigger sister cities nearby.

Many expats have come to visit and now call Zhongshan home.

Get in

Air

If you are a newcomer to Zhongshan you may wish to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport[1].

Hong Kong allows travelers from many nations to enter visa-free, and Chinese entrance 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 the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN).

(Please note: 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:CNY68/per, 150 minutes)

CAN→Zhongshan

Departure location: A and B airport lounge of CAN

Departure times: Once an hour from 8:50 am to 7:50 pm at the A lounge; Once an hour from 9AM to 8PM 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 6AM to 10AM as well as from 11:30 am to 5:30 pm Tip: We recommend leaving at least two and a half hours before your plane is scheduled to depart.

Ferry

Zhongshan has a ferry between Zhongshan and Hong Kong. Zhongshan Port is just 93km from Hong Kong.

Five high-speed ferries sail between Zhongshan and Hong Kong, Hong Kong International Airport, and the Macau ferry terminal.

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

Hong Kong→Zhongshan

Hong Kong→Zhongshan: 7:30, 8:30, 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00, 20:00

Hong Kong International Airport→Zhongshan: 15:40

Macau ferry terminal→Zhongshan: 9:00, 17:30

Zhongshan→Hong Kong

Zhongshan Port→Hong Kong: 8:00, 9:30, 11:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 17:30, 19:30

Zhongshan Port→Hong Kong International Airport: 10:30, 15:00

Zhongshan Port→Macau Ferry Terminal: 18:00, 21:00

Buses to Zhongshan Port are the Numbers 1, 25, 037, 060, 062 and 063

Guangdong 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 located 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 located on the corner of Fuhua Road and Zhongshan 1st Road.

Train

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

There are two train stations in Zhongshan called Zhongshan Station and Zhongshan North Station.

Zhongshan Station is located in Zhongshan Torch Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and Zhongshan North Station is located 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 CNY24 for the first class seat and CNY20 for the second class. CNY26 and CNY22 are the full price to Zhongshan Station.

Get around

Local Buses

You can travel around Zhongshan easily on the city buses. At present, over 80 bus lines operating in Zhongshan, most of which are self-service so have correct change of 2CNY when you board each bus.

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.

Taxis Etc

There are more than one thousand taxis in Zhongshan. The fare is about CNY7 for the first 2 kilometers and then CNY2.48 for every additional kilometer. The other rate is for trips further than 10 kilometers. The same start-rate is the same as the former, but each additional kilometer is CNY2.6.

During the night from 22:00 to 05:00, twenty percent of basic fare per kilometers is additionally charged if the distance is more than 2 kilometers.

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.

Do

Changjiang Water World is a newly renovated amusement park located at the intersection of Changjiang and Jingguan Rd in the Shiqi district of Zhongshan city. The cost of admission is 90¥ for a day of water fun.

See

• Black Hill Five Shan peak,531 meters above sea level, a Chinese legend, the five laurel mountain has a large garden and a small garden with natural scenery, rocks, odd birds of feather, liuquanfeibao, scenery and places of interest in south of the Five Ridges Xiqiao mountain, mountain comparable.
• Fu Feng Venta (阜峰文塔). Fufeng pagoda built in the Ming Dynasty Wanli thirty-six years (1608) in September, the county magistrate Cai Shanji created. The tower is the seven layer of the octagonal tower type brick tower, tower flat seat, Ling Kok teeth brick with line and white brick eaves corbel,24.5 meters high, is a hollow tower, rebuilt in 1952, the three layer instead of solid. 
• Zhongshan Hot Spring (中山温泉). Zhongshan hot springs is located in the three villages and towns of Zhongshan City Yong Street Village, distance Shiqi District 24 km, from the former residence of Mr. Sun Zhongshan jade village10 kilometers. 

Buy

There is an antique furniture 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.

Eat

Budget

• Yangtze River Food Court (chang jiang mei shi xuan), Yijing Rd (southern end of Changjiang Rd past the Water World). Come here for Zhongshan style hotpot (da been lo). You are given a dried bowl of ground nuts, cilantro, dried yellow beans and red beans. After adding in a scoop of the broth, it becomes dipping sauce for the food cooked at the table. 

Mid-range

• Bellavista Restaurant, Unit 3, Borough 1, 39 Qiguan West Road (岐关西路39号，一区，3卡), ☏ +86 760 88812988, fax: +86 760 88804588, info@bellavista.cn. 3 Chefs Restaurant. German and Italien (Peter), Thai (Toffee), and Indian (Johnny). Prices medium. 
• Taverna Restaurant, No.14, Huali Street,MinQuan Road, Siqi District, Zhongshan City,Guangdong,China(广东省中山市石岐区民权路华力街14号), elgreco@hotmail.com. 11:00 to Late. 3 Chefs Restaurant. Greek and Italian (Arthur) Prices medium. 
• Italy Square, Zhongshan Dongqu Qiguan Xilu,Renren Zhuru Pangbian,Hengxing Jie 12 (中山市东区岐关西路人人足浴旁恒信街12号). 11:00 to Late. 3 Chefs Restaurant. Italian (Gigi) Prices medium. 

Drink

Beware: Chinese bars/disco are extreme loud and you can lose your hearing if you are frequent guest. Expat bars are one of few places that one can have nice beer and still speaking.

• Peter's Place, Qiquan West Road (Next to Wei Jing Wan). Really good German style bar with German beer. Live music every day. The food is fantastic and the pool tables are wonderful! If you go Fridays or Saturdays, you better reserve a table. On Fridays you can eat Pizza for ¥39 all you can eat. On Saturdays they do a buffet for ¥88, the best there are the Indian and Thai curries and the BBQ. 

• Friends Club, NO.3 FuHua Road,Zhongshan (地址:中山市富华道3号（柏宁酒店后座) (Next to Zhongshan International Hotel), ☏ +86 760 8629262 8985560. The first foreign owned bar in Zhongshan and still the best place to meet expats. Features billard tables and live rock music. cheap. 

• O Hagan's Zhongshan's only Irish Pub, Nan Xia Xin Ma Tou Cnr Bo Ai Lu and Qi Guan Xi Lu Zhongshan(南下新码头博爱路中山). 5PM till Late. A sensational range of Scotchs and Beers at a reasonable price. 

• See Club (Next to Zhongshan International Hotel). Biggest and most vibrant night club in Zhongshan. 

• Gen Ju Di Jiu Ba (Opposite People's Hospital). A truly authentic Chinese bar. Look out for the communist star over the entrance. 

• New Bar Street, Qiguan West Road (Near Peter's Place). A whole complex of clubs and Bars, including iClub and Fashion Club. 

Sleep

Yihe Grand Hotel Zhongshan No.5, Xingzhong Avenue, Shiqi District, Zhongshan(中山市石岐区兴中道5号)+86-755-88850655

Shangri-La 16 Qi Wan Road N Eastern Area, Zhongshan Guangdong Province, China T: (86 760) 8838 6888 F: (86 760) 8838 6666

Crowne Plaza Zhongshan Wing On City No.9 Xingnan Road, Southern District, 528455 Zhongshan 86-760-89916888

Connect

An informative site to see whats happening Zhongshan is ZSRenn 中山人[2]

Stay safe

Zhongshan is a reasonably safe place to live 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.