Guiyang at a Glance

Guiyang, pronounced [gwee-yahng] (IPA: /'ɡwei'jɑ:ŋ/), is the capital city of Guizhou province, southwestern China.

Legend has it that in ancient times, this city was surrounded by the bamboo grove, and was renowned for producing an instrument named “zhu”. Therefore, Guiyang is also called “Zhu”.

This city is famous for its diverse culture and unique landforms. For one thing, Guiyang is home to over 30 ethnic minorities, such as Miao, Bai, Zhuang, and Yi. For another, Guiyang possesses special karst landforms, a gift from nature.

Nowadays, Guiyang maintains steady and fast economic growth based on a new type of industrial system, mainly characterized by modern agriculture, service industry, and big data.

Where Is Guiyang

Located in the middle of Guizhou province and the east of Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Guiyang surrounded by mountains has always been called “the City of Mountains”. This city is situated in the northwest of Guangzhou, with a distance of 776 kilometers.

Population of Guiyang

The population of Guiyang in 2019 has reached 4,971,400, and the density of the city is around 619 people per square kilometer.

Weather in Guiyang

According to Weather Spark, the climate in Guiyang, characterized by cool, generally is congenial. Since Guiyang is affected by prevailing westerly winds all the year round, the temperature of this city mainly changes from 36°F to 82°F. Compared with neighboring cities, such as Chongqing, which is recognized as a hot-like-a-stove city, Guiyang deserves to be an ideal summer resort. Besides, there is no clear distinction between the wet season and the dry season in Guiyang. The former lasts for 5.7 months, while the latter lasts for 6.3 months.

In addition, Guiyang has 358 days with good or excellent air quality in 2019. Guiyang ranks the eighth among 168 key cities in China in 2019.

How to Get to Guiyang

By Air

Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport is situated in the middle of the city. Its flight routes have currently covered all province-level municipalities, provincial capitals, important tourist cities, and some third-tier and fourth-tier cities in China, as well as international cities, such as Paris and Melbourne. The airport is about 11 kilometers away from the city center, which takes about 20 minutes by airport shuttle bus.

By train

Guiyang Railway Station, located in the city center, mainly operates four railway lines: Guiyang-Kunming railway, Chongqing-Guiyang railway, Liuzhou-Guiyang railway, and Zhuzhou-Guiyang railway. This station also connects key cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Guiyang North Railway Station mainly serves high-speed trains. This station is six kilometers away from the city center. You can get there in 34 minutes by metro Line 1.

Teach English in Guiyang, Guizhou Province

According to Guiyang Statistical Bulletin of 2019 on National Economy and Social Development, at the end of the year, there were 1,020 kindergartens (736 private kindergartens) with 180,200 children in the city; 534 primary schools (82 private schools) with 427,400 students; 255 junior high schools (117 private schools) with 152,400 students; 75 high schools (32 private schools) with 87,400 students; 33 secondary vocational schools (19 private schools) with 42,200 students; 10 special education schools with 1,358 students. There were 76,100 teachers in Guiyang, including 59,100 full-time teachers.

International School Jobs in Guiyang

Compared with first-tier or new first-tier cities, Guiyang, a second-tier city, relatively has fewer international schools. In the TTJ school database, there are seven international schools, such as Weiming International School Guiyang District School, Guiyang Huaxi Country Garden International School, and Guiyang New World International School. International schools in Guiyang mainly recruit ESL teachers.

As ESL teachers in this kind of school, you are required to form clear instructional objectives, provide high-quality courses for students, and pay attention to students’ reactions and performance. Besides, you are expected to reflect on your teaching practice and adjust teaching methods in time.

Click and check the information about these top international schools with TTJ:

• Weiming international school—Guiyang District School

Kindergarten Jobs in Guiyang

The demand for ESL teachers in Guiyang’s kindergartens is relatively less than that in international schools and training centers. However, the average salary of ex-pats as ESL teachers in Guiyang’s kindergartens is no less than that in international schools.

Working as an ESL teacher in Guiyang's kindergarten, you need to have a clear teaching plan, adopt appropriate teaching strategies, and help children achieve their target of learning.

Training Centre Jobs in Guiyang

The number of training centers in Guiyang is also less than that in first-tier cities. There are Guiyang Qihang English Training School, Yinglian Language Training Institution, and Interlingua School. Usually, training centers do not have high requirements for work experience. Some will offer a two-week pre-job training to foreign teachers so that they could do a better job.

How Much Do You Get Paid to Teach in Guiyang?

Type of School	Monthly Basic Salary
Training Center	¥15,325 ($2,185) to ¥19,075 ($2,720)
International School	¥13,571 ($1,935) to ¥17,000 ($2,424)
Kindergarten	¥17,667 ($2,519) to ¥25,000 ($3,565)

According to 'Guiyang City & Salary 2020 Research Report', the average monthly basic salary of an ESL teacher is ¥17,200 ($2,453) in the training center, ¥15,286 ($2,180) in the international school, and ¥21,333 ($3,042) in the kindergarten. 

Guiyang ESL Job Requirements

In accordance with 'Guiyang City & Salary 2020 Research Report', firstly, it is necessary for applicants to hold a bachelor's degree. Secondly, applicants should have TEFL, TEFL, or equivalent teaching certificate. Thirdly, international schools, training centers, and kindergartens prefer native English speakers, but non-native English speakers with a good accent are also acceptable. Moreover, international schools usually require one to two years of teaching experience, while training centers and kindergartens can accept freshman who has 0-1 year experience.

Living in Guiyang, China

Guiyang is famous for its diverse cultures and special landforms. Living in Guiyang, you have opportunities to pick up the history of ethnic minorities, enjoy the beautiful scenery, and experience a different living environment.

Things to Do in Guiyang

The karst landform has made Guiyang an amazing geographic environment with mountains and hills. Diverse scenery, such as strange rocks and karst cave, is really attractive. If you long to enjoy the natural landscape of this plateau, you could go to Hongfeng Lake and Baihua Lake.

Due to the fact that Guiyang is a settlement of ethnic minorities, this city embraces various cultures and presents its unique charm. If you are interested in the culture of ethnic minorities, Guizhou Nationalities Museum, Shiban town, and Qingyan town are ideal places to go.

As for delicacies, Huaxi beef rice noodles, Siwawa, sour soup fish, red oil rice tofu, and Wan'er cake are famous in Guiyang.

Cost of Living in Guiyang

According to Nomad List, the cost of living in Guiyang for an ex-pat is about ¥3,899 ($556) per month. If you rent an apartment for one bedroom in the city center, it will cost ¥1,407 ($201) per month. 

Based on Expatistan, when it comes to transportation, a monthly ticket public transport costs ¥165 ($24). As for entertainment, a ticket to the movies costs about ¥46 ($6.6); one cup of cocktail in downtown club costs ¥43 ($6.1); one month of gym membership in the business district costs ¥250 ($36). With regard to food, 500ml domestic beer costs ¥6 ($0.9); bread for two people for one day costs ¥9 ($1.3). Having a combo meal (big mac meal or similar) in a fast food restaurant costs about ¥28 ($4). Overall, the cost of living in Guiyang is 43% cheaper than that in Shanghai.

Where to Live in Guiyang

Yunyan District, located in the north of Guiyang, is the city center. There are Zhongda Shopping Mall, Flora Plaza, Modern Capital Square, and other places for shopping. This area enjoys convenient transportation, which only 10 minutes drive from Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport and Guiyang North Railway Station.

Nanming district, named after Nanming River, is the old central urban area. Transportation in this area is quite convenient. Both Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport and Guiyang Railway Station are situated in this district. Renting an apartment for one bedroom in this area is a little bit cheaper than in Yunyan District.

Guiyang Subway Map

Guiyang Metro now only has one line in operation with a total length of 35.1 kilometers. Line 2 is under construction. Detailed information is shown in the figure below.

Guiyang City&Salary Report