The city was first constructed as early as 1283 AD during the Yuan Dynasty. It was originally called Shunyuan, meaning obeying the Yuan (the Mongol rulers). Guiyang has grown almost exponentially since the 1990s. The city's heart is around the (literally "Big Ten") which is a cross, resembling the Chinese character for ten, and (literally "Fountain Pool") which is a fountain in the center of a rondpoint.
The city is situated on the Nanming River, a headstream of the Wu River, which eventually joins the Yangtze River at Fuling in Sichuan province. Guiyang is a natural route center, with comparatively easy access northward to Sichuan and northeast to Hunan province.
Guiyang is temperate and humid, and has a subtropical monsoon climate, with fairly mild winters and warm summers. The seasons are not particularly distinct. Unseasonably warm or cold spells are common although temperatures rarely reach extremes. Average highs are 49F (10C) in January and 83F (28C) in July.
Rain falls throughout the year, with occasional flurries in winter. It is also one of China's least sunny cities.
