[Location & Area]
Huizhou City is located in the southeast of Guangdong Province, in the northeast of the Pearl River Delta and the middle and lower reaches of the Dongjiang River. It lies between latitude 22°24′～23°57′ N and longitude 113°51′～115°28′ E. Stretching 152 kilometers from east to west and 128 kilometers from north to south, the city borders Shanwei City to the east, the South China Sea to the south (connecting with Shenzhen City), Dongguan City to the southwest, Guangzhou City to the west, Shaoguan City to the north, and Heyuan City to the northeast. The total length of its administrative borders with the six surrounding cities is 846.49 kilometers. The municipal government is stationed in Jiangbei Sub-district, Huicheng District.
The city boasts a comprehensive transportation network: 20 expressways (925 km), 20 national and provincial highways (1,385 km), and rural highways (11,268 km), with passenger transport accessible to all administrative villages. The Xiamen-Shenzhen, Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railways and Dongguan-Huizhou Intercity Railway serve Huizhou, enabling a 25-minute ride to Shenzhen and 61 minutes to Hong Kong. Huizhou Airport operates 45 routes to 38 domestic cities, covering major large and medium-sized cities nationwide. As a Class I national port, Huizhou Port has 80 productive berths with an annual handling capacity of 150 million tons.
With a land area of 11,350.36 km², a sea area of 4,520 km² and a 281.4 km coastline, Huizhou is a major marine city in Guangdong. It features alternating peninsulas and bays with numerous good harbors, and 162 islands of various sizes.
[Geology]
Huizhou lies in the South China Fold System, with complex geological structures and lithologies. Dominated by NE-trending faults (e.g., Luofu Mountain, Zijin-Boluo, Lianhuashan Fault Zones) and secondary folds, its strata and rocks are diverse: magmatic rocks (granite) in the east and northwest, migmatites and metamorphic rocks in the west, sedimentary rocks (sandstone, conglomerate, limestone) in the north, central and south, dynamic metamorphic rocks along fault zones, and alluvial deposits in river valleys and coastal areas.
Endowed with favorable metallogenic conditions, Huizhou has proven 38 mineral species at 506 locations, including energy, metal, non-metal and hydro-gas minerals. Abundant geothermal resources are found in Yonghan Town, Longtian Town (Longmen County) and Hengli Town (Huicheng District), with "Huire No.1 Well" in Hengli holding the record for the highest water temperature and largest self-flow rate in Guangdong. Andun Town (Huidong County) also has high geothermal potential.
Under a subtropical climate, intense rock weathering has formed thick soil layers. Luofu Mountain area has soil with high potassium and phosphorus contents. A 2021 survey in Tiechong Town (Huidong County) delineated an 8.35 km² selenium-rich soil area, with 3 out of 6 crop samples meeting selenium-rich standards. Lianghua Town also shows selenium-rich potential.
A 450.29 km² urban geological survey (≤100 m depth) in the main urban area has clarified its 3D geological, hydrogeological and engineering geological characteristics, and evaluated the suitability of underground space development. Suitable areas account for 33.83% (0–15 m), 38.27% (15–30 m) and 87.98% (30–100 m) of respective layers, providing basic support for future digital and transparent city construction.
[Landform]
Backed by the Jiulian Mountains and facing the South China Sea, Huizhou is at the southwest end of the eastern Guangdong parallel ridge-valley region, with most areas being medium-low mountains and hills. The terrain slopes from the high northwest and northeast to the Dongjiang River in the center. Major mountain ranges include Tiantang, Luofu, Baiyunzhang, Lianhuashan and southern coastal ranges. Medium-low mountains account for 7.7% and hills 26% of the land area, with over 30 peaks above 1,000 m. The highest peak is Lianhuashan (1,336.2 m) in Huidong County.
The central part is dominated by alluvial plains, platforms and terraces formed by the Dongjiang and Xizhijiang Rivers and their tributaries, accounting for 66.3% of the land area. Tonghu Wetland in Zhongkai High-tech Industrial Development Zone is the largest inland freshwater wetland in Guangdong.
The southern coastal area has scattered islands and a winding 281.4 km coastline, with alternating bedrock, sandy, muddy, biological and artificial coastlines, and well-developed lagoons and wetlands. Geological relics such as sea caves, cliffs, platforms and pillars are preserved in Xiaoyingzui (Daya Bay), Heipaijiao and Mozishi (Huidong County). Shuangyue Bay features a unique double-moon-shaped marine sedimentary landform. Coastal mangroves and wetlands cover 3,634 hectares in Renshan, Tiechong, Huangbu, Jilong, Yanzhou (Huidong County) and Aotou (Daya Bay), including the national-level Aotou Wetland Park and municipal-level Kaizhouyang and Renshan Wetland Reserves.
Karst landforms are distributed in Pingling, Longhua, Longjiang, Yonghan, Longtian (Longmen County), Gongzhuang (Boluo County) and Danshui Sub-district (Huiyang District).
[Hydrology]
Huizhou's average precipitation in 2023 was 1,624.3 mm, 16.1% below the multi-year average (1,935.2 mm, 1991–2020), making it a normal to slightly dry year. Urban precipitation averaged 1,407.5 mm (16.6% below average), with 84.2% concentrated in April–September. The wettest month was September (21.7% of annual precipitation) and the driest was December (0.3%). The highest precipitation (2,507.0 mm) was recorded in Shangping (Longmen County) and the lowest (1,150.5 mm) in Baipenzhu (Huidong County). Shangping had the most precipitation days (168) and Danshui (Huiyang District) the least (106).
During the flood season, the highest flood level at Huiyang Water Level Station on the Dongjiang River was 10.86 m (April 6). The annual runoff at Boluo Hydrological Station was 16.5 billion m³, with an average flow of 523 m³/s, maximum flow of 5,150 m³/s, minimum flow of -118 m³/s, annual sediment load of 452,000 tons, average sediment transport rate of 14.3 kg/s, and average sediment concentration of 0.027 kg/m³.
From early to mid-September, influenced by typhoons "Saola", "Haikui" and cold air, three heavy rainfall events occurred in the Dongjiang River Basin, causing significant water level rises in the main and tributary streams. The maximum peak flow was 3,710 m³/s at Lingxia Station and 5,150 m³/s at Boluo Station (both on September 16).
[Climate]
Huizhou's climate was characterized by an early flood season, slightly less rainfall, severe local convection, late first typhoon, severe typhoon impacts, obvious extreme high temperatures and significant cold wave effects.
Annual Average Temperature: Longmen (21.9℃), Boluo (23.2℃), Huicheng (23.1℃), Huidong (23.0℃).
Extreme Temperatures: The lowest temperature was -1.0℃ in Longmen (January 30), and the highest was 38.6℃ in Boluo (July 15, the third highest on record).
Monthly Temperatures: The coldest month was January (14.3℃ citywide), and the hottest was July (29.2℃ citywide).
Annual Precipitation: 1,675.4 mm citywide, with Longmen (1,786.6 mm), Boluo (1,458.6 mm), Huicheng (1,782.4 mm) and Huidong (1,673.9 mm).
Sunshine Hours: 1,721.8–1,989.8 hours across counties/districts, with a sunshine percentage of 39%–45%.
