The area, inhabited since at least the Spring and Autumn period, formally became the capital of the surrounding province in 1413, during the Yuan dynasty.

Guiyang has a diversified economy, traditionally a center for aluminum production, phosphate mining, and optical instrument manufacturing.

As of 2024, Guiyang is ranked one of the top 200 science cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index.

[9] Guiyang grew rapidly during the development of the southwest that occurred after the Japanese invasion of China during World War II.

Guiyang has a four-season, monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), tempered by its low latitude and high elevation.

[20] The city is also a large center for retail and wholesale commercial activities with operations of major domestic and international general retailers such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour, RT-Mart, Beijing Hualian, Parkson, and Xingli Group (星力集团) as well as consumer electronics and appliance sellers Gome and Suning.

Wholesale operations include large regional produce, furniture, and industrial and construction machinery depots.

Wal-Mart's southwest China regional vegetable and produce distribution center is located in Guiyang.

Foreign brands have penetrated Guiyang rapidly, including McDonald's, Burger King, H&M, and Starbucks.

A large iron and steel plant came into production in Guiyang in 1960, supplying the local machinery-manufacturing industry.

[citation needed] Guiyang has a sizable domestic pharmaceuticals industry, producing traditional Chinese as well as Western medicines.

"[22] Guizhou Province saw the third-fastest growth among China's 31 regional districts in the first half of the year, growing by 10.5%.

[23] Due to tax incentives and state support, multinational corporations such as Foxconn, Microsoft, Huawei, Hyundai Motor, Tencent, Qualcomm and Alibaba have opened offices in Guiyang.

Besides ethnic minority languages such as Miao and Bouyei, the people of Guiyang speak a variety of Southwestern Mandarin.

In Guiyang, beers are poured in small cups, and games with dice or cards are often played while drinking.

On Shaanxi Road (陕西路), one can find mutton chops, baked snails, and roast chicken.

The Gui-Huang Expressway (G60) links Guiyang with the cities and tourist areas of central and western Guizhou including Anshun, Guanling, and the Huangguoshu Waterfall.

G75 Lanzhou–Haikou Expressway runs north 180 km (110 mi) to Zunyi and is the most heavily travelled major highway in Guiyang.

The Gui–Xin Expressway (G60, G75) runs east and southeast through the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (G76), passing through Guilin, before entering Guangdong, and terminating at Guangzhou.

The Guiyang Outer Ring Road (Guiyang Orbital Highway) opened in December 2009 and is a six- to eight-lane divided high-speed expressway that provides efficient links to and from large employment centers in the Jinyang New District, Baiyun District, Huaxi District, the Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport, the major multi-lane national highways, and the city's main roadways, allowing vehicular traffic to circumnavigate the heavy traffic of the city's inner city areas.

As of 2024, Guiyang is ranked one of the top 200 science cities in the world by scientific research outputs, as tracked by the Nature Index.

Qianming Temple was first established in the 17th century, in the late Ming Dynasty and is located in Nanming District of Guiyang.

5The claimed province of Taiwan no longer have any internal division announced by Ministry of Civil Affairs of PRC, due to lack of actual jurisdiction.