I first arrived in Guangzhou in 1992 as a young Thai diplomat, embarking on my first overseas posting. What I did not know then was that this southern Chinese metropolis would become the defining chapter of my diplomatic career, and that I would return nearly three decades later to witness a transformation beyond anything I could have imagined.
My first posting to the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Guangzhou lasted from 1992 to 1996. At the time, Guangzhou was still a city of bicycles and low-rise buildings. What I could see, however, was that it was a city awakening from a long slumber—energetic, chaotic and full of promise. At that early stage of the reform and opening-up era, there were signs of change everywhere. The 63-floor GITIC building had just risen as the city's tallest landmark. Other cities around Guangdong Province were turning into manufacturing powerhouses, with staggering double-digit annual GDP growth rates.
My work at the consulate focused on promoting Thai tourism and Thai products in Guangdong. The challenge was immense but exhilarating. In those days, Thai cuisine was exotic to most Cantonese palates, and Thai fruits like durian and mangosteen were rare luxuries. We organized the exchange of high-level officials and trade missions in order to build networks and expand opportunities for economic cooperation. I have to thank the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office, which was our steadfast partner, helping us navigate local regulations and cultivate ties with eager entrepreneurs to explore the markets. I remember one particularly successful event, the first Thai fruit fair we organized with the Friendship Store in 1994, where vendors sold out our Thai fruits within two days. It was a small victory, but it signaled something larger: the appetite for Thailand was growing, and Guangdong was the gateway.
Kongsri meets with Chen Qiuyan, former Director-General of Guangdong Provincial Foreign Affairs Office.
Witnessing China again firsthand upon my return in 2020 surpassed all preconceptions. The cities of my memory across Guangdong had transformed into the bedrock of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), a global powerhouse of technology, finance and innovation, punctuated by a constellation of glass-and-steel skyscrapers. Where bicycles once ruled, electric vehicles now glided silently along eight-lane streets.
Attending the 40th anniversary celebration of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone in 2020, I found a city that bore no resemblance to the sleepy border town I had glimpsed in the early 1990s. Now an innovation cradle at the heart of the GBA, its profound metamorphosis feels less like standard urban development and more like sheer alchemy—a true economic miracle. I am indeed heartened to witness the vibrant energy of this integrated ecosystem and the enhanced quality of life enjoyed by the Chinese people.
My second posting as Consul-General coincided with one of the most challenging periods, but we successfully maintained the continuity of our consular services and sustained essential trade flows with exceptional efficacy.
I also had the privilege of co-organizing the first Thailand-Guangdong High-Level Cooperation Conference with the Guangdong Foreign Affairs Office. The meeting, held via video link due to pandemic protocols, brought together Thai and Chinese officials to discuss cooperation in the digital economy, high-tech EVs, 5G technology and smart city development. It was a far cry from the trade fairs of the 1990s. The relationship between Thailand and Guangdong had evolved from selling fruits to collaborating on high-tech industries and sustainable development.
Reflecting on my two separate postings, I have witnessed the incredible speed of transformation. In the 1990s, Guangdong was a province learning to walk on the global stage. By 2021, it was sprinting. The mindset of the people has evolved just as deeply. The 1990s were filled with a vibrant, hopeful spirit and a strong desire to show the region's potential. Today, that energy has become a quiet confidence, based on the knowledge that Guangdong is no longer just participating in the global economy, but actively helping to shape it.
And yet, some things remain constant: the warmth of the Cantonese people, their pragmatic hospitality and the way a simple bowl of congee at a neighborhood shop could feel like a homecoming. The Foreign Affairs Office officials I had worked with in the 1990s had become lifelong friends.
My Guangdong story is, in many ways, the story of a relationship that has deepened and matured. When I first arrived, I was a young diplomat learning to navigate a foreign culture. When I left in 2021, I departed with the gratitude of a person who had been privileged to witness history. Guangdong gave me my first taste of the world beyond Thailand, and it gave me my most profound lessons about resilience, transformation and the enduring power of friendship between peoples. For that, I will always be grateful.
The author is Natenapa Kongsri, former Thai Consul-General in Guangzhou.
Photos provided for South by the author
