sections) Light rail and tram Guangzhou Trams Hong Kong Light Rail Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong Peak Tram Shenzhen Tram Zhuhai Tram Intercity railway Guangzhou–Kowloon through train Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong Express Rail Link Hong Kong section Guangzhou–Foshan–Zhaoqing intercity railway Guangzhou–Shenzhen railway Dongguan–Huizhou intercity railway Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Jiangmen intercity railway Air Hong Kong International Airport Macau International Airport Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Zhuhai Jinwan Airport Foshan Shadi Airport Huizhou Pingtan Airport Culture Being part of the Silk Road as well as Chinese international marine gates and trade hotspot for the last two thousand years, GBA features rich palette of cultural and folk traditions, languages, and food. Among them, a distinct European ambience – the Cantonese culture with its center in Guangzhou (also known as Canton and formerly romanized as Kwangchow), Macau, eastern Guangxi, and Hong Kong. Hong Kong and Macau also has its distinct local culture, largely based on Cantonese culture, but also heavily influenced by British and Portuguese colonisation over the past two centuries. The distinct feature of Cantonese culture is the Cantonese language and Cantonese cuisine. Cantonese language is the official spoken language in the semi-autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. In Guangdong and Guangxi, Mandarin Chinese is the official language taught in schools, but Cantonese is most frequently used in everyday life. History Its relationship with the sea has shaped the Greater Bay Area for centuries. The first known ships from the area are believed to have been constructed by the people of the Nanyue Kingdom (204–112 BCE), who employed them for cultural and economic exchanges with countries as far as present-day Vietnam. After the takeover of the Han Dynasty, trading relations expanded beyond to reach Sri Lanka. During the subsequent period of the Three Kingdoms, these trade routes were consolidated. Trade and cultural exchanges grew. Among this, the port of Guangzhou played a major role for the region's trade and cultural exchanges for over two thousand years. Established under the Kingdom of Wu during the period of the Three Kingdoms (222–280 CE), it eventually grew to become the starting point of the ancient maritime silk road during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420 CE). By the fourth century CE, communities of foreign merchants began establishing themselves in the city. Since the first foreign merchants have established themselves in Guangdong, the whole GBA region's importance for global trade has only increased. When Macao became a Portuguese colony