Baiyun district is located in the north-central part of Guangzhou, covering an area of 795.79 square kilometers. By the end of 2023, it was home to a registered population of 1.23 million and a permanent population of 3.67 million. It administers four towns and 20 sub-districts, making it the largest central district in Guangzhou in terms of both area and permanent population.

In 2023, Baiyun achieved a regional GDP of 281.2 billion yuan ($38.83 billion), an increase of 8.1 percent year-on-year. The scale of its "6+6" modern industrial clusters exceeded 600 billion yuan, with the cosmetics and smart home industries being selected as national and provincial characteristic industrial clusters, respectively. The district has over 550,000 market entities, with a net increase of five national-level specialized and new "little giant" enterprises over the previous year. The number of high-tech enterprises and technology-based small and medium-sized enterprises reached a record high. Baiyun is the only district in the city to be rated as a "China Leading Smart City" for four consecutive years and has been listed in multiple "Top 100 Districts" rankings for comprehensive strength and investment competitiveness.

The district is home to Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun Railway Station, Guangzhou Baiyun Station, Guangzhou International Port, Dalang Railway Freight Center, Pearl River West Channel, three intercity lines, four railway lines, 13 expressways, and 10 metro lines. It is connected to over 210 cities across five continents, while being within an hour away from nine cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, offering extensive, efficient, and convenient transportation.

Baiyun features a blend of mountains, water, urban areas, and fields, with beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate. The district is home to Baiyun Mountain, a national 5A scenic spot, and the Maofeng Mountain Forest Park, with a forest coverage rate of 95 percent, making the district the "green lung" of Guangzhou. The Liuxi River, Bajiang River, and Pearl River West Channel flow through the district, with the South Lake National Tourism Resort and Baiyun Lake, the first national water conservancy scenic spot in downtown Guangzhou, making it one of the best places to live in Guangzhou.

Baiyun is rich in natural resources and is one of the main bases for Guangzhou's "shopping basket program", as well as an important base for agricultural and related products and a land of flowers and fruits. Many famous local specialties are known far and wide, with Longgang Wampee and Shatian Lemon included in the national list of "famous, special, excellent, and new" agricultural products.

Baiyun has a rich historical and cultural heritage, giving rise to many famous figures throughout the ages. From the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1279) to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), figures such as Chen Zizhuang, He Yucheng, Zhao Ziyong, and Ling Yangzao left behind works that have been passed down through generations. By the end of 2023, the district had one major cultural heritage site under national-level protection and four cultural heritage sites under provincial-level protection.