Qingyuan is a city in northern Guangdong province, China, on the banks of the Bei or North River. The primary spoken language is Cantonese. Covering 19,015 km2 (7,342 sq mi), Qingyuan is Guangdong's largest prefecture-level division by land area, and it borders Guangzhou and Foshan to the south, Shaoguan to the east and northeast, Zhaoqing to the south and southwest, and Hunan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to the north. The urban core is surrounded by mountainous areas but is dir