廣州地區的區域經濟在劉宋時期，已較前代有進一步的發展。農業方面由於本區氣侯溫暖多雨，適宜農作物的生長，加以自東漢以來耕作技術的改良和進步，使農業生產量有所增加。冶金業、紡織業、製鹽業、造船業及鑄錢業等手工業的製造技術亦有相當進步。廣州地區境內河流密佈，珠江為本區最主要的河流，其支流可以說幾乎遍佈全區，因此本區的水上交通可謂便捷；加以可從靈渠北通湘江，對外交通運輸亦相當方便。在商業貿易方面，由於航路的改變，三國時期以後南海郡的番禺已逐漸取代徐聞，成為嶺南地區最大的對外貿易港口，因此遠來的商舶絡繹於途。
Guangzhou regional economy in Liu's Song Dynasty developed mush more than the previous dynasty. In term of agriculture, its local warm and rainy climate was suitable for growing crops, and furthermore, the agricultural production increased because of the improvement of farming techniques since Eastern Han Dynasty. The manufacturing techniques and product quality of many industries, such as metallurgical, textile, salt, shipbuilding, coining industry, etc, have also made great progress. Many rivers spread all around Guangzhou area, and Pearl River was the main river in this region, whose tributaries almost covered the whole area. Therefore, the water traffic was convenient within the area. Additionally, the external transportation was also very convenient because Ling Canel could connect to Xiang River in the North directly. In terms of commercial trade, Panyu in Nanhai Commandery has gradually replaced Xuwen after Three Kingdoms period due to the changed transportation routes, and become the largest foreign trade port in Lingnan Region, attracting merchant ships from far away here.
