Recognizing the risk of climate induced stress such as urban flooding and drought, the central government in China introduced the ‘sponge city concept’ to make Chinese cities more climate-resilient. Considered as a new model for urban development by some, it leads Chinese cities towards a collective transition towards alternative stormwater management. However, similar to conventional approaches to stormwater management, the sponge city program faces challenges related to planning and implementation. Using qualitative interviews this thesis aims to analyse the challenges alternative stormwater management faces in Guangzhou, with a particular focus on the planning and implementation of the sponge city program. To do so the paper elaborates to which extent alternative stormwater management is applied in Guangzhou, the drivers for the introduction of the sponge city program, as well as what the perceived challenges and solution approaches are. The main goal of the sponge city program is to reduce flooding, improve the water quality and restore the eco-system. The government provides a broad framework to ensure a local, contextual adaptation of the sponge city program. However, major challenges include the different perceptions on the program and a lack of know-how for implementing alternative measures. In the case of Guangzhou a solution has been the establishment of a sponge city bureau. It is responsible for the program’s planning, implementation and monitoring, but also coordinates between the involved stakeholders and organises capacity building to address the identified misunderstandings and lack of know how.