Guangzhou

Guangzhou ({{zh-stpw |t=廣州 |s=广州 |p=Guǎngzhōu |w=Kuang-chou}}; Jyutping: Gwong2zau1; Yale: Gwóngjaū) is the capital of the Guangdong Province in southern China. Its international name was formerly Canton, after a French language corruption of the name of the city in Cantonese. As of 1999, the population of the city is about 4.05 million while the urban population is about 6.85 million.

History

It is believed that the first city was built in 214 BC, named Panyu (番?; the locals pronounced this in Cantonese as Poon Yu) and has had a continuous occupation since that time.

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In 206 BC, it became the capital of the Nanyue Kingdom (南越), and the city was expanded.

Related Topics:
206 BC - Nanyue

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Han Dynasty annexed Nanyue in 111 BC, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so until this day. In 226 AD, Panyu became the seat of the Guang Prefecture (廣州; Guangzhou). Therefore, "Guangzhou" was the name of the prefecture, not of the city. However, people had grown accustomed to calling the city Guangzhou, instead of Panyu.

Related Topics:
Han Dynasty - 111 BC - 226

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Guangzhou was sacked by Arabs ¹ and Persians in AD 758, ² according to a local Guangzhou government report on October 30 758, which corresponded to the day of Guisi (癸巳) of the ninth lunar month in the first year of the Qianyuan era of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty. ³

Related Topics:
Persia - 758 - October 30 - Lunar - ''Qianyuan'' era - Emperor Suzong - Tang Dynasty

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During the Song Dynasty, Su Shi, a celebrated poet, visited Baozhuangyan Temple (founded in AD 537), and left in his handwriting "liu rong" (six banyan trees) to the temple; hence the name "Liu Rong Temple".

Related Topics:
Song Dynasty - Su Shi - Baozhuangyan Temple - 537

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In 1711, the British East India Company established a trading post in Guangzhou.

Related Topics:
1711 - British East India Company

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In 1760, the Qianlong Emperor restricted foreign traders to a district in Guangzhou under the Canton System.

Related Topics:
Qianlong Emperor - Canton System

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Guangzhou was one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing (signed in 1842) at the end of the First Opium War between United Kingdom and China. The other ports were Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo and Shanghai.

Related Topics:
Treaty ports - Treaty of Nanjing - 1842 - First Opium War - United Kingdom - China - Fuzhou - Xiamen - Ningbo - Shanghai

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In 1918, "Guangzhou" became the official name of the city, when an urban council was established in Guangzhou. Panyu became a county's name south of Guangzhou. In both 1930 and 1953, Guangzhou was promoted to the status of a Municipality, but each promotion was cancelled within the year. Japanese troops occupied Guangzhou between October 12, 1938 and September 16, 1945.

Related Topics:
1918 - 1930 - 1953 - October 12 - 1938 - September 16 - 1945

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After the communist take-over, urban renewal projects in the city improved the lives of many residents. Housing on the shores of the Pearl River provided homes for the poor boat people. Reforms by Deng Xiaoping who came to power in the late 1970s led to rapid economic growth due to its close proximity to Hong Kong and access to the Pearl River. As labor cost increased in Hong Kong, manufacturers opened new plants in the cities of Guangdong including Guangzhou. As the largest city in one of China's wealthiest provinces, Guangzhou attracts farmers from the countryside looking for factory work. Cantonese links to overseas Chinese and beneficial tax reforms of the 1990s have aided the city's rapid growth.

Related Topics:
Boat people - Deng Xiaoping - Hong Kong - Guangdong

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