Guangzhou

Lore & Background

Guangzhou was captured by the British during the First Opium War and lost its monopoly on foreign trade after the war, ceding trade to ports such as Hong Kong and Shanghai. It continued to serve as a major entrepôt. The city was originally known as Panyu, founded in 214 BC, and was the capital of the Nanyue kingdom. It became the seat of Guang Prefecture in AD 226.

In Their Own Story

The monsoon winds shift in the third month, and the harbor at Guangzhou stirs to life. Junks with patched sails crowd the anchorage while a merchant fleet from the Siam coast rounds the outer shoals, its captains watching the delta's mudflats for the channel markers. In the governor's hall, the trade tax ledger is open, the abacus clicking as silk bales are weighed and stamped. A vice-admiral's courier rides in from the northern garrison with word that a foreign fleet has been sighted off the Hainan coast. The governor sets down his brush, walks to the window overlooking the river, and watches the last of the day's cargo ships slip their moorings into the grey-green sea.

Reader's Guide

Guangzhou is a city, not a province. It is one of China's three largest cities and a major transportation hub. Its port was historically the only Chinese port accessible to Europeans for a long time. The city is part of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone and holds subprovincial status.

Did You Know?

• Guangzhou is also known as Canton, a name derived from Portuguese pronunciation of Guangdong.
• The city's nickname 'City of Rams' comes from a Taoist legend about five immortals who rode sheep or goats.
• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport briefly became the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic in 2020.
• The annual Canton Fair, held in Guangzhou, is the oldest and largest trade fair in China.