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History of Guangzhou |
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Guangzhou is a port city located in the southern China and is the capital of Guangdong Province. This city is the port city of the Pearl River and boasts of a flourishing economy. This city is also known as “Canton”, its old English name. The history of Guangzhou is rich and interesting.
The history of Guangzhou dates back to 214 BC. Panyu is the first city, which was founded in 214 BC on the site of Guangzhou. The city gradually expanded and in 206 BC , the city became the Nanyue Kingdom capital. Archaeological findings suggest frequent trade of Panyu with foreign countries by sea routes. Trade continued through years and even today Panyu is one of the major ports in China. Nanyue was annexed by Han Dynasty in 111BC. Later Panyu was declared the seat of the prefecture, Guangzhou in 226 AD. The city of Panyu was called Guangzhou by the people. The name Guangzhou replaced the name Panyu.
Guangzhou was sacked by Persian and Arab pirates around 758 AD. Su Shi, a famous poet during Northern Sang Dynasty visited the Baozhuangyan Temple and saw six banyan trees there. He wrote an inscription “Six Banyan Trees” and the temple came to be known as “The Temple of Six banyan Trees.”
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From Europe Portuguese were the first to arrive in Guangzhou around 1511. During 17th century the Dutch arrived in Guangzhou region.
The Qing government in China encouraged foreign trade after 1683, after China’s claim of control on Taiwan. Guangzhou emerged as a most significant commercial centers and a major port accelerating foreign trade. After the Portuguese, Dutch, Americans and Spanish the British and the French entered the scene. Guangzhou played important role during trade with Australians and Swedish.
Opium War broke out in 1839 and other ports opened in China. The Treaty of Nanking in 1842 included the name of Guangzhou as Chinese treaty ports. Formally and officially in the year 1918, “Guangzhou” was adopted as the official name of the city.
The history of the city of Guangzhou is the solid base over which the city grew up with commercial and cultural succulence.
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