1. Overview of Guangzhou
1. Physical Geography
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong Province, the political, economic, technological, educational and cultural center of Guangdong Province, and a regional central city in South China. Guangzhou is located in the south of mainland China, in the south-central part of Guangdong Province and at the northern end of the Pearl River Delta. It borders the South China Sea and is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macau. The Pearl River, China's third largest river, passes through the city. It has a very advantageous geographical location and is known as the "Southern Gate" of China. .
Guangzhou is located in the south subtropical zone, with the Tropic of Cancer passing through the north. It has a typical maritime monsoon climate in the south subtropical zone. There is no scorching heat in summer, no severe cold in winter, and abundant rainfall. The four seasons are like spring and the flowers are blooming. The annual average temperature is 20 to 22 degrees Celsius, and the average relative humidity is 77%. The annual rainfall in the urban area is 1982.7 mm. Due to the mild climate. With moist soil and abundant sunshine, Guangzhou has evergreen trees and blooming flowers all year round. Guangzhou has been known as the "Flower City" since ancient times. Among domestic cities, this nickname and reputation is also unique to Guangzhou. Anyone who travels to Guangzhou will definitely fully feel and personally experience the world of flowers, the ocean of flowers, and the festivals of flowers. Guangzhou deserves to be called the city of flowers!
2. Population and Property
Guangzhou has jurisdiction over 10 districts and 2 county-level cities. The 10 districts are: Liwan, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Tianhe, Baiyun, Huangpu, Panyu, Huadu, Nansha and Luogang. The two county-level cities are: Zengcheng City and Conghua City.
Guangzhou City has a total land area of ??7434.4 square kilometers and a built-up area of ??more than 350 square kilometers. In June 2000, after the two county-level cities of Panyu and Huadu were relocated to form districts, Guangzhou's urban area further expanded. Currently, Guangzhou has become the largest coastal city in southern China.
By the end of March 2002, the population (including registered population and floating population) in Guangzhou's administrative region had exceeded 10 million, of which the urban population had exceeded 6 million, and the average daily floating population in the urban area was The population reaches more than 3 million people. In this sense, it can be said that Guangzhou is a truly undefended city.
Guangzhou has superior natural conditions and rich product resources. It has many famous agricultural and sideline products at home and abroad, as many as 100 species have been identified by experts. Guangzhou is China’s famous “Hometown of Fruits”. Guangzhou's land, climate and other natural conditions are suitable for the growth of a variety of tropical and subtropical fruit trees, and fruits are on the market all year round. There are more than 500 varieties of fruits in Guangzhou. Among them, lychees, bananas, papayas and pineapples are known as the "Four Lingnan Fruits" and have long been famous at home and abroad. They are also the four varieties with the largest fruit planting area and output in Guangzhou. Others such as star fruit, longan, yellow peel, tangerine, orange, etc. are also famous for a long time.
3. Historical origin
Today, when people mention Guangzhou, they will easily and naturally associate it with modernity, fashion, prosperity, wealth and beauty. In fact, Guangzhou is also a famous historical and cultural city with a long history and profound cultural heritage. It is one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities promulgated by the State Council. Since the Qin Dynasty appointed Ren Xiao as the Nanhai Captain in 214 BC (the 33rd year of Qin Shihuang) and built the city (commonly known as "Ren Xiao City"), Guangzhou has a history of 2,219 years. Among the world's famous historical cities, except for a few cities such as ancient Rome and Athens, Paris, London, and Moscow are all younger than Guangzhou.
According to historical records, in the Zhou Dynasty in the 9th century BC, the "Baiyue" people here had contacts with the Chu people in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. The "Chu Pavilion" was specially built to commemorate this friendship. This is the earliest name for Guangzhou.
In 214 BC, the First Emperor established Nanhai County after unifying Lingnan. The county was located in Panyu, located in the old city area of ??Cangbian Road, Yuehua Road, Zhongshan Road and Beijing Road in Guangzhou today. Qian Zhengchao appointed Rendi as Nanhaiwei and built the city. It is commonly known as "Renxiao City". After research, some people believe that "Renxiao City" is located in the area of ??Cangbian Road in Yuexiu District today. At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Zhao Tuo succeeded Nanhai Wei and established the Nanyue Kingdom. He called himself Emperor Wu of Nanyue and built the city of Zhao Tuo.
In the autumn of the fifth year of Yuanding (112 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Fubo General Lu Bode, Louchuan General Yang Pu and others. He led the army to Lingnan, abolished the Nandi Kingdom, and established Nanhai County. The county government was still located in Panyu (now Guangzhou).
During the Three Kingdoms period, Sun Quan of the Wu State established Guangzhou in the east of Jiaozhou in the fifth year of Huangwu (AD 226). This is where the name Guangzhou began. It has a history of more than 1770 years.
4. The Legend of Wuyang
You may have heard that Guangzhou has several beautiful nicknames. I will test you now to see if you can name them all. Yes, everyone is right. Guangzhou is also known as Huacheng, Yangcheng and Suicheng. Huacheng has been briefly introduced to you before, but everyone knows and remembers Huacheng more through the famous essay "Flower City" written by Huo Mu, one of the four great essayists in China. This popular essay was Incorporated into middle school Chinese textbooks, generations of Chinese people remember that Guangzhou is one of the eleven cities named after flowers. So, why is Guangzhou also called "Yangcheng" and "Suicheng"? There is a very beautiful legend here.
According to legend, one year, Chu Ting’s fields were barren due to successive disasters. Agricultural harvests were lost and the people were starving. One day. Five auspicious clouds appeared in the sky. There were five immortals wearing red, orange, yellow, green and purple clothes, riding five fairy sheep of different colors. Each of the fairy sheep held a stalk of rice with six ears in its mouth, and slowly landed here. a city. The immortal gave the rice to the people, left five sheep behind, wished that there would never be famine here, and then flew away.
Since then, Guangzhou has become the richest place in Lingnan, and the "Sheep City" has also begun to appear. It is also known as "Wuyang City" and "Suicheng City". Later, the people of Guangzhou also built the "Five Immortals Temple" on Huifu West Road to commemorate these five immortals who benefited Guangzhou. If you don't believe it, you can go to the east side of the Five Immortals Temple and take a look. There is still a huge red sandstone footprint-shaped depression there, which is the "immortal's thumb mark". If you still don’t believe it, go to the foothills of Yuexiu Mountain. There is a famous archway of "Ancient Chu Ting" there, which tells people that the oldest name in Guangzhou is "Chu Ting".
People who like to use their brains and are good at thinking may wonder: In this myth and legend, why do the immortals ride sheep instead of other animals? Why are the clothes of the five immortals in five colors, and the clothes of the sheep are also in five colors? Is there any mystery here?
Yes, behind this myth and legend, there is also a very rich historical, cultural and ideological connotation. In other words, it is not accidental that the immortal comes riding a sheep, that the immortal has five numbers, his clothes are five colors, and that the sheep is also five colors. First let’s talk about why it is sheep. Here I will tell you a basic fact. Animal husbandry scientists have proven that the sheep in Guangdong come from the north. This shows that the Five Sheep Myth is a prehistoric colonization myth. The people of the Central Plains were as early as the Zhou Dynasty in the 9th century BC. They began to move southward and brought northern culture and civilization to Lingnan people. It also proved that Guangzhou was an immigrant city very early. Some people may also ask, the ancestors who moved to Yangcheng could also keep dogs. You brought pigs and so on, why did you just bring sheep? This may be due to the long distance. Pigs move slowly and are inconvenient to drive in groups. In addition, pigs have a bad image in ancient legends. Dogs, in ancient times, were the totems and ancestral gods of many ethnic groups and were rarely raised as livestock with economic value. Compared with dogs and pigs, sheep have strong reproductive capacity, strong adaptability, and high economic value. To this day, there are still sayings in Guangdong that "raising ginger and raising sheep will save you money but make a profit" and "sheep never leave the womb". In addition, it moves quickly and is easy to drive away. It can be seen that the immortal riding the sheep in the Wuyang myth not only symbolizes its coming from the north, but also has psychological, moral and economic considerations. There is a certain scientific reason why sheep became the ideal livestock carried by the ancestors who migrated south.
Today. Wuyang has become the city emblem of Guangzhou. Careful tourists will find that the nickname "Yangcheng" has penetrated into all aspects of life in Guangzhou: the book "Yangcheng Ancient Banknotes", the publication "Yangcheng Ancient and Modern", the newspaper "Yangcheng Evening News", and the "Eight Scenes of Yangcheng" ; Even many building trademarks, companies, associations, and places of interest are named after "Yangcheng"; the "Five Immortals Temple" still exists today, and the "immortal thumb traces" can still be seen; Xianhu Street, Xianlin Lane, Wuxianmen, etc. are still there. There is a bit of "immortality" in it - the myth of the "Five Sheep Immortal" has a profound influence.
5. Economic Development
Guangzhou has been a famous commercial port in the country since ancient times. It has a history of open trade for more than 2,000 years. Since the reform and opening up, Guangzhou's economic development has taken on new vitality and made remarkable achievements.
Since 1992, Guangzhou's comprehensive economic strength has ranked third among the top 10 largest cities in the country. Especially since the "Ninth Five-Year Plan", Guangzhou's economic strength and comprehensive competitiveness have been significantly enhanced, and its contributions to the country and Guangdong Province have been increasing.
In 2004, Guangzhou's gross product (GDP) exceeded the 400 billion yuan mark, reaching 411.58 billion yuan, an increase of 15% over the previous year. Among them, the added value of the primary industry was 11.55 billion yuan, an increase of 5.4%; the added value of the secondary industry was 181.771 billion yuan, an increase of 17.2%; the added value of the tertiary industry was 218.26 billion yuan, an increase of 13.8%. The proportion of the three industries is 2.81:44.16:53.03. Calculated based on the registered population, the per capita GDP for the year was 56,300 yuan, an increase of 13.7%; converted based on the average exchange rate of the year, it was approximately US$6,800, ranking among the top among domestic large cities.
The most prominent feature of Guangzhou’s economic development is the highly developed tertiary industry including commerce, tourism, catering, information, finance, real estate services, etc. In 2002, the city's tertiary industry achieved an added value of 166.855 billion yuan, accounting for 55.59% of the city's GDP. The tertiary industry's contribution to economic growth reached 55.9%, reaching the level of moderately developed countries. Another outstanding feature of Guangzhou's economic development is its relatively high degree of openness to the outside world and its developed foreign economic and trade. According to statistics, since the reform and opening up, Guangzhou's foreign trade exports have grown at an average annual rate of 21%. In 2002, the city's total import and export volume reached US$27.931 billion, of which exports reached US$13.784 billion. The export market reaches more than 200 countries and regions. From 1979 to 2002, the city's actual utilization of foreign investment was US$29.453 billion, ranking second among the top 10 largest cities in the country. Merchants from more than 60 countries and regions have come to invest in Guangzhou, and more than 8,000 foreign-funded enterprises and more than 2,000 offices have been established in Guangzhou.
6． Urban Construction
In recent years, with the rapid economic growth and the significant enhancement of the city's comprehensive strength, Guangzhou has significantly increased its efforts in urban construction. Starting from the autumn of 1998, Guangzhou began to implement the strategy of “small changes a year”, “one medium change every three years” and “major changes in 2010” in urban construction management. During the "Ninth Five-Year Plan" period (from 1997 to 2001), the city's total investment in urban construction reached 61 billion yuan, which is equivalent to three times the total of the previous eight five-year plans. Now Guangzhou has fully and successfully realized the "little change in one year". With the goal of "one mid-year change in three years", the city's appearance has undergone extensive and profound changes. It can be said that such a huge change in the city's appearance in a short period of time is not only a miracle in the history of Guangzhou's urban construction, but also a miracle in cities throughout China and even the world. It is also rare in the history of construction.
The achievements of "small changes" and "moderate changes" are not only sincerely appreciated by the general public, but also fully affirmed and highly praised by the main leaders of the party and the country. It has also had a positive impact internationally and has been widely recognized internationally. On December 3, 2001, Guangzhou won the honorable title of "International Garden City" and took home the award known as the "Green Oscar" internationally. Becoming the city with the largest population in the world to receive this award has won honors for our country. On May 26, 2002, Guangzhou was successfully selected into the 40 "2002 United Nations Best Examples of Improving the Living Environment" in the world. In July, it won the award. Top Ten Award.
7. People’s Livelihood
Guangzhou’s economy is strong and developing rapidly. The living standards of Guangzhou’s people are naturally rising compared with those of Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin. Compared with residents of nine major cities including Chongqing, Xi'an, Wuhan, Shenyang, Harbin and Nanjing, Guangzhou people are the most profitable and spend the most money in the country.
In 2004. The average salary of employees in the city was 31,025 yuan, an increase of 9.9%. The per capita disposable income of urban residents reached 16,884 yuan, an increase of 12.5%. After deducting price factors, the actual increase was 10.7%. 6,625 yuan, an increase of 8.1%, and after deducting price factors, the actual increase was 2.9%.
The per capita consumption expenditure of urban households throughout the year was 13,121 yuan, an increase of 13.4%. Among them, service consumption expenditure was 4,653 yuan, an increase of 18.5%. The number of household cars per 100 urban residents increased from 2.3 in the previous year to 4. The per capita living consumption expenditure of rural households was 4,353 yuan, an increase of 5.8. Price levels were generally stable, and the overall urban consumer price index for the year was 101.7.
8. Folk customs
Traveling to a place is nothing more than appreciating and understanding its scenic spots, cultural relics, famous mountains and rivers, and its customs and customs. Guangzhou is the center and birthplace of Lingnan culture. In this ancient but young city, we can not only feel the strong impact and vitality of modern civilization, but also appreciate the unique charm of traditional Lingnan folk culture. Guangzhou's more than two thousand years of civilized history has left behind many endless and colorful folk customs, which are reflected in all aspects of social life. Including food, housing, architecture, commerce, language, seasonal events, marriage, ancestor worship, etiquette, entertainment, etc. Since Guangzhou has been a city with a strong immigrant character since ancient times, Guangzhou's folk customs also reflect the unique charm and charm of an immigrant city: colorful, lively and diverse, old and young, and sparks of multicultural collision everywhere. To this day, Guangzhou folk customs still retain many ancient customs, including the ancient customs of the Han people in the Central Plains and the special talents of the ancient Baiyue people.
At the same time, because Guangzhou is located in southern Xinjiang and has a long coastline, it was the first to accept the influence of overseas folk culture. This makes Guangzhou folk custom not only have the charming charm of the emerging seaside, but also a little "foreign flavor" ": They celebrated the traditional Spring Festival and the Western Christmas on the one hand; they paraded on the streets and gave roses to their lovers on the other; they ate snakes, cooked dogs, drank Kung Fu tea, ate hamburgers, sushi, and drank cocktails; and they danced the dragon. Lion dance, disco and karaoke; wear jeans and halter tops, revive cheongsam and fragrant cloud shirt; operate a computer to predict the market situation, and pray to the God of Wealth and tell fortunes. The diversity, openness and compatibility of Lingnan folk culture are reflected everywhere.
The tea house in Guangzhou best reflects the folk customs of Guangzhou. Guangzhou people like to drink tea in teahouses, which is famous throughout the country. When people in Guangzhou greet each other in the early morning, they often say "Have you had your morning tea?" (meaning "Have you had your morning tea?"), which shows that Guangzhou people love tea. Guangzhou people have a long history of drinking tea. Since the early 19th century, when teahouses in Guangzhou emerged from low and simple teahouses, the fashion of "drinking morning tea" has become popular in the Pearl River Delta. There are many teahouses everywhere, which can be said to be one floor for every five steps, and a pavilion for every ten steps. Even in small villages and towns in the suburbs, there is no place without teahouses (buildings). After the reform and opening up, Guangzhou's teahouse industry became more developed. Now, Guangzhou's teahouses and restaurants have grown to nearly 20,000 households, spread throughout the streets and alleys. No matter where you go, you can taste "three teas and two meals." From "drinking morning tea" to "drinking afternoon tea" to "drinking night tea" in the evening, the quality is getting higher and higher, and the food is getting more and more exquisite. People from various provinces who yearn for opening up and reform often take pleasure in Guangdong's living habits , so Cantonese-style teahouses were built all over the world in the south and in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia in the north. Later, the "Laoshe Teahouse" was deeply rooted in the ancient capital of Beijing. People in Chengdu, who were highly skilled in tea bowls, imitated the Guangzhou people's style of "drinking morning tea". , blowing all over the country, both inside and outside the Great Wall, becoming a window to spread Lingnan culture.
Then there is the Guangzhou New Year’s Eve Flower Market, full of Lingnan traditional festival atmosphere, filled with all kinds of flowers for you to choose from. There is an endless stream of Guangzhou people who love and cherish flowers. There are also "lazy" children strutting through the market. The lively scene is difficult to appreciate unless you are there in person. There is also the exquisite Lantern Festival. The variety is dazzling. There are also the exquisite customs of Guangzhou’s Chinese Valentine’s Day, the enthusiasm for climbing the Double Ninth Festival, and the grandeur of the Winter Solstice Festival (Guangzhou people call it the “Winter Solstice New Year”).
Guangzhou’s silver dragon boats are among the others. Local dragon boat racing is different. Most other places commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan, but Guangzhou dragon boat racing is a traditional folk festival in Guangzhou every year around the Dragon Boat Festival.
The Boluo Temple Fair in Guangzhou is also different from other temple fairs. It commemorates the birthday of the God of the Sea. The Boluo chicken made during the temple fair is unique to Guangzhou.
The famous Shawan Piao Color is an ancient folk art in South China. It is well-known at home and abroad for its unique and thrilling dramatic character shapes.
Ma Che Fire Dog is a large-scale folk art activity with a history of more than 600 years, expressing people's joy of harvest and yearning for a better life.
The Birthday of Pangu King is to commemorate the mythical King Pangu. The Pangu King Temple in Huadu has been popular for thousands of years and is famous far and near.
9. Famous hometown of overseas Chinese
Guangzhou is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese in the country and a large city with the largest number of overseas Chinese in the country. According to statistics, there are 1.35 million overseas Chinese and foreign Chinese in the city, as well as compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao. Among them, 520,000 are overseas Chinese and foreign Chinese. They are distributed in 116 countries and regions on 5 continents. They are concentrated in Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada and Australia, and 830,000 are compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao. There are more than 1 million returned overseas Chinese, family members of overseas Chinese, and relatives of compatriots from Hong Kong and Macao in the city.
Guangzhou has a long history of overseas immigration. With the development of transportation and trade between China and foreign countries, the footprints of Guangzhou people have spread all over the world very early, and they have settled down and become overseas Chinese and Chinese. According to records, the number of Guangzhou people living abroad has increased day by day since the Tang Dynasty. In the middle of Kangxi period, the maritime ban was lifted, and more people went abroad to make a living. In modern times, Guangzhou experienced an upsurge of overseas immigration. The main reasons are: First, the people's livelihood is becoming increasingly difficult, and they cannot bear the persecution and massacre of the Qing government and go abroad. In the 1850s and 1860s, the Guangdong authorities of the Qing Dynasty used brutal massacres to suppress the Guangdong Tiandi Hui Uprising and the Taiping Rebellion. Many uprisings The participants and their relatives fled overseas and settled in foreign countries. Second, the Western colonialists were in urgent need of labor and went to China to lure Chinese workers. According to statistics, only in the five years from 1848 to 1852. More than 30,000 Chinese workers were deceived in Guangzhou and its surrounding areas.
The vast number of overseas Chinese and Chinese have a tradition of patriotism and love for their hometown, and have made indelible contributions to the motherland and hometown: First, they enthusiastically support and actively participate in the revolutionary movement of the motherland and all patriotic activities. In the democratic revolution and the new-democratic revolution, from the democratic revolutionary movement led by Sun Yat-sen to the Anti-Japanese War, the People's Liberation War, and all anti-imperialist and anti-feudal patriotic democratic movements, the vast number of patriotic overseas Chinese fought with them almost everywhere, and many people destroyed them. It is difficult to save a family and shed blood. The second is to actively invest in the establishment of modern industrial enterprises, which opened the curtain on the establishment of national capital enterprises in Guangzhou. In 1860, Peruvian overseas Chinese Li Mou and others founded Wanlongxing Export House in Guangzhou, pioneering overseas Chinese investment. In 1872, Chen Qiyuan, an overseas Chinese from Nanyang, founded China's first machine reeling factory in Nanhai. Then, overseas Chinese in the United States founded the first electric lighting company in Guangzhou. At the beginning of the 20th century, overseas Chinese from Malaysia founded China's first rubber company in Guangzhou, and overseas Chinese from the United States and Canada invested in the first public automobile company in Guangzhou. Third, it spreads Western culture widely and promotes the exchange of Chinese and Western cultures in Guangzhou.
(2) Characteristics of Guangzhou
There are many good reputations and nicknames about Guangzhou, such as "South Gate of China", "Flower City, Yangcheng, Suicheng", and "Hometown of Fruits" , "Hometown of Overseas Chinese", "The Largest Coastal City in South China", "Famous Commercial Port", "City That Never Sleeps", 'City of Immigrants', etc. These titles and generalizations reflect the characteristics and charm of Guangzhou from different aspects and angles. .
Some people summarize the characteristics of Guangzhou into the "Ten Major" characteristics. To make it easier for everyone to remember, they can be expressed in one sentence: "One city, two cities, three modernizations and four places".
"First City" means that Guangzhou is a famous commercial capital; "Second City" means that Guangzhou is a famous ancient city, which includes the city's long history and culture and an excellent ecological environment suitable for life. The "three specialties" refer to Guangzhou's unique Cantonese language, Cantonese cuisine and Cantonese opera; the "four places" refer to Guangzhou as the birthplace of the Maritime Silk Road, the source of modern revolution, the center of Lingnan culture, and the frontier of reform and opening up.
1． Commercial Capital
Due to its unique geographical location and special historical and cultural factors, Guangzhou’s commerce has a long history and fine traditions. It has been relatively developed and prosperous since ancient times. Historically, Guangzhou has always been a famous commercial port in the country.
Guangzhou has been an ancient city in southern my country since the Qin and Han Dynasties. It is known as "Jinshan, Linhai, and the Southern Treasury of the Emperor". "Historical Records" said: "Panyu is also a metropolis." Sima Qian listed Panyu as one of the nine metropolises in the country at that time. "Hanshu" also said: "Panyu is one of the great cities" and "Chinese merchants can make a lot of money". This means that businessmen who come here to do business will probably get rich.
In the Tang Dynasty, Guangzhou Port had developed to a port that could accommodate nearly a thousand large and small sea-going ships. The official first official establishment of the Municipal Ship Envoy (the earliest official position in charge of overseas trade in China) was in Guangzhou, and opened up a 14,000-year-old port. The route from Guangzhou to the West was the longest route in the world at that time. Today, 120,000 foreign businessmen and their families live in the "Fanfang" area along Guangta Road. At that time, Guangzhou formed an international jewelry market.
Song and Yuan Dynasties. Guangzhou has "tens of thousands of houses of Han and Tibetan people outside the city" and "Guangzhou's wealth is well-known throughout the world". Odoric, an Italian traveler at that time, said that Guangzhou was "a city three times larger than Venice, and there are not as many ships in the whole of Italy as there are in this city." The Arab traveler Ibn Battuta also believed that Guangzhou is "one of the world's big cities. Its beautiful cityscape is unmatched by other major cities in the world."
In the Ming Dynasty, Guangzhou pioneered foreign trade fairs, and foreign trade fairs were held regularly in summer and winter every year. At that time, Guangzhou was China's largest port for tribute trade and China's largest foreign trade port. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, due to the intrusion of Western colonists and Japanese pirates, the imperial court implemented a maritime ban policy, abolished the maritime envoys in Ningbo and Quanzhou, and retained only Guangzhou for trade with the outside world. Guangzhou monopolized the country's foreign trade power.
In the Qing Dynasty, the "Thirteen Banks" were established in Guangzhou to specialize in foreign trade. In 1757 (the 22nd year of Qianlong's reign), the Qing government closed three trading ports including Zhangzhou, Ningbo, and Yuntaishan, leaving only Guangzhou for foreign trade for 83 years. Guangzhou once again became the only foreign trade port in the country. Until the Opium War, Guangzhou's foreign trade was unprecedentedly prosperous. Some historians described Guangzhou at that time: "Guangzhou became a place of prosperity for domestic and foreign trade. All trade between the Chinese Empire and Western countries gathered in Guangzhou. Products from all over China were shipped here, and merchants' warehouses from various provinces were located here. From the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, Guangzhou vigorously introduced overseas Chinese and foreign capital to set up businesses, foreign companies and banks, and the development of commerce and foreign trade took a leading position in the country.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the China Export Commodity Fair (Canton Fair) has been held in Guangzhou since 1957. As of 2002, the 91st Canton Fair had been successfully held. The Canton Fair is my country's largest, highest-grade, and largest export commodity trade fair. Its turnover accounts for one-third of the country's export trade, and it is known as "China's No. 1 Exhibition." The Canton Fair plays an important role in promoting my country's foreign trade and has extensive influence both at home and abroad. Since the reform and opening up, Guangzhou's status as a commercial capital has continued to improve, and its commercial and comprehensive economic strength ranks third among large cities in the country.
The history of Guangzhou as a commercial capital has a long history, a solid foundation, strong strength and enduring popularity. The history of Guangzhou's urban development can be said to be the history of business development. In more than 2,000 years of open trade, "I am the only one who has the highest status and my position is irreplaceable." Guangzhou is indeed a historical commercial capital worthy of its name. Today, Guangzhou has taken the lead in reform and opening up, and its commerce and trade has once again become synonymous with fashion. Guangzhou and Guangzhou goods have become synonymous with fashion. Guangzhou has become a real "shopping paradise". By the end of 2001, Guangzhou's commercial and service industry outlets had grown to more than 200,000, with 29 outlets per 1,000 urban and rural residents, ranking first in the country.
To feel and experience the fun and charm of Guangzhou’s “shopping paradise”, you can visit three major markets:
First, visit large comprehensive shopping malls.
The relatively large comprehensive shopping malls in Guangzhou mainly include Guangzhou Department Store, Xinda New Plaza, Nanfang Building, Guangzhou Friendship Store, etc., as well as the newly emerging Wangfujing Department Store, Teemall Mall, New China Building, China Plaza, Fashion Frontline, Dongshan Xinda New Plaza, Liwan Plaza, Times Square, etc.
The second is to visit the two major commercial pedestrian streets: Shangxiajiu Road Pedestrian Street and Beijing Road Pedestrian Street. Visiting these two pedestrian streets can also feel the typical Lingnan arcade architectural style.
The third is to visit the professional market and specialty products street. As the central city and commercial center of South China, Guangzhou is the logistics distribution center of the province and even the country. It is most appropriate to describe Guangzhou merchants as "goods rotate like wheels". As a result, Guangzhou has formed nearly 400 professional markets and specialty product streets. You may also wish to visit some well-known professional markets and streets such as Hualin Jade Street, Xiguan Antique City, Qingping Market, Gaodi Street, etc. I believe you will definitely gain something.
2. Ancient City
How long is the history of Guangzhou? If you count from the perspective of legends (not historical records), it starts with King Wei of Chu (338 BC) during the Warring States Period; if you count from the perspective of historical documents, it starts with Qin Shihuang appointing Ren Xiao as the governor of Nanhai in 214 BC after unifying Lingnan. Wei, Ren Xiao began to build Panyu City on Gufan Mountain and Yu Mountain; if we count from the appearance of the word "Guangzhou", it should be from the fifth year of Wu Huangwu in the Three Kingdoms (226), when Sun Quan established diplomatic relations and established Guangzhou.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, China was a period of chaos. The ancients said: "There were no just wars in the Spring and Autumn Period." Big and small countries were all competing for hegemony, always wanting to dominate the Central Plains and annex the territories of other countries. In 355 BC, the Chu State destroyed the Yue State. Later, King Wei of Chu appointed Gao Gu, a former South Vietnamese, as the Prime Minister of Chu. It is said that although Gao Gu was born in Nanhai (now Guangzhou), he was very powerful and handsome; he was also talented and extremely talented. After King Wei of Chu heard about it, he summoned him to the palace. After careful inspection and rigorous testing, he appreciated him very much and appointed him as the prime minister of the country. Gao Gu lived up to his great trust. He used the rituals and music of the Zhou Dynasty to educate the Chu people. He changed the Chu people who only knew how to fight but were martial but ignorant of etiquette and righteousness. This made the Chu country later become a powerful civil and military power and competed with other countries in the Central Plains for hegemony. After Gao Gu resigned and returned to Lingnan, he built a "Nanwu City" at the foot of Yuexiu Mountain in Panyu (now Guangzhou). This is the earliest "city" in Guangzhou's history. Gao Gu also built the "Chu Pavilion" (also called Chu Ting) to pay homage to Chu and show that Lingnan belonged to Chu. Now there is an archway of "Ancient Chu Ting" on Yuexiu Mountain, which means that Gao Gu once built the "Chu Ting" here.
In 221 BC, Qin Shihuang unified the six countries, but Lingnan had not yet been conquered, and the Yue people were unwilling to belong to Qin. Qin Shihuang sent troops south to attack South Vietnam, but they encountered fierce resistance from the Vietnamese. After three military campaigns, Qin Shihuang failed to win. And the military losses were heavy. The Yue people sneaked into the deep mountains and old forests. The northerners were not familiar with the terrain of Lingnan, and they were not adapted to the weather and climate of the south. As a result, many died in battle, some died of illness, and they were often attacked by the Yue people. The Yue people also blocked the roads everywhere and cut off the Qin soldiers' food and grass, forcing Qin Shi Huang to do nothing for a while. In the end, Qin Shihuang recruited 100,000 migrant workers to open up the waterway between the Li River and the Xiang River in the north of Guilin, Guangxi (later known as Lingqu), thus solving the transportation problem into Lingnan. Then Qin Shihuang raised 500,000 troops to defeat South Vietnam and finally completed the great cause of national unification.
Ren Xiao, the general who led the Qin army southward, was left by Qin Shihuang to guard Lingnan. Qin Shihuang implemented the system of prefectures and counties in Lingnan and established three counties, Nanhai County, Xiang County and Guilin County, as well as several counties.
Ren Xiao was appointed as Nanhai County Lieutenant by Qin Shihuang, so he built "Ren Xiao City" on the basis of Nanwu City. Zhao Tuo, the general who followed Ren Xiao south, was appointed as the magistrate of Longchuan County, which is the position of county magistrate today. Zhao Tuo is Ren Xiao's right-hand man. During Ren Xiao's tenure as Nanhaiwei, he used kindness, power, unity and education to the Vietnamese, making the Lingnan area stable and trouble-free. While vigorously developing production, he also strengthened military defense capabilities. He taught the developed culture and advanced production technology of the Central Plains to the Yue people, making Lingnan quickly prosperous. The Qin Dynasty ruled China for only 15 years. By the time Hu Hai, the second emperor of Qin, came to power, the world was already in turmoil. Ren Xiao was ready to support his own troops and separatist forces.
But because he was old and in poor health at that time, and there was no son to take over, he pinned his hopes on Zhao Tuo. So he summoned Zhao Tuo to discuss the plan. He said to Zhao Tuo: "It seems that the Qin Dynasty will not last long. Lingnan is a fertile land and it is far away from the imperial court. It is better to take advantage of the turmoil in the world to support our own troops and break off diplomatic relations with the Central Plains. But I can no longer complete this matter. If your brother Knowing the current situation, I advise you to take up this responsibility and try my best to help you before I die. Soon, Ren Xiao died. Before his death, he gave up the position of Nanhaiwei to Zhao Tuo.
Soon after Tuo became the captain of Nanhai, he took full power and became authoritarian, which created extremely favorable conditions for him to seize Lingnan. As expected, Zhao Tuo established the "Nanyue Kingdom" and became the king of Nanyue. It was doubled in size and built into "Zhao Tuo City". In 1974, more than 4,000 square meters of the Nanyue Palace Office and Imperial Garden ruins were excavated on Zhongshan 4th Road. After more than 20 years of continuous excavation and the implementation of protective measures, it has now been restored. Once conditions are met for opening to the outside world, it is expected that this underground palace and royal garden, which have been dormant for more than 2,000 years, will be revealed to tourists in the next few years.
In the 93rd year of the 5th Dynasty of the Nanyue Kingdom, the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu Liu Che sent troops to destroy the Nanyue Kingdom in the sixth year of Yuanding (111 BC), and later restored Nanhai County, which was under the jurisdiction of Jiaozhou (the administrative seat of Jiaozhou was Guangxin, now Wuzhou, Guangxi). In the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Guangzhou's economy began to change. It was already quite developed, and the rulers had to consider moving the state government of Jiaozhou to Guangzhou. At that time, China's political situation had already seen the three kingdoms of Wu, Shu, and Wei standing in opposition. In the 22nd year of Jian'an (AD 217), the state of Wu came to power. The administrative office of Jiaozhou was moved to Panyu (today's Guangzhou), and a city was built on the basis of the original Zhao Tuo City. Since the governor of Jiaozhou was Bu Zhi, the city was named "Bu Zhi City" on the east side of today's Cangbian Road and on the west side. Huaningli extends to Yuehua Road in the north and Xihu Road in the south. In order to strengthen the administrative management of Lingnan, in the fifth year of Huangwu of the Wu Kingdom (AD 226), Jiaozhou and Guangzhou were officially divided into Jiaozhou and Hepu to the south. To the north is Guangzhou. Because the state was moved from Guangxin, the word "Guang" was taken as the name of the state. From then on, the name "Guangzhou" was born.
In 904 AD, Liu Yin served as the naval envoy of the Tang and Qing Dynasties, occupying present-day Guangdong and Guangxi. In 917 AD, his younger brother Liu Yan proclaimed himself emperor in the Lingnan area, and the country was named Southern Han. Guangzhou was established as the capital. For the third time in history, the city walls were expanded, Yushan was leveled, and the capital was expanded to the south. At the same time, other courtyards were built all over the palace, and the West Lake (also known as "Xianhu", north of the Nanfang Theater on today's Education Road) was dug in the west of the city. It was 500 feet long and connected to the Nangong. An island was built in the lake, called "Yaozhou". There are nine magnificent and strange rocks in the lake, which are called "Nine Shining Stones". There are pavilions, buildings, pavilions and pavilions built along the lake, and the scenery is beautiful. 971 AD South