(Redirected from Canton, China)
'Guangzhou' is the
capital and the
sub-provincial city of
Guangdong Province in the
southern part of the
People's Republic of China. The city is also known by an older English-language name, 'Canton'. It is a port on the
Pearl River,
navigable to the
South China Sea, and is located about 120 km (75 miles) northwest of
Hong Kong. As of the
2000 census, the city has a population of 6 million, and a metropolitan population of roughly 8.5 million (though some estimates are as high as 12.6 million) making it the most populous city in the province and the
third most populous metropolitan area in mainland
China.
Name
The
Chinese abbreviation of Guangzhou is 'Sui' (穗; pinyin: sùi; Jyutping: seoi6; Yale: seuīh) or sometimes GZ. The city has the nicknames of 'Wuyangcheng' (City of Five Rams), 'Yangcheng' (City of Rams), 'Huacheng' (City of Flowers), or 'Suicheng' (City of Wheats). The city can also be referred to as the 'MuMianCheng' (City of
Ceiba).
"Canton" was the convenient
Portuguese or
French romanisation of "Guangdong" Province. The city Guangzhou is the
capital of the province and frequently referred as 廣東省城 ("the Canton Province Capital City") or simply 省城 ("the Province City") by Cantonese people. The city naturally represents the province and thus was erroneously used as the city's name. It may have been more convenient for
Europeans who during the colonial period generally did not understand Chinese nor the written logo graphic
characters (see
exonym and endonym). 'Guangzhou' is the
pinyin Romanization of the
Mandarin name for the city.
Geography
Guangzhou is located at 112°57'E to 114°3'E and 22°26'N to 23°56'N. The city is part of the
Pearl River Delta.
CITIC Plaza
Administrative divisions
Guangzhou is a
sub-provincial city. It has direct jurisdiction over ten
districts and two
county-level cities.
;Districts
★
Yuexiu District
★
Liwan District
★
Haizhu District
★
Tianhe District
★
Baiyun District
★
Huangpu District
★
Huadu District
★
Panyu District
★
Nansha District
★
Luogang District
;County-level cities
★
Zengcheng City
★
Conghua City
As of
April 28,
2005, the districts of
Dongshan and
Fangcun have been abolished and merged into
Yuexiu and
Liwan respectively; at the same time the district of
Nansha is established out of parts of
Panyu, and the district of
Luogang is established out of parts of
Baiyun,
Tianhe,
Huangpu, and
Zengcheng.
Agglomeration or built-up area
In China it is difficult to define the real central agglomeration or builtup area because there is no legal definition. This can lead to very important underestimation for cities like
Shanghai, Guangzhou,
Beijing,
Shenzhen and many others undergoing fast development.
There are nevertheless two ways of doing it:
★ Using official 'Urban Districts' population statistics (''and sometimes suburban'') and add them to get an overview of the actual
Built Up Area. This presents the inconvenience of sometimes encompassing vast rural areas incuded in urban or more often suburban districts. On the other hand, some of these definitions can neglect suburban districts which are largely part of the built up area (''as in
Wuhan for instance''),
★ Using, generally admitted world definitions, all 'continuous built up area' with a maximum of 200 m between two houses (''except Highways, rivers and airports''), whatever their jurisdictions (''Cities, Towns, Councils, Districts, Departments... '') and add their figures to assess the actual Built Up Area of any City. In China, it would consist of adding urban and suburban areas of any city with the same areas in adjoining cities or towns linked by urbanization (''continuous built up area'').
In Guangzhou, it would encompass 7 out of 10 Urban Districts (''
Yuexiu,
Liwan,
Haizhu,
Tiane,
Huangpu,
Huadu and
Nansha''), but also built up districts of cities like :
★
Foshan : 3,389,000 Inh. in 2002, whose neighboring Guangzhou Districts (''
Nanhai,
Changshen and
Shunde'') would add more than 3,000,000 Inh. to Guangzhou agglomeration,
★
Jiangmen : 3,740,000 Inh. in 2002, whose Districts are part of Guangzhou
Built Up Area.
Thus, it's built up area population would reach more than 12,000,000 Inh. instead of the official 6,560,000 for urban districts proper and would be closer to the data released for the Metropolitan Area (''12,600,000 Inh.''), instead of general datas about 9,950,000 Inh. See
Principal Agglomerations of the World, whose definition still remains unclear regarding Chinese
agglomerations.
History
It is believed that the first city built at the site of Guangzhou was Panyu (蕃禺, later simplified to 番禺; ''Poon Yu'' in Cantonese) founded in
214 BC. The city has been continuously occupied since that time. Panyu was expanded when it became the capital of the
Nanyue Kingdom (南越) in
206 BC.
Recent archaeological founding of her palace suggests that the city might have traded frequently with by foreigners by the sea routes. The foreign trade continued through every following dynasty and the city remains a major international trading port to this day.
The
Han Dynasty annexed Nanyue in
111 BC, and Panyu became a provincial capital and remains so until this day. In
226 AD, the city however became the seat of the Guang Prefecture (廣州; Guangzhou). Therefore, "Guangzhou" was the name of the prefecture, not of the city. However, people grew accustomed to calling the city Guangzhou, instead of Panyu.
Although the Chinese name of Guangzhou replaced Panyu as the name of the walled city, Panyu was still the name of the area surrounding the walled city until the end of
Qing era.
Arab and
Persian pirates sacked Guangzhou (known to them as 'Sin-Kalan') 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.
[1][2][3]
During the Northern Song Dynasty, a celebrated poet called Su Shi (Shisu) visited Guangzhou's
Baozhuangyan Temple and wrote the inscription "Liu Rong" (Six Banyan Trees) because of the six banyan trees he saw there. It has since been called the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees.
The
Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive to the city by sea, establishing a monopoly on the external trade out of its harbour by
1511. They were later expelled from their settlements in Guangzhou (in Portuguese Canton or Cantao), but instead granted use of
Macau (first occupied in
1511) as a trade base with the city in
1557. They would keep a near monopoly of foreign trade in the region until the arrival of the Dutch in the early
seventeenth century.
After China claimed control of
Taiwan in 1683, the Qing government became open to encouraging foreign trade. Guangzhou quickly emerged as one of the most adaptable ports for negotiating commerce and before long, many foreign ships were going there to procure cargos. Portuguese in Macau, Spanish in Manila, and Armenians and Muslims from India were already actively trading in the port by the 1690s, when the French and English
British East India Company's ships began frequenting the port through the
Canton System. Other companies were soon to follow: the
Ostend General India company in 1717;
Dutch East India Company in 1729; the first Danish ship in 1731, which was followed by a Danish Asiatic Company ship in 1734; the Swedish East India Company in 1732; followed by an occasional Prussian and Trieste Company ship; the Americans in 1784; and the first ships from Australia in 1788. By the middle of the 18th century, Guangzhou had emerged as one of the world's great trading ports under the
Thirteen Factories, which was a distinction it maintained until the outbreak of the
Opium Wars in 1839 and the opening of other ports in China in 1842. The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top 3 cities in the world.
[4]
Guangzhou was one of the five Chinese
treaty ports opened up by the
Treaty of Nanking (signed in 1842) at the end of the
First Opium War between
Britain and
China. The other ports were
Fuzhou,
Xiamen,
Ningbo, and
Shanghai.
1888 German map of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou
In 1918, "Guangzhou" formally became the official name of the city, when an urban council was established in it. Panyu became a county's name to the southern side of Guangzhou. In both 1930 and 1953, Guangzhou was promoted to the status of a Municipality, but each time promotion was cancelled within the year.
Japanese troops occupied Guangzhou from
1938-10-12 to
1945-09-16, after violent bombings. The
Imperial Japanese Army established in the city the bacteriological research
unit 8604, a section of
unit 731, where Japanese doctors experimented on human prisoners.
Communist forces entered the city on October 14, 1949. Their urban renewal projects improved the lives of some residents. New 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 the city's close proximity to
Hong Kong and access to the Pearl River.
As labor costs 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.
In 2000,
Huadu and
Panyu were merged into Guangzhou as districts, and
Conghua and
Zengcheng became county-level cities of Guangzhou.
Modern Guangzhou
Economy
Guangzhou is the economic centre of the
Pearl River Delta and is the heart of one of
mainland China's leading commercial and manufacturing regions. In 2006, the GDP exceeded ¥600 billions (USD 76.8 billions), per capita was ¥85,000 (about US $11,000),
ranking First among the other 659 Chinese cities.
The
Chinese Export Commodities Fair, also called "Canton Fair", is held each
spring and
autumn by Bo Liu. Inaugurated in the spring of 1957, the Fair is a major event for the city.
Transportation
One of the new buses
With the
Guangzhou Metro, opened in 1999, Guangzhou is the fourth city in China to build an underground railway system. Currently there are four lines operational with an ambitious plan to expand rapidly with three lines under construction and four lines that are being planned.
Guangzhou's main
airport is the
New Baiyun International Airport in
Huadu District, that opened on
5 August 2004 replacing old
Baiyun International Airport close to the city centre.
Guangzhou is connected to
Hong Kong by train, bus and ferry services. Express trains depart to Hong Kong from the
Guangzhou East railway station and arrive in Hong Kong at the
Hung Hom KCR station. They cover the 182 km route in approximately two hours.
Daily ferry sailings include an overnight steamer, which takes eight hours, and high-speed catamarans and hydrofoils which take three hours to reach the
China Ferry Terminal or
Macau Ferry Pier in Hong Kong. The new Nansha Pier (新南沙客运港) is now open with 6 lines daily traveling between Hong Kong and Guangzhou. The trip takes 75 minutes (¥116-230). However, Nansha is very far from the city center, although there is a bus route available from White Swan Hotel, running three times a day. Location Nansha Port: 1.6km South from Humen Bridge, Nansha District, Guangzhou. Passengers can take buses at White Swan Hotel to the Dock, 3 runs per day.
Schedule: Nansha to Hongkong: 09:30 11:00 12:00 15:00 16:00 17:30 Hongkong to Nansha: 08:00 08:20 09:00 13:00 14:00 15:30 Tickets: Economic ¥116.00, Business ¥170.00, VIP ¥230.00
Since Monday,
1 January 2007, the city government has banned motorcycles from the urban area. From Tuesday,
16 January 2007, motorcycles found violating the ban will be confiscated.
[5] The Guangzhou traffic bureau has reported reduced traffic problems and accidents since the motorcycle ban in downtown area.
[6].
According to the newspaper China Daily of
6 July 2007, all buses and taxis of Guangzhou will be
LPG-fueled by 2010 to promote clean energy for transportation and improve the environment
[7].
Fairs
Guangzhou International Motor Show in Guangzhou International Convention and Exhibition Center.
Guangzhou in recent news
Guangzhou will hold the
16th Asian Games in November 2010. The city would have to spend about 220 billion yuan (US$26.5 billion) in the run-up to the 2010 event to improve infrastructure, build an athletes' village and a new railway station, as well as complete the second phase of the new Baiyun International Airport.
Tourist attractions
★
Chenjiaci Chen Family Confucian Academy()
★
Guangdong Museum of Folk Handcraft
★
Shamian Island
★
Guangdong Provincial Museum
★
Museum of the Tomb of the King of Southern Yue in Western Han Dynasty
★
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
★
Shishi Holy Heart Cathedral
★
Huaisheng Mosque
Shishi Holy Heart Cathedral
Parks
★
Baiyun Mountain ()
★
Lie shi ling yuan （）
★
Yue Xiu Park ()
Significant buildings
★
Guangdong Olympic Stadium
★
CITIC Plaza
★
Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower
★
Guangzhou TV Tower
★
China Hotel
★
Pearl River Tower
★
Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery Group
Plans are also underway to build what will become the world's tallest free-standing 610m tall
Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower for the
2010 Asian Games.
Media
Guangdong and the greater metropolitan area is served by several
Guangdong Radio stations and
Guangdong TV. There is an international station
Radio Guangdong which broadcasts information about this region to the entire world through the
World Radio Network.
Culture
★
Cantonese (linguistics)
★
Cantonese cuisine
★
Cantonese opera
★
Guangdong music (genre)
Education
Temple of the Six Banyan Trees
Major educational institutions
'National'
★
Sun Yat-sen University (中山大学) (founded 1924)
★
South China University of Technology (华南理工大学)
★
Jinan University (暨南大学) (founded 1906)
'Public'
★
Guangdong University of Foreign Studies (广东外语外贸大学)
★
South China Agricultural University (华南农业大学) (founded 1909)
★
Zhongkai Agrotechnical College (仲恺农业技术学院) (founded 1927)
★
South China Normal University (华南师范大学)
★
Shantou University (汕头大学)
★
Guangzhou Medical College (广州医学院)
★
Guangzhou University of TCM (广州中医药大学)
(English-language site)
★
Guangdong College of Pharmacy (广东药学院)
★
Guangdong University of Technology (广东工业大学)
★
Guangzhou University (广州大学)
★
Guangdong Business College (广东商学院)
★
Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (广州美术学院)
★
Xinghai Conservatory of Music (星海音乐学院)
★
GuangDong Polytechnic Normal University (广东技术师范学院)
★
Guangzhou Physical Education Institute (广州体育学院)
Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.
Sister cities
Pearl River at night
Canton is
twinned with the following cities:
★
Fukuoka,
Japan (May 1979)
★
Los Angeles,
United States (
March 2,
1982)
★
Manila,
Philippines (November 1982)
★
Vancouver,
Canada (March 1985)
★
Sydney,
Australia (May 1986)
★
Bari,
Italy (November 1986)
★
Frankfurt am Main,
Germany (
April 11,
1988)
★
Lyon,
France (November 1988)
★
Auckland,
New Zealand, (February 1989)
★
Gwangju,
South Korea (October 1996)
★
Linköping,
Sweden (November 1997)
★
Durban,
South Africa (July 2000)
★
Bristol,
United Kingdom (May 2001)
★
Yekaterinburg,
Russia (
July 10,
2002)
★
Arequipa,
Peru (
October 27,
2004)
★
Birmingham,
United Kingdom (Dec 2006)
★
Dubai,
United Arab Emirates
See also
★
Whampoa Military Academy
★
Guangzhou Uprising (1927)
★
Canton porcelain
★
Lingnan University (Guangzhou)
★
Current events in Guangdong
Notes
1. A Borrowed Place: The History of Hong Kong, , Frank, Welsh, , 1974, ISBN 1-56836-134-3
2. Science & Civilisation in China, , Joseph, Needham, Cambridge University Press, 1954,
3. Zizhi Tongjian, Sima Guang, , , , ,
4. Top 10 Cities of the Year 1800
5. Life of Guangzhou - Guangzhou Bans Motorcycles
6. Life of Guangzhou - Traffic Jam Improve after Motorcycle Ban
7.
China class=wikiexternal target=_blank>Daily - Date set for LPG-fueled buses, taxis
External links
★
China Medical University
★
Official Guangzhou Website
★
Life of Guangzhou
★
Photos from the Mountains
★
Satellite photo of the city
★
Guangzhou Photo Gallery
★
Guangzhou TV & Sightseeing Tower
★ http://www.nudieman.com/anrg/flower_pagoda.htm (A description of the Flower Pagoda)
★ http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/ (With descriptions and many pictures of the: Chen Family Confucian Academy, Guangxiaosi Temple, Sun Yat-sen Memorial (1929-31), Wong Tai Sin Temple, Wuxianguan Temple, Zhenhai Tower)
★
raildog in the attic-photo weblog
★
★
LPG
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