Canton Attractions

The city of Canton, which was originally called Fanyu, has a history dating back over 2000 years. In 214 BC Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi nominated it capital of the administrative area of Nanhai (Southern Sea) in recognition of its growing importance as a river and sea port. In AD 226 it was renamed Guangzhou. From the time of the Tang dynasty (618-907) onwards Canton developed into a center of foreign trade and as a result a large Islamic community grew up here. Under the Song dynasty (960-1279) the city enjoyed a golden period. In 1517 the Portuguese landed here, followed by the Spanish, Dutch, British and French. Over the years the harbor became larger and larger and in 1684 the East India Company moved its headquarters here in order to be able to have better control of its trade in the opium which it was bringing over from India. In 1839 the Imperial High Commissioner Lin Zexu had 1185 tons of opium destroyed in Humen, a small village near Canton, and in so doing triggered off the opium wars between Britain and China. In 1841 the city offered stubborn resistance to the attacking English troops, with the peasants of Sanyuanli (today a suburb of Canton) particularly distinguishing themselves. In the Treaty of Nanking (1842) the city was forced to open its doors to foreign trade and in 1858 the island of Shamian became a foreign concessionary area. This contact with foreigners was destined to imbue the Cantonese from very early on with nationalistic sentiments, a readiness for reform and revolutionary ideas. At the beginning of the 20th C Sun Yat-sen started numerous uprisings against the Qing government.

In 1918 the city began to be modernized, with wide streets being laid out, countless shacks torn down, canals filled in and the city walls taken down.

The year 1924 saw the founding of the Whampoa military academy where Zhou Enlai studied. In the period following, Zhou, Guo Moruo and Mao Zedong taught at the local institute of the peasants' movement. After the rupture in relations between the Communists and the Guomindang, more than 5000 of the former lost their lives at the hands of Guomindang troops during a workers' revolt in 1927. In 1949 Canton fell to the Communist regime.

In the 1950s Canton became an important center for industry (steel, chemicals, textiles and foodstuffs) and foreign trade, a development which was helped by its proximity to Hong Kong. Since 1957 the famous Canton Fair has taken place twice a year.