Guangzhou China: the center of political, economic and culture in south of china

Guangzhou is the capital and the sub-provincial city of Guangdong Province in southern mainland China. The city was formerly known internationally as Canton City or simply Canton, after a French language transliteration of the name of the province in Cantonese. It is a port on the Pearl River, navigable to the South China Sea. As of the 2000 census, the city has a population of 6 million, and a metropolitan population of 12.6 million, making it the most populous city in the province and the fifth most populous in China. History of Guangzhou

 

Legend on the Ram City

According to historical records, Chuting was the earliest formation of present Guangzhou. It has been 2,800 years since the Chuting was first used when Chu State of the Zhou Dynasty (11th Century BC - 221BC) sent ministers there to make it submitted to Chu. There had been successions of famine and crop failure in Chuting during the Zhou Dynasty. One day, five colorful auspicious clouds drifted from the South Sea, conveying five celestial beings on five celestial rams. They blessed people with ears of rice in a sheep's mouth. The five celestial beings left but the five rams stayed in Chuting, continuing to protect local people and prayed for favorable weather and a good harvest. To honor the fairies, people built 'Wuxian Guan', a Taoist temple with their sculptures, accompanied by a stone statue of the rams. Hence, Guangzhou is also known as the 'Ram City' (Yang Cheng) or 'Rice Ears City' (Sui Cheng). Guangzhou has always been the political, economic and culture center of South China for more than 2,000 years. In its early years, it was a distribution center of rare tropical products. In the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD), Fanyu had developed commerce and advanced textile and porcelain industries and foreign exchange with overseas, using Guangzhou as a vital port. During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Guangzhou has become a world famous trading harbor with countries in the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. To strengthen the foreign trade, China's earliest customs was set up in Guangzhou. It grew rapidly and became the largest commercial city and treaty port in China. Guangzhou and Lingnan Culture The word 'Lingnan' comes from the Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770BC-221BC), generally referring to Guangdong, Guangxi and the north of Vietnam. The nationality here was called Nanyue. In terms of geography, Lingnan Culture can be divided into three cultural branches in the Pearl River Drainage Area, Guangxi and Hainan. Guangzhou is the center of Cantonese culture along the Pearl River and the most outstanding of Lingnan Culture. The Cantonese dialect, Cantonese Opera, Lingnan calligraphy, art schools, architecture, miniascape, Cantonese cuisine, as well as music and handicrafts are all included in its scope.