Guangzhou is a famous cultural city with a history of more than 2,200 years. As early as the Chou Period, in the 9th century BC, there were exchanges between the Baiyue people of Guangzhou and the people of the Chu State in the middle reaches of Yangtze River. The name "Chu Ting", which was the earliest name of Guangzhou, originated in the 33rd year of Emperor Qin Shihuang (214 BC). Qin unified Lingnan, Nanhai prefecture (the Capital was built at "Panyu") and in the year of 226, in order to strengthen his rule, Sun Quan divided the original Jiaozhou into two parts- Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, name of Guangzhou was established. When the municipal council was set up in 1921, Guangzhou became the city it is today.
Three feudal dynasties, Nanyue, Nanhan and Nanming, chose Guangzhou as their capital. During the Qin (221 B.C. to 206 B.C) and Han (206 B.C. to A.D. 220) Dynasties, Guangzhou was a prosperous city. It was the earliest trade port in China and was the starting point of the "Silk Road of the Sea" beginning with the Han (206 B.C. to A.D. 220) and Tang (A.D. 618 to A.D.907) Dynasties.
The city is also a source of modern Chinese revolution. In this land many historic events took place including the Sanyuanli Struggle against British invaders, the Huanghuagang Uprising against feudalism and the Guangzhou Uprising which established the Guangzhou Commune. Mr. Sun Yat-sen, a revolutionary forerunner, set up the Huangpu Military Academy and constituted the political parties three times during his tenure as Chief of State. Comrade Mao Zedong ran the Institute of Peasant Movement training multiple cadres of key revolutionaries.
Huanghuagang Mausoleum of the 72 Martyrs Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Guangzhou is the home of many celebrities, especially the great figures of China who have initiated changes the modern history of China, such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao, leaders of the Reform Movement of the late Qing Dynasty, Hong Xiuquan, leader of the modern Chinese peasant revolution, and Sun Yat-sen, revolutionary leader who overthrew the rule of the Qing dynasty.
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