Guangzhou's Glory Days

A stroll through ancient Cantons old quarters reveals a rich cultural diversity and distinctive architectural heritage.

Usually overlooked by visitors to China, historic, multilayered Guangzhou offers far more history and cultural interest than its glossy modern business center would suggest. Known for centuries as Canton, its ties to early global trade go back to Roman times.

China’s Latin name – Serica – is the same word for silk and that, in turn, derives from Ancient Chinese. No surprise there – most of this precious material reached the wider world via Canton. Trade links to Arab realms from the 7th century AD onward offer modern echoes; Guangzhou has one of the world’s oldest mosques, and the city remains a major hub between China and the Middle East.

Commercial relationships with the West started in the 17th century. From the 1760s until 1842, Canton was the only port in China open to maritime trade. By the early 19th century, this monopoly position had made it one of the world’s wealthiest cities.

Independent-minded, visionary mayors and provincial governors shaped contemporary Canton in the late 1920s and 1930s; extensive infrastructure development from the 1980s further transformed the city. But as Guangzhou’s new urban center was deliberately located some distance away, Canton’s historic core remains largely intact. Even better, imaginative restoration and conservation projects are going on all over the city.

Shameen

Most visitors, alas, only see Guangzhou’s hectic modern face. But for those with time to venture farther, the tiny island of Shameen (Shamian), right on the Pearl River, is an ongoing contrast to the rest of the city. Originally a sandbar, (from which it derives its Chinese name), Shameen became an Anglo-French administered Concession in 1860. Buildings mostly date from that period until the early 1950s.