Ep. 303 | The History of Guangzhou (Part 1)
In this Part 1 episode of a multi-part series Laszlo introduces the most ancient history of the great city of Guangzhou. Long known as Canton in many places, this city has a history that is both fascinating and unique in China. In this installment of the series, we'll explore the early stories and legends from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Then we'll look at the period when the Guangzhou region first appears on the China map during the Qin.
The story picks up the pace during Zhao Tuo's Nanyue Kingdom, a story told before in previous CHP episodes. Finally, we'll look at the Han and Three Kingdoms when there's no doubt about it, this part of southernmost China was here to stay and Guangzhou begins its integration with the rest of the Chinese nation.
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Terms in Episode
Pinyin/Term | Chinese | English/Meaning |
---|---|---|
Guǎngzhōu | 广州 | Capital of Guangdong province |
Táng Dynasty | 唐朝 | Chinese imperial dynasty that lasted 618-907 |
Shāng | 商朝 | Ancient Chinese dynasty 1600-1046 BC |
Zhōu | 周朝 | Ancient Chinese dynasty 1046-256 BC |
Bǎiyuè | 百越 | The Hundred Yue, a term to descirbe the many tribes of indigeous people of southern China |
Yúnnán | 云南 | Province in southwest China |
Nánhǎi | 南海 | The South China Sea |
Ruins at Yīn | 殷墟 | The archaeological site near Anyang, Henan province where one of the Shang Dynasty capitals was located |
Lǐngnán Region | 岭南地区 | A geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains: Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as modern northern to central Vietnam |
Lǐngnán Culture | 岭南文化 | The culture of the Lingnan region |
Nánlǐng Mountains | 南岭山 | Mountain range that separates the south of China from the Jiangnan region south of the Yangzi |
Gànzhōu | 赣州 | Major city in Jiangxi province |
Jiāngxī Province | 江西 | Inland province in south China |
Guǎngxī | 广西 | Province in southwest China, west of Guangdong |
Guǎngdōng | 广东 | Coastal province in southern China, east of Guangxi |
Teochew | 潮州人 | The people from the Chaozhou-Shantou-Jieyang area of eastern Guangdong |
Hakka | 客家人 | The Hakka (Kèjiā) people |
Zhuàng | 壮族 | a Tai-speaking ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in Southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. |
Cháng Jiāng | 长江 | The Yangzi River |
Jiāngsū | 江苏 | Coastal province in China, north of Zhejiang |
ĀnhuĪ | 安徽 | Inland province in central China |
Húnán | 湖南 | Inland province in central China, north of Guangdong |
Húběi | 湖北 | Inland province in central China, north of Hunan |
Jiāngnán | 江南 | The region in China immediately south of the Yangzi River and delta region |
Chǔtíng | 楚庭 | Ancient settlement established after the area bowed to the suzerienty of Chu State to the nortj |
Zhōu Dynasty King Yí | 周夷王 | The ninth king of the Zhoiu dynasty, reigned 885-878 BC |
Chǔ State | 楚国 | Chu State included most of the present-day provinces of Hubei and Hunan, along with parts of Chongqing, Guizhou, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. It was overthrown in 223 BC |
Yáng | 羊 | A goat or sheep or ram |
Yángchéng | 羊城 | One of the early names of Guangzhou |
Suìchéng | 穗城 | Another early name given to Guangzhou |
Yuè | 粤 | The Chinese character abbreviation for Guangdong province |
Yuènán | 越南 | Vietnam |
Spring and Autumn Period (Chūnqiū) | 春秋 | The Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, lasting 770-476 BC or thereabouts. No exact dates. |
Eastern Zhōu | 东周 | The Eastern Zhou Dynasty that lasted 771-256 BC |
Nán Wǔ Chéng | 南武城 | Another early name given to Guangzhou |
Wǔ Yáng | 五羊 | Five Rams, one of the early myths from Guyangzhou history |
Pānyú | 番禺 | The most ancient part of Guangzhou, now a district in the south of the city |
Hǔmén | 虎门 | A narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta that separates Shizi Yang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south, where the Pearl River discharges into the South China Sea |
Shīzi Yáng | 狮子洋 | The upper channel of the Pearl RIver Estuary, also a wide tidal strait connecting the Huangpu New Port of Guangzhou to the South China Sea |
Qin Shihuang | 秦始皇 | The First Qin Emperor, personal name Ying Zheng. He lived 259-210 BC |
Mǐnyuè | 闽越 | The indigenous people who lived in and around Fujian province |
Ōuyuè | 瓯越 | also 东瓯, the indigenous people who lived in and around Zhejiang province |
Zhèjiāng | 浙江 | Coastal Province |
Wēnzhōu | 温州 | City located in Zhejiang near the Fujian border |
Luòyuè | 骆越 | The Lạc Việt people of ancient northern Vietnam |
Nánhǎi Commandery | 南海郡 | The Nanhai Commandery setup in Guangdong during the Qin Dynasty |
Huáinánzǐ | 淮南子 | An ancient Chinese text consisting of a collection of essays that resulted from a series of scholarly debates held at the court of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, sometime before 139 BC. The Huainanzi blends Daoist, Confucianist, and Legalist concepts, including theories such as yin and yang and Wu Xing theories. The Huainanzi's essays are all connected to one primary goal: attempting to define the necessary conditions for perfect socio-political order. It concludes that perfect societal order derives mainly from a perfect ruler, and the essays are compiled in such a way as to serve as a handbook for an enlightened sovereign and his court |
Zhào Gāo | 赵高 | |
Lǐ Sī | 李斯 | The Huainanzi's essays are all connected to one primary goal: attempting to define the necessary conditions for perfect socio-political order.[1] It concludes that perfect societal order derives mainly from a perfect ruler, and the essays are compiled in such a way as to serve as a handbook for an enlightened sovereign and his court |
Húhài | 湖海 | The Second Qin emperor (秦二世) |
Fúsū | 扶苏 | The crown prince who should have become the second Qin emperor. Older brother to Huhai |
Méng Tián | 蒙恬 | Great Qin general and loyal supporter of Qin Shihuang |
Zǐyīng | 子婴 | The third and final Qin Emperor |
Xiányáng | 咸阳 | The capital of Qin, present day Xian |
Âu Lạc Kingdom | 瓯骆 | Founded in 257 BC, it was an early polity in the lands where Vietnamese history began |
Shíjiāzhuāng | 石家庄 | Capital of Hebei province |
Liú Bāng | 刘邦 | Emperor Han Gāozǔ, founder of the Han dynasty |
Xiàng Yǔ | 项羽 | A noble of the Chu state, who rebelled against the Qin dynasty, becoming a major warlord. He engaged Liu Bang, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty, in a long struggle for power, known as the Chu–Han Contention, which concluded with his eventual defeat at the Battle of Gaixia and his suicide. |
Lù Jiǎ | 陆贾 | Loyal official and envoy of Han Gaozu who tried to negotiate peace between the Han and Nanyue Kingdom. Died in 170 BC |
Nán Wǔdì | 南武帝 | The title Zhao Tuo gave himself in the wake of the polticial turmoil following the death Han dynasty founder Gaozu. |
Han Wǔdi | 汉武帝 | One of China greatest and consequential emperors who reigned 141-87 BC |
Zhào Mò | 赵眜 | Grandson and successor to the long-lived Zhao Tuo. He reigned 137-124 BC |
Cháng’ān | 长安 | Capital of many Chinese dynasties, located in and around present day Xian |
Zhào Yīngqí | 赵婴齐 | Nanyue King who reigned 122-115 BCE |
Yuèxiù District | 越秀区 | One of 11 urban districts of Guangzhou, located west of the Tianhe District and east of the Liwan District. It's the commercial, political and cultural centre of Guangdong province as well as the capital of the province and the city of Guangzhou. Established in 1960, the district absorbed the former Dongshan District in May 2005 along with several former subdistricts of the Baiyun and Tianhe district. |
Xī Hàn Nányuè Wáng Bówùguǎn | 西汉南越王博物馆 | The Western Hàn Nányuè King Museum |
Lǚ Jiā | 吕嘉 | Nanyue Kingdom official who conspired to murder the emperor and take over power |
King Jiàndé | 赵建德 | The final Nanyue Emperor, 112-111 BC |
Gǎigè Kāifàng | 改革开放 | Reform and Opening Up to the World, Deng Xiaoping's marquee achievement as paramount leader during the 1980's |
Kingdom of Wú | 吴国 | Sun Quan's kingdom in the south and east of China |
Kingdom of Wèi | 魏国 | Also referred to as Cao Wei 曹魏, based in the north of China, it was one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) |
The Kingdom of Shǔ | 蜀国 | Also referred to as Shu Han 蜀汉, one of the three major states that competed for supremacy over China in the Three Kingdoms period (220–280) |
Sūn Quán | 孙权 | 182-252, founder of the state of Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms period. |
zhōu | 州 | A prefecture (or state) |
Guǎng Prefecture | 广州 | The prefecture established by Sun Quan during the Three Kingdoms era that gave the city its name |
Jiāozhǐ | 交趾 | A historical region corresponding to present-day northern Vietnam |
Qín Lùn | 秦论 | A merchant from the Roman Empire who arrived in Jiaozhi and who was taken to see Emperor Sun Quan |
Sixteen Kingdoms Period | 十六国 | That period following the fall of the Western Jin that included states/kingdoms comprising five Liáng’s four Yàn’s, 3 Qín’s, 2 Zhào’s, a Chéng Hàn and Xià. It lasted 304-439 |
Southern and Northern Dynasties | 南北朝 | A period of disunity that ran 386-589 |
Liáng Dynasty | 梁朝 | Also referred to as The Southern Liang dynasty, it ran 502-557 |
Liáng Wǔdì | 梁武帝 | Also called Emperor Wu of Liang who reigned 542-549 |
Guāngxiào Temple | 光孝寺 | Oldest Buddhist temple in Guangzhou |
Jìn Dynasty | 晋朝 | Ancient dyansty that ran 266-420 |
Khanfu | 广府 | The city of Guangzhou as referred to by the Arabs |
Suí Dynasty | 隋朝 | Short-lived but influential dynasty that ran 581-618 |
Fānfāng | 蕃坊 | The foreign district of the city of Guangzhou back in early times |
Fānzhāng | 蕃长 | The head of the foreigners community in Guangzhou |
Hángzhōu | 杭州 | Capital of Zhejiang province as well as the capital of several southern dynasties |
dào | 道 | These Tang circuits would be equivalent to a province |
Lǐngnán Dào | 岭南道 | Lǐngnán Circuit |
Sòng Dynasty | 宋朝 | Chinese dynasty established by Zhao Kuangyin that ruled China 960-1279 |
Guǎngnán East | 广南东 | One of the political administrative regions during the Song, mostly Guangdong |
Guǎngnán West | 广南西 | One of the political administrative regions during the Song, mostly west Guangdong and Guangxi |
Yuán Dynasty | 元朝 | Dyansty established by Kublai Khan that ruled 1271-1368 |
Guìzhōu | 贵州 | Western interior province in China |
Húguǎng province | 湖广行省 | One of the provinces of Yuan dyansty China that contained both Hunan and Guangdong |
Jiāngxī province | 江西行省 | The name of Jiangxi province during the Yuan dynasty |
Five Dynasties Ten Kingdoms | 五代十国 | The period of disunity in between the fall of the Tang and founding of the Song. It lasted 907-979 |
Míng Dynasty | 明朝 | Imperial dynasty that lasted 1368-1644 |
Although all kinds of tension brewed beneath the surface, the mid to late 19th Century saw a continued bonanza for Singapore.