Timeline of Guangzhou

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Prior to 17th century

History of China
ANCIENT
Neolithic c. 8500 – c. 2070 BC
Xia dynasty c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC
Shang dynasty c. 1600 – c. 1046 BC
Zhou dynasty c. 1046 – 256 BC
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn
Warring States
IMPERIAL
Qin dynasty 221–206 BC
Han dynasty 206 BC – 220 AD
Western Han
Xin dynasty
Eastern Han
Three Kingdoms 220–280
Wei, Shu and Wu
Jin dynasty 265–420
Western Jin
Eastern Jin	Sixteen Kingdoms
Northern and Southern dynasties 420–589
Sui dynasty 581–618
Tang dynasty 618–907
(Wu Zhou interregnum 690–705)
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907–960	Liao dynasty 907–1125
Song dynasty 960–1279
Northern Song		W. Xia
Southern Song	Jin
Yuan dynasty 1271–1368
Ming dynasty 1368–1644
Qing dynasty 1644–1911
MODERN
Republic of China 1912–1949
People's Republic of China 1949–present	Republic of China on Taiwan 1949–present
Related articles Chinese historiography Timeline of Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history Linguistic history Art history Economic history Education history Science and technology history Legal history Media history Military history Naval history

• 206 BCE – Panyu becomes capital of Nanyue Kingdom (南越).
• 111 BCE – Panyu becomes a provincial capital of the Han Dynasty after the Han–Nanyue War as the Han expands southward.
• 226 CE – Panyu becomes the seat of Guang Prefecture.
• 401 CE – Baoen Guangziaosi temple built.
• 537 – Temple of the Six Banyan Trees built.
• 1350 – Huaisheng Mosque rebuilt.
• 1380 – Zhenhai Tower built.
• 1516 – Portuguese merchants arrive.

17th century

View of Canton with merchant ship of the Dutch East India Company, c. 1665

• 1600 – Pazhou Pagoda built.
• 1619 – Chigang Pagoda built.
• 1684 – British East India Company in business.

19th century

Painting of the Thirteen Factories, circa 1820, with flags of Denmark, Spain, the U.S., Sweden, Britain, and the Netherlands

• 1821 – Xigu tang literary society formed.
• 1822 - Fire.
• 1827 – Canton Register English-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1832 – Jardine, Matheson and Co. in business.
• 1834 – Wetmore & Co. in business.
• 1835 – Canton Press English-language newspaper begins publication.
• 1840 – Augustine Heard and Company in business.
• 1841
  • February 27: Battle of First Bar.
  • March 2: Battle of Whampoa.
  • March 18: Battle of Canton
  • May: Second Battle of Canton.
• 1842 – City designated a treaty port per Treaty of Nanking.
• 1848 – Apostolic Vicariate of Guangdong-Guangxi established.
• 1856
  • British/French occupation begins.
  • Thirteen Factories set on fire.
• 1859 – Shameen Island divided into French and British concessions.
• 1861 – British/French occupation ends.
• 1863 – Sacred Heart Cathedral built.
• 1866 – Yu Yin Shan Fang garden laid out.
• 1879
  • City area: 6.5 square kilometers (approximate).
  • Population: 400,000 (estimate).
• 1894
  • Plague.
  • Chen Clan Academy built.

20th century

• 1908 – Guangzhou North Railway Station opens.
• 1911 – Kowloon–Canton Railway begins operating.
• 1918 – Urban council established.
• 1923
  • June: National Congress of the Communist Party of China held in Guangzhou.
  • Kuomintang in power.
• 1924
  • Peasant Movement Training Institute and Whampoa Military Academy open.
  • Canton Merchant Volunteers Corps Uprising.
  • National Kwangtung University established.
• 1927 – December 11–13: Communist uprising.
• 1931 – Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall built.
• 1932
  • Guangzhou Baiyun Airport opens in Baiyun District.
  • Guangzhou Conservatory of Music founded.
• 1933 – Haizhu Bridge constructed.
• 1936
  • Canton–Hankou Railway begins operating.
  • Population: 1,122,600 (estimate).
• 1938 – October 21: Japanese occupation begins.
• 1945 – September 16: Japanese occupation ends.
• 1949
  • Nationalist government under the acting president Li Zongren relocates to Guangzhou.
  • Nanfang Daily newspaper begins publication.
  • October: Communist forces enter city.
  • Radio Guangdong begins broadcasting.
• 1952 – Guangzhou Daily newspaper begins publication.
• 1954
  • Guangzhou Evergrande Football Club formed.
  • South China Institute of Botany active.
• 1956 – Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine founded.
• 1957
  • Beijing–Guangzhou Railway in operation.
  • Canton Fair begins.
  • Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra founded.
• 1958
  • Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in operation.
  • Jinan University relocates to Guangzhou.
• 1959 – Guangdong Provincial Museum founded.
• 1964 – Population: 3,031,486.
• 1967 – Renmin Bridge built.
• 1981 - Sister city relationship established with Los Angeles, USA.
• 1982 – Guangzhou Library and Liyuan Poetry Society established.
• 1983 – Mausoleum of the Nanyue King discovered.
• 1984
  • Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone established.
  • City designated sub-provincial city administrative status.
  • Southern Weekly newspaper begins publication.
• 1985
  • Guangzhou Zhujiang Brewery in business.
  • Guangzhou Bridge built.
• 1988
  • Haiyin Bridge built.
  • Museum of the Mausoleum of the Nanyue King opens.
• 1990
  • Guangdong International Building constructed.
  • Avon ladies in business.
  • Population: 6,299,943.
• 1991
  • Guangzhou TV Tower erected.
  • November: 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup held.
• 1992 – Guangzhou Free Trade Zone established.
• 1996 – Guangzhou East Railway Station opens.
• 1997
  • Guangzhou Metro begins operating.
  • CITIC Plaza and Humen Pearl River Bridge built.
  • Southern Metropolis Daily begins publication.
  • Xiangjiang Safari Park opens.
• 1998 – Hedong Bridge, Jiangwan Bridge, Jiefang Bridge, and Huanan Bridge open.

21st century

• 2000 – Yajisha Bridge opens.
• 2001
  • Guangdong Olympic Stadium opens.
  • November: National Games (athletics) held.
• 2002
  • Vitamin Creative Space founded.
  • Population: 10,106,229.
• 2003
  • Zhang Guangning becomes mayor.
  • Pazhou Bridge opens.
• 2004
  • Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport opens in Huadu District.
  • Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center built.
  • Guangzhou International Women's Open tennis tournament begins.
• 2006 – Chime-Long Paradise amusement park in business.
• 2008 – Huangpu Bridge and Xinguang Bridge open.
• 2009 – Liede Bridge opens.
• 2010
  • Canton Tower and Guangzhou International Finance Center built.
  • November: 2010 Asian Games held.
  • Guangzhou Opera House, Guangdong Museum, and Guangzhou South Railway Station open.
  • Wan Qingliang becomes mayor.
  • Guangzhou Television Cantonese controversy.
  • Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system launched.
• 2011
  • Guangzhou–Zhuhai Intercity Railway begins operating.
  • Pearl River Tower built.
  • Chen Jianhua becomes mayor.
• 2012 – Leatop Plaza and The Pinnacle built.

See also

• Guangzhou history
• List of administrative divisions of Guangzhou
• Mayor of Guangzhou
• List of newspapers in Guangdong
• List of universities and colleges in Guangzhou
• List of historic buildings in Guangzhou
• List of tallest buildings in Guangzhou (sortable by date)
• Eight Sights of Guangzhou
• Major National Historical and Cultural Sites (Guangdong) in Guangzhou
• Southward expansion of the Han Dynasty
• Other names of Guangzhou

References

This article incorporates information from the Chinese Wikipedia, Dutch Wikipedia, and the Japanese Wikipedia.

Bibliography

Published in the 17th-18th century

Published in the 19th century

• (Includes several photos of Canton)

Published in the 20th century

Published in the 21st century

• Piper Gaubatz, “Globalization and the Development of New Central Business Districts in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou,” chapter 6 in Restructuring the Chinese City: Changing Society, Economy and Space (New York: Routledge, 2005) 98-121.
• (Article about Africans in Guangzhou)

External links

• Items related to Guangzhou and Canton, various dates (via Europeana).
• Items related to Guangzhou and Canton, China, various dates (via Digital Public Library of America).