Past, future of Cantonese culture

While Beijing becomes a familiar name for most foreign visitors coming to the Chinese capital, Canton may still be the nickname favored by many foreigners arriving in Guangdong's provincial capital.

"Guangzhou has embraced diverse cultures ever since its birth exactly 2,222 years ago," said the local media on the eve of the Olympic torch relay in the city. Being the city where ancient foreign businessmen started their China tours with their merchant ships, the Cantonese capital surely has a proud history behind it.

This was best illustrated by two remarkable events in the past two years: the successful salvation of an 800-year-old fully loaded merchant ship from the sea bottom last December and the historic return of the Gotheborg, a replica of a famous 18th century Swedish trade boat linking China and Europe, in the summer of 2006.