Guangzhou cements position as key trading hub

City, home to the Canton Fair, has been exporting Chinese products for more than 2,000 years

The 124th session of China's largest trade event opens on Monday in Guangzhou, probably the only city in China that has been a thriving trading hub for more than 2,000 years.

From the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han (206 BC-AD 220) dynasties, Chinese silk, porcelain, iron, paper, gold and silver were shipped overseas from Guangzhou, on the South China coast.