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Historic Guangzhou remains vibrant to visitors
By Liang Qiwen (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-05 07:52

 Historic Guangzhou remains vibrant to visitors

Chen Clan Academy in Guangzhou attracts large numbers of tourists from home and abroad every year. Photos by He Yongdang

GUANGZHOU: Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, may be well known today for its industrial output, but it is also a famed cultural city with a history dating back more than 2,000 years.

This year is the 2,222 anniversary of the city's establishment.

History has left Guangzhou with a number of scenic spots and historical sites, including the mausoleum and museum of King Nanyue from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 24), the Chen Clan Academy, Zhenhai Tower, Guangxiao Temple and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.

Traces of shipyards built in the Qin (221-206 BC) and Han dynasties illustrate that Guangzhou had remarkable shipbuilding capacity for that time.

Guangzhou was also a birthplace for the Chinese revolution in modern history.

Great historical events in the late 19th and early 20th centuries - such as the destruction of opium in Humen, the anti-British invasion movement at Sanyuanli, the Huanghuagang uprising during the 1911 Revolution and the Guangzhou Uprising - resulted in a number of historic sites in modern Guangzhou, including the Mausoleum of 72 Revolutionary Martyrs at Huanghuagang, Huangpu Military Academy and the Institute of the Peasant Movement in Guangzhou.

Natural attraction

Guangzhou's location, natural beauty and abundant tourism resources include Baiyun Mountain, Conghua Hot Springs, Lianhua Hill, the Water World at Jiulongtan and the Liuxi River National Forest Park. Hundreds of thousands of tourists from home and abroad visit each year.

Guangzhou is also home to Yuexiu Park, Liuhua Lake Park, Tianhe Park, Dongshan Lake Park, the Orchid Garden and Guangzhou Zoo.

Its tourism industry has experienced robust development in recent years, as reflected in tourist indexes that have ranked it among the nation's top cities for many years as it continues to generate a greater share of China's tourism economy.

The local government said it will further integrate tourism resources in the city, implement a competitive product strategy and strengthen regional tourism cooperation.

Laws and regulations will also be improved to ensure quality management and development of the tourism sector in Guangzhou.