Historians know Guangzhou as a stop on the maritime Silk Road and an ancient capital for three dynasties. On today's programme, we visit some historians and look deeper into the history of this city. Damin has more.

Reporter:

Guangzhou ranks in the 24 most famous historical cultural cities in the country and has become a major tourist destination. Much of its historical importance comes from its role as capital of three Chinese dynasties: the South Yue, the South Han and the South Ming. During the South Yue dynasty, the city saw some major historical developments that laid the foundation for its development into a present day economic and commercial centre.

Archeologist Huang Miaozhang is curator of the Provincial Research Institute of Culture and History in Guangdong. He has been studying the history of Guangzhou for the past three decades, and says Guangzhou is worthy of its fame as a historical city.

"Guangzhou is a valuable land with good feng shui. The city faces the waters of the South China Sea and the hills of the Yuexiu Mountain are behind it, and this is considered a prosperous location. In 214 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang was leading his troops in trying to unite the country. He established the first city in this area called Panyu, which is the present day Guangzhou. That was 2,223 years ago."

Three years after the destruction of the Qin Dynasty, Zhao Tuo set up the state of South Yue in 203 BC and established the capital at Panyu. South Yue controlled a large part of southern China that included most parts of the present day Guangdong and Guangxi, Fujian in eastern China, Hunan in central China, parts of Guizhou and Yunnan in southwestern China, and northern Vietnam.

The establishment of the South Yue state ensured social stability and brought advanced social and political systems to the Lingnan region of China, which was once a primitive, slash-and-burn society.

Lingnan refers to the area south of the Five Ridges and includes Guangdong and Guangxi in southern China, and Hunan and Jiangxi in central China.

Thousands of years later, the king of South Yue earned praise from late Chinese leader Mao Zedong for being the first to open the Lingnan area. Curator Huang Miaozhang explains.

"The king moved a number of people from the central plains to Lingnan, and they brought with them advanced culture, agricultural techniques and farm tools to the region. Guangzhou soon caught up with the inland areas in economic development. This period is known as the time of large scale development of the Lingnan area."

According to recently unearthed historical records, the South Yue kingdom is also the cradle of Lingnan culture. In 1983, the tomb of South Yue King Zhao Mei was discovered in an urban district of Guangzhou. With more than 1,000 ancient relics unearthed there, it is believed to be the largest and best-preserved ancient tomb ever discovered in Lingnan, and one of the top five archeological discoveries in China.

Curator Huang Miaozhang led the excavation two and a half decades ago. He talks about some of the most precious discoveries in the South Yue king's tomb.

"The executive seal of Emperor Wendi was used by the emperor to deploy troops and generals when he traveled in the country. The most beautiful jade articles in the country were also excavated from the tomb."

Ninety-three years after it was founded, the South Yue kingdom was finally destroyed and unified with the rest of China during the Han Dynasty.

Researcher Huang Qingchang from Guangzhou Museum also speaks highly of the South Yue kingdom.

"Of the three dynasties with Guangzhou as the capital, the South Yue kingdom laid the best foundation for the city to develop into a present-day modern metropolis."

After the Tang dynasty, more than a dozen local governments were set up all over China. In the 10^th century, Liu Yin set up South Han kingdom in the Lingnan area with Guangzhou as its capital. It covered the area of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan Island, Hunan and Guizhou, as well as northern Vietnam. Despite a history of only 55 years, the kingdom is viewed by historians as significant in the development of Lingnan.

Chen Hongjun from Guangzhou Museum says it was no easy task to maintain a stable society in that tense environment.

"At that time, the central plains and other kingdoms were in a totally unstable social and political condition and people led hard lives. However, during this difficult time, the South Yue kingdom was able to keep stable for more than half a century, providing a sound environment for the development of Lingnan area."

Trade with foreign countries prospered thanks to a free trade policy during the South Han period. Panyu became one of the richest cites in China, and Guangzhou has since established its position as a political, economic and cultural center in southern China.

Guangzhou's last turn as a dynastic capital was in 1646 when Zhu Yu declared himself king of South Ming. However, he was overthrown by Ming dynasty forces after just 41 days and then died a mysterious death. Historians still debate whether he was killed by intruding forces or committed suicide.

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