LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Guangzhou: Guangzhou East
built 628 days ago
From the late 18th to mid 19th century Guangzhou was the only port in China allowed to trade with the rest of the world. Guangzhou’s foreign merchants set up trading houses on Shamian Island but found little market for their goods in China and great demand for Chinese tea at homes. The British East India Company started selling opium, conveniently grown in a nearby colony, to China. Soon British companies began to reap fortunes from trading in opium. The Chinese authorities’ first attempts to halt the trade ended in defeat during the 1st Opium War (1840-1842). This led to the leasing of Hong Kong Island and the Treaty of Nanjing (1842), which opened new "treaty ports" to foreign trade.
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The Jiefang Lu-Zhongshan Lu crossroads form the crux of downtown Guangzhou's mix of old and new roads, alleys and buildings, the hyperactive heart of the city's small businesses. There are few obviously quiet corners, and everything is rather grubby, too, though here and there you'll see newly painted facades, with litter kept down by an army of streetsweepers. The numerous sights revolve around some excellent temples and fairly dry historic monuments , mostly concentrated between Jiefang Lu and Renmin Lu, with the rest scattered farther east or west. Buses aside, most sights are within a few minutes' walk of metro .
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Located on the eastern side of Guangzhou, the majority of this district developed after the Peoples Republic of China was founded in 1949. Qu Zhuang and Tao Jin Keng (means 'Gold-digging Cave') are notable business areas in Guangzhou. Most foreigners live here in Guangzhou. The Friendship Store, World Trade Plaza and other popular shopping venues are here, as are almost all of Guangzhous famous bars. The bars usually stock an English magazine called Thats Guangzhou, which is free, and provides all you need to know about the local community and entertainment options in the big city.
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Guangzhou was founded around 214BC during the reign of First Emperor Qin Shihuang (221-210BC). When Silk Road merchants started transporting their goods by sea, Guangzhou’s location on the South China Sea was ideal. It enabled traders from east Asia and beyond to bring their wares into China. Arab merchants successfully traded with China through Guangzhou and one of the first mosques in China was built here in the 7th century. In the 16th century, Portugal began trading with Guangzhou from Macau but by the mid 18th century other European nations led by Britain dominated commerce in the region.
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As a major sea port, Guangzhou's history is full of color. In 786 the city was sacked by the Persians, while in 1711 the British East India Company established a trading post there. In 1842 the Treaty of Nanjing was signed, which designated the city as one of the five ports that allowed business transactions with foreign nations.
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Guangzhou stands at the confluence of the East River, West River and North River, with its land sloping from north-east to south-west, and an alluvial plain in the south and south-west parts. Part of the Pearl River Delta, it adjoins the South China Sea, and is crisscross with rivers and streams.
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Guangzhou East