Splendid History and Culture
广州历史
History of Guangzhou
Introduction 简介
Guangzhou is a city with history of more than 2000 years. Its recorded history begins with China’s conquest of the area during the Qin Dynasty. It was once named as Panyu， derived from two nearby mountains known as Pan and Yu in ancient times.
广州是一座有着2000多年悠久历史的文化名城。虽然早在新石器时代就有“百越人”在此活动的足迹，但广州有文字记载的历史可以追溯到秦朝。公元前214年，秦始皇统一岭南，建立政权，史称番禺城。
Guangzhou was the main port of the Maritime Silk Road in history. The city has always been the political， economic and culture center of South China for more than 2，000 years. In its early years， it was a distribution center of rare tropical products. In the Han Dynasty， Panyu had developed commerce and advanced textile and porcelain industries and foreign exchange with overseas， using this place as a vital port. During the Tang Dynasty， it had become a world famous trading harbor with countries in the South Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. To strengthen the foreign trade， China’s earliest customs was set up there. It grew rapidly and became the largest commercial city and treaty port in China.
广州是中国古代海上丝绸之路的主要港口。两千多年来，广州一直是华南地区的政治、经济和文化中心。早在历史初期，广州就是有名的热带作物贸易中心。汉朝时期， 广州商业发达，已发展为重要贸易港口，与世界诸国通商，从事纺织品与瓷器贸易。到唐代，广州已发展成为世界著名的东方大港，与南太平洋及印度洋周边各国贸易往来密切。宋代，在广州首设全国第一个管理外贸机构市舶司。在一段较长时间内，广州曾是全国唯一的对外贸易港口城市。
After China gained control of Taiwan in 1683， the Qing government became more open to foreign trade. Guangzhou quickly emerged as one of the most suitable ports for international trade and before long ships arrived from all over the world.
自1683年清政府收复台湾之后，中国对外贸易更加开放。很快，广州成为世界贸易首选港口之一，并有诸多海上船队从世界各地到达广州，极大地促进了中华民族与世界各国人民的交流与商贸往来。
By the middle of the 18th century， Guangzhou had emerged as one of the world’s greatest trading ports under the Thirteen Factories， which was a distinction it maintained until the outbreak of the First Opium War in 1840 and the opening of other ports in China in 1842. The privilege during this period made Guangzhou one of the top three cities in the world.
18世纪中期，广州成为”十三行“中最大的通商口岸之一，直至1840年鸦片战争爆发，1842年其他通商口岸开放。外国商人来华交易，都要找指定的行商作为贸易的代理，这些指定的行商所开设的对外贸易行店，就是“十三行”。这一特权使广州跃然成为世界三大城市之一。
Guangzhou was honored as a city of heroes. Apart from its brave fought with foreign powers in late Qing dynasty， it also witnessed many revolutionary events. Huanghuagang Uprising led by Huangxing and Sun Yat-sen， the establishment of Whampoa Military academy， and proletarian uprisings led by the Communist Party of China were all evidences of the glory past of Guangzhou.
广州是一座具有光荣革命传统的英雄城市。在近代史上有三元里人民反抗帝国主义侵略的抗英斗争、孙中山领导的反对封建统治的黄花岗起义、培养众多优秀爱国将领的黄埔军校、中国共产党领导的广州起义。所以，广州是具有光荣革命传统的城市。
The reform and opening-up policy， carried out by Deng Xiaoping， led to rapid economic growth due to the city’s close proximity to Hong Kong and access to the Pearl River. As the largest city in one of China’s wealthiest provinces， Guangzhou has developed into one of the most prosperous and important cities in modern China. Cantonese links to overseas Chinese and beneficial tax reforms of the 1990s have aided the city’s rapid growth.
中国领导人邓小平推行改革开放政策。凭借位于珠三角、毗邻香港的优越地理位置，广州经济迅速腾飞。身为广东的最大城市，广州现已成为当代中国最为繁荣重要的城市之一。广东与海外华人华侨的历史渊源以及上世纪90年代的税改都进一步促进了广州的繁荣发展。
Vocabularies 轻松学单词
maritime [mrtam] adj. 海上的，海运的
Maritime safety influences the overall interests of our country.
海洋安全涉及我们国家的整体利益。
porcelain [p：sln] n. 瓷器adj. 瓷质的，精美的
This porcelain vase is a very precious antique.
这个瓷花瓶是件非常珍贵的古董。
Proletarian [prlterin] n. 无产者adj. 无产阶级的
The Communist Party of China is the proletarian vanguard.
中国共产党是无产阶级先锋队。
proximity [prksmt] n. 临近，接近
Guangzhou is in close proximity of Hong Kong.
广州离香港很近。
distinction [dstkn] n. 差别， 荣誉
This trophy symbolizes distinction and achievement.
这座奖杯象征着荣誉和成功。
Dialogue 对话
Jack：
Hi， Joyce！
Joyce：
Hi， Jack. Where have you been this afternoon
Jack：
I attended history class this afternoon.
Joyce：
Hum， is it interesting
Jack：
Yeah， of course. I learnt about history of Guangzhou in this class.
Joyce：
I’m not very familiar with Guangzhou’s history. Could you tell something about it
Jack：
Sure. It’s a marvelous city with history of more than 2200 years. There were so many famous historical events taking place in Guangzhou. I can introduce them to you next time.
Joyce：
OK， great！
杰克：
你好，乔伊斯！
乔伊斯：
你好，杰克，今下午去哪儿了？
杰克：
我下午上历史课了。
乔伊斯：
嗯，历史课有趣吗？
杰克：
当然，这节课讲的是广州历史。
乔伊斯：
我不是很了解广州历史，你能给我讲讲吗？
杰克：
好啊，广州可是有着2200多年悠久历史的文化名城。这里发生过众多伟大历史事件，下次有机会我会给你一一讲解。
乔伊斯：
嗯，太好了！
Silk Road 丝绸之路
丝绸之路是起始于古代中国的政治、经济、文化中心古都长安（今天的西安），连接亚洲、非洲和欧洲的古代路上商业贸易路线。它跨越陇山山脉，穿过河西走廊，通过玉门关和阳关，抵达新疆，沿绿洲和帕米尔高原通过中亚、西亚和北非，最终抵达非洲和欧洲。它也是一条东方与西方之间经济、政治、文化进行交流的主要道路。它的最初作用是运输中国古代出产的丝绸。因此，当德国地理学家李希霍芬最早在19世纪70年代将之命名为“丝绸之路”后，即被广泛接受。
除上述路线外，丝绸之路还包括南方丝绸之路和海上丝绸之路。南方丝绸之路，也称蜀身毒道，是一条起于现今中国四川成都，经云南，到达印度的通商孔道。其总长有大约2000公里，是中国最古老的国际通道之一。早在距今两千多年的西汉时期就已开发。它以四川成都为起点，经雅安、芦山、西昌、攀枝花到云南的昭通、曲靖、大理、保山、腾冲，从德宏出境；进入缅甸、泰国，最后到达印度和中东。与西北“丝绸之路”一样，“南方丝路”对世界文明作出了伟大的贡献。
海上丝绸之路，是陆上丝绸之路的延伸，形成主因是因为中国东南沿海山多平原少，且内部往来不易，因此自古许多人便积极向海上发展。又为了解决陆路的不便性，因为陆路受地形引响，前往西域会经过许多较不适合人类居住的地区，又中国东岸夏、冬两季有季风助航，因此也增加了由海路通往欧陆的方便性。在古代中国即有此项交流，尤其是中国东南沿海的居民而言，更是显著。
The Silk Road or Silk Route is a modern term referring to a historical network of interlinking trade routes across the Afro-Eurasian landmass that connected East， South and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world， as well as parts of North and East Africa. Extending 4，000 miles ， the Silk Road gets its name from the lucrative Chinese silk trade along it， which began during the Han Dynasty. The central Asian sections of the trade routes were expanded around 114 BC by the Han dynasty， largely through the missions and explorations of Zhang Qian， but earlier trade routes across the continents already existed.
传统工艺
Traditional Crafts
