JANVI TOURS

Huangpu Ancient Port is a witness of the prosperity and flourish of Guangzhou's Marine Silk Road. Since the Song Dynasty ( 960~1279), Huangpu Village has played an important role in trading with foreign countries. By the time of South Song (1127~1279 ), it had become "A place where ships converge". In the later Ming and Qing Dynasties, Huangpu Village gradually developed into a harbor for foreign trade.  In the 24th year during the Kangxi Reign of Qing Dynasty (1685), four customs houses were established in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong respectively.

The Yue (Guangdong) Customs House set up a registration office and a tariff section in Huangpu Village. In the 22nd year of Qianlong's Reign (1757) in the Qing Dynasty, the royal court canceled the other three customs houses and kept Yue only and appointed Guangzhou as the only port for foreign trade. According to the record of The History of Huangpu Port, during the 80 years from the 23rd year of Qianlong to the 17th year of Daoguang(1837), altogether 5,107 foreign ships were anchored at Huangpu Port, making it the only anchoring place for the foreign business ships. The Swedish business ship "Gotheborg" visited the port three times in a period of over 10 years, laying a firm foundation for the Sino-Sweden trade links.

Behind the Huangpu Ancient Port is Huangpu Village, most of them were built in the Qing dynasty and is well kept in the original shapes. The reason why most of the old buildings could be protected in such a good condition was that they were not seriously damaged during the Second World War. I was deeply impressed by the large scale old houses and is well connected with the nice stone road. From which I could see how prosperous the village was during the Qing Dynasty, at that period Guangzhou was the only seaport opened for those sea cargo vessels of international trade from abroad. At the same time, many tycoons and distinguished officials used to live there such as the consul of Singapore and so on. In the Huangpu ancient village, you can experience the history of the ancient port and aquatic life and explore the nostalgic and peaceful residences of China's Qing and Ming dynasties in the past 200 years (but regretfully most of the buildings are not open to the public). The trip will you a good chance to review ancient architecture, traditional art and great country view, and the tasty farm food.

A sightseeing double-decker bus is on trial to link the city center with the ancient village of Huangpu.

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