Guangzhou

Guangzhou, also known as Canton, was a city in China, located on the Pearl River. In the 19th century, most of the buildings there were low and made of bricks, with wooden or tiled roofs. Other, more impressive buildings dotted the landscape, such as a Gothic-looking cathedral and a mosque and a pagoda.

In the 1860s, following the Opium Wars, the British, French and American armies all had a presence in the city. The British, in particular, had their main garrison on Xamian Island on the Pearl River, but used other buildings too, for example a tall pagoda towards the north of the city, on the Baiyun road.

The First Doctor, Barbara, Ian and Vicki visited the city in 1865. (PROSE: The Eleventh Tiger)

Guangzhou harbor featured tiny junks weaving between the huge boats of foreign traders, as well as dragon-boats at Eastertime. Officials from Beijing visited Guangzhou in the autumn after the Hundred-Day Spring. Liu Hui Ying grew up in Guangzhou and was a member of the Society for Self-Strengthening there.

During the Boxer Rebellion, the Boxers cut the telegram lines between Beijing and Canton. (PROSE: Warring States)