Today we drove and strolled around Guangzhou visiting three sites where on two of the three still stand buildings that Commodore Anson would have visited 277 years ago when he sailed into Canton (as it was known then). During the Ming-Qing dynasties (1368-1911) Canton was synonymous with China and was one of the essential commercial metropolises of the world. Today, Guangzhou is the size of London and the third largest city in China.
Our first stop was at the site of the viceroy’s palace, which no longer exists having been flattened after the first Anglo-Chinese war. There now stands the Sacred Heart Cathedral, the largest Roman Catholic in the Guangzhou archdiocese.
Our second stop was at the Zhenhai Tower, which sits on a hill behind the old walled city. Zhenhai means “to suppress the stormy seas and defend the coastal territory” or “Five-story Tower”. Take your pick. Built in 1380, it is one of the most famous ancient buildings in the region and would surely have been visited by Anson.
Lastly we went to the Guangxiao Temple, which is the oldest and largest Buddhist temple in Guangzhou. This has been standing for centuries and would have been one of the permitted places for foreigners like Anson to visit.