• Journal of the Economic Geographical Society of Korea
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.407-418
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• 2011

The southern region including Guangzhou(黃州), the capital of Guangdong Province, was called "South of the Mountain Range" (嶺南) because it is located south of the Five Mountain Ranges (五嶺) which made mobility difficult prior to unification of China by Qin dynasty (秦) in 221 BCE. The Guangdong region of the South of the Mountain Range (嶺南) was an administratively independent unit and, as such, called the Nanyue kingdom (南越國). This is the origin of the Chinese character "yue", and terms such as yueyu (Cantonese), yuecai (Cantonese cuisine), yueju (Cantonese opera) are still in use today. Guangzhou, called Panyu (番禹) during the Nanyue kingdom period, was settled early in the northern part of the Pearl River (珠江, Zhu Jiang) delta. It became the first port to open its doors to the great powers of the West during the Qing period. Although it has now fallen behind Shanghai which developed later, Guangzhou is still the third largest city after Beijing and Shanghai, and thus, it is an influential open coastal city. Today, not only is Guangzhou the world center of the light textile industry, it also spurs development in various manufacturing industries. Along with nearby Hong Kong, Macao, and Shenzhen, it plays the role of cradle of the Pearl River delta economic zone. Firmly established early on as the greatest central city in southern China, Guangzhou is simultaneously a hub in various aspects such as regional politics, economics, and culture; it was also the center of revolution and resistance which attempted to challenge the northern political powers. Guangzhou is known for the history of the rise and fall of its port, but with developmental efforts, it still maintains its influence. Guangzhou's dynamic development of today brings with it issues such as the environment and moral system which must be dealt with.