Continuation...

The English were the next to arrive in the Asian colonial scene. For a while, Britain's attention was focused on India. It wasn't till in 1715 that the attention turned to China. But by then, China had undergone another change of management. This time, the Manchus were in control. In 1757, they issued an edict restricting all of China's foreign trade to Canton and in the hands of CoHong, a merchant guild base in Canton.

To make sure the balance of trade would rest in China, all western companies had to comply with the Eight Regulation, which imposed strict rules of conduct on trade and restricted the movements of the merchants. One such regulation stipulated that vessels could anchor at Huang Pu (Whampao) island, some thirteen miles below the city center.

As Chinese tea and silk became more popular in Britain, the same could hardly be said for British goods in China. Fearing that payment for Chinese imported goods would deplete their silver reserves, the British sought another form of payment to balance the trade deficit. There, they decided on opium, a crop grown in their Indian colony.

In 1773, the first shipment of opium arrived in Canton. Eventually, more followed as the Chinese became addicted to the drug. The opium trade was destroying China and her people in more ways than one! And it was in 1839 that the Manchus finally decided that enough was enough. When the government tried to put an end to the trade, the British refused to comply; thus, the Opium War erupted between the Chinese and the British. After the first war ended in 1842, the Treaty of Nanking turned Canton as one of the five treaty ports opened to world trade.

Apparently, one Opium War wasn't enough. After a sequel in 1856, many foreign businessmen found their homes and properties destroyed. As they began rebuilding, they decided, for their safety, to develop a “foreigner's zone” -- somewhere near Canton, yet somewhat isolated giving it some measure of protection. In the end, they chose Shamian (or sandy face) island just across the city riverside.

By 1861, the island had paved roads, spacious homes, trading offices, churches, parks and consulates. This sharply contrasted with the crowded slum and opened sewers that characterized most of Canton. For security reason, the Chinese were not allowed in the island without permission and at night, iron gates closed the bridges that link the island to the city. Shamian island eventually came to symbolize foreign dominance in the Chinese economy.

By the later half of the 19th century, the growing resentment of foreign influence and the power they held made the city a hotbed for rebellion. Increasingly, more and more Chinese became dissatisfied with how the Manchus
were handling the affairs of China. Many were beginning to plot their overthrow. Among them was Hong Xioquan. Aside from the fact that he came from a small town near Canton and had delusional thoughts about being the younger brother of Christ, he was able to lead hundreds of thousands of people in the anti-dynastic Taiping Rebellion. But the man to lead China from a monarchy to a republic was also another Cantonese, his name was Sun Yatsen (or Sun Zhongsan).

As expected, the political turmoil and instability during that period did much to damage Canton's economy. Because of this, thousands of Cantonese were forced to migrate across Southeast Asia and to the US in search of better employment opportunity. A great number of them ended up as cooks and chefs, thereby spreading the popularity of Cantonese cuisine, which has since become synonymous with Chinese cooking worldwide. It was also from these overseas Chinese workers, that Dr. Sun Zhongsan found moral and financial supporters to his vision to change China from a monarchy to a republic.  

By 1911, the Manchu Dynasty had collapsed. But this failed to unify China as warlords carved up many provinces. Canton then became Sun Zhongsan’s stronghold in the south. It was here in Canton that he founded the Kuomintang or the Nationalist Party in 1923.

However, stability was far out of reach.  Numerous protests erupted at what the populace perception that foreigners were the source for China's problems. Some of these protests ended up in violence, resulting in more violent strikes and upheavals. One such incident, the Sha Kee incident of 1925, occurred when demonstrators were fired upon while staging a protest in front of Shamian island. This resulted to the death of over 60 people. These incidents had earned Canton the nickname of “Red City”.

To be concluded....