Zhuhai History

Before the Tang and Song Dynasties, the coastal line of the Northwest River Delta was north of Wugui Mountain (in today's Zhongshan City), and the entire Zhuhai area was composed of remote islands scattered outside the Pearl River Estuary.

Zhuhai was under the jurisdiction of Panyu County, Nanji County in 221 BC. It was under the jurisdiction of Panyu County in the Han Dynasty, Dongguan County in the Jin to Chen Dynasties, Bao'an County in the Sui Dynasty, and Dongguan County in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, Wenshun Township was established in Jinshanchang Village, which was the earliest administrative agency in Xiangshan area. After the Song Dynasty, due to the prosperity of salt and silver mining here, Xiangshan Town began to be established in Shanchang Village. In the 22nd year of Shaoxing (1152), Xiangshan County was established, under the jurisdiction of Guangzhou Prefecture, and continued to the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, a city was built in Qianshan, called "Qianshan Village". It was not only a military fortress, but also responsible for the administration of Macao and Qianshan. ,Foreign affairs. After the Revolution of 1911, Xiangshan County was affiliated to Guangdong Province. On April 15, 1925, it was renamed Zhongshan County in memory of Sun Yat-sen. Affiliated to the Office of the First Administrative Inspectorate. From 1930 to 1934, the Zhongshan County Government was located in Tangjia. On October 30, 1949, the inland area of ​​Zhuhai was liberated, and on August 3, 1950, the island area of ​​Wanshan Islands was liberated. In January 1951, Jitoujiao, Yongkou Mountain, Wanshan Islands, and Qi'ao Island were demarcated from Zhongshan County, Wanqingsha, Wuyong, Yiyong, and Longxue Island were demarcated from Dongguan County, and Neilingding was delimited from Bao'an County. , Guwu, Shekou, Yantian, Wailingding Island, Jiapeng Islands, etc. formed the Pearl River Division of the Island Administration Bureau of the Guangdong Provincial People's Government, which was later changed to the Pearl River Area Island Management Office, under the Pearl River Administration. In July 1952, the Island Management Office was transferred to Zhongshan County. In October of the same year, the Fishermen District People's Government was established in Tangjia Town to manage 48 large and small islands and bays. In order to strengthen sea and border defense management and develop fishery and agricultural production, with the approval of the Government Affairs Council, Zhuhai County was established on April 20, 1953. It consists of parts of the coastal areas and islands demarcated from the original Zhongshan, Bao'an and Dongguan counties. It is affiliated to the Guangdong Central Administrative Office. The county address Located in the Tang family. It is divided into District 1 (Tangjia), District 2 (Qianshan), District 3 (Sanzao), and District 4 (Wanqingsha). In 1955, Zhuhai was classified as a border defense area, and Shangyong and Xiazha border inspection stations were set up and border defense resident certificates were issued. At the end of 1956, the district was withdrawn and merged into large townships, and the six small townships of Cuiwei, Kangji, Zaobei, Xiazha, Guantang and Dong'an in Zhongshan County were incorporated into Zhuhai County. In October 1958, people's communes were established in each township, and soon the whole county became one large commune. In March 1959, it was merged into Zhongshan County. In August, the Zhuhai Working Committee was established. In April 1961, the organizational system of Zhuhai County was restored, and the county seat was located in Xiangzhou. On March 5, 1979, Zhuhai County was changed to a provincial municipality.

In August 1980, the 25th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China approved the establishment of a special economic zone in Zhuhai. The area of ​​the special zone was first 6.81 square kilometers, expanded to 15.16 square kilometers in 1983, and expanded to 121 square kilometers in 1988. In May 1983, Doumen County was placed under the jurisdiction of Zhuhai City. In June 1984, Xiangzhou District was established in the jurisdiction of the original Zhuhai County as a county-level organization. From now on, Hongqi and Pingsha Farms in Zhuhai, which were under the jurisdiction of Guangdong Province, were placed under the jurisdiction of Zhuhai. The administrative scope of Zhuhai City includes Xiangzhou District, Doumen County and six administrative areas: Sanzao, Wanshan, Pingsha, Hongqi, Qi'ao, Zhumeigang and Hengqin.

Zhuhai is located on the sea frontier and has been a military fortress in history. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, it was the place where the Yuan Army and the Song Army fought. In the first year of Ming Dynasty (1621), the government built a new village in Qianshan to "control the barbarians" (referring to the Portuguese who occupied Macau). It was called "Qianshan Village". It set up the General's Office and sent nearly 2,000 soldiers and sailors to garrison it. In the mid-17th century, Wanshan and Dong'ao waters were areas where foreign enemies invaded and wars were frequent. Gun City was built on Dong'ao Island and troops were sent to guard it. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing government implemented a maritime ban and took strict precautions against Macau. During the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty, a fort was set up on Qi'ao Island. In the 19th year of the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty (1839), Lin Zexu was appointed as the imperial minister and went to the coast of Guangdong to ban opium. He led his troops to inspect the Qianshan Village in Xiangshan County to strengthen the defense of this area. In the twenty-first year (1841), a fort was built at Lion Rock in Beiling and troops were stationed to garrison it. In the 13th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1887), Gongbei Pass was officially established. According to the unequal treaty between China and Portugal, Gongbei Port was opened. The garrison in the former mountain village was reduced, and the city gradually became a commercial market and residential area.

Macau was originally under the jurisdiction of Xiangshan County. As early as the 36th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1557) to the mid-18th century, Portugal successively built forts in Macau. When the Opium War broke out, Portugal provided forts to the British, attacked China's border gates, and invaded Gongbei. The Qing army retreated and lost military control over Macau for the first time. In the 29th year of Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1849), in order to expand the land and open up a road, Amala, the governor of Australia, trampled the farmland of the front mountain and destroyed the tombs. He was killed by Shen Yami, a farmer in Longtian Village. Pu took the opportunity to provoke a war. In the nineteenth year (1849), they occupied Wangxia Village in Macau; in the first year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty (1851), they invaded Taipa Island; in the third year of Tongbo in the Qing Dynasty (1864), they invaded Coloane Island; in the sixth year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1867), they invaded the villages of Sha Li Tou and Sha Gang; In the fifth year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1879), Longtian Village was invaded and occupied; on March 26, the eleventh year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1887), the so-called "Draft Agreement between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries" was signed in Lisboa; in December of the same year, the so-called "Sino-Portuguese Treaty" was signed in Beijing. Section 54: In the 13th year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty (1874), Portugal built a border gate in Gongbei, which was a historical witness of Portugal’s invasion of Chinese territory.

Zhuhai has a glorious revolutionary tradition. This is not only the gateway for the colonialists to invade China, but also the outpost for the Chinese people to resist foreign aggression.

In the 16th year of Daoguang's reign in the Qing Dynasty (1836), British and American warships invaded Qi'ao. The people of Qi'ao rose up to fight and killed 4 enemies, forcing the invaders to surrender and pay 3,000 taels of silver as compensation; on July 22, the 20th year of Daoguang's reign (1840) August 19), a British warship sailed from Jiuzhou Yangtze to the Macau Gate, suddenly opened fire and forced a landing. The local military and civilians united and fought bravely against the enemy. Several British ships were sunk, more than 10 British officers and soldiers were killed, and more than 200 artillery shells were seized. The British army had no choice but to flee to Jiuzhouyang. Later, the British wanted to invade Qianshan again. Wu Enshu, the magistrate of Xiangshan County, blocked the inland river pass with 8 ships. Lin Zexu added 8,000 soldiers from all walks of life to guard it. As a result, the British ships were unable to succeed and retreated to Modaomen and Lingdingyang. The anti-British battle at the border gate and Qianshan was "China's first victory in the Opium War." In the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1908), the people of Zhuhai spontaneously established the "Xiangshan Boundary Demarcation and Maintenance Association" to defend the border; , more people with lofty ideals embarked on the path of democratic revolution led by Sun Yat-sen; after the victory of the Russian October Revolution and the establishment of the Communist Party of China, the people of Zhuhai took the lead in participating in the national liberation movement; during the first civil revolutionary war, Zhuhai East Peasant movements arose in An, Nanping, Shangzha and other places; in 1924, the Second Division of the Founding Guangdong Army organized and trained by Ye Jianying in Xiangzhou formed a new independent regiment, which played an important role in quelling the warlord rebellion and participating in the Guangzhou Uprising and the Northern Expedition. In 1938, the Japanese army occupied Sanzao Island, massacred more than 3,000 compatriots on the island, and built a military airport as a base to invade South China. The people of Zhuhai rose up to resist. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China, they developed party organizations and established an anti-Japanese vanguard. In March 1939, the first "United Central Committee" party branch in Zhuhai was established in Nanping. In December 1941, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China sent Xie Liquan and Xie Bin to Wugui Mountain and Fenghuang Mountain to establish anti-Japanese base areas, develop anti-Japanese armed forces, carry out anti-hegemony and anti-corruption struggles, and smashed the Japanese armed aggression. In 1950, the people of Zhuhai joined the army and fought bravely to cooperate with the People's Liberation Army to liberate the Zhuhai land and all the islands.

Zhuhai has outstanding people. Through the ages, many famous historical figures have emerged, including famous democratic revolution pioneers and influential proletarian revolutionaries. There are politicians, military strategists, diplomats, and domestic and foreign celebrities. Renowned entrepreneur, writer, artist, educator, and sportsman. Tang Shaoyi, the first Prime Minister of the Republic of China, returned to his hometown from 1931 to 1934 to implement the Zhongshan Model County Plan and served as Chairman of the Zhongshan County Administration Training Implementation Committee and County Magistrate of Zhongshan County (Model County). Zheng Zhong (a native of Nanping), one of the first members of the Chinese bourgeois revolutionary group Xingzhonghui, was devoted to the revolution and fully assisted Sun Yat-sen in raising urgently needed funds for launching a domestic uprising. He was praised by Sun Yat-sen. Yang Pao'an, member of the Fifth Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (from Beishan, Nanping), was the earliest theorist to spread Marxism in South China during the May 4th Movement and an outstanding proletarian revolutionist in the early days of the Communist Party of China. Lin Weimin, the first chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (from Sanzao), was an outstanding leader of the early Chinese labor movement. Su Zhaozheng (a native of Qi'ao), a member of the Fifth Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, was one of the early leaders of the Communist Party of China. He once led a general strike in the province and Hong Kong, which dealt a heavy blow to the British imperialists in Hong Kong. The first president of Tsinghua School (the predecessor of Tsinghua University) was Tang Guoan (from Jishan, Tangjia). After the school was founded, he trained a number of graduates in higher disciplines for the development of the school and sent them to the United States to study. Rong Hong (from Nanping), the first Chinese international student to obtain a doctorate in the United States and the first deputy minister of China to the United States, is a famous patriotic overseas Chinese and educator in modern my country. He served the country for sixty years and was committed to changing the poverty and backwardness of the motherland. He advocated learning from Western advanced science and technology, revitalizing the economy, and participated in the introduction of advanced machinery. He initiated and presided over the Chinese government-sponsored youth study abroad program and created modern Chinese education abroad. the first of its kind. Tang Bao'e (Tang family), the first batch of Chinese students to study in Japan, founded China's first cement factory (Tangshan Shimin Soil Factory). Tang Tingshu, a famous industrialist in modern China, founded the Kaiping Coal Mine, the largest coal mine in modern Chinese history, built China's first self-built railway, the Tang-Xu Railway, and presided over the manufacture of China's first steam locomotive ("Dragon" locomotive). He edited China's first English-Chinese dictionary and was known as "China's first entrepreneur". Xu Run co-founded the first insurance company (Renhe Marine Insurance Company), the first private machine printing factory (Tongwen Bureau), and the first hospital in Shanghai - Renji Hospital with Tang Yanshu. Cai Chang (from Jinding Waisha) who founded China's largest department store (Shanghai Daxin Company). China's first world champion - the 25th Table Tennis Championships men's singles champion Rong Guotuan (from Nanping). Su Manshu (from Lixi) was a painter, poet, monk, writer, and revolutionary in modern China. Liang Ruhao, who served as the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of China Cabinet, and so on. The stars are shining brightly, attracting the attention of the world.

Zhuhai is adjacent to Hong Kong and Macao and has a strategic location that has always been valued by businesses. According to historical records, in the Ming Dynasty, its waters were the only place where foreign merchant ships entering Guangzhou could pass through and anchor. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, Langbai (now Nanshui) and Shizimen (southeast of today's Wan Chai) were the outer ports where foreign merchant ships came to Guangzhou for trade. From the 21st to the 27th year of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty (1554-1558), merchant ships from Annan, Chanyu, and Siam gathered in the sea areas such as Langbai. In the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1802), foreign merchant ships were anchored in the waters of Wailingding Island and the Jinxing Gate of the Tang family. At most, there were more than 100 ships, and the Jinxing Gate area became a commodity trading market.

In the 16th year of Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1836), British and American ships invaded Qi'ao Island in an attempt to occupy the island as a trading base.

In the 33rd year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1907), the Qing government implemented the "New Deal" to encourage overseas Chinese industrialists to return to the country to invest. In the 34th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (1908), Wang Shen, a local, and Wu Yuzheng, an American businessman, planned to pool their shares to open a port in Xiangzhou. They were approved by the Qing government in 1909. Zhang Renjun, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, came to Xiangzhou to attend the opening ceremony. After the port was opened for a period of time, commerce was booming, with more than a thousand small and large shops. In the third year of Xuantong of the Qing Dynasty (1911), the Qing government approved Xiangzhou to become a free port. However, due to the fire in Xiangzhou and the obstruction of the foreign Xialishi Taxation Department, it was not implemented, causing investors to transfer funds and Xiangzhou fell into ruins. Modern sages Tang Tingshu, Tang Shaoyi, Sun Yat-sen and others also planned to build a port and open a commercial port in the Venus Gate area, but failed to realize it due to various historical reasons.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, in 1953, in order to strengthen border defense and develop fishery and agricultural production, the Government Affairs Council approved the establishment of Zhuhai County. After carrying out democratic reforms, establishing three levels of political power, developing mutual assistance and cooperation, building water conservancy projects, renovating rice fields, building fishing boats, improving transportation, building energy sources, and setting up industry, fishery and agricultural production has greatly developed, and people's lives have been greatly improved. However, because Zhuhai is located at the border, with more than 100 kilometers of coastline, it is fortified and self-isolated at all levels. Personnel entry and exit inspections are very strict. The export of agricultural and fishery products to Hong Kong and Macao is restricted, and the economic development is slow. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, businessmen from Hong Kong and Macao were encouraged to cooperate in investing in shipbuilding and developing fisheries, making it one of the areas with the best fishing equipment and the highest fishery yields in the province. However, this policy was criticized as "relying on the boss and developing production". In the early 1960s, Zhuhai's border economy was in dire straits, public sentiment in the border areas was unstable, and many people fled to Hong Kong and Macao. In 1961, in accordance with the traditional historical custom of Zhuhai’s fishery and agricultural products “all needed by Hong Kong and Macao”, the Provincial Party Committee decided to “open the border”, allowing some members to go to Hong Kong and Macao to sell agricultural and fishery products, allowing Wanchai flower growers to sell flowers in Macao, and allowing purchases from Hong Kong and Macao. A small amount of production and daily necessities; in 1963, the Provincial Party Committee approved the implementation of "small trade", allowing the agricultural and fishery products of the production team to be transported to Hong Kong and Macao for sale, and planned some areas to open to the outside world... These limited opening policies have made the economy of border areas once Developed, production showed vitality, expatriates returned, and people's hearts gradually stabilized. But when we first took steps, these opening policies were regarded as taking the capitalist road and were criticized. As a result, the "border defense gate" was closed, small-scale trade stopped, and large areas of flower fields and traditional cash crop fields with high economic benefits were converted to rice. The export of fishery and agricultural products dropped sharply. The opportunity of opening up to invigorate the economy was missed, and the economy stagnated until The Cultural Revolution ended.

Zhuhai County is a small border county with a population of only 120,000 and is mainly engaged in agriculture and fishery. There are only a dozen factories in the county, including shipyards, agricultural machinery factories, fishing net factories, and food factories. From the establishment of the county in 1953 to 1978, after 25 years of exploration and construction, Zhuhai's economic construction has made greater progress than in the early days of the county's establishment, but it was limited to agriculture and fishery, with a single economic structure. In 1978, the total industrial and agricultural output value was only 100 million yuan, the fiscal revenue was 7 million yuan, and the total urban construction area in 25 years was only 360,000 square meters. Xiangzhou, where Zhuhai County is located, is still a small border county with only one street and a very underdeveloped commodity economy.

The establishment of Zhuhai as a city in 1979 and the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone in 1980 opened up broad prospects for making full use of Zhuhai's superior conditions and promoting Zhuhai's economic development. The special zone is the base for policy opening up and the window for opening up to the outside world. The strategic tasks assigned by the Party Central Committee and the State Council to the Special Economic Zone are to vigorously introduce foreign investment, introduce foreign advanced technology, introduce advanced management experience, and develop an export-oriented economy. In terms of policies, the special zones are given many preferential policies: such as relaxing approval authority, expanding corporate autonomy, tax reductions and exemptions, preferential land use fees, etc. Through the bold exploration, pioneering and hard work of the people of Zhuhai, the special economic zone has developed rapidly.

The Zhuhai Special Economic Zone has gone through three stages of development: from 1980 to 1985, it was the initial period, which mainly focused on exploring ways, summarizing experience, clarifying the policy of "mainly industry, comprehensive development", and building infrastructure, improve the investment environment, introduce capital and advanced technology, cultivate talents, and accumulate capital. In 1984, Deng Xiaoping inspected the Special Economic Zone and wrote an inscription: "Zhuhai Special Economic Zone is good", which pointed out the direction for the development of Zhuhai Special Economic Zone and greatly inspired the cadres and the masses. After these five years of hard work, the special zone's basic project centered on "seven connections and one leveling" has been basically completed; a transportation network combining sea, land and air has been initially established; water and electricity supply have basically met the needs of the special zone construction; post and telecommunications Communications have gradually developed towards modernization, and preferential measures and regulations have been formulated that are conducive to the development of productivity; a large number of talents have been introduced and trained, the investment environment has been improved, an increasing amount of foreign capital has been introduced, and a number of export-oriented key industrial projects have been launched, gradually An industrial system focusing on four major industries including electronics, textiles, food, and building materials has been established. Driven by industry, all walks of life in the city are competing for development. In 1986, the total industrial and agricultural output value reached 945 million yuan, an increase of 1.75 times compared with 1980. Among them, industry increased by 3.2 times, agriculture and fishery increased by 31.9%; fiscal revenue increased by 3.7 times, and people's living standards were greatly improved. Zhuhai has not only changed the situation of relying on state subsidies in the past, but also has the ability to develop itself.

The second stage, from 1986 to 1990, was the stage of economic development based on industry. From "laying the foundation and paving the way" in the start-up stage to "grasping production, improving standards, and seeking benefits", a series of reform measures have been implemented to adapt to the period of national governance and rectification and develop the special economic zone economy. Extensively carry out external introduction and internal cooperation, build a number of key industrial projects, develop an export-oriented economy, and open up foreign markets, so that the special economic zone can develop rapidly. At the same time, with the special zone as the center, we will promote the development of the western and eastern regions and strengthen the construction of basic industries such as energy, transportation and raw materials. By 1990, more than 40,000 units (sets) of equipment had been introduced from abroad, including more than 80 production lines worth more than US$100,000, 133 advanced technology projects had been introduced, more than 4,000 contracts had been signed, and the actual investment was US$1.2 billion, from More than 10 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Switzerland, Japan, Australia, and Hong Kong. It has established more than 500 foreign-invested enterprises and more than 380 internal enterprises with an investment of nearly 600 million yuan. It has established more than 120 agricultural and fishery export commodity bases, forming a core business focusing on electronics, food, textiles, building materials, and export-oriented agriculture and fishery. the main economic system. Compared with 1979, various economic indicators increased significantly in 1990. In 1990, the GDP was 4.12 billion yuan, an increase of 16.38 times, the total foreign trade export value was 489 million US dollars, an increase of 68.9 times, the fiscal revenue increased 55.9 times, and the per capita housing area in the urban area was 12.8 square meters. And achieved the strategic goal of quadrupling the gross national product by the end of the 20th century ten years ahead of schedule.

In the 1990s, Zhuhai's economic development entered the third stage. Strive to increase innovation advantages, improve the overall quality of people, shift the focus of introduction to high-tech projects with high technical content and large added value, shift the focus of economic construction to the western region, commit to building roads, ports, and developing high-tech enterprises . This stage also pushed the economic construction of the special zone to develop at a faster speed. In 1990, in the comprehensive strength assessment of national cities, Zhuhai's GDP increased by 67.4%, ranking fourth among cities in the country. The national income increased by 63.3%, ranking second in the country; the per capita annual gross domestic product is as high as 22,546 yuan, ranking second in the country; the per capita annual national income is 13,411 yuan, ranking third in the country; the per capita annual fiscal income is 2,504 yuan, ranking Ranked 2nd in the country; social labor productivity averaged 25,407 yuan per year, ranking 2nd in the country. The annual income of employees is 4,791 yuan, and the per capita annual income is 2,671 yuan. The per capita housing area reaches 17.1 square meters, the per capita electricity consumption is 368 kilowatts/hour, and the gas penetration rate reaches 69.6%. There are 13.7 square meters of paved roads per capita. A number of major projects including the Zhuhai Airport and two 20,000-ton berths at Zhuhai Port were completed, and 240 kilometers of high-grade roads such as Zhuhai Avenue were built, initially forming a network extending in all directions. The total annual passenger volume reaches 127 million. The postal and telecommunications industry is developed, with the per capita annual postal and telecommunications volume reaching 824 yuan, and 18.1 telephones per 100 people. Water, electricity and gas basically meet the needs of industrial production and residents' lives. The average annual water supply is 275.1 tons, 22% higher than the national urban average; the average electricity consumption is 3,190 kilowatt hours, 60% higher than the average; the per capita annual gas supply is 179.2 cubic meters, 19% higher than the average. The urban green coverage rate reaches 39.7%, ranking 4th among cities in the country; the per capita green space area is 53.6% square meters, and there are 40.7 cleaning and health personnel per 10,000 people. Zhuhai has transformed from a small, economically backward border county into a new type of garden city. An industrial system focusing on high technology and an export-oriented economic pattern with comprehensive development have begun to take shape; social productivity has developed rapidly and economic strength has been greatly enhanced; the construction of socialist spiritual civilization has achieved fruitful results and the spiritual outlook has been completely renewed. Zhuhai city has been awarded by relevant national and provincial departments as "Dual Support Model City", "Sanitary City", "Top Ten Cities in National Spiritual Civilization Construction", one of "Top 40 Chinese Tourist Attractions", and "Twelve Years of Military Recruitment Work". "Excellent City", "Garden City", "Advanced Family Planning City" and many other awards.