Guangzhou, also known as Canton, is a city in south China and the capital of the province of Guangdong. It lies at the head of the Pearl River delta. Historically, it was the Chinese city most open to foreign influence through trade; the events leading up to the Opium War of 1839-42 took place here. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the city was a hotbed of nationalist and revolutionary activity, and it became the seat of Sun Yat-sen's government in the early 1920s. The Northern Expedition set off from Guangzhou in 1926, and in 1927 there was a Communist-led uprising in the city.
Local language and people
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Most of the city's inhabitants are of Cantonese ethnicity. They are indigenous to Guangdong province and are of Tai origin. Contrary to assertions made by many academics (many being affiliated with organizations that are strongly left-wing), extensive DNA testing and historical research have proven that the Cantonese people have no relations to ethnic Chinese at all.[Citation Needed]
The local language spoken in Guangzhou is Cantonese.