An ideal city on the shore of Lingdingyang, 50 pictures tell a story of Zhuhai

Today is the anniversary of Macau's return to China

We want to show you our fellow sisters in Macau

A city that had been separated from her for hundreds of years, but was always linked to her by fate.

Have you heard of Zhuhai?

I even visited here

Maybe the Zhuhai Air Show, held every two years

You are also in the crowded crowd

Watch the fighter planes "flipping like a kite" and "scattering flowers" in the sky

Demonstrating the advanced level of the world's aerospace industry

(Zhuhai Air Show, photographer @陈硕明)

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Maybe you came here for the world's largest aquarium

I was also amazed by tens of thousands of rare fish

Dance with Whale Sharks

(Please watch horizontally, Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom Whale Shark Pavilion, photographer @黄昆震)

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Maybe you come here specifically to walk the longest cross-sea bridge in the world

Experience the time when the sea is fast

Sometimes the dream of diving deep into the sea

(Please watch in horizontal mode. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a bridge-tunnel complex known as the "Mount Everest" of bridges. It is not only of superb craftsmanship but also of outstanding beauty. Photographer: Huang Xiaonan)

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More often

You go to Macau via Zhuhai

Because this is the only city connected to Hong Kong and Macau by land.

But you still don't understand it

After all, Zhuhai is too small

The land area is less than 1/4 of Guangzhou

Just a stopover on your journey

(Watching Macau fireworks from Zhuhai Baishi Bridge, photographer @杜华林)

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But do you know?

Small Zhuhai

There are 262 islands

Has a very long coastline

As one of the first special economic zones

Under the industrial boom in the Pearl River Delta

It has a beautiful environment

Frequently titled "China's most livable city"

(Coastline of Lovers' Road in Zhuhai, photographer @黄熙顺)

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In the per capita GDP ranking of Guangdong Province

Ranked second

(GDP per capita and land area of ​​each city in Guangdong Province in 2022, map by @冯艺卓&高麗倩/Planet Research Institute)

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Little Zhuhai

What kind of road did you take?

01

Riverside

Zhuhai

Originated from the strange river

——Pearl River

The Peculiarities of the Pearl River

Because it is not "a" river

But the three great rivers of the west, north and east

and many rivers collectively

They converge on the Pearl River Delta

The rivers flow in all directions, even each flowing

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Zhuhai's winding waterways and multiple bridges, photographer @王嘉新)

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Therefore, there are as many as eight estuaries of the Pearl River.

The area between the four ports is Zhuhai

She faces Hong Kong across the sea to the east

The south is connected to Macau by land

(Map of Zhuhai's topography and location. The Pearl River flows out to the sea through the Modao Gate, Jiti Gate, and the nearby Yamen and Hutiao Gate in Zhuhai. Map by @Gao Liqian/Planetary Research Institute)

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Dense water network

Let Zhuhai have the temperament of a water town

(Houses and fish ponds in Shaji Village, Jinwan, Zhuhai, photographer @邓树宁)

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Another feature of it comes from the ocean

Yes, although Zhuhai is the smallest prefecture-level city in Guangdong

But it has the most islands in the Pearl River Delta

On the blue sea

262 islands of various sizes are scattered across the country

(Please watch in horizontal mode, an island in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai, photographer @吴亦丹, map @冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute)

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The slightly smaller Miaowan Island

Clear water

Visibility up to 5 meters

There are still patches of coral under the sea

(Miaowan Island, Zhuhai, photographer @黎亮)

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The slightly larger one is Wai Lingding Island

Only one river separates Hong Kong

When the weather is clear, you can see the other side clearly.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, overlooking Hong Kong from Wai Lingding Island, with mountains and rivers vaguely visible, photographer @薛海丰)

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Larger ones include Dangan Island and Qi'ao Island.

The former is in the shape of a "one" looking out over the vast South China Sea.

It has the largest macaque community in southern my country.

(Macaque group on Dangan Island, photographer @朱少基)

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The latter has a vast area of ​​mangroves

A paradise for birds and marine life

(Red-billed gull in the mangroves of Qi'ao Island, Zhuhai, photo source: @Visual China)

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Large and small islands

Long coastline

Shaping Zhuhai's marine temperament

This is also a great place for water sports such as sailing and canoeing

One of the best stages

(Zhuhai Windsurfing Competition, Photographer @邓树宁)

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The people here

The earliest was also born by the sea

During the Qin and Han dynasties, this place was the land of Baiyue.

It is said that some of the Baiyue people lived on the water.

Living on a boat, rarely going ashore

Later generations called them "Dan Family"

Some of them were active in the Doumen area of ​​Zhuhai today.

The unique living customs have been passed down to this day

(The water wedding customs of the Tanka people in Doumen, Zhuhai, photographer @郝明洋)

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The Pearl River rushes into the sea day and night.

The large amount of silt carried gradually connected the sea to form land

The resulting mudflats and shallow bays

Bringing new sources of livelihood

——Natural salt fields

Either to escape the war, or to make a living in the salt fields

Zhuhai soon had a large number of immigrants

They brought new customs

(The crane dance in Sanzao, Zhuhai, is a way for the locals to welcome the spring and receive blessings. Photographer: Deng Shuning)

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A new family settlement was formed

(Tangjiawan Town, Zhuhai, produced many talents in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, photographer @田俊凯)

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In 1152 AD, in order to facilitate management

The Southern Song Dynasty established a county here

Therefore, there are mountains in this area that are rich in orchids with a fragrance that can be smelled from ten miles away.

Hence the name "Xiangshan County"

(Please watch in horizontal screen, Zhuhai Phoenix Mountain, Xiangshan is Wugui Mountain and its branch Phoenix Mountain, photographer @陈进文)

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Xiangshan County not only includes today's Zhuhai

There are also Zhongshan and Macau

From Zhongshan, Zhuhai to Macau

Gradually moving south

Macau is even isolated in the sea.

Later, the Pearl River silt was transported between Zhuhai and Macau.

A sand embankment connected

However, for a long time

Xiangshan is just a remote island county

I don't want the waves to come

Finally pushed it to the top

02

The tide is rising

You may also remember

Wen Tianxiang's poem "Crossing the Lingding Ocean"

If you go to Zhuhai, you might as well go to Lingdingyang

In the sea breeze, you may still hear the battle between the Southern Song Dynasty and the Yuan army.

The doomsday tragedy left behind

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Lingdingyang outside Guishan Island, Lingdingyang is also known as "Lingdingyang", photographer @道无双)

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The aftermath of this history

Nearly a thousand years later, it still echoes in the Doumen area of ​​Zhuhai

The Zhao clan members living here

Once pursued by the Yuan army

Save the Southern Song Emperor from danger

He was awarded the plaque "Loyal and Filial Piety"

Today it is still hanging above the Luyi Hall of the ancestral temple.

(Luyi Hall and the "Loyal and Filial" plaque. The original plaque has been removed and preserved. Photographer: Deng Guohui)

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The Portuguese who came from the coast in the 16th century

It brought a bigger wave

In 1553, the Portuguese used the excuse of drying their goods

Occupy Macau

Macau was separated from Zhuhai from then on

But I always live and breathe with it

The Portuguese conducted Sino-Western trade in Macau

This place soon became a major port where merchants from all over the world gathered.

It has also become a window for Chinese people to see the world.

Many Xiangshan people have entered Macau and the world

(Zhuhai Doumen Ancient Street was the financial center for overseas Chinese to remit money and letters to their hometowns at that time. Photographer: @蒋小翼)

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Among them are some of the most powerful business tycoons in Hawaii.

Chen Fang

(The Meixi Archway at Chen Fang's former residence was built by Emperor Guangxu to honor Chen Fang, the Qing Dynasty consul in Hawaii, and his parents. Photographer: @黄昆震)

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Chinese businessmen participating in the first World Expo

Xu Rongcun

(The Queen of England meets "China's First World Expo Person - Xu Rongcun" family print, picture source @Alamy, drawing @Shen Wen & Feng Yizhuo/Planet Research Institute)

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The first Chinese student in the history of American universities

Yung Wing

(Portrait of Yung Wing, image source: @wikimedia commons, illustration by @申雯/Planetary Research Institute)

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After returning to China, Yung Wing urged the Qing government to send young children to study abroad.

It was also the first time that Chinese government sent overseas students.

The first batch of children to go to the United States

Nearly half of the population is from Xiangshan

The first president of Tsinghua University and the first prime minister of the Republic of China

The first director of the Telegraph Bureau and naval commander of the Republic of China...

This is the first place to see the world

The first person to change China came out

(Some modern celebrities from Zhuhai, picture source @wikimedia commons, map @冯艺卓/星球研究院)

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In that turbulent era

Waves on the sea

First hit Zhuhai

It resisted the British army's looting

The British army once landed on Qi'ao Island to plunder food, poultry and livestock

The villagers on the island organized an armed counterattack and forced the British army to surrender

The villagers used the compensation of 3,000 silver dollars

A two-kilometer-long cobblestone street was built.

Commemorate this victory

(The couplets on both sides of the archway at Baishi Street, Qi'ao, Zhuhai, reveal this period of history. Photographer: @陈凯文)

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It curbed Portugal's ambitions

Portugal negotiated with the Qing court many times

Want to expand Macau's borders and grab more land

Xiangshan merchants and overseas Chinese decided to build their own trading port

Share the benefits of Macau and contain the Portuguese

In 1909, the Qing government approved the petition

Later, even commercial ports were allowed to be tax-free

Xiangshan's own commercial port "Xiangzhou Port"

Becoming a hot spot

Post office, police station, museum, street market, etc.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, old photos of Xiangzhou Port, image restoration by @林建军, graphics by @申雯&冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute)

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Although the commercial port soon became unstable

Lost in history

It is the earliest "special economic zone" opened in China.

Decades later, another turn of fate

It's like the echo of Xiangzhou Port again——

03

Mingzhusheng

In Zhuhai

You won't miss the statue by the sea.

Zhuhai Fisher Girl

She wears pearls and is wrapped in fishing nets

It has become the symbol of Zhuhai

(Portrait of a fishing girl under the bright moon in Zhuhai, photographer @李灿荣)

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Yes, Zhuhai in the early days of the People’s Republic of China

It's just a fishing county.

At that time, pirates were rampant along the

There is also constant harassment from the British and Portuguese

1953

In order to cope with the complex coastal defense situation

Zhuhai, a county-level government with military characteristics

Born out of necessity

However, it was not until 1978 that

Zhuhai is still very poor and backward

In people's mouth only

"One policeman, one traffic light, one road"

(“A road” refers to Fenghuang Road in Xiangzhou, the city center today. The picture shows the cat-shaped overpass on Fenghuang North Road. Photographer: @蒋小翼)

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But change is imminent

Zhuhai was established as a city in 1979

A year later, she took advantage of the geographical advantage of being close to Macau

Together with Shenzhen, Xiamen and Shantou

Became one of the first special economic zones in New China

Xiangzhou Woolen Mill, the pioneer of "compensation trade"

The first Sino-foreign joint venture hotel in China

The first credit card in mainland China...

The new wind soon blew across Zhuhai

With geographical advantages

Zhuhai has become an important channel for exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao

In the late 1980s, the Zhuhai Gongbei Port leading to Macau

It is the second largest port in China in terms of passenger traffic.

(Zhuhai Gongbei Port is also the "green lifeline" needed to ensure life in Macau, photographer @李俊博)

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However, compared with Shenzhen, which is also a special economic zone

Zhuhai's development is extremely limited

After all, in the 1970s and 1980s

Hong Kong is one of the world's largest electronic processing distribution centers

Macau's manufacturing industry is weak.

Not enough to support Zhuhai's development

At the same time, she has no railways or airports.

In the coastal city competition of "whoever controls the port controls the world"

There is also a lack of decent ports

Facing various disadvantages

Faced with fires in every house and smoke in every village

Industrialization in the Pearl River Delta

Zhuhai rejected polluting industries

Guarding its beautiful long coastline

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Zhuhai's long coastline, photographer @陈硕明)

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This is undoubtedly a difficult decision

Do not pollute traditional industries

Zhuhai can only strive to attract big technology and big industry

In 1992, in the era of "focusing on spirit and neglecting material things",

Zhuhai made a shocking announcement

To reward scientific and technological personnel with millions of dollars

Later, it was the first in the country to invest in technology

Written into local regulations

(Winners of Zhuhai's first science and technology award under flowers and applause, photographer @何华景, map @申雯&冯艺卓/Planet Research Institute)

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But it’s still not enough

Attracting talent and investment is more important

Connectivity and infrastructure

The vast Lingdingyang once separated Zhuhai and Hong Kong

It also blocked more opportunities

Someone once described this dilemma.

(From The Bridge)

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“A container is shipped from Zhuhai to Hong Kong

The shipping cost is three times that of shipping from Shenzhen.”

In the 1990s, Zhuhai wanted to build a cross-sea bridge

Connecting the two

But this crazy idea is limited by the level of technology

It was not until 2018 that this was achieved

(A plane "touched" a sunspot over the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, photographer @林立锴)

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Back to that time

What Zhuhai can do

The first step is to find your own big port

In the southwest of Xiangzhou, the traditional city center of Zhuhai

There is an island divided by the Pearl River waterway

Gaolan Island is a natural harbor.

Thus, a major port with an annual cargo throughput of over 100 million tons was born.

(Zhuhai Gaolan Port Area, photographer @郝明洋)

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In order to connect the urban area with Gaolan, which is surrounded by water

A road that was jokingly called "as wide as an airplane runway"

Zhuhai Avenue appeared

(Traffic during the evening rush hour on Zhuhai Avenue, image source: @Visual China)

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The second step to connect

It is to build a large airport

At that time, Zhuhai also had the ideal of introducing an international level air show

Considering the flight needs of future exhibitors

This airport was built to the highest standards of the time.

Built a runway

(Please watch in horizontal mode, planes taxiing at the Zhuhai Air Show, photographer @马红海)

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Railways, roads...

As connections increase

Zhuhai has opened up land, sea and air

Completely revitalize all opportunities

GDP increased from 209 million in 1979 to

By 2022, it will exceed 400 billion for the first time

Zhuhai's per capita GDP even ranks second in the province.

Second only to Shenzhen

Today

Held every two years in Zhuhai

China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition

It has become a grand event for international aviation trade exchanges.

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the crowded Zhuhai Air Show, photographer @黄昆震)

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Leveraging the influence of the air show

Integrates aircraft manufacturing and assembly, aircraft maintenance, aviation services, etc.

Aviation manufacturing industry base in the aviation industry chain

Also landed in Zhuhai

Zhuhai now has a real aviation industry

(Zhuhai Jinwan Aviation City has become the new urban center of Zhuhai. The picture shows the Jinwan Citizen Art Center. Photographer: @吴尹寅)

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Connecting Zhuhai, Macau and Hong Kong

The dream of crossing the sea has become a reality

She is based in the Pearl River Delta

The only city connected to Hong Kong and Macau by land

Transformed into a transportation hub for the Greater Bay Area

Zhuhai and Macao are sister cities.

Also from the past mutual dependence

To grow together

Hengqin Island is the closest island to Macau.

From sparsely populated remote islands

Become a free trade zone to undertake Macau’s new development

(Hengqin International Financial Center, photographer @丁俊豪)

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Between Zhuhai City, Hengqin and Macau

Cross Gate Waters

It was also an important channel for foreign merchant ships to enter and leave China during the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Transformed into a world-class business district

(Please watch in horizontal mode, Shizimen Central Business District, Macau on the left, Hengqin on the right, image source: @Planet Research Institute)

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The new campus of the University of Macau, the Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Valley...

Macau uses Hengqin Island to move towards the vast Pearl River hinterland

Zhuhai has also taken a step forward

(Zhuhai Hengqin Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Valley, photographer @陈硕明)

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In the larger context

The increasing connection between the east and west banks of the Pearl River

Pulling the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area closer and closer

Zhuhai and the future of the world's bay area are off paper

Getting clearer

(The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Channel, which is under construction and connects Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Zhongshan, was fully opened in November. After opening to traffic, the driving time between Shenzhen and Zhuhai will be reduced to 1 hour. Photographer @邱明明)

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And looking back again

Zhuhai's determination to protect the environment

She has preserved her beautiful face that has not been eroded by industrial pollution.

She built a beach along the coast

It is a place for Zhuhai people to take a rest while enjoying the sunshine and beach.

(Xianglu Bay Beach, Zhuhai, photographer @黄昆震)

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Winding 55 kilometers around the bay

Stringing together the sea waves and tree shadows

Lovers Road

Today it is a famous landscape on the west bank of the Pearl River.

(Lovers' Road in Zhuhai, photographer @陈硕明)

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On Yeli Island, the closest island to the city

China's only island opera house

Sun Moon Shell

As bright as moonlight

(Zhuhai Grand Theater Sun Moon Shell, photographer @彭浩山)

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Zhuhai's long coastline

Flat terrain, wide roads

Provides excellent conditions for various events

It was a bicycle race with views of the mountains and sea.

(Zhuhai Hengqin Tour of Southern China Cycling Race, photographer @杨树光)

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It is also romantic and passionate by the sea

Beach Music Festival

(Zhuhai Beach Music Festival, photographer @吕毅鹏)

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As early as 1998

Zhuhai has received the United Nations

"International Best Practice Award for Improving Living Environment"

Since then, it has frequently been listed on the list of China's most livable cities.

In the 2023 China City Livability Index list

Higher in second place

Today, Zhuhai is becoming more and more popular with its good living environment.

Welcoming new immigrants

(The above list was released at the 6th China Urban Construction Summit and International Academic Exchange Seminar. The picture shows Zhuhai Love Tower. Photographer: @马红海)

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Huafa Group coexists and prospers with the Special Administrative Region

Deeply cultivate the three major industrial fields of "technology, city, and finance"

Creating an ideal life for Zhuhai

Witness the changes with Zhuhai

(Shizimen Central Business District)

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Zhuhai

Once a remote county

But was pushed to the forefront of the times

Decades ago, during the wave of industrialization,

She chose a different path

There was also ridicule

There will also be complaints

But she is in the hustle and bustle of the world's crossroads

Retaining the coconut grove sea breeze

Let her become the pearl of the Pearl River Estuary

Today is shining

(Please watch in horizontal mode, the kapok trees in full bloom in the Hengqin Flower Corridor in Zhuhai, photographer @刘光勇)

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This article was created by

Written by: Xiang Bu Xiang

Image: Zhang Zhaohai Design: Feng Yizhuo & Shen Wen

Map: Gao Liqian Review: Wang Luoyu & Qingliu & Chen Jingyi

Cover Photographer: Ma Honghai & Wu Yiwu & Li Jiaqi

Special thanks

Chijia Video Club

【References】You can scroll up and down to view

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[2] Li Mingsheng, Dare to be the First in the World: Twenty Years of China Airshow[M]. People's Literature Publishing House, 2019.

[3] Zhuhai Local Chronicles Compilation Committee of Guangdong Province, Zhuhai Chronicles[M]. Zhuhai: Zhuhai Publishing House, 2001.

[4] Zhuhai Municipal Committee, Macau Foundation. Zhuhai, Macau and Modern Sino-Western Cultural Exchange: Proceedings of the First Zhuhai-Macau Cultural Forum [M]. Social Sciences Academic Press, 2010.

[5] Chen Guanghan, Liang Qingyin. Pearl River Delta Regional Development Report[M]. China Renmin University Press, 2014.

[6] Wang Qianma, Urban Warfare: Regional Ups and Downs under the Trio of National Destiny, Times and the World[M]. Modern Press, 2023.