History of Guangdong in Timeline

Guangdong is a coastal province in South China, located on the northern shore of the South China Sea. Guangzhou serves as its capital. Boasting a population of 127.06 million, it is China's most populous province and ranks 15th largest in area, spanning approximately 179,800 square kilometers. Notably, Guangdong is also the third-most populous country subdivision globally.

1952: Purge in Guangdong

In 1952, Mao Zedong purged Fang Fang and thousands of cadres from Guangdong province for trying to moderate Chinese land reform policy.

1952: Guangdong coastline given to Guangxi

In 1952, a small section of Guangdong's coastline including Qinzhou, Lianzhou, Fangchenggang and Beihai was given to Guangxi.

1955: Coastline returned to Guangdong

In 1955, the coastline that was previously given to Guangxi was returned to Guangdong.

1965: Coastline given to Guangxi again

In 1965, the small section of Guangdong's coastline (Qinzhou, Lianzhou, Fangchenggang and Beihai) was again given to Guangxi.

1978: Start of Deng Xiaoping reforms

Until the start of the Deng Xiaoping reforms in 1978, Guangdong was an economic backwater.

1988: Hainan Island separated from Guangdong

In 1988, Hainan Island was separated from Guangdong and established as its own province.

1989: Guangdong becomes largest province by GDP

Since 1989, Guangdong has been the largest province by GDP in Mainland China.

January 2005: Guangdong becomes China's most populous province

In January 2005, Guangdong surpassed Henan and Shandong to become China's most populous province, with 79.1 million permanent residents and 31 million migrants.

2005: Guangdong becomes most populous province

Guangdong officially became the most populous province in 2005 due to a massive influx of migrants, temporary workers, and newly settled individuals.

2007: Ancestor veneration in Guangdong

According to a survey conducted in 2007, 43.71% of the population believes and is involved in ancestor veneration, the traditional Chinese religion.

2009: Gender ratio in Guangdong

According to a 2009 study published in The British Medical Journal, Guangdong has a highly unbalanced gender ratio with over 130 boys for every 100 girls in the 1–4 age group.

2012: Religion in Guangdong

According to a 2012 survey, only around 7% of the population of Guangdong belongs to organised religions, the largest groups being Buddhists with 6.2%, followed by Protestants with 1.8% and Catholics with 1.2%.

2013: Neolithic in coastal Guangdong

In 2013, the Neolithic era in coastal Guangdong was likely introduced from the middle Yangtze River area.

2015: Service industry target for Guangdong

By 2015, the local government of Guangdong hoped that the service industry would account for more than 50 percent of the province's GDP and high-tech manufacturing another 20 percent.

2020: Guangdong population in 2020

In the 2020 Chinese census, Guangdong's total population was 126,012,510, accounting for 8.93 percent of mainland China's population.

2021: Urban and rural population in Guangdong

In 2021, Guangdong's population was 74.6% urban and 25.4% rural.

2021: Value of Guangdong's industries

In 2021, Guangdong's primary, secondary, and tertiary industries were worth 534 billion RMB, 5.28 trillion RMB, and 7.09 trillion RMB, respectively.

2022: Higher education institutions in Guangdong

As of 2022, Guangdong hosts 160 institutions of higher education, ranking first in South Central China region and 2nd among all Chinese provinces/municipalities after Jiangsu.

2022: Guangdong's GDP in 2022

In 2022, Guangdong's GDP was 13.57 trillion RMB ($1.9 trillion in GDP nominal, $3.78 trillion in PPP), becoming the largest province by GDP since 1989 in Mainland China.

2023: Guangdong population

As of 2023, Guangdong's population reached 127.06 million, making it China's most populous province.

2023: Guangzhou and Shenzhen scientific research ranking

As of 2023, two major cities in Guangdong province, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, ranked in the top 20 cities in the world by scientific research output.

2023: Guangdong's research and education ranking

As of 2023, two major cities in Guangdong, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, ranked in the world's top 20 cities by scientific research output.

2024: Dissent events in Guangdong

According to Freedom House's China Dissent Monitor, Guangdong accounted for 17% of dissent events in the first quarter of 2024 – over 100 events despite heavy Censorship in China.