Guancheng Subdistrict is a subdistrict in Guangdong Province, China under the administration of Dongguan City. It has an area of, and a residential population of 230,000, of which 152,000 are new residents. Guancheng was the old political and cultural centre of Dongguan, before the government moved to the new centre in the Nancheng Subdistrict.
History
Guancheng Subdistrict has been home to the seat of Dongguan's government since 757 CE, during the early Tang Dynasty. In the late 14th century, during the reign of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the was built within present-day Guancheng. Later in the Ming Dynasty, the was built to commemorate the city's trade with Thailand. Upon the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Guancheng was designated as a city. Guancheng was re-designated as a people's commune from 1958 to 1980. In January 1988, Dongguan was upgraded to a prefecture-level city.
Geography
Located near the center of Dongguan, the Guancheng Subdistrict encompasses the historic center of the city. The subdistrict lies 59 kilometers away from Guangzhou, 99 kilometers from Shenzhen, and 140 kilometers from Hong Kong. Guancheng Subdistrict is bordered by Dongcheng Subdistrict, Nancheng Subdistrict, and Wanjiang Subdistrict.
Guancheng Subdistrict used to be the political center of Dongguan City. The following is the list of political office-holders of Guancheng Subdistrict:
Economy
As of 2019, the subdistrict's GDP totaled ¥21.595 billion, fixed asset investment totaled ¥2.946 billion, retail sales totaled ¥13.440 billion, and the subdistrict's tax revenue totaled ¥4.581 billion. Guancheng Subdistrict's three major business districts are: West Gate Avenue, Diwang Square, and Yujing Square CBD.
, located on the corner of Jiaochang Road and Guangming Road, is a stele which was built in 1541. The monument pays tribute to, a local businessman and political figure who, as the county magistrate of nearby, who became famous for good relations with Thailand. This stele was made from bluestone with a hard texture. The stele is long, wide and high with a red-sandstone rectangular base.
Ouge Pavilion, Established 1921, Ouge Pavilion lies on the west side of Yu Mountain in Dongguan People's Park. The arbours sitting southeast-to-northwest, wide, deep and high. Ouge Arbours was in honour of Huang Chunlin, the head of Dongguan County, and was built by the local people to mark the many good works he did. In 2008, the managers of the park repaired the arbours according to its original sample and installed stone tables and stools for tourists.
Daosheng Park
Daosheng Park was built by Zhang Jiamo, the nephew of Ke Yuan founder Zhang Jingxiu. It stands in Daofu Alley of Guancheng Subdistrict. The whole park sat northwest-to-southeast. Ju Chao and Ju Lian have lived in this park for about 10 years, where they founded the Ling-nan School of painters. The original area of Daosheng Park was about 750 kilometers. However, after hundreds of years, there were only several old and shabby houses.
Gallery
Guancheng Subdistrict is the Old Town of Dongguan City. Here are some of its sights:
