During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Guangzhou was a commercial center and one of the important starting points of the Maritime Silk Road. It was the largest foreign trade port in the East, attracting many overseas merchant vessels and business representatives from around the world.

Many foreign businesses brought their spices to Guangzhou and sold them to Chinese buyers, while purchasing ceramics and silk to take back home.

The ocean route from Guangzhou to the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and the east coast of Africa was the longest ocean route in the world at that time.

Trade and cultural exchanges between Guangzhou and other countries and regions have been uninterrupted for more than 2,200 years.