Where is the Consulate General of the United States in Guangzhou _ Brief Introduction of the Consulate General of the United States in Guangzhou _ China History Network

Where is the American Consulate General in Guangzhou?

The US Consulate General in Guangzhou is the US Consulate General in the southeast of China, located in Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, China.

The Historical Development of American Consulate General in Guangzhou

early stage

Two centuries ago, when George Washington was president, the American Consulate in Guangzhou was already the earliest American diplomatic institution in China and even the Far East, which was indispensable for promoting Sino-US relations. The US Consulate General in Guangzhou has conducted multi-level and multi-field exchanges with China, mainly including promoting trade and business exchanges, comprehensively promoting US-China policies, and promoting public diplomacy through mutual visits. The U.S. Consulate General in Guangzhou is also an institution that handles American adoption and immigration visas in China, and the workload of the consular department is among the best among American embassies and consulates abroad in the State Council.

The diplomatic exchanges between the United States and Guangzhou can be traced back to the establishment of the United States of America. 1784, American merchant ship empress of china came to Guangzhou Port with ginseng to trade black tea produced in China. The captain of this ship is Samuel Shaw, a 29-year-old artillery general in the American Liberation War. He is the first American businessman to come to this central country. Later, he wrote a letter to Foreign Minister john jay, suggesting that the United States send consuls and vice consuls to Guangzhou, which would help strengthen the diplomatic power of this new country.

He wrote: these officials will gain a certain social status and influence, which they can't get from ordinary personal experience. They also have the obligation to provide quality services to the people of China. Later, Major Xiao was appointed as the first American consul in China. Although he received no salary or allowance during his tenure, he represented the confidence and dignity of Americans.

At that time, the China government's closed-door policy made Guangzhou only carry out economic and trade activities in a limited scope, and all foreign businessmen were restricted to live and work in buildings and factories on both sides of the Pearl River. Although there was no American consul in Guangzhou for a long time, and the Americans who worked in the consulate later did not understand Chinese, Sino-US trade continued to develop at the beginning of the19th century. After the Opium War between China and Britain, China government was forced to open some trading ports, and Guangdong gained business opportunities before that.

After a round of confrontation between China and the United States, former US Congressman caleb cushing became the first official American ambassador to China. 1844, he signed the Sino-American Wang Xia Treaty on behalf of the United States, which guaranteed the trade privileges of American businessmen and allowed American ships to enter the newly opened China port. According to the provisions of the US Congress, American consuls have more responsibilities than protecting the interests of American businessmen. For example, 1848, the consulate has the right to prosecute American citizens who violate the laws of China. 1856, the American consulate in Guangzhou was burned down, but in the following half century, American diplomats were still trying to expand the influence of the United States in this area.

Besides Guangzhou, other open ports in the south of China, such as Fuzhou and Xiamen, also have American consulates. However, due to the generosity and semi-isolation of the US Congress at that time, these consulates usually did not have diplomats. Sometimes the American Consulate in Guangzhou represents the interests of the United States in China, and sometimes even British and German officials represent the interests of the United States in China. It was not until the mid-1980s that the US Consulate General in Shanghai was established and was responsible for all consular affairs in China.

1873, with the British government setting up a consulate in Shamian Island, Guangzhou, the United States also set up a consulate in Shamian Island. At that time, the sand surface was a piece of sand, spanning one kilometer, separated by an artificial river dug ten years ago. American expatriates and European expatriates try to shape the western way of life here. They built Christian and Catholic churches, tennis courts, indoor swimming pools and walking places. On the beach, you can also see the traditions of western life in18th century and19th century.

20th century

Life in Shamian was peaceful and stable at that time, but China people outside Shamian Island were not like this. Due to the growing dissatisfaction with the Qing government, revolutionary uprisings occurred from time to time, which eventually led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty. Affected by the Second Sino-Japanese War, the US Consulate General in Fuzhou 1934 and the Consulate General in Guangzhou 1938 were closed. After Japan surrendered, many American consulates in China reopened.

At the beginning of 1949, the Kuomintang government moved from Nanjing to Guangzhou, and the American consulate in Shamian was upgraded to the embassy. With the full-scale outbreak of the civil war, the Kuomintang government moved to Chongqing again, and the office of the American ambassador to China also moved to Chongqing. 1in August, 949, the U.S consulate in Guangzhou was closed, and the diplomatic relations between the capitalist regime in Chinese mainland and the United States were interrupted.

With the landmark visits to China by US Secretary of State Kissinger and President Nixon, China and the United States formally resumed diplomatic relations on June 5438+0979+ 10/. According to the treaty, both sides can set up two consulates in each other. The United States chose Shanghai and Guangzhou as the venues. After more than 30 years, on August 3 1, 1979, the American consulate in Guangzhou finally opened under the auspices of Vice President Mandela, and the new consulate was completed on the floor of the Oriental Hotel at Liu Hua Road 1 1 in Guangzhou.

Richard L Wilhemlms became the first consul general since the closure of 1949. Up to now, there have been 1 1 consuls serving successively. 1990 Reclaimed land near the Pearl River to build a consulate building, adjacent to the White Swan Hotel. In April, the American consulate moved back to Shamian and worked in the consulate building.

2 1 century

With the continuous development of the American Consulate in Guangzhou, in July 20 13, a new American Consulate building built with the latest technology was completed in Guangzhou Zhujiang New Town. Its design aims to strengthen the cultural ties between China and the United States to the maximum extent, especially the coastal culture on the south coast of China, and closely link the use of trees, riverside plants and public places. The State Council pays special attention to energy efficiency and sustainability when designing new museums, so they are all built with high-quality and low-cost raw materials. The centralized utilization of a large amount of natural light in the new museum not only reduces the energy consumption of the consulate, but also provides a good and spacious working environment for the museum staff.

Because the new building adopts concave exterior glass and wooden shutters, staff can get enough sunshine in their daily work without increasing heat. Rainwater will also be collected and filtered in a series of biological ponds, or stored in gardens with trees and grass. In addition, the green roof covered with plants, the white roof that can reflect sunlight and the most advanced mechanical system all reflect the importance and determination of the United States to environmental protection.

Since 1980, the GDP of the Pearl River Delta has been increasing at an annual rate of 16%. At that time, in this place with a population of only 35 million, exports accounted for one-third of China's total exports. Today, according to a report from the Political and Economic Department of the US Consulate, there are 200 million China people and 33,000 Americans in the consular district.

South China is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese, and most immigrants from China come from South China. In the early 1980s, the American Consulate in Guangzhou became the place where China applied for an American immigrant visa. By 1992, all American adoption visas in China were handled by the Guangzhou Consulate. So far, Americans have adopted 90,000 children in China. In the past 30 years, the number of immigrant and non-immigrant applicants has also increased, from 1 27,000 in 1979 to more than 1 10,000 per year.