Here we have several postcards depicting a panorama and several bird's-eye views of Canton from the late 19th to the early 20th century. From these images we can get an idea of what Canton used to look like, as well as its early urbanization process.

 

 
This hand-tinted panoramic view of ancient Canton looks like a Chinese traditional ink and wash painting. The Pearl River ran through the city like a silver belt, and the White Cloud Mountain stood at the north of Canton, providing a natural protective screen for the city. Peasants were busy with farm work in the fields and fishermen were busy with the day's catch. Trains driving along the Canton-Samshui Railway, a railway from Canton to Fatshan (known as Foshan nowadays), and steamboats sailing between Canton and Hong Kong on the Pearl River carried hundreds of passengers in and out of the city daily for work, business and travel. Traditional Cantonese residences can be seen everywhere in the city, while quite a few modern Western style constructions started to appear in Shameen (Shamian Island) and other downtown areas, where foreigners from abroad often settled and did business. (Circa 1900s)

 

 

  

 
The city and its citizens suffered extreme poverty under the final phase of the feudal Qing Dynasty government at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Dilapidated bungalows sprawled out in almost every corner of the city, as Canton had completely fallen into decay. (Circa 1900s)

 

   
Canton soon recovered under the early government of the Kuomintang, who had overthrown the rule of the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Some multi-storied residential buildings emerged in urban areas, and a couple of sturdy castle-like towers, used for the storage of valuables for pawnshops, can also be seen in this postcard. (Circa 1920s)

 

 

  
Tall buildings mushroomed throughout the city as Canton began experiencing an unprecedented rapid development and modern urbanization. The highest structures at the time, the Buddhist Flower Pagoda and the Roman Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral, were quite eye-catching. (Circa 1930s)

(Written by Wilson Shengwen Mai and revised by Stephen Roach)