Consulate General of the United States, Guangzhou

Consulate General of the United States of America, Guangzhou
美国驻广州总领事馆
Seal of the United States Department of State
Incumbent Lisa K. Heller since August 2021
Formation	1843
Website	china.usembassy-china.org.cn/embassy-consulates/guangzhou/

Consulate General of the United States, Guangzhou
Hanyu Pinyin	Měiguó zhù Guǎngzhōu Zǒnglǐngshìguǎn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	mei5 gwok3 zyu3 gwong2 zau1 zung2 ling5 si6 gun2

The Consulate General of United States, Guangzhou (

’s busiest consular-related posts.

History of the consulate

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Beginning

The beginning of the American consulate in Guangzhou dates back over two centuries to the founding years of the American republic, even before

, recommending that the young United States appoint a consul and vice consul to Canton. "Such officers," he noted, "would have a degree of weight and respect which private adventurers cannot readily acquire, and which would enable them to render essential services to their countrymen." Major Shaw was appointed the first American consul to China, although he would serve "with neither salary nor perquisites but with the confidence and esteem of the United States."

Traders, treaties, and diplomats

At that time, Chinese authorities

granted by Congress; in 1848 the consulate was allowed to arraign U.S. citizens charged with offenses against the laws of China. The Canton consulate was burned down in 1856, but U.S. diplomats continued to support an expanding American presence in the region throughout the nineteenth century.

Aside from Guangzhou, U.S. Consulates were present in South China in the other opened ports of Fuzhou and Xiamen. However, due to a parsimonious and semi-isolationist U.S. Congress, these consulates frequently remained unoccupied. In fact, British and German officials were often asked to represent U.S. interests. This continued until the mid-1880s when the Shanghai Consul General began administering all consular services in China. At other times, the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou also shared this responsibility.

Years of turmoil and change

With the concurrence of the British government, the U.S., in 1873, built a consulate on

, a sandy one kilometer long strip of land around which a man-made canal had been dug ten years before to separate it from the rest of the city. Along with their European counterparts, foreign diplomatic personnel tried to recreate a Western lifestyle. They built Anglican and Catholic churches, tennis courts, an indoor swimming pool, and long promenades. Today, visitors to Shamian Island can still see the vestiges of late eighteenth century and nineteenth century Western life.

While life on Shamian was peaceful and stable, life off of the island for the Chinese was not. Increasing dissatisfaction with the Qing Dynasty led to protests and its

between the communist government of mainland China and the United States ceased shortly thereafter.

Reopening

Shamian Island

which housed the consulate general between 1990 and 2013.

In the wake of the landmark visits of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and President Richard Nixon, the United States and China formally re-established diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979. According to an agreement, each country was allowed to set up two consulates. The United States chose Shanghai and Guangzhou (China chose San Francisco and Houston). On August 31, 1979, almost 30 years to the day that Consulate Canton had been closed, Vice-president Walter Mondale unveiled the seal for the new U.S. Consulate Guangzhou on the 11th floor of the Dongfang Hotel at 120 Liu Hua Road. Richard L. Williams was appointed the first Consul General in China since 1949. In April 1990, the Consulate returned to Shamian Island when the new Consulate Tower, built on reclaimed land near the Pearl River, was completed at 1 Shamian South Street, next to the White Swan Hotel.

Since reopening, the consulate's efforts have focused on two main issues: immigration and commerce. As South China has historically been the home for most

. The facility had 30 interviewing windows available for 23 American staff and 100 locally employed personnel.

Meanwhile, the economic growth in South China, and particularly the Pearl River Delta (or PRD, the region surrounding the Pearl River from Shenzhen to Zhuhai) has been extraordinary. Since 1980, the GDP of the Pearl River Delta region has grown annually at 16 percent and about 1/3 of all of China's global exports originate from this area of 35 million people. In view of such growth, in 1985 the Department of Commerce opened a Foreign Commercial Service Office and the Department of Agriculture opened a Foreign Agricultural Office in the China Hotel on Liuhua Road. The public affairs section, located in the Garden Hotel, distributed press releases and backgrounders on American policy, organised press conferences and other media events.

Attack accusations

In May 2018, an American state employee reported sickness after hearing disturbing sounds.

New consulate compound

The new consulate-general compound is located in

See also

• List of diplomatic missions of the United States
• Sino-American relations
• Americans in China

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Consulate General of the United States, Guangzhou.

• Official website
• US MissionCN on
  Twitter
• Consulate General of the United States, Guangzhou on Weibo (in Chinese)

23°7′10″N 113°18′54″E / 23.11944°N 113.31500°E / 23.11944; 113.31500