In last week's program, we talked about Guangzhou's international sister city relationships. Today we introduce you to Guangzhou Port, one of the top ten harbors in the world. Here's your host Liu Yan.

Guangzhou Port is the main seaport of Guangzhou city. It is currently the largest comprehensive port in South China. Its international maritime trade reaches over 300 ports in more than 80 countries and regions worldwide.

Guangzhou Port also serves as an important economic and transport center for the Pearl River Delta region and Guangdong province. It is also a vital transport hub for industries located in neighboring provinces such as Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou.

The port is operated by Guangzhou Port Group Corporation, a state owned company. The company was established in February, 2004 by the Guangzhou Harbor Bureau.

Bureau official He Desi explains that history of Guangzhou Port can be dated back 2,000 years.

"Since the Qin and Han Dynasties more than 2,000 years ago, the ancient Guangzhou Port had been a vital transport hub for China's foreign trade. It is the birthplace of the ancient Maritime Silk Road which connected China and the rest of the world via the sea."

Guangzhou Port is situated at the intersection of the three most important tributaries of the Pearl River, namely Dongjiang , Xijiang and Beijiang. The area is a transport hub with many waterways, railways, expressways and air routes intersecting. It is also the main port in the Pearl River Delta Region.

The port's harbor area extends along the Pearl River coast and water areas in the cities of Guangzhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen and Zhuhai.

Situated beyond the entrance of Pearl River opening, Guangzhou Port serves as a gateway for shipping activity for other Harbor areas in the region such as Huangpu Harbor Area and Nansha Harbor Area near Hong Kong.

Chief of the communications section of Guangzhou Port Group Tang Shaoxiong has been working in the port for 30 years. He says the harbor was much less prominent in the late 1970s when China's reform and opening up policy began.

"Being a river port in the past, Guangzhou Port was relatively backward in terms of manpower, facilities and quality of loaders. Its handling capacity was only several hundred tons or 1,000 tons at the most. It had a simple function of only loading and discharging, storage and shipment."

It wasn't until the end of the last century when Guangzhou Port witnessed rapid development. Due to the buoyant economic activity in the city and the surrounding areas, Guangzhou Port is experiencing an increase in cargo volume and the number of visiting ships.