Guangzhou official suggests changing city's name back to Canton

Many expats wondered why Guangzhou isn’t called by its former (and more recognizable) name of Canton. The debate was brought to the Guangzhou People’s Congress recently, when a deputy suggested a name change would help in building the city’s image as an international metropolis.

Deputy Lei Jianwei pointed out that the name Canton was known around the world for 200 years previously and that it would make sense considering the language spoken across Guangdong is known as “Cantonese.”

On paper, Guangzhou has always been Guangzhou. The city may have been well-known before as Canton, but it was never officially deemed that. The origin of the name Canton is unknown, but is believed to be based on a Portuguese mispronunciation.