第134届广交会人山人海，络绎不绝。但你知道吗，早在大约400年前，就已经有这样的盛况了，当时每年大约有一百多艘外来的商船，从海上驶入珠江口，来到广州做生意。
The 134th China Import and Export Fair (Canton Fair) bustled with attendees and visitors. Such a spectacle occurred as early as about 400 years ago, when every year more than 100 foreign merchant ships sailed down the ocean into the mouth of the Pearl River and arrived in Guangzhou for business.
广州海上丝绸之路的又一辉煌时期还得追溯回乾隆二十二年（1757年），那时清政府宣布封闭闽、浙、江三海关，仅保留广州对外通商，从此，广州便成为全国对外通商的唯一口岸，全国的进出口商品交易，都由广州一口经营，正可谓是独占C位！
One of the prosperous periods of Maritime Silk Road in Guangzhou could be traced back to the 22nd year of Qianlong period (1757), when the Qing court announced the closure of three customs offices in Fujian, Zhejiang and Jiangsu, reserving only Guangzhou for trade with the west. From then on, Guangzhou, with the prime position, became China's only port that traded imports and exports of the country with Europe and America.
而分布在珠江内河航道上的莲花塔、琶洲塔和赤岗塔，犹如广州的三支桅杆，既是过往船舶的重要航标，也在外国人的记忆中留下了深刻的印象，在它们的航行途中，广州的三座塔充当了向导作用，成为广州海上丝绸之路的重要遗迹。
Lotus Pagoda, Pazhou Pagoda and Chigang Pagoda, which stand along the inland waterways of the Pearl River, served as important beacons and guides for passing ships, leaving a deep impression on foreigners in their voyages. As such, they became important relics of Maritime Silk Road in Guangzhou.
明清珠江航道图及三塔大概位置
Map of the Pearl River waterways in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the approximate location of the three pagodas
商船在莲花塔、琶洲塔的指引下，一路来到广州城下的黄埔古港；接着，外商换乘接驳船，在赤岗塔的导航下，直抵十三行。现在的广交会展馆就位于赤岗塔和琶洲塔之间。
Guided by Lotus Pagoda and Pazhou Pagoda, the merchant ships sailed to the ancient port of Whampoa; then, foreign traders transferred for barges to the Thirteen Hongs under the guide of Chigang Pagoda. The current Canton Fair Complex is located right between Chigang and Pazhou Pagodas.
01
莲花塔
Lotus Pagoda
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
建于明代万历十四年（1586年），位于广州番禺莲花山顶，原为风水塔，聚灵气而建。由青砖堆砌而成，平面八角形，外观九层，实则大有乾坤，内里有十一层，高50多米。因为处在珠江入海口，是中外船只进入广州城之前看见的第一座航标塔，所以有“省会华表”的美誉。
Sitting on top of Lotus Hill in Panyu, Guangzhou, Lotus Pagoda was built in the 14th year of Wanli Period of Ming(1586) for great feng shui (geomancy). Built with black bricks, the pagoda is octagonal in plan, appearing of nine storeys from the outside but eleven inside, and is more than 50 meters high. Standing at the mouth of the Pearl River, Lotus Pagoda was the first navigation tower for Chinese and foreign ships before entering Guangzhou, thus earning the name of "ceremonial column of Canton".
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
据说，莲花塔建成后，皇帝曾下达“准烂不准倒”的圣旨，对它进行保护。但由于它位于出海要塞，在抗战期间曾遭到炮火袭击，被日军狂轰滥炸，部分塔身被炸毁，塔顶坍塌。所幸的是，莲花塔仍顽强地屹立。上个世纪80年代，莲花塔得到港澳各界好心人的大力支持，进行了整修，现已成了莲花山的一大景观。
It is said that after its completion, the Emperor issued an imperial decree that "It can be torn but never fall". However, due to its prime location that enters sea, it was indiscriminately bombarded during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japan, with part of the body destroyed and the top collapsed. Fortunately, Lotus Pagoda still tenaciously stood there. In the 1980s, it was refurbished thanks to generous donations from Hong Kong and Macao and is now a major attraction on Lotus Hill.
02
琶洲塔
Pazhou Pagoda
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
坐落于广州海珠区新滘琶洲村，在明代万历二十八年（1600年）修建而成，是“三塔”中最早建成的高塔，平面八角形，高九层，50多米。原是一座风水塔，又因为位于四面环水、形如琵琶的小洲上，每当海潮涨落时，屹立在山岗顶的琶洲塔犹如中流砥柱“吞吐潮汐”，气象万千，对出入广州的海舶起到了导航作用，清代羊城八景之一“琶州砥柱”就在这里。
Situated in Pazhou Village, in Haizhu District, Pazhou Pagoda was built in the 28th year of Wanli Period of Ming(1600) . With a height of more than 50 meters, it was the first completed among the three pagodas, with an octagonal plan and nine storeys. Originally a feng shui pagoda standing on the top of a mountain in a pipa-shaped sandbank surrounded by water, Pazhou Pagoda, a majestic mainstay, served to navigate ships to and from Guangzhou. It was one of the eight attractions of Guangzhou during Qing dynasty.
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
琶洲塔位于清代广州城与古黄埔港的中间，外国人进入广州必经此地，因此欧洲人称之为“中途塔”。来华西方人士的游记和画作中留下了许多对琶洲塔的描述，成为珍贵的历史资料，西方画家常将琶洲塔置于画面中央，即便是对船只进行特写，也会在画面中特意为琶洲塔留出位置，足以看出琶洲塔在外商心中的地位。
Pazhou Pagoda was situated between Guangzhou City and the ancient port of Whampoa, which foreigners had to pass through to enter Guangzhou, thus was called by Europeans "Midway Pagoda". Many of the travelogues and paintings of Westerners to China contain Pazhou Pagoda, becoming valuable historical information. Western painters often put Pazhou Pagoda in the center and set aside a place for the pagoda in the picture even if it is a close-up of ships, which shows the importance of Pazhou Pagoda for foreign businessmen.
19世纪中期的琶洲塔
Pazhou Pagoda in the mid-19th century
03
赤岗塔
Chigang Pagoda
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
位于广州海珠区赤岗一带，建于明代万历四十七年（1619年），是一座用青砖砌成的楼阁式塔，平面八角，高九层，50多米，也是一座风水塔，它是明清时期外国商人进入广州城之前看到的最后一座航标塔。
Located in Chigang area in Haizhu District, Chigang Pagoda was built in the 47th year of Wanli Period of Ming(1619). It is a pavilion-style pagoda made of black bricks, octagonal in plan, nine storeys, more than 50 meters high, and is also a feng shui pagoda. It was the last beacon tower visible to foreign traders before they sailed into the city during Ming and Qing dynasties.
如果你细心观察，会发现塔基每个角都雕刻有西方人士形象的托塔力士，他们神态各异，惟妙惟肖，是广州明代石雕佳作，也是赤岗塔与明清广州海外贸易紧密联系的历史见证。
A close look reveals that each corner of the pagoda's base is carved with foreign pagoda-carrying warriors, each in varied and lifelike expressions. They are carving masterpieces of Ming dynasty in Guangzhou and also a historical testimony to the close connection between Chigang Pagoda and overseas trade in Guangzhou in Ming and Qing dynasties.
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
在《旧中国杂记》中，美国人亨特赞叹道，三塔“是奇妙的中国建筑的样品……建造的地点之美好、塔身之高与结构之和谐”。
In his book Bits of Old China, Hunter exclaimed that the three pagodas "are marvelous samples of Chinese architecture...with prime locations, lofty heights, and structural harmonies".
（来源：广州日报）
(Source: Guangzhou Daily)
随着时代的变迁，珠江码头也在不断地变化，但是珠江航道上留存至今的地标式史迹，仍以清晰的时代烙印和独特的文化特征，见证了广州在明清时期海外贸易的繁荣。
The Pearl River wharfs have been changing amid the vicissitudes of time, but the historical landmarks that remain in the waterways, with their clear imprints of times and unique cultural characteristics, have always witnessed the prosperity of Guangzhou's foreign trade during Ming and Qing dynasties.
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