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Which European traders arrived in Guangzhou during the Ming dynasty?

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Central Guangzhou — Guangzhou Nighttime view of central Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China.

During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the pattern of foreign trade in Guangzhou shifted as European traders began to arrive, eventually ending the long-standing commercial supremacy of Arab merchants in the region.1

The Portuguese were the first of these European groups to arrive, sending their initial embassy to Guangzhou in the early 1500s. Following the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British also arrived in the city during the 17th century.1