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Who were the earliest known inhabitants of the Guangzhou area?
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Guangdong
Bridge between Hong Kong and Shenzhen, Guangdong province, on the Chinese mainland.
The earliest known inhabitants of the Guangzhou area were the Baiyue, a people of Tai or Shan origin. These early residents lived on Yuexiu Mountain, located in the northern section of the present-day city.123
Over time, the Baiyue were assimilated by the Han Chinese. This process of integration began to accelerate after the region was annexed by the Han dynasty in 111 BCE and continued over the following centuries as the area became firmly incorporated into the Chinese empire.12