Rome and Guangzhou are the deep capitals: cities that existed before their civilizations were named after them, and that outlast every dynasty that uses them. Both were founded as river ports on a contested frontier between agrarian and maritime worlds. Both became the canonical headquarters of an entire linguistic and legal family — Latin, Cantonese — and exported their officialdom across an empire. Both are now slightly out-of-fashion regional capitals that quietly hold most of the cultural cards.罗马与广州是「深层首都」：它们在以自己为名的文明被命名之前就存在，并比一切利用过它们的王朝活得更久。两者都是建立于「农耕世界与海洋世界争夺前线」的河口城市；两者都成为整个语言与法律家族——拉丁语、广府话——的标准司令部，并把官僚体制输送至整个帝国。如今两者都是稍稍「过气」的地方都会，却悄然握有最多的文化王牌。

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  River + sea geography that made them the natural gate.河流加海洋的双重地理，使其天然成为关口。

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  An old legal and bureaucratic vocabulary every successor city borrowed.为后来一切继承者所借用的、古老的法政与官僚词汇。

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  A reputation for cuisine that survives every political swing.穿越一切政治起伏的饮食声望。

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  A subordinate role under a newer northern capital — but spiritual seniority.在更新的北方首都之下处于从属地位，但精神上更年长。

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  Rome ruled directly; Guangzhou's empire ruled from elsewhere.罗马直接统治；广州所在的帝国从别处统治它。

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  Rome's church is global; Guangzhou's diaspora is global.罗马的教会是全球性的；广州的侨民是全球性的。

1. Foundation建城
   CN

   214 BC — founded as Panyu under Qin.公元前 214——秦置番禺。

   EU

   753 BC — Romulus's traditional founding date.公元前 753——罗慕路斯传统建城年。

2. Imperial role帝国角色
   CN

   Tang–Ming — capital of southern maritime trade.唐至明——南方海上贸易之都。

   EU

   27 BC – 476 AD — capital of an empire of 70m.公元前 27—公元 476——七千万人口帝国之都。

3. Modern hinge近代转折
   CN

   1840s — first foreign-trade port; Canton System.1840 年代——首批通商口岸；广州十三行。

   EU

   1870 — re-becomes capital of unified Italy.1870——重新成为意大利统一后的首都。

Today Guangzhou and Rome are both the second-most-important city in their country, but the first-most-important to the cuisine, the diaspora, and the deep memory.今天广州与罗马都已不再是各自国家的第一城市，但论饮食、论侨民、论深层记忆——它们仍是第一。

• SPQR
  Mary Beard · 2015
• Canton Under Communism
  Ezra Vogel · 1969