Cantonese nationalism: Difference between revisions

In the late [[Qing Dynasty]], internal and external troubles and the rapid development of the [[Boxer Rebellion]] caused divisions within the Qing ruling group. Empress Dowager [[Cixi]] issued an edict on June 21, 1900 to appease the Boxers and declare war on the [[Eight-Nation Alliance]]. The majority of [[Viceroy|viceroysviceroy]]s who held local power strongly opposed this decision and firmly supported the peace faction, creating a situation of open confrontation and division between the local and central governments. After the Qing government declared war, [[Li Hongzhang]] (then [[Viceroy of Liangguang]]), [[Liu Kunyi]] (then [[Viceroy of Liangjiang]]), [[Zhang Zhidong]] (then [[Viceroy of Huguang]]), [[Xu Yingkui]] (then [[Viceroy of Min-Zhe]]), [[Yuan Shikai]] (then {{ill|Viceroy of Shandong|lt=Viceroy of Shandong|zh|山東巡撫}}) and other viceroys and governors established the [[Mutual Defense Pact of the Southeastern Provinces]], openly violating the orders of the Qing government and refrain from waging wars. Li Hongzhang even issued an extremely strong response to the Qing Empire's edict declaring war on the eleven Western countries: "This is a misguided order issued in panic, and Guangdong will not obey the edict!". At this time, the southeastern provinces resisted the imperial court's foreign policy and signed treaties with western countries on their own, effectively becoming political entities separated from the control of the Qing government. At the same time, since the people in Guangdong have always had a unique identity and accepted modernization early, the idea of ​​separatismseparatism gradually emerged .<ref name=":3">{{cite book |title=《民初的地方主义与联省自治》 |publisher=正中书局 |year=1983年 |pages= |language=zh-tw}}</ref>. The gentrygentries of Guangdong suggested to Li Hongzhang that Guangdong and Guangxi should be separated and establish an independent country.; Businessmenbusinessmen traveling between Guangdong and Hong Kong also sought assistance from the [[British Hong Kong]] government, and the British Hong Kong government also intended to promote it in order to expand British interests in Guangdong and Guangxi.

In early June 1900, Li Hongzhang contacted Sun Yat-sen through his confidential staff, Cantonese gentry {{Ill|Liu Xuexun|lt=Liu Xuexun|zh|劉學詢}}, hoping to invite Sun to Guangzhou to discuss cooperation matters. Liu was also very enthusiastic about this plan. Later, Liu asked Sun through telegraph: "Due to the boxer chaos in the north, now I would like to achieve the independence of Guangdong, and for this I would like sir to come and help. Please come to Canton as soon as possible." <ref>{{cite journal |last=董丛林 |date= |title=李鸿章对"两广独立"的态度与庚子政局 |journal=河北师院学报 |volume= |issue= |doi= |s2cid= 235177474}}</ref> Sun was focusing on launching the [[Huizhou]] uprising at the time. His attitude towards this was opportunistic, thinking that he might as well make use of it: "This move has a chance of success and will be a blessing to the overall situation, so it is worth giving it a try.".<ref name="sunys">{{cite book |title=《孙中山年谱长编》 |publisher=中华书局 |year=1991年 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=雪珥 |title=孙中山曾计划推李鸿章为"两广共和国"总统 |url=https://view.news.qq.com/a/20160923/010456.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422060450/https://view.news.qq.com/a/20160923/010456.htm |archive-date=2022-04-22 |accessdate=2021-11-06 |website=腾讯评论 [2016-09-23] |publisher=人民网}}</ref>. After June 15, the Qing government repeatedly ordered Li Hongzhang to take up his post in Beijing. Li Hongzhang was on the fence and made excuses to delay.

According to {{Ill|Feng Ziyou|zh|馮自由}}'s account, in the fifth month of the Gengzi period, Kai Ho "saw the urgent situation and the disaster of partition was imminent. If Canton did not urgently seek self-protection, it would never be able to survive. He proposed suggestions to {{Ill|China Daily (Hong Kong)|zh|中國日報_(香港)}} President Chen Shaobai and advocated that revolutionaries should cooperate with Li Hongzhang, the Viceroy of Guangdong, to save the country. First, he mobilized Li to declare the independence of Canton to the Qing government and other countries, and the Prime Minister shall led the members of Revive China Society to assist... Then [[Henry Arthur Blake|Blake]], based on the reasons in the book, turned to Hongzhang, proposed an independent plan for Canton, and introduced Sun, the leader of the Revive China Society, to cooperate with him. If Hongzhang agreed with this, he would send a telegram to invite the Prime Minister to return to China and form a new government."<ref>{{Cite book |last=馮自由 |title=中華民國開國前革命史 |publisher=革命史編輯社 |year=1928 |location=上海 |pages=59 |language=zh-tw |trans-title=The History of Revolution Before the Establishment of the Republic of China}}</ref> Chen Shaobai recorded: Kai Ho "discussed with me privately that we could borrow the power of the Governor of Hong Kong to persuade Li Hongzhang to declare independence; he was willing to speak to the Governor of Hong Kong and persuade Li Hongzhang on his behalf."

Kai Ho's role is to win the support of [[Henry Arthur Blake|Sir Henry Arthur Blake]] (then Hong Kong Governor). Ho first discussed with some members of the Revive China Society the plan to transform China after the independence of [[Liangguang]], which resulted in the "Letter from the Patriots of South China to the Governor of Hong Kong" that was then translated into English by Ho and handed over to Blake. Drafted by Ho, the program known as the "Pingzhi Charter"<ref>{{Cite web |title=平治章程 |url=https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/%E5%B9%B3%E6%B2%BB%E7%AB%A0%E7%A8%8B |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=2024-04-04 |website=Wikisource}}</ref> supports the reorganization of China's political system under the trusteeship of the western imperialist powers. It includes "moving the capital to a suitable place such as Nanjing and Hankou" and "establishing an autonomous government in each province." , "separate management based on qualifications", westernize the judicial and educational systems, open the Chinese market to foreign businessmen, and establish a parliamentary system:<ref>{{cite book |title=《历史的本色——晚清民国的政治、社会与文化》 |publisher=广西师范大学出版社 |year=2016年 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref>:

| quote = A provincial council shall be established, with a number of tributes from each county as members. The province shall have full power to manage all its issues of politics, expropriation and official supplies, and is not subject to remote control by the central government. However, a certain percentage of the money received throughout the year shall be transferred to the central government; this is to clear foreign debts, provide military salaries, and pay for the palace and the government. The militia and police headquarters in the province are all under the control of the autonomous government. The proviceprovince shall appoint locals as its provincial officials and they must be publicly elected by the provincial assembly. As for the representatives in the council, they were supposed to be voted by the people; however, at the beginning of the new constitution, the law was not fully prepared, so they were temporarily selected by the autonomous government. They would be elected by the people in a few years, with the current consuls general of each country as temporary advisory members.

}}{{Wikisourcelang|zh|平治章程|平治章程 (Pingzhi Charter)}}{{clear}}On June 11, Sun Yat-sen, [[Yang Quyun]], {{Ill|Zheng Shiliang|zh|鄭士良}}, [[Tōten Miyazaki|Miyazaki Torazo]] and others set out from [[Yokohama]] and arrived at the sea of ​​HongHong Kong on the 17th, where they met the warship sent by Li Hongzhang to greet him. Worried that this was a trap set by the Qing government to arrest him, Sun did not dare to board the ship, so he sent Miyazaki and other three Japanese (who then had [[extraterritorial rights]]) to attend the meeting on his behalf. At about 10 o'clock that night, Miyazaki and others arrived at Liu Xuexun's residence in Guangzhou, and the two sides began their secret negotiations. During the negotiations, Liu Xuexun said that Li Hongzhang "would not be able to express anything" before the imperialist powers captured Beijing, implying that independence would have to wait until Beijing changed hands. Miyazaki proposed that Li Hongzhang should ensure Sun's safety and lend 60,000 yuan to the Revive China Society as the basis for cooperation between the two parties. Liu Xuexun immediately asked Li Hongzhang for instructions and agreed, and paid 30,000 yuan in person. At 3 o'clock in the morning the next day, the five-hour secret negotiation ended. Miyazaki and others immediately returned to Hong Kong overnight. Sun also set off on the same day, heading to [[Singapore]] via [[Hanoi]].

However, as the war situation worsened, the voices of the peace faction in the Qing court became more prevalent, and Li Hongzhang received another telegram from the Qing court on July 8. Cixi appointed Li Hongzhang as the [[Viceroy of Zhili]] and {{Ill|Beiyang Trade Minister|zh|北洋通商大臣}}. Li Hongzhang realized that the government might begin to develop in a direction that was beneficial to the peace faction, so he decided to change his decision and leave Canton for the north.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Ni |first1=Junming |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/760054723 |title=Die xue nan guo: Xin hai ge ming zai Guangdong |last2=Shen |first2=Xiaomin |date=2011 |publisher=Guangdong ren min chu ban she |isbn=978-7-218-07223-4 |edition=Di 1 ban |series=Xin hai ge ming quan jing lu |location=Guangzhou Shi |oclc=760054723}}</ref> . Before leaving, he first arrived in Hong Kong by boat from Guangzhou to pay a visit to Blake and expressed his stance to the Hong Kong government in person.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/hongkongmomentin0000nutt |title=China, Britain and Hong Kong, 1895-1945 |publisher=Chinese University Press |year=1990年 |pages= |isbn=978-962-201-772-6 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Chung |first=Stephanie Po-Yin |url=http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9780230501768 |title=Chinese Business Groups in Hong Kong and Political Change in South China 1900-1925 |date=1998-04-27 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-0-230-50176-8 |editor-last=Zielonka |editor-first=Jan |location=Basingstoke |language=en |doi=10.1057/9780230501768 |editor-last2=Zielonka |editor-first2=Jan}}</ref>. However, Blake still haven't give up at this point and also learned that Sun Yat-sen was setting off from Singapore to Hong Kong. He sent an urgent telegram to London:<ref name=":0" />:

}}{{clear}}During the conversation, Blake said to Li Hongzhang: "I think that having regard to the present state of the North, such a movement is very probable and that we ought to be prepared and to look after our interests" ,<ref name="cbgihkapcisc5">{{cite book |title=Chinese Business Groups in Hong Kong and Political Change in South China, 1900-25 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1998年 |pages= |language=en}}</ref>, and expressed that Li should become the leader of the independent Liangguang while Sun Yat-sen should be only an advisor. Li did not respond. At this time, Legislative Council member [[Wei Yuk|Wei Yu]] met with Blake and requested the Hong Kong government to use force to retain Li Hongzhang. However, British Foreign Minister [[Joseph Chamberlain]] repeatedly ordered that Blake be prohibited from taking any action, so the plan for an independent South China eventually fell through.

After the failure of the plans for Liangguang's independence, Kai Ho continued to lobby the British in Hong Kong about his ideas and plans to transform the Chinese dynasty. On July 21, Kai Ho reported that Blake supported the establishment of a republic in South China. On August 1, He published an article based on this political program in ''[[The China Mail]]'' .<ref>{{cite book |title=《中华民国革命秘史》 |publisher=广东人民出版社 |year=1981年 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. On August 10, he further published in the newspaper about the establishment of an "independent republic" in southern China. <ref>{{cite book |title=《民权与民族主义 近代中国民权思想研究》 |publisher=中国政法大学出版社 |year=2016年 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. On August 22, Ho published an open letter summarizing his views in The China Mail using the pen name "Sinensis" and the title "An Open Letter on the Situation". The recipient of the letter is "Mr. [[John Bull]]":<ref name="Choa2">{{cite book |title=The Life and Times of Sir Kai Ho Kai. A Prominent Figure in Nineteenth-Century Hong Kong |publisher=The Chinese University Press |year=1981年 |pages= |language=en}}</ref>:

}}{{clear}}Ho believed that China would eventually fall apart without the help of the great powers, and that helping China carry out reform and disintegration was a noble but arduous undertaking, so he hoped to get support from the British. He said: "many of her intelligent and gifted sons are most enthusiastic over it.” .<ref>{{Cite news |date=1900-08-22 |title=An Open Letter To The Situation |url=https://archive.org/details/NPCM19000822/page/n1/mode/2up |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.org/details/NPCM19000822/ |archive-date=2023-11-29 |work=[[The China Mail]] |pages=2}}</ref>. Some scholars believe that this is precisely another aspect that many previous studies on Kai Ho have ignored .<ref>{{cite book |title=《勾結共謀的殖民權力》 |publisher=牛津大學出版社 |year=2015年 |pages= |language=zh-hk}}</ref>.

The Qing court signed several [[unequal treaties]], ceding territories and paying indemnities after multiple foreign wars. In the spring of 1901, rumors circulated that the Qing court would cede Guangdong to France. Responding to this, [[Feng Sizhuan]], [[Zheng Guanyi]], {{Ill|Li Zizhong|lt=Li Zizhong|zh|李自重}}, [[Wang Chonghui]], {{Ill|Feng Ziyou|zh|馮自由}} and [[Liang Zhongyou]], among other Cantonese students in Japan, initiated an organization called the Canton Independence Association.<ref>{{cite book |title=《中国近代史词典》 |publisher=上海辞书出版社 |year=1982年 |location=上海市 |pages=34 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. They advocated for Guangdong to declare independence from the Qing court, emphasizing that Guangdong belonged to its people, and its fate should be decided by them, not the Qing government.<ref>{{cite book |author=祝曙光 |title=《法官外交家王宠惠》 |publisher=福建教育出版社 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. The call resonated with many Cantonese expatriates in Japan, with "over two hundred participants" joining. The founders also visited Sun Yat-sen in Yokohama to discuss strategies. This marked the beginning of the cooperation between the Guangdong students in Japan and the Revive China Society.<ref name="fungbook">{{cite book |author=冯自由 |title=《革命逸史》 |publisher=商务印书馆 |year=1939年 |location=上海 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. Although not purely a student organization, it was led primarily by students. Since it was started because of rumors about Guangdong's cession and it was also mainly a club for people who came from the same area, it ceased operations shortly after its establishment.

After the defeat in the [[First Sino-Japanese War]], the Qing court was forced to sign the [[Treaty of Shimonoseki]] in April of that year, ceding [[Taiwan]] and its surrounding islands to Japan. This move faced strong opposition from the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. As a result, some Taiwanese elites urged the former viceroy of Taiwan, [[Tang Jingsong]], to declare independence on May 25 of the same year. Thus, one of Asia's first self-proclaimed democratic states was established, named the [[Republic of Formosa]]. Although the Republic of Formosa existed only briefly, it inspired later claims for provincial independence and had a significant impact .<ref name="wongsiuyeung">{{cite journal |last=孙柏 |date= |title=《黄萧养回头》作者为欧榘甲考―兼论欧榘甲在前期《新小说》作者群中的重要地位 |url= |journal=戏剧艺术 |volume= |issue= |pages=29–35 |doi= }}</ref>.

In 1902, Kang Youwei's disciple, Au Ku-kap, serialized a lengthy article titled ''Discussion on the Necessity of Canton Independence and Breaking Away from Qing Restraints'' (《广东独立脱离满清羁绊之说》) under the pen name "The Pacific Gentleman" in the San Francisco-based newspaper ''Datong Daily'', where Au is the editor-in-chief. The article spanned around fifty to sixty thousand Chinese characters and was published over several dozen days, advocating for the necessity of Canton independence and separation from the Qing Dynasty, receiving a warm welcome from readers. These political essays were quickly reprinted by the ''Xinmin Congbao'' 《新民丛报》 (whose editor-in-chief was [[Liang Qichao]], another disciple of Kang) in Yokohama, Japan, and published as a single volume entitled ''New Canton'' (《新广东》), which sometimes also titled ''Canton for the People of Canton'' (《广东人之广东》). The volume featured a colored map of Guangdong and included an image of the [[Independence Hall]] of the United States. On February 22nd22, ''Xinmin Congbao'' published an advertisement for the publication of ''Canton for the People of Canton'' promoting the book:

Au Ku-kap explained his title and proposition in the work:<ref name="newcan">{{cite book |title=《辛亥革命前十年间时论选集》 |publisher=生活·读书·新知三联书店 |year=1960年 |location=北京市 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref>:

Au Ku-kap believes that "those who speak of self-reliance among the Chinese take Taiwan as the starting point," and considers publications like the {{Ill|Hunan Daily (1898)|zh|湘报}} founded by [[Tan Sitong]] and [[Tang Caichang]] as "the beginning of the voice for independence of various provinces in China." In his writing, he lists four "traits of self-reliance" in Canton: "outstanding talent," "abundant financial resources," "control of key regions," and "population growth." He proposes three methods to achieve independence: "independent newspapers," "independent schools," and "secret societies" (utilizing underground party organizations). Au also believes that the three major ethnic groups in Canton, namely the locals (i.e. [[Cantonese people]]), the Hoklo (i.e. [[Min language]] speakers, mainly the [[Teochew people]]), and the [[Hakka people|Hakka]], are all indispensable parts of the Canton community:<ref name="newcan" />:

Later in the article, Au Ku-Kap also further proposed the disintegration plan of the [[China proper|eighteen mainland provinces]] and the idea of establishing a federation between Guangdong and Guangxi:<ref name="newcan" />:

Au Ku-kap's article sparked widespread discussion and attention. This book also led to harsh criticism from Kang Youwei, who stated, "Ku-kap has deviated from the classics and should be expelled from the school." Kang also wrote to Au, saying, "Receiving your book, I was speechless and struck with a headache. You are pushing us to a dead end," and "The only choice is to sever ties with you and inform the world." Kang Youwei subsequently wrote several articles vehemently opposing Au's proposal for the provinces of the [[China proper]] to become independent, arguing that the downfall of [[India]] was due to the provinces' independence. In 1902, Han Wenju, writing under the pen name "Man Who's Worried," praised Au Ku-kap's theory of independence in the "Mianshi Tanhu Lu" column of ''Xinmin Congbao'', believing that this was a method for the Chinese people in the mainland to achieve self-reliance, and advocating for people from all over China to join this movement:<ref>{{cite journal |last=忧患余生生 |date=1902-808-18 |title=捫虱談虎錄：评论《新广东》 |url= |journal=新民叢報 |volume=14 |issue= |pages=55–56 |doi=}}</ref>:

In 1903, a year after the publication of "New Canton", {{Ill|Yang Shouren (revolutionary)|lt=Yang Shouren|zh|杨守仁 (革命家)}}, an anti-Qing figure from [[Changsha]] studying in Japan, followed Au Ku-kap's work and published an article titled "New [[Hunan]]" under the pen name "Hunan for the People of Hunan." Yang's arguments were deeply influenced by Au, also advocating the disintegration of mainland China. The article began with the statement: "The Pacific Gentleman wrote 'New Canton',; uswe the disgruntled people have read it and admired it." Yang proclaimed, "Canton advocates it, and we Hunan shall harmonize with it; Canton plays its music, and we Hunan shall dance to it; we Hunan to Canton is exactly like the straps on a chariot's horse."<ref name="newxiang">{{Cite book |title=《杨毓麟集》 |publisher=岳麓书社 |year=2008年 |isbn=9787807611097 |location=长沙 |page=26 |language=zh-cn}}</ref> Yang even likened the disintegration of the Qing Empire to the collapse of the Roman Empire and compared the independence of Hunan to the construction of European nation-states.<ref>{{Cite book |title=《蹈海志士：杨毓麟传》 |publisher=岳麓书社 |year=2011年 |isbn=9787807617594 |location=长沙 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>

The textbook "Local History of Canton", published in 1905, stated that "Canton has ethnic groups known as Hakka and Hoklo, which are neither Cantonese nor Han", considering Hakka, Hoklo, Cantonese, and Han as four different ethnic groups.<ref>我国编辑出版的乡土历史教科书选介[J]. 历史教学(下半月刊), 1988(07):2+59.</ref><ref>陈泽泓. 爱国未有不爱乡——试析黄节编著广东乡土教科书[J]. 广东史志, 1999(2):5.</ref>.

On May 8, 1905, the Qing Dynasty's [[Grand Council (Qing dynasty)|Grand Council]] sent letters to provincial governors ordering the strict prohibition of "rebellious" publications including "New Canton", "New Hunan", and "Xinmin Congbao", which all advocated for reform or revolution.<ref name="newcanptol">{{cite journal |last=夏晓虹 |date= |title=《新广东》：从政治到文学 |url= |journal=学术月刊 |volume= |issue= |pages=108–126 |doi= }}</ref>. Feng Ziyou also mentioned in his memoir ''Revolutionary Anecdotes'' that "New Hunan" vigorously advocated for the independence of Hunan Province from the Qing Dynasty, similar to "New Canton" written by the Cantonese Au Ku-kap, which was widely circulated at that time. It is worth noting that [[Chen Jiongming]] later proposed the idea of "provincial autonomy," which was greatly inspired by Au's ideas.<ref name="guangzuzhongxue">{{cite book |author=罗更晓，刘中国，余俊杰 |title=《家国之光：欧榘甲与光祖中学》 |publisher=花城出版社 |pages=4 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>.

In 1908, Au Ku-kap, who had already broken ties with Kang Youwei, along with {{Ill|Liu Shiji (Qing Entrepreneur)|lt=Liu Shiji|zh|劉士驥 (清朝)}} and others, hoped to invest in industry in Guangxi and other areas. When Au went to New York to raise funds for his Zhenhua Company, he told people that "Our current investment in Zhenhua stocks is only to pave the way for future control of the [[Liangguang]]. I have been planning this for more than ten years. If Zhenhua and Guangmei companies succeed, my goal can be achieved." In 1909, conflicts between Kang Youwei's faction and Au Ku-kap's group intensified. Several people, including Liu Shiji, were assassinated. Au had to "move around with bodyguards" and lived in constant fear. However, Kang Youwei took the initiative and reported that Au was plotting unrest and advocating for the independence of Liangguang, secretly planning a revolution.<ref>{{cite book |author=桑兵 |title=《庚子勤王与晚清政局》 |publisher=北京大学出版社 |pages=381 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. Kang accused Au in his report of "pretending to be loyal to the party, attempting to deceive people's hearts, and then betraying the party's purpose, which was severely criticized by the party leader and not tolerated. He is a man who would cunningly change his stance", "plotting unrest, mobilizing forces in the three provinces of Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guizhou, and purchasing weapons and ammunition which cannot be achieved without raising tens of thousands of funds through stock offerings", "plotting to seize power", "using the power of the governor to coerce merchants and seize their assets, planningmaking unrestuse dueof to theGuangxi's remote location offor Guangxiplanning unrest, and intending to establish independence in Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan, and Guizhou".<ref>{{cite book |author=上海市文物保管委员会 |title=《康有为与保皇会》 |pages=337 |language=zh-cn}}</ref> Kang Youwei therefore proposed to the Imperial Supreme Court to demand the return of the stock funds and requested the capture of the "ringleader of unrest Au Ku-kap". Au had to live a hermit life and eventually passed away.

After the [[Wuchang Uprising|1911 Wuchang Uprising]] in Hubei, various sectors in Canton "planned for Canton's self-preservation." On November 9, the Canton [[Consultative Bureau]] announced Canton's independence from the Qing Dynasty. The gentry class in Canton had their first taste of modern political participation during the late Qing Dynasty's Advisory Council reforms. For them, the Xinhai Revolution was an opportunity to lead the practice of Canton's independence and autonomy.<ref name="TsuiShingYan2">{{cite book |author=[[徐承恩]] |title=《香港，鬱躁的家邦：本土觀點的香港源流史》 |publisher=左岸文化 |year=2017年 |pages=237 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>. Liu Yongfu, who became the head of the Canton Militia after its independence, stated in a public announcement for calming the public:<ref name="LauWingFuk">{{cite book |title=《刘永福历史草》 |publisher=中正书局 |year=1936年 |pages= |language=zh-cn}}</ref>:

However, some people also pointed out that Canton's independence in 1911 was just a step for local gentry to break away from the Qing Empire; they still greatly desired to join the yet-to-be-established Chinese republican regime. The republican faction in late Qing Canton had a dual loyalty to "China" and "Canton." For instance, there were those who, in articles celebrating independence, distinguished this independence from the founding of the United States, the independence of Greece, and the establishment of the [[Southern Han]] state and the [[He Zhen (count)|He Zhen]] regime in Canton's history:

| source = ''La Jeunesse'', Vol. 9, Issue 4. <ref>{{cite book |title=《新青年》第9卷第4號|year=1921年|pages= |language = zh-cn}}</ref>

In Hunan, [[Mao Zedong]] and others launched the Hunan Independence Movement, opposing the "Great Republic of China" and advocating for the "Hunan Republic" and the independent establishment of countries by each province in China. This was supported by people inside and outside China, including [[Hu Shih]] and [[John Dewey]] :<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-05-07 |title=練乙錚：毛澤東曾提倡湖南獨立建國 港獨非大逆不道 |url=https://thestandnews.com/politics/練乙錚-毛澤東曾提倡湖南獨立建國-港獨非大逆不道/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817121940/https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E7%B7%B4%E4%B9%99%E9%8C%9A-%E6%AF%9B%E6%BE%A4%E6%9D%B1%E6%9B%BE%E6%8F%90%E5%80%A1%E6%B9%96%E5%8D%97%E7%8D%A8%E7%AB%8B%E5%BB%BA%E5%9C%8B-%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8%E9%9D%9E%E5%A4%A7%E9%80%86%E4%B8%8D%E9%81%93/ |archive-date=2019-08-17 |accessdate=2020-10-09 |publisher=立場新聞}}</ref>:

The disagreement between Chen Jiongming and the Kuomintang eventually led to the June 16th Incident. Subsequently, the Kuomintang and the [[Comintern]] engaged in large-scale cooperation, leading to the formation of [[First United Front]]. Later, the [[National Revolutionary Army]] launched the {{Ill|Eastward Expedition of National Revolutionary Army|lt=Eastward Expedition|zh|国民革命军东征}} and defeated Chen Jiongming. Economist [[Xiaokai Yang]] believes that during the warlord era, if warlords could "form multiple small countries and establish an inviolable order of borders," then it would be "possible to create a situation of equal competition among multiple countries like in Europe." Yang argues that the local autonomy and federalist ideology represented by figures like Chen Jiongming represent the potential for China to develop towards a multi-state system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=杨小凯：“："中华民国”"崩溃的经济学解释-格隆汇 |url=https://www.gelonghui.com/p/63660 |access-date=2024-03-16 |website=www.gelonghui.com}}</ref>. Dissident historian Liu Zhongjing believes that if the practice of inter-provincial autonomous constitutionalism had not been interfered with by the [[Northern Expedition]] of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, it would eventually have slowly eroded the power of the central government of the Republic of China. The protection of different regional warlords by foreign powers would have effects similar to the disintegration of [[Spanish America]]. Liu also believes that during the [[Five Dynasties period]] in China, both [[Lingnan]] and [[Vietnam]] were held by the remnants of the Tang Dynasty's [[Jiedushi]]. Eventually, the [[Southern Han]] state was eliminated by the Song Dynasty while the [[Tĩnh Hải quân]] became a vassal of China, which is why these two regions later took different paths.<ref>帝國、邦國與民族國家的想象, [[鳳凰網]], 2015-9-20</ref>.

In 2015, China's National Development and Reform Commission included Guangzhou, [[Huizhou]], [[Dongguan]] and Shenzhen [[Guangming New District]] in Guangdong Province as part of a pilot project to improve the welfare of migrants at an estimated cost of 149 billion Chinese Yuan, a move that sparked a war of words on the Internet. Some Guangzhou netizens expressed their dissatisfaction on Weibo, believing that the plan did not take into account the feelings of the local people, and criticized people from other provinces for not being determined enough to integrate and learn Cantonese culture, saying that they "have no obligation to distribute Guangzhou's resources to other provinces." Some people even expressed their dissatisfaction. Calling "Guangzhou shall starts its war of independence! One vote per person, we shall determine the future of our own place!" Netizens from other places pointed out that Guangzhou people are intolerant and believed that people across the country should be allowed to move freely to Guangdong. They even said that "without the foreign population, Guangzhou's economy will be paralyzed" .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-02-12 |title=廣州將改善外來人福利 當地網民不滿高呼要獨立 |url=http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/02-12-2015/21160 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213103419/http://www.passiontimes.hk/article/02-12-2015/21160 |archive-date=2015-02-13 |accessdate=2015-02-12 |publisher=热血时报 |url-status=live}}</ref>.

In January 2017, Guangzhou Wuyang Primary School launched "[[Guangzhou|''Yangcheng'']] ''Readings in Cantonese''", the first Cantonese textbook for primary schools. It received enthusiastic responses from many Guangzhou locals. However, this has set off a heated discussion on the Chinese Internet. Some people criticized the promotion of Cantonese as an obstacle to the promotion of national standard language education. "It is obviously a kind of [[Localism in Hong Kong|localism]] and is extremely detrimental to national stability and unity." They hope that the authorities will stop it. They also questioned whether this move was to build students' pride in using Cantonese. A high school Chinese teacher in Anhui named Zhang Xiaohua even said on Weibo that this was advocating Canton independence and suspected that the school violated the Constitution and many laws.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-17 |title=廣州小學編廣東話教材 網民斥「不利國家統一」 向教育部舉報 |url=https://thestandnews.com/china/%E5%BB%A3%E5%B7%9E%E5%B0%8F%E5%AD%B8%E7%B7%A8%E5%BB%A3%E6%9D%B1%E8%A9%B1%E6%95%99%E6%9D%90-%E7%B6%B2%E6%B0%91%E6%96%A5-%E4%B8%8D%E5%88%A9%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%B6%E7%B5%B1%E4%B8%80-%E5%90%91%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E9%83%A8%E8%88%89%E5%A0%B1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116193425/https://thestandnews.com/china/%E5%BB%A3%E5%B7%9E%E5%B0%8F%E5%AD%B8%E7%B7%A8%E5%BB%A3%E6%9D%B1%E8%A9%B1%E6%95%99%E6%9D%90-%E7%B6%B2%E6%B0%91%E6%96%A5-%E4%B8%8D%E5%88%A9%E5%9C%8B%E5%AE%B6%E7%B5%B1%E4%B8%80-%E5%90%91%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E9%83%A8%E8%88%89%E5%A0%B1/ |archive-date=2018-01-16 |accessdate=2018-01-16 |publisher=立场新闻 |url-status=live}}</ref>. Zhang Xiaohua also believes that the Chinese should "maintain the authority of the central government, promote national unification, and promote national integration", otherwise they will repeat the mistakes of the [[disintegration of Yugoslavia]]. Some netizens reported Wuyang Primary School’s practices to the Ministry of Education. [[I-CABLE News Channel (Hong Kong)|Hong Kong I-CABLE News]] contacted Zhang Xiaohua about this matter, but the other party refused to respond. The incident put Wuyang Primary School under pressure. The school declined to be interviewed many times, and even pointed out that the school textbooks were out of stock and could not be lend to the general public. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-01-16 |title=廣州一小學推廣粵語課本被指違法 |url=http://cablenews.i-cable.com/ci/videopage/news/497691/%E5%8D%B3%E6%99%82%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/%E5%BB%A3%E5%B7%9E%E4%B8%80%E5%B0%8F%E5%AD%B8%E6%8E%A8%E5%BB%A3%E7%B2%B5%E8%AA%9E%E8%AA%B2%E6%9C%AC%E8%A2%AB%E6%8C%87%E9%81%95%E6%B3%95 |accessdate=2018-01-16 |publisher=有线新闻}}</ref>

In November 2019, people in [[Maoming]], Guangdong, shouted the slogan "Liberate Maoming, the revolution of our times" during a protest against the government's construction of a crematorium, echoing the anti-extradition bill movement in Hong Kong at the same time ("[[Liberate Hong Kong, the revolution of our times]]" was a protest slogan created by Hong Kong politician [[Edward Leung|Edward Leung Tin-kei]]), and clashed with the police, overturning many police cars. <ref><nowiki>{{Cite web|title= 光复茂名 时代革命|url=</nowiki>https://tw.appledaily.com/international/20191130/ZO3TIXIBLYTSRVC5WWNEVRKDOQ/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/20220205161305/https://tw.appledaily.com/international/20191130/ZO3TIXIBLYTSRVC5WWNEVRKDOQ/}}</ref>

Later, some individuals began to brew the idea of ​​rebuildingrebuilding the Canton civic community and started operating [[personal media]] on other social platforms about local culture.<ref name="wainao">{{Cite web |author=[[歪脑]] |date=2023-10-15 |title="顶硬上！"—— 本土文化逐渐消亡之际，广东青年的守望与坚持 |url=https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/extinction-of-civil-society-in-Guangdong-10162023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092339/https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/extinction-of-civil-society-in-Guangdong-10162023 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-10-18 |url-status=live}}</ref>.

From March to April 2022, the Chinese government locked down multiple areas in Guangdong due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. During protests against the lockdown, some people shouted slogans advocating for "[[Daya Bay]] independence".<ref>{{Cite web |author=[[自由亚洲电台]] |date=2022-03-28 |title=评论 陈光诚：中共极端"清零" 人民忍无可忍 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/pinglun/chenguangchengboke/cgc-03282022101133.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008004349/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/pinglun/chenguangchengboke/cgc-03282022101133.html |archive-date=2022-10-08 |access-date=2022-10-03 |url-status=live}}</ref>.

In September 2022, the [[Guangzhou metro]] and other public facilities in Guangzhou were restricted due to epidemic prevention measures, leading to a large number of Guangzhou netizens expressing dissatisfaction on social media platforms such as [[Weibo]]. Some netizens even proposed the idea of "Guangzhou people governing Guangzhou" and "Canton people governing Canton." Some citizens interviewed felt that such remarks "gives people the feel of advocating for 'Canton independence'" .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-08 |title="反向扫码"才让进站 广州地铁新政引非议 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/huanjing/sc-09082022125600.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009111704/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/huanjing/sc-09082022125600.html |archive-date=2022-10-09 |access-date=2022-09-08 |work=自由亚洲电台 |language=zh-CN |url-status=live}}</ref>.

In August 2018, someone claiming to be a member of the police system within the Chinese Communist Party exposed information about China’s big data intelligence system online. The leaked information shows that the police system’s classification of “extreme speech individuals” includes individuals who advocates "Guangdong independence" alongside with those who advocates [[Inner Mongolian independence movement|Inner Mongolian independence]], [[Xinjiang independence]], [[Tibetan independence]], [[Taiwan independence]] and [[Shanghai independence]] <ref name="policedata2">{{cite web |date=2018-08-31 |title=体制内警察自爆中共大数据大情报黑幕 |url=http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/8/30/n10679384.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114143515/http://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/8/30/n10679384.htm |archive-date=2018-11-14 |access-date=2018-11-14 |publisher=[[The Epoch Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-08-27 |title=专栏文章：大情报意味着什么？ |url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/594231.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221008002514/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/594231.html |archive-date=2022-10-08 |access-date=2022-10-03 |publisher=[[中国数字时代]]}}</ref>.

On January 1, 2019, during the [[Hong Kong new year marches|Hong Kong new year march]], the Kapok flag which represents Guangdong independence movement also appeared in the [[Hong Kong National Front]] parade that advocated for Hong Kong independence. The parading group also included those who supports [[Tibetan independence]], [[Taiwan independence]], [[East Turkestan independence]], [[Inner Mongolian independence]], [[Manchurian nationalism|Manchuria independence]], [[Minyue|Hokkien]] independence, [[Bashuria]] independence and [[Shanghai]] independence .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-01 |title=數十人參與港獨遊行 要求解放西藏 釋放被關押新疆維族人 |url=https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E8%BF%91%E7%99%BE%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%83%E8%88%87%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8%E9%81%8A%E8%A1%8C-%E8%A6%81%E6%B1%82%E8%A7%A3%E6%94%BE%E8%A5%BF%E8%97%8F-%E9%87%8B%E6%94%BE%E8%A2%AB%E9%97%9C%E6%8A%BC%E6%96%B0%E7%96%86%E7%B6%AD%E6%97%8F%E4%BA%BA/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102105759/https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E8%BF%91%E7%99%BE%E4%BA%BA%E5%8F%83%E8%88%87%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8%E9%81%8A%E8%A1%8C-%E8%A6%81%E6%B1%82%E8%A7%A3%E6%94%BE%E8%A5%BF%E8%97%8F-%E9%87%8B%E6%94%BE%E8%A2%AB%E9%97%9C%E6%8A%BC%E6%96%B0%E7%96%86%E7%B6%AD%E6%97%8F%E4%BA%BA/ |archive-date=2019-01-02 |accessdate=2019-01-02 |publisher=立場新聞}}</ref>. In addition to Hong Kong independence slogans, demonstrators also chanted slogans like "Independence for Guangdong, Guangxi, and Fujian" .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-01-01 |title=元旦遊行又現港獨旗 梁頌恆憂被捕拒入政總 |url=https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20190101/bkn-20190101150221562-0101_00822_001.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102095032/https://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20190101/bkn-20190101150221562-0101_00822_001.html |archive-date=2019-01-02 |accessdate=2019-01-02 |publisher=香港东网}}</ref>. Paladin Cheng, a Hong Kong pro-independence activist who participated in organizing the parade, said in an interview that although the parade had little response in Hong Kong, it received a lot of support from pro-independence factions in China and overseas. They responded enthusiastically and wanted to fund the march. Regarding the purpose and role of this parade, Cheng believes that Hong Kong is an international platform, so "it can achieve a great propaganda effect with very few resources" and "advocate the independence of China's provinces" so that "the Communist Party's efforts to engage in Hong Kong are dispersed." , also pointed out that we need to break away from the limitations of traditional [[Pan-democracy camp|pan-democrats]] and [[Localist camp|localists]] who do not care about the separatist forces in mainland China. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-28 |title=【專訪】舉到盡頭就是獨 港獨旗手鄭俠：其實我很左膠 |url=https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E5%B0%88%E8%A8%AA-%E8%88%89%E5%88%B0%E7%9B%A1%E9%A0%AD%E5%B0%B1%E6%98%AF%E7%8D%A8-%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8%E6%97%97%E6%89%8B%E9%84%AD%E4%BF%A0-%E5%85%B6%E5%AF%A6%E6%88%91%E5%BE%88%E5%B7%A6%E8%86%A0/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229074945/http://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E5%B0%88%E8%A8%AA-%E8%88%89%E5%88%B0%E7%9B%A1%E9%A0%AD%E5%B0%B1%E6%98%AF%E7%8D%A8-%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8%E6%97%97%E6%89%8B%E9%84%AD%E4%BF%A0-%E5%85%B6%E5%AF%A6%E6%88%91%E5%BE%88%E5%B7%A6%E8%86%A0/ |archive-date=2020-02-29 |accessdate=2020-03-01 |publisher=立场新闻}}</ref>

At the end of June 2020, China passed the [[2020 Hong Kong national security law|Hong Kong National Security Law]], which attracted global attention. In [[Hong Kong police|Hong Kong Police Force]]'s operational guidelines for the law, examples of behavior endangering national security were mentioned, including demonstrators waving designated flags. Examples of flags listed by the police include the Guangdong Independence Flag that appeared in the 2019 New Year's Day parade.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-07-01 |title=【港版國安法】警首因港獨旗作拘捕 大律師：只藏有無展示不構成罪行 |url=https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200701/MVODYW3JDMQQ2T74CLLTJX7UGU/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702034143/https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20200701/MVODYW3JDMQQ2T74CLLTJX7UGU/ |archive-date=2020-07-02 |accessdate=2020-07-01 |work=蘋果日報 |language=zh-CN}}</ref><ref>According to Apple Daily, the obtained action guidelines for the Hong Kong National Security Law mention examples of behaviors that endanger national security, including protesters waving specified flags or chanting certain slogans. The examples of flags listed by the police include the "Hong Kong Independence" flag, the blue and white "Hong Kong National Flag", the "Snow Lion" flag, and the "Nine Independences" flag. According to online information, "Nine Independences" refers to Shanghai, Inner Mongolia, Tibet, East Turkestan, Taiwan, Sichuan, Guangdong, Manchuria, and Fujian.</ref>.

On October 26, 2022, Chan Taai-sam, an [[autistic]] Hong Kong independence supporter in Hong Kong, was charged with inciting illegal assembly and committing acts with seditious intent for calling on Hong Kong people to take to the streets to protest and overthrow the [[Chinese Communist Party]] on platforms like [[LIHKG]] and [[Telegram (software)|Telegram]]. He pleaded guilty to all charges in the [[District Court]]. The defendant advocated "national self-strength and Hong Kong independence" and praised the "Hong Kong independence faction" as "the freedom fighters of Hong Kong people." In addition to advocating for Hong Kong citizens to exercise and form an "independent revolutionary army", he also advocated joining forces with people from various provinces in China, including Guangdong, to overthrow the Communist regime. The defense had earlier argued that the crime of incitement was of serious nature and that the District Court had no jurisdiction to try it and should be handed over to the High Court for trial by a jury or three designated judges. In the end, Judge Kwok Wai-kin, designated under the National Security Law, ruled that the crime of incitement was a "summary crime" and the District Court have the right to try.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-26 |title=於連登提議與廣東省聯手推翻共產黨 22歲自閉症外賣員認煽動罪 還柙候判 |url=https://www.inmediahk.net/node/%E7%A4%BE%E9%81%8B/%E6%96%BC%E9%80%A3%E7%99%BB%E6%8F%90%E8%AD%B0%E8%88%87%E5%BB%A3%E6%9D%B1%E7%9C%81%E8%81%AF%E6%89%8B%E6%8E%A8%E7%BF%BB%E5%85%B1%E7%94%A2%E9%BB%A8-22%E6%AD%B2%E8%87%AA%E9%96%89%E7%97%87%E5%A4%96%E8%B3%A3%E5%93%A1%E8%AA%8D%E7%85%BD%E5%8B%95%E7%BD%AA-%E9%82%84%E6%9F%99%E5%80%99%E5%88%A4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110082945/https://www.inmediahk.net/node/%E7%A4%BE%E9%81%8B/%E6%96%BC%E9%80%A3%E7%99%BB%E6%8F%90%E8%AD%B0%E8%88%87%E5%BB%A3%E6%9D%B1%E7%9C%81%E8%81%AF%E6%89%8B%E6%8E%A8%E7%BF%BB%E5%85%B1%E7%94%A2%E9%BB%A8-22%E6%AD%B2%E8%87%AA%E9%96%89%E7%97%87%E5%A4%96%E8%B3%A3%E5%93%A1%E8%AA%8D%E7%85%BD%E5%8B%95%E7%BD%AA-%E9%82%84%E6%9F%99%E5%80%99%E5%88%A4 |archive-date=2022-11-10 |access-date=2023-01-05 |work=[[香港独立媒体]] |language=zh-hk}}</ref>. On November 15, Chan Taai-sam was sentenced to 12 months in prison by the District Court.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-15 |title=青年認網上煽惑非法集結判囚12個月 官慨嘆為何單純善良自閉患者變暴力推手 |url=https://hk.news.yahoo.com/%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E8%AA%8D%E7%B6%B2%E4%B8%8A%E7%85%BD%E6%83%91%E9%9D%9E%E6%B3%95%E9%9B%86%E7%B5%90%E5%88%A4%E5%9B%9A12%E5%80%8B%E6%9C%88-%E5%AE%98%E6%85%A8%E5%98%86%E7%82%BA%E4%BD%95%E5%96%AE%E7%B4%94%E5%96%84%E8%89%AF%E8%87%AA%E9%96%89%E6%82%A3%E8%80%85%E8%AE%8A%E6%9A%B4%E5%8A%9B%E6%8E%A8%E6%89%8B-095603045.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105135214/https://hk.news.yahoo.com/%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E8%AA%8D%E7%B6%B2%E4%B8%8A%E7%85%BD%E6%83%91%E9%9D%9E%E6%B3%95%E9%9B%86%E7%B5%90%E5%88%A4%E5%9B%9A12%E5%80%8B%E6%9C%88-%E5%AE%98%E6%85%A8%E5%98%86%E7%82%BA%E4%BD%95%E5%96%AE%E7%B4%94%E5%96%84%E8%89%AF%E8%87%AA%E9%96%89%E6%82%A3%E8%80%85%E8%AE%8A%E6%9A%B4%E5%8A%9B%E6%8E%A8%E6%89%8B-095603045.html |archive-date=2023-01-05 |access-date=2023-01-05 |work=[[雅虎新闻]] |language=zh-hk}}</ref>.

On January 5, 2023, Wong Jeun-git, a man who worked as a courier in Hong Kong, was sentenced at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Court for content he posted on multiple social media in early 2021. In addition to making remarks advocating "Guangdong independence", the defendant also reposted remarks such as the wrong clip of the national anthem. Therefore, he was charged with "committing one or more acts with seditious intent." In his judgment, Chief Magistrate Victor So Wai-tak, designated judge under the Hong Kong National Security Law, held that the defendant not only shared other people's information, but also personally produced and wrote the content. The content promoted local independence in the mainland, split the country, and advocated the use of force to carry out "revolution", "uprising" and "war", it was believed that the defendant's remarks clearly threatened public safety. In order to prevent others from implementing these extreme illegal ideas, a deterrent penalty must be imposed, so the defendant was sentenced to 8 months in prison.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-05 |title=持續發布逾百條具煽動意圖帖文 男子被判監禁8個月 |url=https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1682675-20230105.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105204103/https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/ch/component/k2/1682675-20230105.htm |archive-date=2023-01-05 |accessdate= |work=[[香港电台]] |language=zh-hk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-01-05 |title=【香港法庭】速遞員認網上發煽動帖文 官指言論威脅公共安全判囚8個月 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hk-court-song-01052023060700.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111222456/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/htm/hk-court-song-01052023060700.html |archive-date=2023-01-11 |accessdate= |work=[[自由亚洲电台]] |language=zh-hk}}</ref>.

In August 2019, during the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|anti-extradition bill movement in Hong Kong]], a number of posters with the words "Independence for Canton", "Cantonia Independence" and the "tricolor Kapok Flag" appeared on the [[Lennon Wall (Hong Kong)|Lennon Wall]] near the [[Fortress Hill Station]] .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-08-18 |title=Hong Kong Extradition Bill Protests Photo Gallery |url=https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-extradition9.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207232939/https://www.globalphotos.org/hk-extradition9.htm |archive-date=2023-02-07 |access-date=2023-02-07 |publisher=World Photo Gallery}}</ref>.

On August 23, 2019, the anti-communist independence movement political party conference jointly organized by the {{Ill|[[Shanghai National Party|lt=Shanghai National Party|zh|上海民族黨}}]] and the [[Uyghur American Association]] was held at [[Capitol Hill]] in [[Washington D.C.]], the capital of the United States. Participants include supporters of the [[Hong Kong independence|independence movements in Hong Kong]], [[East Turkestan]], [[Southern Mongolia]], Guangdong and other places, as well as pro-democracy activists in the People's Republic of China.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-07-31 |title=独派人士下月聚首华府 向中国霸权说不 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/us-meeting-07312019073835.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922151501/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/us-meeting-07312019073835.html |archive-date=2019-09-22 |accessdate=2019-12-19 |publisher=自由亚洲电台}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-18 |title=首屆反共獨立運動政黨會議在華盛頓召開 |url=https://cn.rti.tw/radio/programMessageView/id/108358 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219042405/https://cn.rti.tw/radio/programMessageView/id/108358 |archive-date=2019-12-19 |accessdate=2019-12-19 |publisher=中央廣播電臺}}</ref>.

On September 30, 2021, activists from different ethnic groups such as [[Uyghurs]] and [[Afghans]] held a rally to protest against [[National Day of the People's Republic of China|China’s National Day]] outside the [[Embassy of China, Washington, D.C.|Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C.]]. Participants burned the [[PRC flag]] and the [[Chinese Communist Party]] flag. The group of protestors also included pro-democracy activists who supported Guangdong independence who waved the "tricolor Kapok flag", a contemporary symbol of Guangdong independence movement. Chen Shisheng, a supporter of Canton independence who participated in the event, expressed his support for the independence and self-determination of people of all ethnic groups under the rule of the CCP, and said: "We people in Canton don't have votes, despite the fact that we also deserve the right to hold referendum." <ref name="washingtonwashington2">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-01 |title=多族裔在中国驻美使馆外举行"十一"抗议 阿富汗人士参与 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/sc2-10012021110344.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014125744/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/sc2-10012021110344.html |archive-date=2021-10-14 |access-date=2021-10-07 |work=自由亚洲电台 |language=zh-CN}}</ref>

On October 1, 2022, [[National Day of the People's Republic of China|China's National Day]], anti-China demonstrators of various ethnic groups from [[Vietnam]] and the [[Philippines]] gathered in front of the [[Consulate General of China, San Francisco|Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco]], including Guangdong independence supporters who displayed the "tricolor Kapok Flag" and expressed their opposition of China's expansion in the [[South China Sea]] and the belief that languages and culture in Guangdong are being wiped out by China.<ref>{{Cite web |title=美国加州多族裔"十一"集会 抗议中国政治迫害 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/sc-10022022135751.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209133450/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/sc-10022022135751.html |archive-date=2022-12-09 |access-date=2023-11-21 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-03 |title=中國駐舊金山總領事張建敏柏大發言 場外多個團體抗議 |url=https://www.ktsf.com/2022/10/03/china-national-day-sf-protest/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004075032/https://www.ktsf.com/2022/10/03/china-national-day-sf-protest/ |archive-date=2022-10-04 |access-date=2022-10-03 |work=[[KTSF]] |language=zh-TW}}</ref>.

On [[Human Rights Day|World Human Rights Day]] in 2022 and 2023, people from Canton carried the "Kapok Flag" representing the Cantonia independence movement and participated in rallies against China in [[Canada]], the [[Netherlands]], the [[United Kingdom]] and other places to declare their Cantonese identity to the world <ref>{{Cite web |last=supportuyghurs.org |date=2023-12-14 |title=Protest in Amsterdam Marks 75th Anniversary of World Human Rights Day - Support Uyghurs |url=https://supportuyghurs.org/protest-in-amsterdam-marks-75th-anniversary-of-world-human-rights-day/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214202141/https://supportuyghurs.org/protest-in-amsterdam-marks-75th-anniversary-of-world-human-rights-day/ |archive-date=2023-12-14 |access-date=2023-12-14 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=世界人权日 伦敦多族裔游行促向北京问责 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/6-12102023122647.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217063754/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/Xinwen/6-12102023122647.html |archive-date=2023-12-17 |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=WeDia |title=【英荷兩國港人「國際人權日」示威 抗議中共打壓人權】 |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/C0vAJGmodwa/ |work=WeDia}}</ref>. A young participant from Guangzhou said in an interview that his view on local independent identity was inspired by the [[Localism in Hong Kong|Hong Kong localist movement]].<ref name="wainao3">{{Cite web |author=[[歪脑]] |date=2023-10-15 |title="顶硬上！"—— 本土文化逐渐消亡之际，广东青年的守望与坚持 |url=https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/extinction-of-civil-society-in-Guangdong-10162023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092339/https://www.wainao.me/wainao-reads/extinction-of-civil-society-in-Guangdong-10162023 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-10-18}}</ref>. Some participants also stated that the protest was to oppose CCP's suppression on Canton's culture and [[Dissident|dissidentsdissident]]s.

On July 1, 2023, at the July 1 commemoration event organized by the Hong Kong exile group in London, a self-proclaimed supporter of Cantonia independence took the stage to give a speech. The speaker believed that Hong Kong was once the "West Berlin of East Asia" and had sheltered many refugees fleeing the totalitarian power of the Chinese Communist Party, which also provided him with political enlightenment. What happened in Hong Kong exposed the lie of "one country, two systems". He hoped that Hong Kong and "Cantonia" could one day establish independent countries and become "very good neighboring countries". Finally, he led the people at the rally to shout the slogans of Hong Kong independence and Cantonia independence .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-03 |title=主權移交26年｜倫敦七一兩場集會悼抗爭者 500人出席分享感受：冇得恐懼咁多 |url=https://thechasernews.co.uk/%E5%80%AB%E6%95%A6%E4%B8%83%E4%B8%80%E9%9B%86%E6%9C%83%E6%82%BC%E5%BF%B5%E6%8A%97%E7%88%AD%E8%80%85-%E7%9B%BC%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E5%BB%B6%E7%BA%8C%E4%BA%A1%E8%80%85%E9%81%BA%E5%BF%97/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708183730/https://thechasernews.co.uk/%e5%80%ab%e6%95%a6%e4%b8%83%e4%b8%80%e9%9b%86%e6%9c%83%e6%82%bc%e5%bf%b5%e6%8a%97%e7%88%ad%e8%80%85-%e7%9b%bc%e6%b8%af%e4%ba%ba%e5%bb%b6%e7%ba%8c%e4%ba%a1%e8%80%85%e9%81%ba%e5%bf%97/ |archive-date=2023-07-08 |access-date=2023-07-06 |work=[[追新聞]] |language=zh-HK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-03 |title=在英港人游行集会"悼七一" 中国粉红滋扰生事惹众怒 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/al1-07032023115747.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230712055156/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/al1-07032023115747.html |archive-date=2023-07-12 |access-date=2023-07-06 |work=[[Radio Free Asia|RFA]] |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-01 |title=英國各地港人遊行集會「悼七一」 中國小粉紅再滋擾生事 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/uk-protest-07012023193805.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717044239/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/uk-protest-07012023193805.html |archive-date=2023-07-17 |access-date=2023-07-06 |work=[[Radio Free Asia|RFA]] |language=zh-HK}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-02 |title=英国港人雪埠示威遭骚扰 伦敦悼念抗争死难者 |url=https://www.voachinese.com/a/hongkongers-protest-in-uk-met-with-chinese-harassment-20230702/7163700.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708085509/https://www.voachinese.com/a/hongkongers-protest-in-uk-met-with-chinese-harassment-20230702/7163700.html |archive-date=2023-07-08 |access-date=2023-07-06 |work=[[VOA]] |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-03 |title=倫敦港人7.1示威出席人數較往年少 流亡港人籲毋忘初心 |url=https://points-media.com/%E8%8B%B1%E5%9C%8B-%E6%AD%90%E6%B4%B2/%E5%80%AB%E6%95%A6%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA7-1%E7%A4%BA%E5%A8%81%E5%87%BA%E5%B8%AD%E4%BA%BA%E6%95%B8%E8%BC%83%E5%BE%80%E5%B9%B4%E5%B0%8F-%E6%B5%81%E4%BA%A1%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E7%B1%B2%E6%AF%8B%E5%BF%98/ |work=[[棱角媒體]] |language=zh-hk}}</ref>.

In August 2023, [[Lai Ching-te]], then [[Vice President of the Republic of China]], visited the United States. Supporters of Cantonia independence participated in an [[Overseas Taiwanese]] welcome event in [[San Francisco]]. The supporters held signs saying "[[Taiwan Independence]], Cantonia Independence," "Disintegrate China," and the "tricolor Kapok Flag." They intended to protest in front of pro-Communist demonstrators but were stopped by the police. Interviewees expressed that there is no way to voice their opinions in China and stated, "The enemy of the Communist Party is our friend. Taiwan represents democracy and freedom. Supporting Taiwan means supporting democracy and freedom."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-17 |title=赖清德过境旧金山 加州台侨高喊台湾加油 |url=http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/8/17/n14055554.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230820143132/http://cn.epochtimes.com/gb/23/8/17/n14055554.htm |archive-date=2023-08-20 |access-date=2023-08-20 |work=[[大纪元]] |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-08-18 |title=【灣區新聞】賴清德快閃過境舊金山 有支持群眾也有示威人潮（視頻） |url=https://www.ktsf.com/2023/08/18/lai-sf-stopover-protest-and-rally/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230824152141/https://www.ktsf.com/2023/08/18/lai-sf-stopover-protest-and-rally/ |archive-date=2023-08-24 |access-date=2023-08-20 |work=[[KTSF]] |language=zh-TW}}</ref>

On August 31, 2023, the fourth anniversary of the [[2019 Prince Edward station attack]], a group of Hong Kong people held a commemorative gathering at the [[San Leandro]] Marina Park in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]]. Among them were supporters from Guangdong, displaying the "tricolor Kapok Flag" symbolizing Canton independence and localism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-01 |title="831"四周年 南北加州港人举行悼念活动 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/sc-09012023143710.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230922205431/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/gangtai/sc-09012023143710.html |archive-date=2023-09-22 |access-date=2023-09-07 |work=[[自由亚洲电台]] |language=zh-cn}}</ref>.

On October 1, 2023, the National Day of China, demonstrators gathered in [[Dam Square]] in [[Amsterdam]], and [[Trafalgar Square]] in [[London]], among other places, to hold anti-China [[protests]]. Among them were individuals displaying the "tricolor Kapok Flag" symbolizing the Cantonia independence movement<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-01 |title=荷兰首都华人集会 主题："打倒中共恶魔" |url=https://www.tuidang.org/2023/10/02/694970/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092338/https://www.tuidang.org/2023/10/02/694970/ |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-10-09 |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-01 |title=倫敦「十一」遊行有示威者撕五星紅旗洩憤 全英至少9場港人活動 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/uk-protest-10012023115733.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092339/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/uk-protest-10012023115733.html |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-10-09 |work=[[自由亚洲电台]] |language=zh-HK}}</ref>. One protester carrying this flag claimed to be from Guangdong and expressed support for the Hong Kong protests, stating, "Our common enemy is the CCP. The CCP not only deprives Hong Kong people of their freedom but also carries out massacres and deprives freedom in various parts of the mainland."

In November 2023, when Xi Jinping attended the [[APEC United States 2023|APEC summit]] in the United States and visited California, protesters against China staged demonstrations at locations such as the [[Consulate General of China, San Francisco|Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco]]. Among them were supporters of Cantonia independence, who carried the "tricolor Kapok Flag" and held signs saying "Expel the Communist Criminals, Reclaim Our Territory."<ref>{{Cite web |title=What did the protesters want with Xi Jinping? |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/usa-xi-protests-11162023113106.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203135257/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/usa-xi-protests-11162023113106.html |archive-date=2023-12-03 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=en}}</ref> One participant, interviewed by the media, expressed identification with "Cantonia" rather than China as their home country, stating, "The only way out for China is for each province to become independent." They emphasized the need for not only Guangdong but also other provinces like [[Fujian]], [[Shanxi]], and [[Inner Mongolia]] to seek independence, citing the disputes caused by China in the South China Sea as evidence, saying, "If China disintegrates, the world will be more peaceful."<ref>{{Cite web |last=中央通訊社 |date=2023-11-16 |title=APEC峰會反習近平抗議遍地開花 高舉台灣國旗傳達訴求 {{!}} 政治 |url=https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202311160016.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118192012/https://www.cna.com.tw/news/aipl/202311160016.aspx |archive-date=2023-11-18 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=中央社 CNA |language=zh-Hant-TW}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=拜习会当日 加州抗议与支持习近平的群众多次冲突 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/sc-11162023060855.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119182208/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/junshiwaijiao/sc-11162023060855.html |archive-date=2023-11-19 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=zh-cn}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Web |date=2023-11-16 |title=【APEC新聞】大批示威者在舊金山中領館外抗議習近平訪美（視頻） |url=https://www.ktsf.com/2023/11/16/apec-chinese-consulate-protest/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118010349/https://www.ktsf.com/2023/11/16/apec-chinese-consulate-protest/ |archive-date=2023-11-18 |access-date=2023-11-17 |website=KTSF.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=在拜習會之際 有大批示威者在三藩市中領館外抗議習近平的到來 11.15（粵） |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Q50dNQEO8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117214723/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7Q50dNQEO8 |archive-date=2023-11-17 |language=zh-Hans-CN}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=【APEC反习近平集会 {{!}} 示威者支持广东独立】 |url=https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dgvjoPz5EP8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119222523/https://www.youtube.com/shorts/dgvjoPz5EP8 |archive-date=2023-11-19 |language=zh-Hans-CN |accessdate=2023-11-19 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 12, 2018, media reported that various public facilities in Guangzhou were inscribed with slogans in Traditional Chinese characters. The slogans included phrases such as "Guangzhou Independence, Hong Kong Add Oil," "Canton Independence," and "Free Cantonia." These phrases were found on transportation vehicles and pedestrian pathways, including at the {{Ill|The Memorial Museum of the Generalissimo Sun Yat-sen's Mansion|zh|孫中山大元帥府紀念館}} bus station, Xin Hong Garden bus station, and the backs of seats on several buses. The fonts of the phrases appearing in different locations were similar, leading to suspicions that it was the work of the same individual. Later, it was confirmed through Facebook that the person responsible was Ng Wai-ho, a supporter of Guangdong. He was subsequently detained by the national security department for several months and was made to write a statement of repentance. Some pro-China media outlets, such as Hong Kong's [[Oriental Press Group|Oriental Press]], believe that this reflects the "unhealthy trend of (pursuing) independence" from Hong Kong spreading to the mainland and consider such random graffiti in public places to be against public morality.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2018-03-12 |title=獨立歪風蔓延 廣州多處現「廣獨」字句 |url=http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20180312/bkn-20180312111957470-0312_00822_001.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312144940/http://hk.on.cc/hk/bkn/cnt/news/20180312/bkn-20180312111957470-0312_00822_001.html |archive-date=2018-03-12 |accessdate=2018-03-12 |publisher=香港东网 |url-status=dead}}</ref>. According to a Twitter user with 110,000 followers, "After the appearance of 'Hong Kong Independence' banners and posters last year, even Guangzhou has 'Guangdong Independence' slogans, and the independence trend is spreading to mainland China!" He also said, "Hong Kong independence supporters pays homage to Cantonia independence supporters, as Hong Kong independence movement is a natural ally of Cantonia independence movement." Some netizens do not believe that it was done by people from Guangzhou, thinking that they do not understand Traditional Chinese characters. "Guangzhou independence in Traditional Chinese characters? Hong Kong cockroaches surely are good at camouflaging." Some netizens also think that Guangzhou's independence is not good enough and believe that "Guangdong independence would be more appropriate." Some netizens who support Hong Kong independence express their admiration, believing that there is only one path to democracy in China, and Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai, the Northeast, and Tibet should all become independent to break free from the control of the central government, which would help preserve cultural heritage and improve living standards. They suggest that the central government only needs to control Hebei and Beijing. Some Hong Kong netizens also post messages like "Keep it up, Guangzhou! Hong Kong citizens send their congratulations."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-13 |title=穗公交车站赫然出现"广东独立""广州独立""香港加油"涂鸦 |url=http://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20180313-%E7%A9%97%E5%85%AC%E4%BA%A4%E8%BD%A6%E7%AB%99%E8%B5%AB%E7%84%B6%E5%87%BA%E7%8E%B0%E5%B9%BF%E4%B8%9C%E7%8B%AC%E7%AB%8B%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E%E7%8B%AC%E7%AB%8B%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%8A%A0%E6%B2%B9%E6%B6%82%E9%B8%A6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200301100733/http://www.rfi.fr/cn/%E4%B8%AD%E5%9B%BD/20180313-%E7%A9%97%E5%85%AC%E4%BA%A4%E8%BD%A6%E7%AB%99%E8%B5%AB%E7%84%B6%E5%87%BA%E7%8E%B0%E5%B9%BF%E4%B8%9C%E7%8B%AC%E7%AB%8B%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E%E7%8B%AC%E7%AB%8B%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%8A%A0%E6%B2%B9%E6%B6%82%E9%B8%A6 |archive-date=2020-03-01 |accessdate=2020-03-01 |publisher=RFI |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=&#x27;Independence For Guangzhou&#x27; Slogans Seen on Streets of Southern Chinese City |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/independence-for-guangzhou-slogans-seen-streets-of-southern-chinese-city-03132018101338.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231110022325/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/independence-for-guangzhou-slogans-seen-streets-of-southern-chinese-city-03132018101338.html |archive-date=2023-11-10 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=en |url-status=live}}</ref>

Some rights activists, in interviews with foreign media, stated that this is due to local people's unbearable suffering from the Chinese Communist Party's suppression of Cantonese culture and its disregard for people's demands, leading to acts of resistance. Liu Kim-ho, a rights activist in Guangzhou, told [[Radio Free Asia]] that he had seen a piece of A4 paper near the [[Peasant Movement Institute station]] of Guangzhou Metro with "Guangdong Independence" written on it. Liu believes that the emergence of such phenomena represents social progress. However, Guangzhou rights activist {{Ill|Au Siu-kwan|zh|区少坤}} expressed opposition to the idea, stating that while they hope to promote democratic progress, they also oppose the division of the country, believing that the people of a country should stand united.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-12 |title=广州出现独立标语 并称与香港同行 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/independence-03122018090537.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129122950/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/independence-03122018090537.html |archive-date=2019-01-29 |accessdate=2019-01-29 |publisher=自由亚洲电台 |url-status=live}}</ref>. Arnaldo Gonçalves, a political scientist at the [[Macau Polytechnic Institute]], while acknowledging that the people of Guangdong have their unique identity, also questions the consistency of this movement.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-13 |title=China: independentistas em Cantão ? |url=http://pt.rfi.fr/mundo/20180313-china-independentistas-em-cantao |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190129181308/http://pt.rfi.fr/mundo/20180313-china-independentistas-em-cantao |archive-date=2019-01-29 |accessdate=2019-01-29 |publisher=RFI |language=pt |url-status=dead}}</ref>.

Dissident writer Ye Du expressed to the media that since the time of imprisonment is only three months away from Yeung's release, it can be anticipated that Yeung probably won't appeal. Some Cantonia independence parties strongly condemned the court's decision on social media, criticizing the court's ruling as "once again demonstrating the Chinese government's contempt for basic [[human rights]] and oppression of people in Canton." They demanded that the Chinese authorities immediately release Yeung Yuk-ban and called on the international community to pay attention to Yeung's case.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-02-25 |title=噴「時代革命」撐港 穗男囚9月 |url=https://hk.appledaily.com/china/20200225/ZTKC63JRLKVCPUTGS7EDOYQA5Q/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200228152428/https://hk.appledaily.com/china/20200225/ZTKC63JRLKVCPUTGS7EDOYQA5Q/ |archive-date=2020-02-28 |accessdate=2020-02-28 |publisher=香港苹果日报 |url-status=live}}</ref>.

On October 13, 2022, a protest against [[Xi Jinping]] took place at {{Ill|Sitong Bridge|zh|四通桥}} in [[Beijing]], triggering responses from people who opposed the [[CCP]] in China and abroad. On the 16th, a person who was said to be a member of the "Cantonia Independence Party"<ref name="afp2">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-18 |title=Photo of anti-China banner was taken in Los Angeles, not China |url=https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.32LM4XD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110192317/https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.32LM4XD |archive-date=2022-11-10 |access-date=2022-10-19 |publisher=AFP |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="annie2">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-31 |title=Misleading: Anti-Chinese government banner was hung in Los Angeles, not in Guangzhou |url=https://annielab.org/2022/10/31/misleading-anti-chinese-government-banner-was-hung-in-los-angeles-not-in-guangzhou/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207210630/https://annielab.org/2022/10/31/misleading-anti-chinese-government-banner-was-hung-in-los-angeles-not-in-guangzhou/ |archive-date=2022-12-07 |access-date=2022-11-02 |publisher=Annie Lab |url-status=live}}</ref> and advocated for Guangdong independence hung a banner with red characters on a white background that imitated the Sitong Bridge protesters outside the [[Los Angeles City Hall]] with slogans in Traditional Chinese Characters:<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-18 |title=洛杉磯市政廳外現白底紅字橫額 海外聲援北京四通橋「勇士」 |url=https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/support-10182022062718.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221019054846/https://www.rfa.org/cantonese/news/support-10182022062718.html |archive-date=2022-10-19 |access-date=2022-10-19 |publisher=自由亚洲电台 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-19 |title=「不要廣東要粵國」 反習示威全球遍地開花 |url=https://www.ftvnews.com.tw/news/detail/2022A19P14M1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221104185051/https://www.ftvnews.com.tw/news/detail/2022A19P14M1 |archive-date=2022-11-04 |access-date=2022-11-02 |publisher=[[民视新闻网]] |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-22 |title=廣州出現抗議布條照片「不要廣東要粵國」 MyGoPen：地點有誤 |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4098260 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221102224138/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4098260 |archive-date=2022-11-02 |access-date=2022-11-02 |publisher=[[自由时报]] |url-status=live}}</ref>:

[Reject (the excessive) [[PCR test|PCR tests]]s and demand the rule of law; reject lockdown and demand freedom; reject the Chinese language and demand our own mother tongue; reject slavery and demand independence; reject China and demand the disintegration of China; reject "Guangdong" and demand Cantonia.]

According to reports, the [[Cantonia Independence Party]] is an organization that "advocates for the independence of Guangdong Province from China" and claims to be "a democratic party." Members of this organization have also organized protests against China in the [[Los Angeles]] area during the anniversary of the [[Guangzhou Television Cantonese controversy|Support Cantonese parade]], displaying slogans such as "[[Cantonese nationalism|Cantonia Independence]]" and "Free Cantonia." Some netizens claimed that the banners were hung in Guangzhou, and this [[misinformation]] spread widely on platforms such as [[YouTube]] and [[Twitter]]. Subsequently, media outlets debunked this misinformation through image search tools like Google Lens, and found the original posts shared by the organization on Twitter:<ref name="mygo">{{Cite web |date=2022-10-22 |title=【錯誤】廣州出現抗議布條照片？不要廣東要粵國？實為美國洛杉磯聲援四通橋抗議 |url=https://www.mygopen.com/2022/10/la-cantonia.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202141233/https://www.mygopen.com/2022/10/la-cantonia.html |archive-date=2022-12-02 |access-date=2022-11-02 |publisher=[[MyGoPen]] |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="annie2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-18 |title=反習活動遍地開花！洛杉磯掛出全繁體「廣東獨立」標語 |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4093370 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110121311/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/4093370 |archive-date=2022-11-10 |access-date=2022-10-19 |publisher=[[自由时报]] |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="afp2" />:

== PopIn culturepop referencesculture ==

In his 1999 military novel "Chinese Canton Army Uprising," Japanese right-wing writer Masahiro Miyazaki envisioned the plot of the division of South China amid Sino-Japanese conflicts. Following Deng Xiaoping's death, the turmoil in China led the successor Li Bingzhang's regime to decide on expansion into Taiwan, the South China Sea, India, and other areas to divert attention from internal conflicts. The withdrawal of US forces from Japan also led to a comprehensive crisis in Japan. The protagonist of the novel, a Japanese female painter, encountered a secret organization supporting Guangdong and Tibet independence, collaborating with the underworld, during her journey to Kashmir. China plunged into chaos, casting a shadow of war over East Asia at the turn of the century.<ref>{{Cite book |author=宫崎正弘 |title=《中国広東軍、叛乱す!》 |publisher=二見書房 |year=1995年 |isbn=978-4576950846 |language=ja}}</ref>.

The plot of Guangdong's independence is mentioned in two works of Japan's best-selling military novelist {{Ill|Ei Mori|ja|森詠}}. In his military novel ''The New Japan-China War'' published from 1995 to 2003, Mori created a fictional plot in which China's internal power struggle led to regional conflicts after the death of [[Deng Xiaoping]]. Because of differences in attitudes toward [[Taiwan independence movement|Taiwan's independence]] under the lead of [[Lee Teng-hui]], the Guangdong authorities declared independence. The Chinese Civil War thus broke out.<ref>{{Cite book |author=森詠 |title=《新・日本中国戦争〈第4部〉中国分裂》 |publisher=学習研究社 |year=1996年 |isbn=9784054006805 |language=ja}}</ref>. In the military novel ''The New Japan-China War: The Century of Raging Waves'' which is set in the fictional 2020s, Guangdong also declared its independence in the later stages of the military conflict between China and Japan and the United States .<ref>{{Cite book |author=森詠 |title=《新編 日本中国戦争 怒濤の世紀 第十一部 中国崩壊》 |publisher=文芸社 |year=2017年 |isbn=9784286183930 |language=ja}}</ref>. At the end of both novels, the troops of the "Canton Republic" join the United States, Japan, and Taiwan in the war against China.

Chinese dissident writer Wang Lixiong's novel ''The Yellow Peril'' depicts the independence of the southeastern coastal provinces, including Guangdong, from Beijing in order to protect their own interests as a result of the internal power struggle in the People's Republic of China. This eventually led to the Chinese Civil War, which eventually spread into a global war.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Wang, Lixiong |year=2016 |title=《黃禍》 |language=zh |publisher=Locus Publishing Company}}</ref>.

In the turn-based strategy game "Age of 1911" which set against the backdrop of the Republic of China, players can choose from various factions representing different forces in modern China, including the {{Ill|Canton clique|lt=Canton clique|zh|粤系}}, [[Tibet]], [[Manchukuo]], and the [[Second East Turkestan Republic|Second Republic of East Turkestan]]. The game is set in East Asia in 1925, 1935, and 1946, and players can select any faction to enter the game. In the 1925 scenario, just as in history, the [[Nationalist government|Kuomintang government]] quickly goes to war with the Canton clique led by [[Chen Jiongming]] in eastern Guangdong. The game's designers allow players controlling the Canton clique to alter history, such as unifying East Asia, unifying China, implementing federated provincial autonomy, achieving financial monopoly, or establishing the independent "Canton Republic." If the player chooses to establish a country as the victory condition, the "Canton Republic" will eventually join the United Nations after the war. However, just one month after the game's release, the [[Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China]] banned it for the reasons of the game has "serious impact on national cultural security."<ref>{{cite web |author=钟山区人民政府 |date=2010-08-17 |title=钟山区文化稽查执法人员对市中心城区网吧进行网络游戏检查 }}{{quoteblockquote|近期，网络上出现一款名为《民国无双》的非法游戏，该款游戏内容严重影响国家文化安全。按照文化部要求，钟山区文化局在接到通知后，立即组织文化稽查执法人员对辖区内互联网上网服务营业场所进行专项突击检查。}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=大庆市让胡路区人民政府 |date=2010-08-23 |title=银浪街道严厉禁止《民国无双》等网络游戏进入文化市场 }}{{quoteblockquote|按照区文化局关于制止《民国无双》网络游戏及图书进入网吧和书店经营的通知，近日，银浪街道文化稽查人员利用周末休息时间，对辖区内所有网吧、书店进行了全面检查……}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=大连经济技术开发区网络文化协会 |date=2010-08-14 |title=关于"全区所有网吧场所停止一切娱乐活动"的紧急通知 }}{{quoteblockquote|按照上级指示，禁止安装及运行《民国无双》游戏，如果电脑内已经安装，要立即卸载。}}</ref>

Since 2020, a [[tabletop game]] (later also in PC game and mobile game forms) called "Reversed Front" is being developed by a [[Taiwanese people|Taiwanese]] team. The game allows players to take on the roles of various underground forces in East Asia, facing off against the formidable conqueror known as the "Red Army" (alluding to China). Among the "rebellion" factions are regional separatists dubbed the "Cathaysian" (e.g., Cantonia and Basuria), as well as other factions such as Kuomintang supporters and the [[Falun Gong]]. The [[Global Times]] believes that this game will severely impact national security<ref>{{Cite webcitation needed|title=逆統戰 Reversed Front |url=https://www.reversedfront.tw/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415143022/https://www.reversedfront.tw/ |archive-date=2021-04-15April |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=逆統戰 Reversed Front |language=zh-TW |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=孙佳山、肖涵予：警惕分裂势力在虚拟空间煽动 |url=https://www.huanqiu.com/article/401GuxQ8RZz |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215225400/https://www.huanqiu.com/article/401GuxQ8RZz |archive-date=2023-12-15 |access-date=2023-12-15 |website=环球网 |language=zh-CN |url-status=live2024}}</ref>.

In April 1979, at the work conference of the [[CCP Central Committee]], [[Xi Zhongxun]], then the first secretary of the [[Guangdong Provincial Committee]], proposed that the central government shall delegate power to Canton. [[Hua Guofeng]], who presided over the meeting, wondered what power Xi wanted. Xi said on the spot: "If Guangdong was an 'independent country', it could only take a few years to achieve (great development); but under the current system, it will not be easy.” This speech caused a massive response at the conference .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-01-31 |title=习仲勋：如果广东是个"独立国家"早就搞上去了 |url=http://history.m4.cn/2013-01/1200356.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170831220007/http://history.m4.cn/2013-01/1200356.shtml |archive-date=2017-08-31 |accessdate=2017-08-31 |publisher=[[四月网]]}}</ref>. On October 5, 2020, multiple media reported that the [[Education Bureau|Hong Kong Education Bureau]] accused a teacher from {{Ill|Kowloon Tong Alliance Primary School|zh|九龍塘宣道小學}} of designing a school curriculum to systematically spread information about "Hong Kong independence"; the Bureau canceled his teacher qualification at the end of September. According to the curriculum exclusively obtained by Sing Tao Daily, in the summary part, the teacher mentioned that "someone has proposed splitting the country" in China, saying that Mao Zedong, the [[Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party]], once advocated the establishment of a "Republic of Hunan", and the veteran of the Party, Xi Zhongxun, also said in 1979 that "If Canton were an independent country, it would now surpass Hong Kong." The teacher asked, "In the face of these historical facts, can Hong Kong's patriotic pro-establishment faction give any explanation to the Hong Kong citizens? Isn't what they do just plain old 'rules for thee but not for me'?"<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-09 |title=【独家】宣小问题教案首曝光 误导学生歪曲事实（附内容全文） |url=https://www.singtao.ca/4596701/2020-11-09/news-%E3%80%90%E7%8D%A8%E5%AE%B6%E3%80%91%E5%AE%A3%E5%B0%8F%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E9%A6%96%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89+%E8%AA%A4%E5%B0%8E%E5%AD%B8%E7%94%9F%E6%AD%AA%E6%9B%B2%E4%BA%8B%E5%AF%A6%EF%BC%88%E9%99%84%E5%85%A7%E5%AE%B9%E5%85%A8%E6%96%87%EF%BC%89/ |publisher=[[星島日報]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-10 |title=【獨家】宣小問題教案內容全文 |url=https://std.stheadline.com/exclusive/article/380/%E7%8D%A8%E5%AE%B6-%E5%AE%A3%E5%B0%8F%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E5%85%A7%E5%AE%B9%E5%85%A8%E6%96%87 |publisher=[[星島日報]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-10 |title=被除名香港教师教案曝光 称习仲勋倡粤独遭狠批 |url=https://nyxiaozhan.com/news/1658402/%E5%A4%9A%E7%BB%B4-%E8%A2%AB%E9%99%A4%E5%90%8D%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E6%95%99%E5%B8%88%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-%E7%A7%B0%E4%B9%A0%E4%BB%B2%E5%8B%8B%E5%80%A1%E7%B2%A4%E7%8B%AC%E9%81%AD%E7%8B%A0%E6%89%B9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092336/https://nyxiaozhan.com/news/1658402/%E5%A4%9A%E7%BB%B4-%E8%A2%AB%E9%99%A4%E5%90%8D%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E6%95%99%E5%B8%88%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-%E7%A7%B0%E4%B9%A0%E4%BB%B2%E5%8B%8B%E5%80%A1%E7%B2%A4%E7%8B%AC%E9%81%AD%E7%8B%A0%E6%89%B9 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-09-28 |publisher=[[多維網]]}}</ref> Sing Tao Daily commented that the teacher's claim that Xi Zhongxun advocated for "Canton independence" completely distorted the original meaning and was "misinterpreting history." Xi Zhongxun's statement was "just a hypothesis and has nothing to do with 'Canton independence'." Some Hong Kong pro-establishment media outlets believe that the teacher was deliberately "taking things out of context".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-12 |title=【中国观察】习仲勋提倡「粤独」？ |url=https://std.stheadline.com/sc/kol/article/1736/%E6%94%BF%E5%95%86KOL-%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E8%A7%80%E5%AF%9F-%E7%BF%92%E4%BB%B2%E5%8B%9B%E6%8F%90%E5%80%A1-%E7%B2%B5%E7%8D%A8 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092336/https://std.stheadline.com/sc/kol/article/1736/%E6%94%BF%E5%95%86KOL-%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E8%A7%80%E5%AF%9F-%E7%BF%92%E4%BB%B2%E5%8B%9B%E6%8F%90%E5%80%A1-%E7%B2%B5%E7%8D%A8 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-09-28 |publisher=[[星島日報]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-10 |title=【離晒大譜】九龍塘宣小「離譜港獨」教案完整曝光 證教育局取消涉事教師教席決定合理 |url=https://www.speakout.hk/%E7%84%A6%E9%BB%9E%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/64224/-%E9%9B%A2%E6%99%92%E5%A4%A7%E8%AD%9C-%E4%B9%9D%E9%BE%8D%E5%A1%98%E5%AE%A3%E5%B0%8F-%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9C%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8-%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-%E8%AD%89%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E5%B1%80%E5%8F%96%E6%B6%88%E6%B6%89%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%99%E5%B8%AB%E6%95%99%E5%B8%AD%E6%B1%BA%E5%AE%9A%E5%90%88%E7%90%86 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129092338/https://www.speakout.hk/%E7%84%A6%E9%BB%9E%E6%96%B0%E8%81%9E/64224/-%E9%9B%A2%E6%99%92%E5%A4%A7%E8%AD%9C-%E4%B9%9D%E9%BE%8D%E5%A1%98%E5%AE%A3%E5%B0%8F-%E9%9B%A2%E8%AD%9C%E6%B8%AF%E7%8D%A8-%E6%95%99%E6%A1%88%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-%E8%AD%89%E6%95%99%E8%82%B2%E5%B1%80%E5%8F%96%E6%B6%88%E6%B6%89%E4%BA%8B%E6%95%99%E5%B8%AB%E6%95%99%E5%B8%AD%E6%B1%BA%E5%AE%9A%E5%90%88%E7%90%86 |archive-date=2023-11-29 |access-date=2023-09-28 |publisher=[[港人講地]]}}</ref>.

On September 11, 2008, [[Southern Metropolis Daily]] published a full-page report titled "If Canton was an independent economy." The article said: "Let us imagine if Canton was a country... We will try to look at China in a new way from an outsider's perspective" and calculated that if China's provinces were treated as independent countries, "the 'Republic of Canton' would become the 14th largest economy in the world (in terms of purchasing power parity)."<ref>{{Cite web |title=假如广东是独立经济体 经济总量位列世界第14 |url=http://finance.southcn.com/content/2008-09/11/content_4593860.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190130110400/http://finance.southcn.com/content/2008-09/11/content_4593860.htm |archive-date=2019-01-30 |accessdate=2008-09-11 |publisher=[[南方网]]}}</ref> Some commentators believe that the reason why the "provincial independence thought" reflected in this article has its vitality is that "China's unification is the result of military unification and cultural unification."; since people in Guangdong nearly always have a stronger tendency to self-identify as "people of Guangdong" rather than "people of China (or Han)", thus the idea of ​​"Guangdong independence" will appear from time to time even if in different forms<ref>{{Cite web |title=張三一言：省獨思潮與聯邦制 |date=17 May 2009 |url=https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/9/5/17/n2529404.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230508003811/https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/9/5/17/n2529404.htm |archive-date=2023-05-08 |accessdate=2009-05-17 |publisher=[[大紀元]]}}</ref>.

In August 2019, [[Luk Chung-hung]], a member of Hong Kong’s [[Pro-Beijing camp (Hong Kong)|pro-establishment camp]] and a member of the [[Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions|Federation of Trade Unions]], declared on his personal Facebook page that the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests#Objectives|five major demands]] put forward by Hong Kong demonstrators during the [[2019–2020 Hong Kong protests|anti-extradition bill movement]] were only part of the U.S. imperialist plan for “global domination.” In the road map he pointed out, Luk believed that the United States' plan included instigating Hong Kong's independence, inciting an independent rebellion in Canton, and dismembering China. Luk Chung-hung's remarks have also incited heated discussions among netizens who supported the demonstrations, who believed that his ideas hinted at the directions of the Hong Kong independence movement. <ref>{{Cite web |title=陸頌雄推「美國獨霸天下」路線圖：港獨只係其中一步 |url=https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20190823/H5XQ5SDSDIDR4EDSR7D6QEQYO4/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304192448/https://hk.appledaily.com/local/20190823/H5XQ5SDSDIDR4EDSR7D6QEQYO4/ |archive-date=2021-03-04 |accessdate=2019-08-23 |publisher=[[香港苹果日报]]}}</ref>

Chinese scholar [[Li Yi (sociologist)|Li Yi]], who actively promotes "[[Liberation of Taiwan|reunification through military action]]" regarding the Taiwan issue and staunchly opposes [[Taiwan independence]], believes that the emergence of independence consciousness in Taiwanese society is due to the fact of [[Legal status of Taiwan|cross-strait division]] and Taiwan's regular elections. He thinks that with these conditions existing for a sufficient period, Taiwan will develop a separate consciousness from the mainland. Using the hypothetical scenario of Canton independence as an example, he suggests that if Canton were to "hold presidential elections every four years starting from 1996," then it would also develop the consciousness of being an independent country separate from China, believing that "there are no Chinese in Canton" and viewing China as a foreign country. In this hypothetical situation, "Canton" would also revise its history and geography textbooks, defining the highest mountains and longest rivers as the [[Pearl River]] and so on. "(If they do this) starting from '96 till now, if you still want to say you are Chinese and you would like to reunify with them, wouldn't they disregard you as a lunatic?" His remarks sparked vigorous discussion among netizens both domestically and internationally. <ref>{{Cite web |title=私人聚會影片曝！中國武統學者李毅吐真心話：瘋子才要統一 |url=https://www.setn.com/m/News.aspx?NewsID=964434 |accessdate=2021-07-07 |publisher=[[三立新聞]]網}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=中國武統學者「最想刪除的影片」！李毅分析「瘋子才要統一」 |date=7 July 2021 |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3595463 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009142546/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/3595463 |archive-date=2021-10-09 |accessdate=2021-07-07 |publisher=[[自由時報]]}}</ref>

Exiled Chinese dissident writer [[Liao Yiwu]] believes that China "is best divided into 10 countries",<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-01 |title=中國流亡作家廖亦武：中國最好分裂成10國 |url=https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2750330 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406164846/https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/world/breakingnews/2750330 |archive-date=2019-04-06 |accessdate=2019-04-09 |publisher=自由时报 |language=zh-tw}}</ref>, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangdong and other places. He believes that the Chinese Communist Party is not capable of "ruling such a large country" and advocates the first step of local divisions It should be local autonomy,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-01 |title=廖亦武访谈录（三）：中国"这个帝国必须分裂" |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/zhuantixilie/lyw-09142017110537.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228042919/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhuanlan/zhuantixilie/lyw-09142017110537.html |archive-date=2019-02-28 |accessdate=2019-04-09 |publisher=自由亚洲电台 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>, thus achieving the same effect as the disintegration of the Soviet Union. As a result, his remarks were fiercely criticized by pro-establishment scholars in China, who said that he had an “disgusting stance” and would “definitely be nailed to the pillar of shame” .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-04-01 |title=一个叫嚣"中国必须分裂"的"民运人士"的丑陋嘴脸 |url=http://www.hswh.org.cn/m/show.php?classid=34&id=55967 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328183249/http://www.hswh.org.cn/m/show.php?classid=34&id=55967 |archive-date=2020-03-28 |accessdate=2019-04-09 |publisher=红色文化网 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>.

Historian Liu Zhongjing also advocated that China should be disintegrated into different nation-states, and called Canton after independence "Cantonia".<ref>{{Cite book |last=刘仲敬 |title=叛逆的巴爾幹-從希臘主義的解體到斯拉夫主義的崩潰 |publisher=八旗文化 |year=2020 |isbn=9789865524203}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=刘仲敬 |title=中東的裂痕-泛阿拉伯主義的流產和大英帝國的遺產 |publisher=八旗文化 |year=2020 |isbn=9789865524340}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=《中國密報》編輯部 |title=《中國密報》第59期 |publisher=中國密報雜誌社 |year=2017 |isbn=9781630329907}}</ref>. Some Canadian scholars who study contemporary social trends in China believe that Liu's admiration for "regionalism", including support for separatist activities in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet and other places, is extremely dangerous to China's future. Some scholars who are pro-China's establishment severely criticized Liu Zhongjing's theory for advocating the split of China, calling Liu "a scum in an imposing attire".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-03-13 |title=China's Intellectual Dark Web And Its Most Active Fanatic |url=https://supchina.com/2019/03/13/chinas-intellectual-dark-web-and-its-most-active-fanatic/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190315184826/https://supchina.com/2019/03/13/chinas-intellectual-dark-web-and-its-most-active-fanatic/ |archive-date=2019-03-15 |accessdate=2019-03-16 |publisher=SupChina |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=July 2018-7 |title=刘仲敬 一个沐猴而冠的渣滓 |url=http://www.cjzatan.com/politics/article7.html |publisher=长江杂谈}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>. In addition, many overseas scholars jointly submitted a letter arguing that Liu's "Cathaysian theory" was [[historical nihilism]], and the reason why China is China is that the unity of the [[Chinese nation]] overcame division during the formation process which undoubtedly established the Chinese history. They also claimed that Liu's theories are all based on assumptions instead of facts, and by fabricating more than 20 fictional countries such as "Cantonia" and "Yuyencia" out of thin air, his theory is no longer just academic research, but a theoretical weapon to overthrow state power. In addition, Dr. Li Junjie said in an interview that the stupidity of Liu Zhongjing’s logic surpassed [[Gorbachev]]’s. “He dreamed of splitting China into 20 pieces, and even returned to the time when there were 800 princes 3,000 years ago. Isn't this kind of research result utterly ridiculous?”, and said that his theory is an unattainable and nihilistic fantasy and no country will accept it .<ref>{{cite web |date=2021-10-25 |title=郑青垣：虚无历史的危害性探讨，驳建立在假设基础上的刘仲敬"诸夏论" |url=https://xiongmaotimes.com/?p=99344 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329195642/https://xiongmaotimes.com/?p=99344 |archive-date=2022-03-29 |accessdate=2022-03-30 |publisher=熊猫时报}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=2021-10-24 |title=刘仲敬的"诸夏"论为何不能得逞？中华民族认同感有2000年文化积淀 |url=https://xiongmaotimes.com/?p=99314 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329195643/https://xiongmaotimes.com/?p=99314 |archive-date=2022-03-29 |accessdate=2022-03-30 |publisher=熊猫时报}}</ref>.

[[Australians|Australian]] Chinese economist [[Xiaokai Yang|Yang Xiaokai]], originally from [[Hunan]], has repeatedly discussed the differences in economic systems and histories between China and Europe in his works, and envisioned the disintegration of East Asia into a multinational system and the emergence of Canton and other places as sovereign countries, which would have a positive impact on free trade. "If Hunan and Canton were two countries today, the difference in per capita income between them would be about double, and the competitive pressure would be very strong. But since Hunan and Canton are not sovereign countries, they would not be able to make a strong reaction to this competitive pressure." <ref>{{cite journal |last=杨小凯 |date=October 1999 |title=中国统一之利弊 |url= |journal=北京之春 |volume= |issue= |pagepages=84-8884–88 |doi= }}</ref> Yang also believes that the disintegration of China is conducive to political freedom and constitutionalism: "China is very large, and there are no countries around it that can compete with it, so China cannot form a feedback circle... the political force and contitions that promotes constitutional reform do not exist... There is no place for the Chinese to run. If China were now divided into seven countries, China would have accepted constitutionalism long ago. Because if any country does not comply with constitutionalism, the residents of that country will run away. For example, if everyone in Shandong flees to Canton, the Shandong government will collapse, just like East Germany."<ref>{{Cite web |title=杨小凯：中国宪政的发展 |url=http://www.aisixiang.com/data/3618.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119131603/http://aisixiang.com/data/3618.html |archive-date=2010-11-19 |accessdate=2004-07-20 |publisher=爱思想}}</ref>

When commenting on the anti-extradition bill movement in Hong Kong in 2019, {{Ill|Xie Xuanjun|zh|谢选骏}}, a Chinese scholar in the United States, believed that the CCP’s [[totalitarian]] rule in China has given rise to a growing sense of independence in more and more regions. The ideology of [[Hong Kong independence]] and related movements are likely to inspire similar "Shanghai Independence" and "Canton Independence" movements. <ref>{{Cite book |author=谢选骏 |title=《谢选骏全集第106卷》 |publisher=谢选骏 |year=2021年 |page=42 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>

On October 16, 2023, the [[Foshan]] {{Ill|Civil Affairs Bureau (People's Republic of China)|zh|民政局 (中華人民共和國)}} announced the banning of an organization called "[[Lingnan]] [[Model United Nations]]" because it "conducts debate training on sensitive issues." In June, the group planned to hold a simulated debate on "provincial constitutionalism" and "federated provincial autonomy" in the settings of the [[National Assembly (Beiyang government)|National Assembly]] of the Republic of China .<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-03 |title=【岭南博晓】省权定宪 |url=https://freewechat.com/a/Mzg2OTg0MzMwNQ==/2247483877/2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103225853/https://freewechat.com/a/Mzg2OTg0MzMwNQ==/2247483877/2 |archive-date=2023-11-03 |access-date=2023-11-03 |publisher=自由[[微信]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-31 |title=【404文库】佛山市民政局依法取缔非法社会组织"岭南模拟联合国" |url=https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/701682.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126215004/https://chinadigitaltimes.net/chinese/701682.html |archive-date=2023-11-26 |access-date=2023-11-03 |publisher=[[中国数字时代]]}}</ref>. Some commentators believe that the authorities consider this topic sensitive because "Canton once played a very important role in the federal autonomy movement" and that the debate "involves the [[federalist]] trend of thought in modern history, and (the authorities) are afraid that it will eventually evolve into the ideological trend of separatism and local independence."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Guangdong officials ban Model United Nations over federalism debate |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-model-un-11062023153151.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240103053255/https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/china-model-un-11062023153151.html |archive-date=2024-01-03 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-03 |title=广东佛山取缔一模拟联合国组织 "省权"议题敏感 |url=https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/sc-11032023155305.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107094818/https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/zhengzhi/sc-11032023155305.html |archive-date=2023-11-07 |access-date=2023-11-03 |publisher=[[自由亚洲电台]]}}</ref>

The protagonist of the {{ill|Li Yizhe incident|lt=Li Yizhe incident|zh|李一哲事件}} who posted [[big-character posters]] on the streets of Guangzhou to criticize the CCP during the [[Cultural Revolution]], [[Wang Xizhe]], a democratic activist of the People's Republic of China, once recalled his experience growing up in Guangzhou in an article that strongly criticized the [[Taiwan independence movement]].<ref>{{cite news |author=王希哲 |title=我为什么那样极端憎恶台独 ---少年时代的痛 |url=https://www.ukcdp.co.uk/wangxizhe/wang41.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123122946/https://www.ukcdp.co.uk/wangxizhe/wang41.htm |archivedate=2013-01-23 |accessdate=2018-10-04}}</ref>. As a descendant of cadres who moved south, he felt the strong xenophobic sentiment of the people in Canton. Because during that time almost all the leaders of Canton's ruling institutions from top to bottom were from other provinces, he and his classmates from other provinces often had verbal and physical conflicts with the locals. He described this xenophobic sentiment as "Canton independence doctrine" and said this phenomenon gradually disappeared during the Cultural Revolution.

As an opponent of Taiwan independence, Wang Xizhe believes that more and more Taiwanese people support Taiwan independence because, like [[Manchukuo]], Taiwan has established a central government that separates itself from China's actual operations for far too long. He believed that if Manchukuo could have existed for a longer period of time, the people in Manchuria would have a "Manchukuo people" identity that was different from that of China itself. He went on to use Canton and Shandong as an example:<ref>{{cite book |author=王希哲 |title=《力回狂澜：王希哲文集（第二卷）》 |publisher=Blurb, Incorporated |year=2022年 |pages=175 |language=zh-cn}}</ref>:

Leader of Hong Kong's [[localist camp]] and the spokesperson of [[Hong Kong Indigenous]] [[Ray Wong|Ray Wong Toi-yeung]], who advocates Hong Kong independence, believes that "if Canton, Sinkiang and other provinces in China are not independent," there is no way to achieve Hong Kong independence. Therefore, Hong Kong independence is also "an ideal imagination for the entire China." Wong believes that “different provinces and different people can freely choose the future of their place and the future of their group." "If different people and different nationalities in China are allowed to truly have their autonomy, only by breaking the framework of Grand Unification can we have the space to think about how to have our own subjectivity".<ref>{{cite news |date=2023-10-21 |title=离散时代｜专访黄台仰：最重要乃维持身份认同（上） |url=https://read.mangmang.run/p/7ef |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129122123/https://read.mangmang.run/p/7ef |archive-date=2023-11-29 |accessdate=2023-10-21 |publisher=莽莽}}</ref>. Regarding Wong's views, Huang Yicheng, an exiled social activist who participated in the [[2022 COVID-19 protests in China|White Paper movement]] in Shanghai, believes that independence based on provinces is impossible because "China's provincial boundaries and cultural geography units are staggered." and Wong does not have enough understandings of China's geography. Regarding the emerging independent thoughts and movements including Canton independence, he believes that they are "a valuable attempt to break through the shackles of Grand Unification and build a stable community." However, he also believes that some voices that only exist on social media have not been able to build a stable community offline. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-28 |title=黄意诚 {{!}} 汉人民运与台港藏维的关系 |url=https://yibaochina.com/?p=251851 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207022253/https://yibaochina.com/?p=251851 |archive-date=2023-12-07 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=议报 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Non-chineseChinese parties ===

In May 1931, [[Hu Hanmin]], who attempted to block Chiang Kai-shek's provisional constitution, was put under house arrest by Chiang; this caused the event later dubbed the "[[Nanjing decade#Intra-party struggles|Nanking-Canton Confrontation]]" and the establishment of the adversary Canton National Government by anti-Chiang factions in Canton City. In August, an editorial titled "REALITIES: Recognition is not Intervention" was published in the English-language newspaper "[[The Far Eastern Review]]" in Shanghai. The author, George Bronson Rea, argued that the foreign powers should recognize [[Manchukuo]] and that the Chinese nation is not a unified entity; in the article, he stated that the unity of China would bring disaster and opportunities for the expansion of Soviet influence. The article also attempted to hypothesize the scenario where the powers support the independence and founding of the Canton National Government.<ref>{{Cite book |url= |title=The Far Eastern Review，Volume 27 |date=1931 |publisher=G.B. Rea |language=en |chapter=The Far Eastern Review: Engineering, Finance, Commerce}}</ref>.

[[Stanford University]] [[anthropology]] [[associate professor]] Melissa J. Brown, who researches identity issues between Taiwan and China, points out in her book "Is Taiwan Chinese?" that [[Sinicization]] is a fundamental assumption in the development of Chinese civilization, underpinning the concept of "China" as a cohesive national entity. She mentions the possibility of Canton separatism, thereby posing deeper questions about the colonial behavior of [[Chinese nationalism]]. Moreover, she believes that [[Taiwanese independence movement]] will challenge the view that regions including Canton belong to China, leading to a domino effect:<ref>Melissa J. Brown. ''Is Taiwan Chinese?''. University of California Press. p. 2-3.</ref>:

}}{{clear}}Japanese right-wing commentator, writer, and journalist proficient in Chinese, {{ill|Masahiro Miyazaki|lt=Masahiro Miyazaki|ja|宮崎正弘}}, a member of the "South China Sea Issue Study Group," combines his own experiences in China to argue that not only Inner Mongolia, Tibet, and East Turkestan, but also regions including Canton, Hong Kong, Macau, Hokkien, and Shanghai, due to being divided into different economic spheres, all possess independent potential and possibilities.<ref>{{Cite book |author=宫崎正弘 |title=《中国分裂 七つの理由》 |publisher=CCCメディアハウス |year=2009 |isbn=978-4484092348 |language=ja |chapter=たとえば上海独立、広東独立という独立経済圏のシナリオ}}</ref>. Miyazaki believes that there are significant differences among ethnic groups in China, with people in Canton traditionally exhibiting a vigorous "anti-central government, independent spirit."<ref>{{Cite book |author=宫崎正弘 |title=《出身地でわかる中国人》 |publisher=PHP研究所 |year=2006 |isbn=978-4569646206 |language=ja}}</ref> Combining his analysis of the sentiments in other regions of China and the power struggles within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Miyazaki points out that China actually faces various possibilities of division because the CCP finds it difficult to simultaneously address economic, border, stability maintenance, and capital outflow issues.

After the [[2020–2021 China–India skirmishes]], some Indian media, including the famous news channel NewsX, circulated and displayed maps of China after its disintegration, in which Canton was often split into its own country named "Cantonia". Some commentators believe that this is to deconstruct China's national construction.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Review 2 |first=Mekong |date=2020-11-13 |title=China imagined |url=https://mekongreview.com/china-imagined/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105083628/https://mekongreview.com/china-imagined/ |archive-date=2021-01-05 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Mekong Review |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-04 |title=China Renames Places In Arunachal {{!}} Time to Show Real Map of China? {{!}} NewsX |website=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyh7j8TKbdo |access-date=2024-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Liberacy |first=The |date=2021-07-27 |title=China: A Prison of Nations |url=https://theliberacy.com/2021/07/27/china-a-prison-of-nations/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220623160626/https://theliberacy.com/2021/07/27/china-a-prison-of-nations/ |archive-date=2022-06-23 |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=theliberacy.com |language=en-US}}</ref>。