Encyclopedia Judaica:
Canton, China

China: Virtual Jewish World | Shanghai | Modern Chinese Jewry

CANTON, port in southern China. The first mention of Jews in the city dates back to 878–79, when 120,000 Mohammedans, Jews, Christians, and Parsees are said to have been massacred during a rebellion. (As for the Jews this is not confirmed, since the Chinese record did not mention Jews, but a group called Zhuhu or Woto, and it has been speculated they were Jews). The figure may be correct, as it was based on the Chinese registers for the head tax of foreigners. This event interrupted the flourishing Arab and other international trade under the T'ang dynasty. There are no statistical details regarding the various ethnic groups. The existence of a synagogue in Canton was reported at a later date, but the facts cannot be confirmed from available literary sources.

Source: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2008 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.