Why is Guangzhou called Yangcheng?

It has a connection to sheep; there seems to be a sculpture of a sheep’s head

Hahahaha, wow, that’s interesting!

Hehe, that’s amazing, OP. It is said that a long time ago, Guangzhou suffered from a famine and its people were in great distress. Then five sheep brought wheat ears; each sheep couldn’t eat all of the wheat on its own, and in this way they saved the people. That’s why Guangzhou is called Yangcheng, or simply Sui

No, no – it turns out that before it was developed, Guangzhou was covered in sheep and goats, which is why it was named Yangcheng.

No, no. Guangzhou is called Yangcheng because -- there are many people in the city who specialize in raising sheep

Support the original poster – they are really relaxed, posting such posts every day

A long time ago, there was a severe famine in Guangzhou; people hadn’t had any rice to cook for several days. Yet the officials acted like robbers, continuing to demand food from the common people as before. At that time, a father and son lived at the foot of a hill in the city. Since they could not provide the required grain, the father was captured. The officials ordered the son to deliver all the grain within three days, otherwise his father’s life would be taken. 　　The young man was very filial, but he had no way to save his father; he cried bitterly in desperation. One day passed, then two days passed, and his cries moved the five immortals in the heavens. The fairies rode on five sheep of different colors, carrying sheaves of grain, and came to the boy’s home. They handed the grain ears to the boy, telling him to plant the grains in the soil as soon as possible; by dawn the next day, he would be able to harvest a lot of rice. They also told the boy that if he encountered difficulties in the future, he should go to the foot of Poshan to find them, and after saying that, the immortals disappeared. Following the immortal’s instructions, the boy planted the grains, and indeed, the next day he harvested several large baskets full of rice. 　　The boy handed over the rice in full to the authorities. The official simply couldn’t believe his eyes; finding it strange, he grew stern and demanded to know the origin of this rice. After all, the boy is just a child; under his threat, he had no choice but to tell the truth. Upon hearing this, the official began to think to himself: If I could capture those five immortals, wouldn’t that allow me to make a fortune? So, he released the young man and his father, and immediately ordered his servants to go to the foot of Po Mountain to capture the immortals. 　　Realizing that something was wrong, the boy rushed to the foot of Slope Mountain and told the immortals to leave quickly. The immortals nodded, thanking the boy for his kindness, and then told him to quickly scatter the remaining seeds in the fields, so that the authorities would not be able to take them away and the common people would have something to eat. As they spoke, the guards arrived; the five immortals rose into the air, and the guards were utterly helpless. The five sheep brought by the immortal remained on the grassland. Just as the servants were about to catch them, the five sheep gathered together and turned into a large rock.

Incisive: victory::victory::victory::victory::victory::victory::victory:

During the Zhou Dynasty in the 9th century BC, people from the Central Plains began to migrate southward, bringing northern culture and civilization to the people of Lingnan; this also demonstrates that Guangzhou has been an urban area with a history of immigration since ancient times. Zoologists have proven that the sheep in Guangdong originated from the north, which indicates that the myth of the Five Sheep is a prehistoric myth related to settlement. Some might ask whether the ancestors who migrated to Yangcheng could also have brought dogs with them. Bring pigs and such, why bring only sheep? This may be due to the long distance. Pigs move slowly and are difficult to herd in groups; moreover, they have a negative image in ancient legends. In ancient times, dogs were totems and ancestral deities for many peoples, and were rarely raised as livestock with economic value. Compared to dogs and pigs, sheep have strong reproductive capabilities and adaptability, as well as high economic value. To this day, in Guangdong, there are sayings such as “Growing ginger and sheep yields small initial costs but greater profits” and “Sheep should never be separated from their lambs.” Plus, it moves quickly, making it easy to drive away. It can be seen that the immortals riding sheep in the Wuyang myth, aside from symbolizing their origin from the north, also reflect psychological, moral, and economic considerations. There is a scientific reason why sheep became the ideal livestock carried by the ancestors who migrated southward that day.