History of Dongguan
Although the earliest traces of human habitation in the area stretch back 5,000 years, Dongguan’s emergence as a true city is a recent phenomenon.
In 1839, at the outset of the First Opium War, large quantities of seized opium were destroyed in Humen, a town that now belongs to Dongguan. Several of the major battles of the war were fought in this area.
During the Second World War, the city served as the base for guerrilla resistance against the Japanese occupation.
Being a district of the Huiyang prefecture before, as its economy overshadowed the prefectural capital of Huizhou itself, Dongguan earned city status in 1985, and was upgraded to prefecture city status three years later. During this period the city changed its focus from an agricultural town into a manufacturing hub, with an average annual growth of up to 18%.
The city ranked 13th in Forbes China’s listing of the most innovative mainland cities, as well as 18th in Foreign Policy’s listing of the most dynamic cities in the world.
Source From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongguan#History