China's connection with clocks dates back to the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, when Matteo Ricci used Western self ringing clocks as a "door opener" to gain entry into China and settled in Zhaoqing. Later, he presented two self ringing bells to Emperor Wanli and obtained permission to stay in China. The emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties were particularly fond of Western self ringing clocks, so the Palace Museum still has more than 2200 Western clocks preserved to this day. Many people think that antique clocks are all imported, but this is a misconception. In fact, the self ringing clocks in the Forbidden City are not all foreign goods, many of which are made in China, especially the Guangzhong. It can be said that the Guangzhong was equivalent to an official kiln and the Su Zhong was equivalent to a civilian kiln back then, "said Wei Guangwen. Originally, during the Qing Dynasty, Guangzhou, as the only trading port, "imported" many Western clocks. In order to cater to the emperor's preferences, both local frontier officials and foreign missions use Western clocks to "show filial piety" to the emperor.

However, as it was an imported product, the emperor may not have been very fond of the decorative style of this Western clock, especially when he couldn't understand Roman numerals. He made various requests for changes, such as changing Roman numerals to capital Chinese characters or embedding various jewelry on the clock. In order to cater to the emperor's taste, officials who went to Europe to purchase clocks also brought local craftsmen to Guangzhou to transform Western clocks in the Thirteen Rows, and many Guangzhou helpers followed them to learn. After some time, these helpers learned to make Western clocks and designed Guangzhou clocks based on Guangzhou's craftsmanship. At that time, the world's top clock craftsmen were all working in Guangzhou, and they would sign and sign on the movements. The high level of product quality can be imagined