Shantou

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汕頭市
Shàntóu Shì
Shantou Prefecture (in yellow)
Shantou Prefecture (in yellow)
Administration Type Prefecture-level city
Abbreviation: 汕 Shàn and 鮀 Tuó
City Seat Jinping District (金平區)
Area 2,064 km²
Population 4,971,900 (at end 2006)
GDP
- Total
- Per Capita		  
¥70.3 billion (2006)
¥15,532 (2006)
Major Nationality Han Chinese
City flower Kingcup
City tree Ceiba
County-level divisions 6
Township-level divisions 69
CPC Committee Secretary Huang Zhi Guang (黄志光)
Mayor Cai Zong Ze (蔡宗泽)
Area Code 754
Postal Code 515000
License Plate Prefix 粤D
Shantou
Simplified Chinese: 汕头
Traditional Chinese: 汕頭

Shantou (historically known in the West as Swatow or Suátao) is a city of 4,971,000 permanent inhabitants (as at end 2006) in coastal eastern Guangdong Province, China, occupying an area of 2,064 sq. km. With its immediately surroundinmg cities of Jieyang and Chaozhou, the metropolitan region - known as Chaoshan - covers an area of 10,404 sq.km. and had a permanent population of 13,139,800 at the end of 2006.

Shantou, a city significant in 19th-century Chinese history as one of the treaty ports established for Western trade and contact, was one of the original Special Economic Zones of the People's Republic of China established in the 1980s, but failed to blossom like other cities such as Shenzhen, Xiamen and Zhuhai. However, it remains as East Guangdong's economic centre, and is home to one of Guangdong's top rated universities, Shantou University.

Contents

The historic quarter of Shantou, which features both Western and Chinese architecture
The historic quarter of Shantou, which features both Western and Chinese architecture

Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang City (鮀江都), Jieyang District (揭陽縣) during the Song Dynasty. It came to be Xialing (廈嶺) during the Yuan Dynasty. In 1563, Shantou was a part of Chenghai District (澄海縣) in Chao Prefecture (Chaozhou). As early as 1574, Shantou had been called Shashan Ping (沙汕坪). In the seventeenth century, a cannon platform called Shashan Toupaotai (沙汕頭炮臺 sha shan tou pao tai) was made here, and the placename later was shortened to "Shantou".

It became a city in 1919, and was separated from Chenghai in 1921. 1922 saw the devastating Swatow Typhoon, which killed 50,000 out of the 65,000 people then inhabiting the city.[1]

In the 1930s, Shantou Port was a transport hub and merchandise distribution centre for Southeast China; its cargo throughput ranked third in the nation.

As a high-level city, Shantou administered Chaozhou City and Jieyang City from 1983 to 1989.

Shantou is a prefecture-level city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districts and one county.

Districts

As of 2003, the district of Haojiang was established out of Hepu and Dahao which had been merged together, and the district of Jinping Shengping and Jinyuan; Waisha and Xinxi Town, part of former Chenghai City, was merged into Longhu District; Chenghai City became Chenghai District; Chaoyang City was divided and became Chaoyao and Chaonan District respectively.

Shantou is one of the most densely-populated regions in China. Former Chaoyang City was China's most populous county-level administrative region, with 2.4 million inhabitants.

Most residents are ethnically Teochew. There are also Hakka, specifically known as Half-Hakka-Hoklo (半山客), majorly living in Chaoyang District (潮陽區) and Chaonan District (潮南區). Though they actually speak and feel Teochew. Thanks to compulsory Mandarin study in school, most people, especially the younger generations, can fluently speak the national dialect.

Government statistics show that 2.16 million overseas Chinese have roots in Shantou, with significant populations of Teochew people residing in Southeast Asia. This is demonstrated by the unusually high number of international direct flights between Bangkok and Shantou.

Shantou people, like other Teochew, cannot live without tea. According to China Daily,[2] Shantou people "drink more tea than anyone else in China, in total 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million) each year".

Kung Fu Tea

Teochew cuisine

Teochew (linguistics)

Teochew opera

The public hospitals in the Shantou metropolitan area are operated by the Government of Shantou. Management of these hospitals and other specialist health facilities are coordinated by Shantou Board of Health.

The main post office in Shantou Old Downtown (老市区)
The main post office in Shantou Old Downtown (老市区)

The dominate electricity to Shantou is China Southern Power Grid. The city's postal service is operated by China Post. The major telecommunications companies providing terrestrial and mobile telecommunications services to Shantou are: China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China TieTong.

Most Shantou residents travel by autobikes. However, car use has grown rapidly over the past couple of years. Public transportation is provided by bus, ferry and taxi.

The Shantou Waisha Airport (外砂机场) is 13 kilometres away from the city centre and was constructed in 1956. Nearly 2 million people utilise the airport each year. Taxi is the usual way to travel between the airport and the city centre. The taxi fare is around 20-30 RMB. The new Chaoshan International Airport, located in Jiedong Country (揭东县) which borders Shantou to the southeast, is currently under construction. It is expected to replace Waisha Airport in 2010 and to provide better services to Chaoshan residents.

  • The Former Residence of Chen Ci Hong (陈慈黉故居 Chencihong Guju)
  • Nan'ao Island (南澳島 Nanao Dao): rated as Guangdong's most beautiful island by China's National Geographic magazine
  • Palace-Temple of Old Mother (老媽宮 Laoma Gong): dedicated to the goddess Matsu
  • Temple of Emperor Guan (關帝廟 Guandi Miao): dedicated to Guan Yu
  • Tropic of Cancer Symbol Tower (北回归线标志塔 Beihuiguixian Biaozhita)

Shantou has city partnerships with these cities around the world.

Sister cities (友好城市)

Cities of friendly exchanges (友好交流关系城市)

The Tropic of Cancer slips through Centipede Mountain, which is 20 kilometres away from the City.

The Malaysian city of Johor Bahru, which has a significant Teochew population, is known as little Swatow.

Most taxi drivers in Shantou are of Henan origin.

Shantou, along with Shanghai, are the two SMW3 beach-landing points in China.

Guiyu, a small town in Chaoyang District (潮陽區), despite being even unknown to most Shantou locals, is the biggest electronic waste site on earth[3]. The health-environmental issues there have concerned international organisations such as Greenpeace.

In 2000, the biggest tax fraud in China's history was uncovered, estimated worthy of 32.3 billion yuan.

There are at least two Teochew-speaking air hostesses on board each China Southern flight between Shantou and Bangkok.[4]

Many famous Chinese come from Shantou or their ancestral home is Shantou.

  1. ^ Willis E. Hurd (August 1922). North Pacific Ocean. Monthly Weather Review 433-35. Retrieved on 2007-07-05.
  2. ^ China Daily (2006). For all the tea in China, head to Shantou. Retrieved 26th July, 2006
  3. ^ The Seattle Times (2006). E-waste dump of the world. Retrieved 9th March, 2007
  4. ^ 民航资源网(2002). 汕头——曼谷航班有了潮籍空姐. Retrieved 5th March, 2007

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
v • d • e
Guangdong Province of China
History • Politics • Economy
Sub-provincial cities Guangzhou • Shenzhen
Guangdong in China
Prefecture-level cities Chaozhou • Dongguan • Foshan • Heyuan • Huizhou • Jiangmen • Jieyang • Maoming • Meizhou • Qingyuan • Shantou • Shanwei • Shaoguan • Yangjiang • Yunfu • Zhanjiang • Zhaoqing • Zhongshan • Zhuhai
See also: List of Guangdong County-level divisions
 v • d • e Economic Development Zones of the People's Republic of China
The Original Four Special Economic Zones
Shenzhen | Zhuhai | Shantou | Xiamen
New Open Development Zones
Hainan Province | Dalian | Qingdao | Qinhuangdao | Lianyungang | Pudong | Yantai | Zhanjiang | Ningbo | Wenzhou | Nantong | Fuzhou | Guangzhou | Beihai

Coordinates: 23°22′N, 116°42′E

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shantou"
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