Shantou
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| Administration Type | Prefecture-level city |
| Abbreviation: | 汕 Shàn and 鮀 Tuó |
| City Seat | Jinping District (金平區) |
| Area | 234 km² |
| Population | 1.2 million city residents 4.7 million (2006) in Metropolitan Area |
| 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 |
- Geographic coordinates: 116º14' - 117º19' E, 23º02' - 23º38' N
- Area: 234 km²
| Shantou | ||
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese: | 汕頭 | |
| Simplified Chinese: | 汕头 | |
| Mandarin | ||
| Hanyu Pinyin: | Shàntóu | |
| Cantonese | ||
| Jyutping: | saan3 tau4 | |
| Min Nan | Pe̍h-ōe-jī: | Sòaⁿ-thau |
Shantou (also known as Swatow or Suátao) is a city of 1.2 million in coastal eastern Guangdong Province, China, metropolitan area 4,721,117 (calculation 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.
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[edit] History
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. In the 1930s, the cargo throughput of Shantou Port, which was a transport hub and merchandise distribution centre for Southeast China, ranked third in the nation.
As a high-level city, Shantou administered Chaozhou City and Jieyang City from 1983 to 1989.
[edit] Administration
Shantou is a prefecture-level city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districts and one county.
- Districts
- Chenghai District (澄海區)
- Longhu District (龍湖區)
- Jinping District (金平區)
- Haojiang District (濠江區)
- Chaoyang District (潮陽區)
- Chaonan Distric (潮南區)
- Nan'ao County (南澳縣): island-county
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.
[edit] Demographics
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.
[edit] Culture & Lifestyle
Shantou people, like other Teochew people, cannot live without tea. According to China Daily,[1] Shantou people "drink more tea than anyone else in China, in total 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million) each year".
Teochew opera
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Health
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.
[edit] Utilities
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.
[edit] Transport
Most Shantou residents travel by autobikes through the system of roads. However, car use has grown rapidly over the past couple of years. Shantou is also served with bus, ferry, cab and pick-up trike.
The Shantou Waisha Airport (外砂机场), 13 kilometres away from the city centre, was founded in 1956. It was estimated that at the peak period, near 2 million people, were transported through the airport. The major transportation from the city centre to the airport is taxi. The taxi fee 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 become Southeast China's biggest airport.
[edit] Tourism
- 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)
[edit] Colleges and universities
- South China University of Technology Shantou College
- Shantou Polytechnic
- Shantou Radio and TV University
- Shantou University
[edit] Relationships
Shantou has city partnerships with these cities around the world.
Sister cities (友好城市)
Since 1990: Kishiwada, Osaka, Japan
Since 1997: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada
Since 2005: Can Tho, Vietnam
Cities of friendly exchanges (友好交流关系城市)
Since 2003: Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi, South Korea
Since 2005: Fairfield, New South Wales, Australia
[edit] Miscellaneous
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[2]. 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.[3]
Shantou was the host of the FINA Marathon Swimming World Cup n° 16 on 24/09/2006.
[edit] Prominent people
Many famous Chinese come from Shantou or their ancestral home is Shantou.
[edit] Entertainers
- Hong Kong
- Adam Cheng (1947-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
- Canti Lau (1964-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
- Emil Chau (1960-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
- Rocky Cheng (1968-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), fitness trainer
- Kwong Wah (1962-; Shantou, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
- Sammi Cheng (1972-; Chenghai, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actress and singer
[edit] Entrepreneurs
- Mainland China
- Huang Guang Yu (1969-; Chaoyang, Guangdong), chairman of Gome Group and the richest person in Mainland
- Ma Hua Teng (1971-; Chaoyang, Guangdong), General Manager of Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd and creator of QQ
- Hong Kong
- Lim Por Yen (1914-2005; Chaoyang, Guangdong), media tycoon, banker and charitarian
- Thailand
- Xie Yi Chu (1896—1983; Chenghai, Guangdong), founder of Charoen Pokphand Group and charitarian
[edit] Film director
[edit] Literary figure
[edit] Royal
[edit] References
- ^ China Daily (2006). For all the tea in China, head to Shantou. Retrieved 26th July, 2006
- ^ The Seattle Times (2006). E-waste dump of the world. Retrieved 9th March, 2007
- ^ 民航资源网(2002). 汕头——曼谷航班有了潮籍空姐. Retrieved 5th March, 2007
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
Prefecture-level divisions of Guangdong
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| List of Guangdong County-level divisions |
| Economic Development Zones of the People's Republic of China |  |
| The Original Four Special Economic Zones Shenzhen | Zhuhai | Shantou | Xiamen |
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| New Open Development Zones Hainan Province | Dalian | Qingdao | Qinhuangdao | Lianyungang | Pudong | Yantai | Zhanjiang | Ningbo | Wenzhou | Nantong | Fuzhou | Guangzhou | Beihai |
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