Laolong Town () is a settlement located in the northwestern part of Longchuan County, in northwestern

Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Around 120,000 people live in Laolong town,"老隆镇概况"
Laolong. Retrieved 18 December 2014. which is the economic, political and transportation hub of the county. The town covers over 15 square kilometers. Laolong is surrounded on three sides by mountains and faces the East River in the west.

History

In ancient China, Laolong was a trading and market town. During the Qing dynasty, it was a fort defended tenaciously by

Zhao Tuo Zhao Tuo () or Triệu Đà (Chữ Hán: 趙佗); was a Qin dynasty Chinese general and first emperor of Nanyue. He participated in the conquest of the Baiyue peoples of Guangdong, Guangxi and Northern Vietnam. After the fall of the Qin, he es ...

The name of the town was changed to different Chinese characters, although the pronunciation did not change. The government of Longchuan County was based in Laolong town for 65 years.

Language and Culture

The most widespread dialect in Laolong is a regional variation of

Hakka Chinese Hakka (, , ) forms a language group of varieties of Chinese, spoken natively by the Hakka people throughout Southern China and Taiwan and throughout the diaspora areas of East Asia, Southeast Asia and in overseas Chinese communities around th ...

. Historically, the Shan'ge (also called

Hakka hill song Hakka hill songs (; ) are rural songs sung in the Hakka language by the Hakka people. They are probably one of the better known elements that reflect Hakka culture, regarded by many as the 'pearl of Hakka Literature'. Hakka hill songs vary in th ...

s) were popular in Laolong and older men and women would walk along the river singing in the mornings. The Shan'ge are often sung in duet with improvised lyrics.

Economy

The economy of Laolong has developed rapidly in recent years. In 2004, the GDP of Laolong was about RMB 6.13 billion. This includes industrial output of about 3.33 billion, agricultural output of about RMB751 million and tertiary industry of about RMB 2.73 billion. Fiscal revenue is about RMB 461 million, while the rural per capita net income (PCNIRH) is about 5586 yuan.

Transport

As the center of Longchuan County, the transportation system is more extensive than other nearby towns. Major roads include the China National Highway 205 (G205) and Guangdong Provincial Highway 120 (S120). The Beijing–Kowloon, Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou and Zhangping–Longchuan railways intersect in Longchuan, making it an important railway hub for the Lingnan region. Three rail stations and three public transit bus routes operate in Laolong.

Population

The population of Laolong town is about 120,000."老隆镇人"
Laolong. Retrieved 18 December 2014.

References

{{authority control Towns in Guangdong Heyuan