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Shantou, alternately
romanized Romanization or romanisation, in linguistics, is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and ...
as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a
prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
on the eastern coast of
Guangdong 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, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census (5,391,028 in 2010) and an administrative area of . However, its built-up (or metro) area is much bigger with 12,543,024 inhabitants including Rongcheng and Jiedong districts, Jiexi county and Puning city in
Jieyang Jieyang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong Province (Yuedong), People's Republic of China, part of the Chaoshan region whose people speak Chaoshan Min distinct from neighbouring Yue speakers. It is historically important as the ...
plus all of
Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...
city largely conurbated. This is de facto the 5th built-up area in mainland China between Hangzhou-Shaoxing (13,035,026 inhabitants), Xian-Xianyang (12,283,922 inhabitants) and Tianjin (11,165,706 inhabitants). Shantou, a city significant in 19th-century Chinese history as one of the
treaty ports Treaty ports (; ja, 条約港) were the port cities in China and Japan that were opened to foreign trade mainly by the unequal treaties forced upon them by Western powers, as well as cities in Korea opened up similarly by the Japanese Empire. ...
established for Western trade and contact, was one of the original
special economic zones of China When Deng Xiaoping took over as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC), he presented himself as a pragmatic contrast to his predecessor Mao, who was more of a theorist and an ideologist. Deng's main goal was to lift people out ...
established in the 1980s, but did not blossom in the manner that cities such as
Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...
,
Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an, ...
and
Zhuhai Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pearl ...
did. However, it remains eastern Guangdong's economic centre, and is home to
Shantou University Shantou University (; abbreviated STU), a key comprehensive university under the provincial Project 211 program in Guangdong, was founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council. It is the only public university that receives funding from ...
, which is under the provincial Project 211 program in Guangdong.


History

Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang Du (), Jieyang County during the
Song dynasty The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
. It came to be known as Xialing () during the
Yuan dynasty The Yuan dynasty (), officially the Great Yuan (; xng, , , literally "Great Yuan State"), was a Mongol-led imperial dynasty of China and a successor state to the Mongol Empire after its division. It was established by Kublai, the fifth ...
. In 1563, Shantou became a part of
Chenghai County Chenghai (; postal: Tenghai; Teochew: Thěng Hài) is a district of the city of Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Located at the Han River Delta in the southeast part of Guangdong Province, Chenghai spans from 116°41' to 116°54' E longitud ...
in Chao Prefecture (
Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...
). As early as 1574, Shantou had been called Shashanping (). In the seventeenth century, a cannon platform called Shashantou Cannon () was made here, and the place name later was shortened to "Shantou". Locally it has been referred to as Kialat. Connecting to Shantou across the
Queshi Bridge The Queshi Bridge (), in Shantou, China, is among the world's longest bridges. Its long span of ranks it among the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world. See also * Shantou Bay Bridge * List of largest cable-stayed bridges This list ranks ...
is Queshi () which had been known by the local people through the 19th century as Kakchio. It was the main site for the American and British consulates. Today the area is a scenic park but some of the structures from its earlier history are somewhat preserved. In 1860, Shantou was opened for foreigners and became a trading port according to
Treaty of Tientsin The Treaty of Tientsin, also known as the Treaty of Tianjin, is a collective name for several documents signed at Tianjin (then Postal Map Romanization, romanized as Tientsin) in June 1858. The Qing Empire, Qing dynasty, Russian Empire, Secon ...
. It became a city in 1919, and was separated from Chenghai in 1921. 1922 saw the devastating Swatow Typhoon, which killed 5,000 out of the 65,000 people then inhabiting the city. Some nearby villages were totally destroyed. Several ships near the coast were totally wrecked. Other ones were blown as far as two miles inland. The area around the city had around another 50,000 casualties. The total death toll was above 60,000, and may have been higher than 100,000. In the 1930s, as a transport hub and a merchandise distribution centre in Southeast China, Shantou Port's cargo throughput ranked third in the country. A brief account of a visit to the city in English during this period is the English accountant Max Relton's ''A Man in the East: A Journey through French Indo-China'' (Michael Joseph Ltd., London, 1939). On 21 June 1939, Japanese troops invaded Shantou. Japanese forces occupied Shantou until 15 August 1945. The Communist
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five service branches: the Ground Force, Navy, Air Force, ...
captured Shantou on 24 October 1949, 23 days after the People's Republic of China was founded. With higher-level administrative authority, Shantou governed
Chaozhou City Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sout ...
and Jieyang City from 1983 to 1989.


Geography

Shantou is located in eastern Guangdong with latitude spanning 23°02′33″ – 23°38′50″ N and longitude 116°14′40″ – 117°19′35″ E; the
Tropic of Cancer The Tropic of Cancer, which is also referred to as the Northern Tropic, is the most northerly circle of latitude on Earth at which the Sun can be directly overhead. This occurs on the June solstice, when the Northern Hemisphere is tilted toward ...
passes through the northern part of the city, and along it there is a monument, in fact the easternmost in mainland China, at . The highest peak in the city's administration is Mount Dajian () on
Nan'ao Island Nan'ao or Nanao (), formerly romanized Namoa, is an island and county of the prefecture-level city of Shantou in Guangdong Province, China. The county spans a land area of , and sea area of . As of 2019, the county had a permanent population ...
, at ; the highest peak on the geographic mainland is Mount Lianhua (), at in
Chenghai District Chenghai (; postal: Tenghai; Teochew: Thěng Hài) is a district of the city of Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Located at the Han River Delta in the southeast part of Guangdong Province, Chenghai spans from 116°41' to 116°54' E longitud ...
. The city is located at the mouths of the
Han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...
,
Rong Rong or RONG may refer to: Places China *Rong County, Guangxi, Yulin, Guangxi, China *Rong County, Sichuan, Zigong, Sichuan, China Nepal *Rong, Ilam, a rural municipality in Ilam District, Nepal Norway *Rong, Norway, a village in Øygarden m ...
(), and Lian Rivers. Shantou is northeast of
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
.


Climate

Shantou has a monsoon-influenced
humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''Cwa''), with short, mild to warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers. Winter begins sunny and dry but becomes progressively wetter and cloudier. Spring is generally overcast, while summer brings the heaviest rains of the year though is much sunnier; there are 8.2 days annually with of rainfall. Autumn is sunny and dry. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, and the annual mean is . The annual rainfall is around , about 60% of which occurs from May to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 28% in March to 58% in July and October, the city receives 1,979 hours of bright sunshine annually.


Administration

Shantou is a
prefecture-level city A prefecture-level city () or prefectural city is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China (PRC), ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. During the Republican era, many of China' ...
. It has direct jurisdiction over six
districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
and one
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
. As of 2003, the district of Haojiang was established out of
Hepu Hepu (), alternately romanized as Hoppo, Hopu or Hop'u, is a county under the administration of Beihai City in southeastern Guangxi, China. It borders Lianjiang (Guangdong) to the southeast, Bobai County to the northeast, the Gulf of Tonkin to t ...
and
Dahao Dahao (達濠 Dáháo) is a suburban area of Shantou, China, located along the Haojiang River in the eastern coastal portion of Guangdong Province. The area extends from Guang’ao Street () westward to Shenshan Expressway, and contains the governm ...
which had been merged, 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 Chaoyang and Chaonan District respectively.


Economy

Shantou's economy is medium by
Guangdong 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) ...
standards. Manufacturing accounts for a large and increasing share of employment.
Canning Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although u ...
, garments, lithography, plastic, and toys are some of the principal products. Toy manufacturing is the city's leading export industry, with 400 million U.S. dollars worth of exports each year. Canaton Calculator Co. is a multinational electronic devices manufacturing company.
Guiyu Guiyu may refer to: *''Guiyu oneiros'' (鬼鱼), extinct bony fish *Guiyu (town) Guiyu () is a Towns of China, town created from an agglomerate of four adjoined villages totalling 150,000 people in the Chaoyang District, Shantou, Chaoyang distric ...
, a populous town in Chaoyang District, is the biggest
electronic waste Electronic waste or e-waste describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. Used electronics which are destined for refurbishment, reuse, resale, salvage recycling through material recovery, or disposal are also considered e-waste. Informa ...
site on earth. Health-environmental issues incurred have concerned international organizations such as
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by Irving Stowe and Dorothy Stowe, immigrant environmental activists from the United States. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth t ...
. In 2000, the biggest tax fraud in the history of the People's Republic of China was uncovered, estimated worthy of 32.3 billion yuan. In 2017, the analyzed data of Shantou GDP is approximately 230 billion yuan(US$35.4 billion).


Development zone

With an area of , Shantou Free Trade Zone lies at the south part of Shantou city. It was ratified by the
State Council of the People's Republic of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...
and founded in January 1993, and it formally came into use on December of the same year after its supervision installations were checked and accepted by the
General Administration of Customs The General Administration of Customs (GAC; ) is a ministry-level administrative agency within the government of the People's Republic of China. It is responsible for the collection of value added tax (VAT), customs duties, excise duties, and o ...
. It has been comprehensively developing export processing, storage, international trade, finance and information industry. Its goal is to establish a modernized international zone that is open to overseas by drawing experience from international free trade zones.


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. Shantou has direct jurisdiction over six districts and one county, and the six urban districts of Shantou have a population of 5,330,764.


Metro area

With it and the surrounding cities of
Jieyang Jieyang () is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong Province (Yuedong), People's Republic of China, part of the Chaoshan region whose people speak Chaoshan Min distinct from neighbouring Yue speakers. It is historically important as the ...
and
Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...
, the administrative
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
known as
Chaoshan Chaoshan or Teoswa (; peng'im: ''Dio5suan1'' i̯o˥˥꜖꜖.sũ̯ã˧˧ is a cultural-linguistic region in the east of Guangdong, China. It is the origin of the Min Nan Chaoshan dialect (). The region, also known as Chiushan in Cantonese, con ...
covers an area of , and had a permanent population of 13,648,232 as of the 2020 census. Nevertheless, its built-up area spread on 11 districts,
Puning Puning (; postal: Puning) is a county-level city in the municipal region of Jieyang, in the southeast of Guangdong Province, China. Economy Puning's main industries include: citrus, Plum, clothing, traditional Chinese medicine and so on. The sp ...
city and
Raoping Raoping County ( postal: Jaoping; ) is a county in eastern Guangdong Province, bordering Fujian Province to the east, and facing the South China Sea to the south. The city with the same name has 135,600 inhabitants (1990). It is under the jurisdic ...
county was home to 12,543,024 inhabitants as of 2020 census. This is de facto the fifth built-up area of China after Guangzhou-Shenzhen Pearl River Delta megacity, Shanghai-Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou conurbation, Beijing and Hangzhou-Shaoxing agglomeration.


Languages

Most residents are linguistically
Chaoshan Min Chaoshan or Teo-Swa (, Teochew dialect: ''Diê5suan3 uê7'', Shantou dialect: ''Dio5suan3 uê7'') is a Southern Min language spoken by the Teochew people of the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province, China, and by their diaspora around ...
. Chaoshan dialect is a variant of Min Nan (Hokkien-Taiwanese) spoken in the neighbouring Southern Fujian and Taiwan. There are also
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
, popularly known as Half-
Hakka The Hakka (), sometimes also referred to as Hakka Han, or Hakka Chinese, or Hakkas are a Han Chinese subgroup whose ancestral homes are chiefly in the Hakka-speaking provincial areas of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangxi, Sichuan, Hunan, Zhej ...
(), living mainly in Chaoyang District and Chaonan District, although they speak Chaoshan on a daily basis and practise Chaoshan culture. The Mandarin-medium education system, widely promoted throughout China, has made most people, especially younger generations, speak Mandarin fluently. Cantonese language TV and labor migrations to the Pearl River Delta has also made Cantonese widely spoken as a third language by the younger generations. Governmental statistics show that 2.16 million
overseas Chinese Overseas Chinese () refers to people of Chinese birth or ethnicity who reside outside Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. As of 2011, there were over 40.3 million overseas Chinese. Terminology () or ''Hoan-kheh'' () in Hokkien, refe ...
have roots in Shantou, with significant populations of
Teochew people The Teochew people or Chaoshan people (rendered Têo-Swa in romanized Teoswa and Chaoshan in Standard Chinese also known as Teo-Swa in mainland China due to a change in place names) is anyone native to the historical Chaoshan region in south ...
residing in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
and
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
, which constitute a majority of
Thai Chinese Thai Chinese (also known as Chinese Thais, Sino-Thais), Thais of Chinese origin ( th, ชาวไทยเชื้อสายจีน; ''exonym and also domestically''), endonym Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย), are Chinese descenda ...
and a majority of
Chinese Cambodians Chinese Cambodians (or Sino-Khmers) are Cambodian citizens of Chinese ancestry or Chinese of full or partial Khmer ancestry. The Khmer term ''Khmer Kat Chen'' () is used for people of mixed Chinese and Khmer descent; ''Chen Khmer'' () means Cambo ...
. This is demonstrated by the unusually high number of international direct flights between
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
and Shantou. In addition, there are at least two Teochew-speaking air hostesses on board each
China Southern China Southern Airlines Company Limited is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province and is the largest airline in China. Established on 1 July 1988 following the restructuring of the CAAC Airlines that acqu ...
flight between Shantou and Bangkok. The Teochew presence, furthermore, is evident in Singapore and
Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
;
Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...
, a coastal city situated at the latter's southernmost tip, is known as 'Little Swatow', due to the majority local
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
populace is dominantly Teochew and as well as the second largest group of the local
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
population in Singapore.


Culture and lifestyle

Shantou people share the same culture with other Teochew. The tea-drinking tradition widely practised in town is a classic instance. According to ''
China Daily ''China Daily'' () is an English-language daily newspaper owned by the Central Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party. Overview ''China Daily'' has the widest print circulation of any English-language newspaper in China. T ...
'', Shantou people "drink more tea than anyone else in China, in total 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million) each year".


Religions

Most of the population in Shantou is non-religious or practices traditional folk religions,
Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
,
Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of Philosophy, philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of China, Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmo ...
, or worship of
Chinese deities Chinese traditional religion is polytheistic; many deities are worshipped in a pantheistic view where divinity is inherent in the world. The gods are energies or principles revealing, imitating and propagating the way of Heaven (''Tian'' ), whic ...
and
ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...
. About 2% of the population belongs to an organised religion, with 40,000
Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
, 20,000
Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and 500
Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abraha ...
. St. Joseph's Cathedral of Shantou is the cathedral of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Shantou The Roman Catholic Diocese of Shantou/Swatow ( la, Scianteuven(sis), ) is a diocese located in the city of Shantou in the Ecclesiastical province of Guangzhou in China. History * April 6, 1914: Established as Apostolic Vicariate of Chaozhou 潮 ...
.


Infrastructure


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.


Utilities

Shantou's electricity is provided entirely by
China Southern Power Grid China Southern Power Grid Company Limited (CSG; ) is one of the two Chinese state-owned enterprises established in 2002 according to the precept to reform the power system promulgated by the State Council, the other being State Grid Corporatio ...
,
postal service The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal syst ...
operated by
China Post China Post, legally the China Post Group Corporation ( zh, 中国邮政集团有限公司, Pinyin: ''Zhōngguó yóuzhèng jítuán yǒuxiàn gōngsī''), is the state-owned enterprise operating the official postal service of China, which provi ...
.


Telecommunications

Shantou is one of the most important international telecommunications ports in China. Four international submarine communications cables land at Shantou submarine cable landing station, including
APCN 2 APCN 2 or Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 is a submarine telecommunications cable linking several countries in the Asia-Pacific region. It has landing points in: * Chongming, Shanghai, China *Shantou, Guangdong Province, China *Lantau Island, Is ...
, China-US Cable Network, SMW3 and South-East Asia Japan Cable System (SJC).
China Telecom China Telecom Corp., Ltd. is a Chinese telecommunications company. It is one of the red chip listed companies of state-owned China Telecommunications Corporation. Its H shares have been traded on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong since 15 Novembe ...
,
China Unicom China United Network Communications Group Co., Ltd. () or China Unicom () (CUniq in short) is a Chinese state-owned telecommunications operator. Started as a wireless paging and GSM mobile operator, it currently provides a range of services in ...
and
China Mobile China Mobile is the trade name of both China Mobile Limited () and its ultimate controlling shareholder, China Mobile Communications Group Co., Ltd. (, formerly known as China Mobile Communications Corporation, "CMCC"), a Chinese state-ownedSt ...
provide fixed lines, broadband internet access and mobile telecommunications services there.


Transport


Urban transport

Public transportation is provided by bus, ferry, bike sharing system and taxi. Residents also travel by private car and
motorbike A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...
s. There are two bridges throughout the city that cross the Shantou Harbor: the
Queshi Bridge The Queshi Bridge (), in Shantou, China, is among the world's longest bridges. Its long span of ranks it among the largest cable-stayed bridges in the world. See also * Shantou Bay Bridge * List of largest cable-stayed bridges This list ranks ...
and
Shantou Bay Bridge The Shantou Bay Bridge is a suspension bridge located in Shantou, Guangdong Province, China. Built in 1995, it has a main span of . It is nicknamed "The Goddess of Bridges". The bridge carries the G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway. See also *Li ...
. A
metro system Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
is planned with construction of 3 lines (Lines 1, 2, and 3) commencing in 2018 and opening of the system planned in 2020.


Air

Shantou previously had its own civil airport,
Shantou Waisha Airport Shantou Waisha Airport () is a military air base in the city of Shantou in Guangdong province, China. It was formerly the main public airport serving the Shantou until Jieyang Chaoshan Airport was opened on 15 December 2011 and all civilian fli ...
. It was formerly the main airport serving the Shantou until nearby
Jieyang Chaoshan Airport Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport is an airport serving the cities of Jieyang, Shantou, Chaozhou and nearby areas in eastern Guangdong Province, China. It is located in the towns of Paotai and Denggang in Jiedong District, Jieyang, Guan ...
was opened on 15 December 2011. Shantou Waisha Airport became a military airbase since then and all civilian flights were transferred to the newly built airport in Jieyang. Taxi is the usual way to travel between the airport and the city proper. The taxi fare is around 60
RMB The renminbi (; symbol: ¥; ISO code: CNY; abbreviation: RMB) is the official currency of the People's Republic of China and one of the world's most traded currencies, ranking as the fifth most traded currency in the world as of April 2022. ...
. Airport-Downtown Shantou shuttle charter is also suggested. Based in Shantou, Shantou Airlines Co. operated by China Southern Airlines has a 15 aircraft fleet in service.


Railways

There are 3 railway stations which serve Shantou:
Chaoshan Railway Station Chaoshan railway station () is a railway station located in Shaxi Town () in the Chao'an District of Chaozhou City, Guangdong Province, China, on the Xiashen Railway operated by the Guangzhou Railway (Group) Corp., China Railway Corporation. ...
and Chaoyang railway station which lie on the Xiamen-Shenzhen Railway line, and
Shantou Railway Station Shantou Railway Station () is a railway station located in Longhu District, Shantou. It opened on 28 December 1995, situating on the eastern end of Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway, and later also branching off from Xiamen–Shenzhen railway ...
which lies on the
Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou Railway The Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou railway () is a railway in Guangdong Province, China. The electrified railway, also known as the Guangmeishan railway, is named after the three primary cities along route Guangzhou, Meizhou and Shantou, and has a ...
and is under construction for the Guangzhou-Shanwei-Shantou 350 km/h high speed railway.


Tourism attractions


Shantou Times Square light show
(19:00-21:00 on Friday and weekend)
Shipaotai Park
() * Chen Cihong's Former Residence () *
Nan'ao Island Nan'ao or Nanao (), formerly romanized Namoa, is an island and county of the prefecture-level city of Shantou in Guangdong Province, China. The county spans a land area of , and sea area of . As of 2019, the county had a permanent population ...
, rated as Guangdong's most beautiful island by China's National Geographic magazine
Palace-Temple of Old Mother
(): dedicated to
Mazu Mazu or Matsu is a Chinese sea goddess also known by several other names and titles. She is the deified form of the legendary figure Lin Mo or Lin Moniang, a Fujianese shamaness whose life span is traditionally dated from 960 to 987. Re ...
, Goddess of Sea
Temple of Emperor Guan
(): dedicated to
Lord Guan Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...
* Tropic of Cancer Symbol Tower (): The Tropic of Cancer slips through Centipede Mountain, which is 20 kilometers away from the city properly. * Shantou Museum (): An art museum.
Shantou Founding Museum
(): This history museum is devoted to the establishment of Swatow (Shantou) as a treaty port in the 19th century, not to be confused with Shantou Museum.
Old town of Swatow and Dr. Sun Yat-sen memorial pavilion
() * East Coast Avenue () The
Shantou Cultural Revolution Museum The Shantou Cultural Revolution Museum () was the only memorial museum dedicated to the Cultural Revolution in Mainland China, located in the Tashan Scenic Area (塔山风景区), Chenghai District, Shantou City. It was established by Peng Q ...
() was the country's only museum dedicated to the
Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
. It closed in 2016.


Media

In 1912 Swatow had four newspapers, all in Chinese. They were '' Han Chao Pao'', '' Ming Chuan'' (People's Rights), '' Ta Fung Pao'' (The Typhoon), and '' Ta Tung Pao'' (Eastern Times).
United States Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce : The International Trade Administration (ITA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes United States exports of nonagricultural U.S. services and goods. Duties The ITA's stated goals are to # Provide practical info ...

p. 187
In 2018, Shantou Metropolis Daily Post and Shantou Special Economic Zone Evening News both stopped their traditional newspaper business and transform into e-newspaper newspapers. Meanwhile, th

(Municipal) keep providing both newspaper service and e-newspaper service for Shantou citizens and other readers.


Education

Education is overseen provincewide by the Guangdong Education Bureau.


Primary and secondary

Shantou has a host of well-known schools: * Shantou Jinshan Middle School * Shantou Number One Middle School *
Shantou Experimental School Shantou Experimental School (汕头市 实验 学校 Shàn-tóu-shì shí-yàn xué-xiào) is a public school, located in Longhu District, within the city proper of Shantou, Guangdong, China China, officially the People's Republic of Chin ...


Colleges and universities

*
Shantou University Shantou University (; abbreviated STU), a key comprehensive university under the provincial Project 211 program in Guangdong, was founded in 1981 with the approval of the State Council. It is the only public university that receives funding from ...
(STU) * Guangdong Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (GTIIT)
South China University of Technology Shantou College

Shantou Polytechnic

Shantou Radio and TV University


Sports

* Haibin Stadium (Jinping District)
Zhengda Stadium (Longhu District)

Shantou Natatorium and Diving Stadium
(Haojiang District)
Youngsters Soccer Court of Shantou Times Square
(Downtown)
Fitness square and tennis courts of Xinghu Park
(Longhu District) * Shantou Citic Golf Club(27Holes) (Haojiang District) * Shantou Jinfeng Sports Park(Including golf course, basketball fields and soccer courts)(Longhu District)


Twin towns – sister cities

Shantou is twinned with: *
Cần Thơ Cần Thơ, also written as Can Tho or Cantho (: , : ), is the fourth-largest city in Vietnam, and the largest city along the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam. It is noted for its floating markets, rice paper-making village, and picturesque rur ...
, Vietnam (2005) *
Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
, Israel (2015) *
Kishiwada is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 190,853 in 88598 households and a population density of 2600 persons per km². The total area of the city is . The city is well known for its Danjiri Matsu ...
, Japan (1990) * Saint John, Canada (1997)


Friendly cities

Shantou has friendly relations with: *
Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
, Thailand (2000) *
Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...
, Albania (2015) * Fairfield, Australia (2005) *
Federal Way Federal Way is a city in King County, Washington, United States. One of the most recently incorporated cities in the county, its population was 101,030 at the 2020 census. Federal Way is the tenth-largest city in Washington and the fifth-larges ...
, United States (2013) *
Johor Bahru Johor Bahru (), colloquially referred to as JB, is the capital city of the state of Johor, Malaysia. It is located at the southern end of Peninsular Malaysia,along the north bank of the Straits of Johor, opposite of the city-state Singapore. T ...
, Malaysia (2011) *
Khabarovsk Khabarovsk ( rus, Хабaровск, a=Хабаровск.ogg, r=Habárovsk, p=xɐˈbarəfsk) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative centre of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia,Law #109 located from the China ...
, Russia (2019) *
Leiria Leiria (; cel-x-proto, ɸlāryo) is a city and municipality in the Central Region of Portugal. It is the 2nd largest city in that same region, with a municipality population of 128,640 (as of 2021) in an area of . It is the seat of its own distr ...
, Portugal (2018) *
Libreville Libreville is the capital and largest city of Gabon. Occupying in the northwestern province of Estuaire, Libreville is a port on the Komo River, near the Gulf of Guinea. As of the 2013 census, its population was 703,904. The area has been inh ...
, Gabon (2015) *
Puntarenas Puntarenas () is a city in the Puntarenas (canton), Puntarenas canton of Puntarenas Province, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. As the seat of the Municipality of Puntarenas canton, it is awarded the title of city, which is made from the Puntar ...
, Costa Rica (2014) *
Pyeongtaek Pyeongtaek () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to ...
, South Korea (2003)


Notable people

Many notable Chinese come from Shantou or their
ancestral home An ancestral home is the place of origin of one's extended family, particularly the home owned and preserved by the same family for several generations. The term can refer to an individual house or estate, or to a broader geographic area such as a ...
is Shantou.


Entrepreneurs

*
Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
**
Huang Guangyu Huang Guangyu, () (born 24 June 1969) is the former Chairman of GOME Group, which is the largest consumer electronics retailer in China. He had a net worth of US$1.7 billion as of 2005, according to ''Forbes'' magazine's world's richest people r ...
(1969–), Chairman of Gome Group and once the richest persons in Mainland China **
Ma Huateng Ma Huateng (, born on October 29, 1971), also known as Pony Ma, is a Chinese billionaire business magnate. He is the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of Tencent, one of the most valuable companies in Asia, one of the largest intern ...
(1971–), Founder of
Tencent Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the w ...
Computer System Co., Ltd and creator of QQ **Ji Haipeng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Logan Property Holdings Co, Ltd. **
Yao Zhenhua Yao Zhenhua (born 1969/1970) is a Chinese billionaire businessman, and the chairman of Baoneng Group. Career In 1992, Yao founded Baoneng Group, which now has over 40 shopping malls in China. In February 2017, Yao was banned from China's insur ...
, the chairman of
Baoneng Group The Baoneng Group (legal name Baoneng Investment Group Co., Ltd.) is a Chinese property and financial services conglomerate controlled by Chinese billionaire Yao Zhenhua, China's 52nd-wealthiest person as of August 2020. History The first predec ...
, China's fourth-richest man as of January 2017 *
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
**
Low Kiok Chiang Low Kiok Chiang ( 1843 – 12 March 1911), also known as Jacob to his contemporaries, was a successful businessman and prominent Roman Catholic Church philanthropist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Singapore, Thailand (then called Siam ...
(1843–1911), founder of Khiam Hoa Heng entreprises (1872-1950s) **
Dhanin Chearavanont Dhanin Chearavanont ( th, ธนินท์ เจียรวนนท์; ; born 19 April 1939), known in Chinese as Chia Kok Min (), is a Thai billionaire businessman, based in Bangkok. He is the senior chairman of CP Group, Thailand's largest ...
(1939-), Senior Chairman of
CP Group The Charoen Pokphand Group Company, Ltd. (CP) (; ) is a Thai conglomerate based in Bangkok. It is Thailand's largest private company and the largest privately held Royal Warrant holder of the Thai Royal Family. The company describes itself as havi ...
, Thailand's largest private company and Forbes ranked. *Hong Kong **Sir
Li Ka-shing Sir Ka-shing Li (; born 13 June 1928) is a Hong Kong billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. As of June 2019, Li is the 31st richest person in the world, with an estimated net wealth of US$33.4 billion. He is the senior ad ...
GBM
KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...
JP (1928–;
Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...
), tycoon, the
chairman of the board The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...
for
CK Hutchison Holdings CK Hutchison Holdings Limited is a Hong Kong-based and Cayman Islands-registered multinational conglomerate corporation. The company was formed in March 2015 through the merger of Cheung Kong Holdings and its main associate company Hutchison Wh ...
. **
Lim Por-yen Lim Por-yen (; c. 1914 – 18 February 2005) was a Hong Kong industrialist. He founded the Lai Sun Group, and his family was the biggest shareholder of Asia Television. Biography Lim Por-yen was born in Chaoyang, Guangdong, and moved to Hong ...
(1914–2005), media tycoon, banker and charitarian *Singapore **
Tang Choon Keng Tang Choon Keng (; 12 September 1901 – 3 September 2000), colloquially known as CK Tang, was a Singaporean entrepreneur, who founded the Tangs department store in Singapore. Tang established Orchard Road as a premier retail district in Singa ...
(1901–2000), founder of
Tangs TANGS is a department store located on Orchard Road in Singapore, owned by C.K. Tang Limited. The store is regarded as a principal shopping destination in the city, comparable to Bloomingdale's in New York City and Selfridges Selfridges, a ...


Entertainment

*Hong Kong born **
Emil Chau Wakin Chau (born 22 December 1960), better known by his stage name Emil Chau during the 1980s and 1990s, is a Hong Kong-born Taiwanese singer and actor, popular throughout Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mainland China, and parts of Southeast Asia (Singapo ...
(1960–) actor and singer **
Kwong Wah Kwong Wa (born Chan Muk-wah on 19 November 1961) is a Hong Kong actor and singer. He is known for his portrayals of Chinese historical characters such as Lao Ai (''A Step into the Past''), Xiang Yu (''The Conqueror's Story''), Tang Sanzang (''Jour ...
(1962–), actor and singer **
Canti Lau Lau Sek Ming (; born 16 July 1964) is a Hong Kong actor and singing He was born in Hong Kong, but his ancestral home is Chaoyang, Guangdong, China. Filmography * ''Summer of Foam'' (2010) TV series * ''The KungFu Master'' (2012) * ''Zombies Re ...
(1964–) actor and singer **
Sammi Cheng Sammi Cheng Sau-man (; born 19 August 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She is considered one of the most prominent female singers in Hong Kong, with album sales of over million copies throughout Asia. Most notably in the 1990s, she was dub ...
(1972–) actress and singer **
Kent Cheng Kent Cheng Jak-si (born 22 May 1951) is a Hong Kong film and television actor. He is a two time recipient of the best actor award at the Hong Kong Film Awards. Biography Cheng was born in a poor family in Hong Kong.Interview of Be my Guest, TVB, ...
(1951-),actor *
Mainland China "Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
**
Cai Chusheng Cai Chusheng (January 12, 1906 – July 15, 1968) was a Cinema of China, Chinese film director of the pre-Communist era, and was the first Chinese director to win an international film award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Best known ...
(1906–1968), director, and his film '' Song of the Fisherman'' () received the first international film prize in China's history


Other

* King Taksin (Zheng Xin) (1734–1782), Thailand King from 1767 to 1782 *
Nuon Chea Nuon Chea ( km, នួន ជា; born Lao Kim Lorn; 7 July 1926 – 4 August 2019), also known as Long Bunruot ( km, ឡុង ប៊ុនរត្ន) or Rungloet Laodi ( th, รุ่งเลิศ เหล่าดี), was a Cambodian co ...
(1926–), Cambodian politician *
Wu Nansheng Wu Nansheng (; August 1922 – 10 April 2018) was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and reformist politician. A stalwart proponent of the reform and opening policy after the end of the Cultural Revolution, he proposed the establishment of free ...
(1922-), former Secretary of Guangdong Provincial Party Committee * Adele M. Fielde (1839–1916), missionary and author *
Qin Mu Qin Mu (; 19 August 1919 – 14 October 1992), born Lin Ashu, also known as Lin Paiguang, Lin Juefu, and Lin Wanshi, was a Chinese educator and writer. He was best known for his essays, particularly ''Travels in Xinjiang'' which is included in h ...
(1919–1992), writer *
Watchman Nee Watchman Nee, Ni Tuosheng, or Nee T'o-sheng (; November 4, 1903 – May 30, 1972), was a Chinese church leader and Christian teacher who worked in China during the 20th century. His evangelism was influenced by the Plymouth Brethren. In 1922, ...
(1903–1972), theologian, and opponent of prosperity theology *
Tan Howe Liang Tan Howe Liang, (; born 5 May 1933 in Shantou, Guangdong, China) is a Singaporean weightlifter who was the first Singaporean to win an Olympic Games medal. He did this in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal in t ...
(1933–), Singaporean weightlifting Olympian *
Chua Soi Lek Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek (); born 2 January 1947, also known as Chua Kin Seng, is a Chinese Malaysian politician from the state of Johor. He is the 9th President of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a major component party in ...
(1947–), Malaysian politician and former President of MCA *
Xu Shilin Xu Shilin (; ; born 10 January 1998) is a Chinese tennis player. Xu was born in Zhongshan, and has won five singles and six doubles titles on the ITF Women's Circuit. On 6 May 2019, she reached her best singles ranking of world No. 190. On 22 ...
(1998–), Chinese tennis player, Junior Olympic gold medallist *
Shing-Tung Yau Shing-Tung Yau (; ; born April 4, 1949) is a Chinese-American mathematician and the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University. In April 2022, Yau announced retirement from Harvard to become Chair Professor of mathem ...
(1949–), American mathematician, winner of the 1982 Fields Medal, the William Caspar Graustein Professor of Mathematics at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Hao Huang
, Chinese mathematician, solver of
Sensitivity Conjecture In computational complexity the decision tree model is the model of computation in which an algorithm is considered to be basically a decision tree, i.e., a sequence of ''queries'' or ''tests'' that are done adaptively, so the outcome of the previ ...
and Assistant Professor at
Emory University Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded in 1836 as "Emory College" by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory, Emory is the second-oldest private institution of ...


See also

*
Chaoshan Chaoshan or Teoswa (; peng'im: ''Dio5suan1'' i̯o˥˥꜖꜖.sũ̯ã˧˧ is a cultural-linguistic region in the east of Guangdong, China. It is the origin of the Min Nan Chaoshan dialect (). The region, also known as Chiushan in Cantonese, con ...
*
Chaozhou Chaozhou (), alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew, is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the Sou ...
*
Teochew people The Teochew people or Chaoshan people (rendered Têo-Swa in romanized Teoswa and Chaoshan in Standard Chinese also known as Teo-Swa in mainland China due to a change in place names) is anyone native to the historical Chaoshan region in south ...


References


Sources

* ''Miscellaneous series, Issues 7–11''.
United States Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...
,
Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce : The International Trade Administration (ITA) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that promotes United States exports of nonagricultural U.S. services and goods. Duties The ITA's stated goals are to # Provide practical info ...
, 1912.


Further reading

*(Harvard University)


External links

*
Official government website

Website of Shantou Government

Shantou Daily



HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS OF CHINA by UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
{{Authority control Prefecture-level divisions of Guangdong