Zhongshan (; ) 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' ...

in the south of the

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

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) ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 inhabitants. The city-core subdistricts used to be called Shiqi or Shekki (). Zhongshan is one of the few Chinese cities to be named after a person. It was originally named Xiangshan (, "Fragrant Mountain";

Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...

: ''Heung-saan''), but was renamed in 1925 in honor of

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

, who is known in China as "Sun Zhongshan". Sun was the founding father of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

who is also regarded positively by the People's Republic. He was born in Cuiheng village in Nanlang Township of what was then Xiangshan County. Zhongshan983KN

Names

Until 1925, Zhongshan was generally known as Xiangshan or Heung-san (Siangshan) (), in reference to the many flowers that grew in the mountains nearby. The city was renamed in honor of Sun Yat-sen, who had adopted the name Zhongshan. Sun is considered by both the

People's Republic of 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 ...

and the

to be the " Father of Modern China", and was from Cuiheng village – now part of

Nanlang Nanlang () is a town situated at the eastern periphery of the city of Zhongshan in Guangdong Province, China. The town has a population 38,000 permanent residents and a total area of . Nanlang has administrative jurisdiction over the village of Cu ...

Town in Zhongshan.

History

Thousands of years ago, much of the Zhongshan area lay within the Pearl River estuary, with only scattered islands above the surface. Gradually from south to north, the area filled in with alluvial silt and became dry land. The northern parts of today's Zhongshan did not fill in until the time of the

Ming Dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

. The Zhongshan area was part of an extended

Dongguan Dongguan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the s ...

County during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

(618–907 AD), and was a significant sea salt producer. In 1082, during the Northern Song Dynasty, a fortified settlement called Xiangshan was founded in the area, marking the first official use of the name by which it would be known throughout most of its modern history. The prosperous settlement was then upgraded to a county in 1152. After the collapse of the

Southern 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 ...

, many descendants of Song court officials, including members of the imperial family, settled in Xiangshan. Significant land formation in the area of Zhongshan occurred since

. Under the Qing Dynasty, embankments were built to prevent flooding in the new alluvial lands, and the area of cultivation was extended. Much of the

First Opium War The First Opium War (), also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of the ...

took place in and around Xiangshan. In 1839, the official Lin Zexu arrived in Xiangshan and ordered the expulsion of Sir Charles Elliot and other British traders from the area. Qing Dynasty soldiers resisted British attacks on the area in 1840, but were ultimately overwhelmed. After the Opium Wars opened the region to foreign influence, a number of Xiangshan residents, including

Sun Zhongshan Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

(Yatsen), left to study overseas and were among the creators of modern China. Xiangshan was one of the first counties in China liberated as part of the Xinhai Revolution. After Sun Zhongshan's death in 1925, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the

decided to memorialize Sun by renaming his county of birth from Xiangshan to Zhongshan. Nationalist and

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

units launched guerrilla attacks on Japanese occupancy forces and their Collaborators beginning in 1942. On August 15, 1945, Japanese forces declared an unconditional surrender, and Zhongshan was liberated. Zhongshan was the scene of fighting during the Chinese Civil War and was held for much of the war by Nationalists. On October 30, 1949, however, the

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, ...

defeated Nationalist forces in Zhongshan, and the county came under the control of the People's Republic of China. In 1983, Zhongshan was elevated in administrative status from a county to a county-level city under the administration of

Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...

. In 1988 Zhongshan became a

Geography and Climate

Zhongshan is located along the west side of the mouth of the Pearl River, directly opposite Shenzhen and Hong Kong. It lies south of Guangzhou and

and north of Zhuhai and Macau. The northern part of Zhongshan, including most of the urbanized area, lies on the alluvial plains of the

, while the southern part of the city's territory reaches into a range of coastal hills. The most notable of these are the Wugui Hills (). The city's current geography is typical of southern China: numerous steep mountains and hills with alluvial plains in between down to the coastline. The main summit of the Wugui Hills is the highest point in the city, at

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Like nearly all of southern China, Zhongshan's climate is warm and humid most of the year, with an average temperature of and of rainfall each year. Southern China experiences fairly frequent typhoons and thunderstorms, and most rain falls between April and September. Pearl River Delta Area (Zhongshan)

Cityscape

Zhongshan is a city of numerous leafy

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

s, wide boulevards, and monuments. Notable sights include: * Sunwen Road West (or Sunwen Xilu) in Zhongshan Old Town, a pedestrian mall lined with dozens of restored buildings from the colonial period in treaty port style. Several of these buildings were built in the 1920s. * The seven-story Fufeng Pagoda, built in 1608 and visible from all over the city, is on a hill in Zhongshan Park, which abuts the western end of Sunwen Road West immediately to its north. A Sun Yat-sen memorial pavilion stands near the pagoda. * Sunwen Memorial Park, at the southern end of Xingzhong Road, is the site of the largest bronze sculpture of Sun Yat-sen in the world. Zhongshan, like many cities in China, has a rapidly changing cityscape with many new buildings under construction. Currently, the tallest completed buildings in the city are the two Zhongshan International Finance Center Towers. Tower 1 and Tower 2 both reach a height of 220 meters (722 feet) and are 55 stories tall. These will be eclipsed by the Perfect Eagle Golden Square tower, which will reach 238 meters (781 feet), with an expected completion date in 2018. The International Trade Center in Guzhen Town, expected to be completed in 2019, will reach a height of 305 meters (1,001 feet) with 65 floors.

Administration

Zhongshan is a

of the

. An uncommon administrative feature is that it has no county-level division, but the municipal government does group the 24 township-level divisions into five district areas. The city government directly administers six Subdistricts and 18

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

: * Cuiheng New Area ()

Language

Although the main ethnic group in Zhongshan is Han Chinese, there is no one dominant language or dialect spoken making Zhongshan one of the most diverse cities in China. Dialects spoken in the city ranging from the more common Yue, Hakka, and Min dialects to the more local Shiqi, Shatian, Longdu,

Sanxiang Sanxiang (; Cantonese: ''Sāamhēung Jan'') is a town situated at the southern periphery of the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong province. The population of Sanxiang is permanent residents and an estimated temporary residents. The total area of the ...

, Guzhen, Sanjiao, and Zhangjiabian dialects as well as Wuiguishan, the only Hakka dialect in the city. The most common language, however, is

Yue

* Shiqi dialect –

Shiqiqu Subdistrict Shiqi Subdistrict, also known as Shiqiqu Subdistrict, is a subdistrict located in the center of Zhongshan city, covering an area of , and a population of about 227,200. The subdistrict administers 19 residential communities, and is home to majo ...

, Dongqu Subdistrict,

Nanqu Subdistrict Nanqu Subdistrict (), also known as South Subdistrict or Southern Subdistrict, is a subdistrict of the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong province, China, covering with a registered population of 21,500 and migrant population of 37,900. Many real es ...

* Shatian dialect – Xiqu Subdistrict,

Tanzhou Town Tanzhou is a town situated at the southern extremity of the prefecture-level city of Zhongshan, Guangdong province. The population of Tanzhou is of residents. The total area of the town is . Tanzhou is within northwest of the border with Macau a ...

, Shenwan Town, Banfu Town, Henglan Town,

Xiaolan Town Xiaolan () is a town situated at the northwest periphery of the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China. The population of Xiaolan is approximately 333,000, of which 182,000 are registered hukou residents. The town spans an area of . Hi ...

, Dongfeng Town, Nantou Town,

Huangpu Town Huangpu, also formerly romanized Whangpoo or Whang-Po, may refer to: * Huangpu District, Shanghai, China ** Huangpu River, in Shanghai, China * Huangpu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China ** Huangpu Military Academy, in Guangzhou, China * Pazhou ...

, Minzhong Town, Gangkou Town, Fusha Town, Dongsheng Town *

Guzhen dialect Guzhen may refer to: *Guzhen County (固镇县), Bengbu, Anhui * Guzhen Town (固镇镇), Yu'an District Yu'an District () is a district of the city of Lu'an, Anhui Province Anhui , (; formerly romanized as Anhwei) is a landlocked province of ...

– Guzhen Town *

Sanjiao dialect Sanjiao may refer to: *San Jiao, term in traditional Chinese medicine *Sanjiao, Meizhou, town Meizhou, Guangdong, China *Sanjiao, Zhongshan, town in Zhongshan, Guangdong, China *Three teachings In Chinese philosophy, the ''three teachings'' (; ...

– Sanjiao Town

Min

Nanlang dialect The Nanlang dialect is a variety of Eastern Min Chinese mostly spoken in Nanlang in Zhongshan in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong, China. Despite its close proximity, Nanlang is not very closely related to the surrounding dialects in the region ...

– Nanlang Town * Sanxiang dialect – Sanxiang Town *

Longdu dialect The Longdu dialect is a variety of Southern Min Chinese language originating from the towns of Dachong and Shaxi in Zhongshan in the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong. The two regions Shaxi and Dachong are together informally known as the Longdu re ...

– Dachong Town, Shaxi Town * Zhangjiabian dialect – THIDZ Subdistrict

Hakka

* Wuguishan dialect –

Wuguishan Subdistrict Wuguishan Subdistrict () is a subdistrict of the prefecture-level city of Zhongshan, Guangdong province, China. It has a population of 7,400 permanent residents and more than 20,000 migrants. Name It derives its name from "" () in the district, wh ...

Economy

Primary industries

Primary productions are

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating Plant, plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of Sedentism, sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of Domestication, domesticated species created food ...

, such as rice, lychee,

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

, and sugar cane. Added to this, horticulture in

is famous throughout southern China for its blooming

chrysanthemum and chickens Chrysanthemums (), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center ...

Manufacturing industries

Zhongshan,

Nanhai Nanhai () may refer to: *''Nanhai'', the Chinese name for the South China Sea, one of the Four Seas *Nanhai Commandery, the former Chinese administration over Liangguang *''Nanhai'', the Chinese name for the South China Sea Islands *The '' Nanhai I ...

, and Shunde are dubbed the 'Four Little Tigers' in Guangdong. The proximity of Zhongshan to Hong Kong and Macau is an advantage to its economic development, especially in manufacturing. In the 1980s, Zhongshan had a relatively developed

state-owned enterprise A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a Government, government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn Profit (econom ...

(SOE) sector that was used to stimulate

Township and Village Enterprises Township and Village Enterprises (TVEs, ) are market-oriented public enterprises under the purview of local governments based in townships and villages in China. History The State Council of the People's Republic of China first officially use ...

(TVE) development in the countryside. Currently, the SOE sector is much weaker, and the economy is dominated by foreign investment and TVEs, and by specialized 'manufacturing towns'. Each of these towns specializes in making a particular product. Most of the towns have earned a reputation as leading manufacturers in their pillar industries. These specialized manufacturing towns include: * Dachong Town for mahogany furniture * Dongfeng Town for electric household appliances * Guzhen Town for lighting fixtures *

for food processing * Shaxi Town for casual wear manufacturing *

for locks and hardware, as well as for electronic acoustics products The government of Zhongshan encourages "Research and Design" in the region by setting up national level research centres and specialized industrial regions. For example, the Zhongshan National Torch High-Tech Industrial Development Zone () was established in 1990 in the east of the city by the Ministry of Science and Technology and the governments of Guangdong province and Zhongshan. Zhongshan Port, which ranks among the top 10 ports nationwide in container-handling capacity, is in the zone. Since 2001, it has included the Zhongshan Electronic Base of China () for its reputation in the electronic

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

industry. Following possible development in Nansha, the city considers its eastern part, of which of land is available, a focus of future development. Currently, the city is trying to re-organize its fragmented industrialization. Meanwhile, the light and labour-intensive industry characteristic of the local economy faces the problem of a shortage of land in Zhongshan.

Tourism, recreation and leisure

* Two natural hot spring resorts are located in

Town, such as the national own firm Zhongshan Hot Springs Resort, which is ranked top 10 hot spring resorts in China because there is a rare hot spring reservoir in the Pearl River Delta. The

World Lamp King Museum In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, a lamp museum in the form of a giant lamp scheduled to open in 2015, will be a major tourist attraction. * Former Residence of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Museum: The former residence of Sun Zhongshan is at the center of the Memorial Museum, located in the village of Cuiheng. * Xiaolan: Many houses in the town of

Xiaolan Xiaolan () is a town situated at the northwest periphery of the city of Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China. The population of Xiaolan is approximately 333,000, of which 182,000 are registered hukou residents. The town spans an area of . His ...

have garden pavilions dedicated to the cultivation of chrysanthemums. Roofs and balconies, streets and lanes feature countless varieties of chrysanthemum plantings. Zhongshan is home to a number of forest parks which are designed to protect the natural features of the land and offer visitors a chance to get closer to nature. Zhongshan Tianxin Forest Park () was opened in 2015 as part of the city's "green lung" initiative.

Education

Colleges and universities

* Guangdong Pharmaceutical University (Zhongshan Campus) * University of Electronic Science and Technology * Guangdong Polytechnic Institute (Zhongshan Campus) * Zhongshan Polytechnic * Zhongshan Torch Polytechnic

High schools and institutions

* Zhongshan Overseas Chinese Middle School () opened in 1954(Mr. Chen Maoyuan, a returned overseas Chinese, initiated the establishment of the school), is one of the first top-grade schools of Guangdong Province () and the first national demonstrative ordinary high schools (). * Sun Yat-sen Memorial Secondary School () was established in memory of

in 1934, and was built under the supervision of Soong Ching-ling, the widow of Sun Yat-sen. * Zhongshan No. 1 Middle School () opened in 1908. * Guangdong Zhongshan Experimental Middle School * Zhongshan Guishan Middle School * Guangdong Bowen International School * Sanxin Bilingual School
China-Hong Kong English School

Notable people

(), statesman and political philosopher, first leader of the Kuomintang; served as the provisional first president of the

* (), professor, department of Chinese Literature and director of Hong Kong Historical and Cultural Research Center at Zhuhai College, (

Jilin University Jilin University (JLU; ; often abbreviated JLU or ) is a leading national research university located in Changchun, China. It is under the direct jurisdiction of China's Ministry of Education. It is a Chinese Ministry of Education Class A Doub ...

); Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Branch is an organisation to encourage interest in Asia broadly, with an emphasis on Hong Kong. The society was founded in 1847 and folded 1859. It was revived on December 28, 1959. Its parent association is the Roya ...

; museums consultant for the Hong Kong Leisure and Cultural Services Department * Cheng Chung-tai (), Hong Kong academic, social activist, and politician

Transportation

Public Buses

Zhongshan Public Transport Group Co., Ltd. operates many bus routes throughout the city. Stop announcements are voiced in Mandarin and Cantonese on all buses. On BRT system buses, announcements are also voiced in English. By purchasing a Zhongshan Tong card from authorized retailers, riders can receive a discount of 50% on all bus rides. Elderly citizens are allowed to ride for free.

Ferry Transport

Chu Kong Passenger Transport Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co., Ltd. (CKPT; ) is a subsidiary of Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises (CKS) and operates ferry services between Hong Kong and cities in Guangdong province, China, as well as Macau. It is headquartered in the Chu Kon ...

(CKS) connects Zhongshan with Hong Kong with multiple daily scheduled high-speed

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

services to both Hong Kong–Macau Ferry Terminal on

Hong Kong Island Hong Kong Island is an Islands and peninsulas of Hong Kong, island in the southern part of Hong Kong. Known colloquially and on road signs simply as Hong Kong, the island has a population of 1,289,500 and its population density is 16,390/km ...

and Hong Kong China Ferry Terminal in

Kowloon Kowloon () is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. With a population of 2,019,533 and a population density of in 2006, it is the most populous area in Hong Kong, compared with Hong Kong Island and t ...

. The trip by ferry takes about 1.5 hours.

Railway

Guangzhou–Zhuhai Intercity Railway Guangzhou–Zhuhai intercity railway or Guangzhu intercity railway () is a dedicated, grade-separated regional railway linking Guangzhou South railway station in Panyu, Guangzhou, Jiangmen railway station in Xinhui, Jiangmen,and Zhuhai Jin ...

serves the city of Zhongshan with seven stations.

Metro

The Zhongshan Metro system is currently under planning with 2 lines.

Aviation

There is a bus service from Zhongshan to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in Shenzhen. Additionally Zhongshan is served by Hong Kong International Airport; ticketed passengers can take ferries from the Zhongshan Ferry Terminal to the HKIA Skypier. There are also coach bus services connecting Zhongshan with HKIA.

Major projects

* The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge will connect Zhongshan with the city of Shenzhen on the Eastern side of the

. It will consist of a series of bridges and tunnels, starting from

Bao'an International Airport Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (formerly Shenzhen Huangtian Airport) is the airport serving Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It is located on the east bank of the Pearl River near Huangtian and Fuyong villages in Bao'an District, and is n ...

on the Shenzhen side. Construction of the proposed eight-lane link started in 2017, with completion scheduled for 2024.

Twin towns – sister cities

Zhongshan has seven sister cities: * Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada (2011) * Puntarenas, Costa Rica * Culiacán, Mexico *

Cairns Cairns (, ) is a city in Queensland, Australia, on the tropical north east coast of Far North Queensland. The population in June 2019 was 153,952, having grown on average 1.02% annually over the preceding five years. The city is the 5th-most-p ...

, Australia * Alameda County, California, United States * Honolulu, Hawaii, United States (1997) * Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan (1998)

References

External links

Zhongshan government website

Zhongshan News website

Zhongshan News website (translated to English by Google)
{{Authority control Prefecture-level divisions of Guangdong Pearl River Delta