This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Zhaoqing 肇庆
—  Prefecture-level city  —
肇庆市
Zhaoqing Location in Guangdong
Zhaoqing Location in China
Coordinates: 23°3′0″N 112°28′0″E / 23.05°N 112.466667°E / 23.05; 112.466667
Country	China
Province	Guangdong
County-level divisions	8
Township divisions
City seat	Duanzhou District
Area
• Total	22,322 km2 (8,619 sq mi)
Population (2002)
• Total	3,910,000
• Density	180/km2 (450/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard
Area code(s)	758
GDP
GDP per capita
License Plate	粤H
Major Nationalities	Han
Website	Zhaoqing official site

Zhaoqing (simplified Chinese: 肇庆; traditional Chinese: 肇慶; pinyin: Zhàoqìng) is a prefecture-level city of Guangdong province in Southern China and is considered part of the Pearl River Delta region.

Zhaoqing is well known for being a regional tourist hub, a medium sized provincial "college town" as well as an up and coming manufacturing center. Residents from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau and other nearby cities are known to visit the city on weekend getaways and excursions.

The main central city, excluding Seven Star Crags, is fairly flat, but thickly forested mountains lie just outside the city limits. Numerous rice paddies and aquaculture ponds are found on the outskirts of the city. The estimated population of the city proper as of 2008 was 400,000 people.

History and Name[link]

The date of Zhaoqing's founding is uncertain, but it existed as early as the Qin (221–206 BC) and Han (206 BC – 220 CE) Dynasties, when it was known as Gaoyao (高要). In the Sui Dynasty (581–618), Zhaoqing became known as Duanzhou (端州) and served as an important administrative region and military base.

In 1118, Northern Song Dynasty Emperor Huizong bestowed its current name upon the city. "Zhaoqing" means "beginning of auspiciousness".

Early Jesuit mission[link]

By the time of the Europeans arriving to Guangdong in the 16th century, Zhaoqing was an important administrative center, and the seat of Viceroy of Guangdong and Guangxi.^[1]

Matteo Ricci account of the "Christian expeditions into China" tell about the early visits of Macau-based Europeans to Zhaoqing. The first visit may have been that by the Macau City Auditor Mattia Penella and the Italian Jesuit Michele Ruggieri, who went to Zhaoqing in 1582, sent there by the Macau's authorities in lieu of the Mayor and the Bishop of Macau, whom the Viceroy (named Chen Jui, 陈瑞) had summoned to report to him at his residence.^[2] The Jesuits at the time were interested in expanding their missionary activity from Macau into Mainland China, so other visits by Jesuits soon followed, and by 1583, after several false starts, Michele Ruggieri and another, recently arrived Jesuit, named Matteo Ricci managed to establish residence in the city - the first Jesuit mission house in China outside Macau. Ruggieri and Ricci were able to move to the city after receiving an invitation from the governor of Zhaoqing at the time, Wang Pan, who had heard of Ricci's skill as a mathematician/cartographer.

It was in Zhaoqing that Ricci drew up the first ever map of the world in Chinese in 1584. In 1588, Ruggieri left China for Rome - not to ever return, as it turned out. But Ricci stayed in Zhaoqing until 1589, when a new viceroy decided to expel him from the city, and the Jesuit had to move to Shaozhou.^[3]

There is now a memorial plaque in Zhaoqing to commemorate Ricci's six-year stay there as well as a building set up as a "Ricci Memorial Centre" although the building itself does not date back to the time of the priest as it was built in the 1860s.

The anti-Manchu resistance[link]

After the fall of northern China to the Manchus in 1644, a sequence of Ming princes one after another established short-lived regimes at various locations in central and southern China, collectively known as the Southern Ming Dynasty. For several years until 1650, Zhaoqing was the seat of the last of these pretenders on the Ming throne, Zhu Youlang, styled the Yongli Emperor (who also made his court in Guilin and, later, at various locations in Guangxi, Yunnan, and Burma). The Jesuits Andreas Wolfgang Koffler and, later, Michał Boym stayed for some time at his court ^[4][5]

Geography[link]

Zhaoqing is located 110 km (68 mi) northwest of Guangzhou, in the west Pearl River Delta. It lies on the north shores of the Xijiang River, which is flows from west to east, and opposite of Gaoyao. A plain area lies to the south and west of Zhaoqing, with mountains to the east and north.

Climate[link]

The city lies in a south subtropical monsoon climatic zone. The yearly average temperature is 21.9 °C (71.4 °F), and annual precipitation is 1,605 mm (63.2 in).

Administration[link]

Zhaoqing has jurisdiction over 2 districts, 4 counties and 2 county-level cities:

Map	#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2003 est.)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
	City Proper
	1	Duanzhou District	端州区	Duānzhōu Qū	330,000	152	2,171
	2	Dinghu District	鼎湖区	Dǐnghú Qū	150,000	506	296
	Satellite cities
	3	Gaoyao	高要市	Gāoyào Shì	730,000	2,206	331
	4	Sihui	四会市	Sìhuì Shì	420,000	1,258	334
	Rural
	5	Guangning County	广宁县	Guǎngníng Xiàn	540,000	2,380	227
	6	Huaiji County	怀集县	Huáijí Xiàn	930,000	3,573	260
	7	Fengkai County	封开县	Fēngkāi Xiàn	470,000	2,723	173
	8	Deqing County	德庆县	Déqìng Xiàn	360,000	2,258	159

Government[link]

Economy[link]

Primary Industries[link]

The rich local resources within the mountainous regions include coal, limestone, copper, lead, zinc, granite, gold, sulfur, gypsum and other minerals.

In the agriculture sector, the fertile plains yield paddy rice, sugar cane, aquatic products, fruits, rosin and cassia bark. Horticulture and farming contribute greatly to the local economy. The industries of Poultry farming and animal husbandry are also seeking to modernize their technology and management.

The forests in the mountainous regions of the city provide a rich source for herbal medicines and other materials like rosin and casia bark that are harvested from various forest plants.

Secondary Industries[link]

Food and beverages, building materials, electronics, micro bioengineering, chemicals, equipments and machinery, textile and garments are the pillar industries. Duanzhou, Gaoyao and Sihui area being developed as the export-oriented industrial bases. Yunfu is a major area for the production of sulphur and iron.

To facilitate industrial development in Zhaoqing, the local government has made great efforts in establishing various industrial zones / parks in the city. The largest one is the Guangdong Zhaoqing High-tech Industrial Development Zone, with an area of 109 km², that consists of two industrial parks, Sanrong Industrial Park and Dawang Industrial Park, of areas 9 km² and 100 km² respectively. Dawang is facilitated as an export processing and trade zone.

The 10 Projects[link]

The Zhaoqing local government attracts capital investment by promoting the city to private and foreign investors, and by developing industrial parks in modern standard. Making the best use of its natural environment, Zhaoqing aims to become a garden city, ecological city and modernized large city in China.

In five year's time (2003–2007), the city government will implement 10 big projects:

• Expansion of urban proper towards the east and the south with the best urban planning, construction, and management.
• Developing the eastern and southern industrial areas to become a modern manufacturing base of the world.
• Promoting economic development in the hilly areas and counties and upgrade their industrial zones.
• Construction of an industrial corridor of science, technology, education and culture to nurture knowledge economy, through developing technology park and university park, and inter-university cooperation
• Increasing capital investment for infrastructure construction.
• Promoting the reform and development of state owned enterprises.
• Developing tourism spots and industry.
• Construction of an "education city" and a "cultural city" to enhance the quality of human resources.
• Construction of "digital Zhaoqing".
• Enhancing environmental protection.

Companies with a presence in Zhaoqing[link]

• China Pabst Blue Ribbon (Chinese: 蓝带啤酒; pinyin: Lán dài píjiǔ)

Education[link]

The city government of Zhaoqing is currently seeking to improve its higher education system and preserve cultural resources. Zhaoqing has a university and is also home to a campus of Guangdong University of Finance. There is also Zhaoqing Foreign Language College, a Canadian-American School and numerous other schools including those specializing in foreign language study.

Colleges and universities[link]

• Zhaoqing University
• Zhaoqing Foreign Language College

Transportation[link]

Zhaoqing is served by railways and highways. Direct train and bus services connect it to Guangzhou, Hong Kong and other cities in Guangdong. Major roadways include Interstates 321 and 324 and the Guang-Zhao and Guang-Wu Expressways. The Sanmao Railway also runs through Zhaoqing. It is connected with Hong Kong via the KCRC Guangdong Through Train service from Zhaoqing Railway Station. Hong Kong owned and based Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co., Ltd also runs daily express catamaran ferries between Zhaoqing and Hong Kong.

Within the city, the primary form of public transportation is the 28 public bus routes.

There is a bus service to Zhaoqing from Guangzhou, Guangdong province, which has buses running at 05:00 and 21:50, with the possibly of earlier ones too. The ticket price is 68 yuan and the journey takes about 150 minutes. The bus should be taken at Gate A9 of the arrival hall of the Guangzhou Baiyun airport.^[6]. The bus used on this route is a sleeper bus so you get a fairly comfortably bed and a blanket. This service may be useful for people who have arrived in China from northern Laos, e.g. Luang Namtha, or other destinations.

Tourist Attractions and other Highlights 旅游景点和文化的重要性[link]

• Dinghu Mountain (Chinese: 鼎湖山; pinyin: Dǐng húshān) and lake is a natural wonder located outside Zhaoqing which regionally draws large numbers of tourists. On most weekends it is bustling with tour groups and individual tourists and due to its vast size and uniqueness most people spend at least a half-day exploring the park. It consists of lakes, caves, waterfalls, mountain springs and ponds, gardens, several temples, forested uphill jungle trails and more flat walking and electric car trails. It is designated as a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco and was the first nature reserve to be created in mainland China. A ticket for the scenic area including Mount Dinghu and Qixingyan caves is 110 yuan. A ticket for a battery powered vehicle meant for touring is 15 yuan per person and can be taken from the gate to the Baoding Garden, Butterfly Valley or to three different spots of Qingyun temple and then arrive back at the original departure location. One can also board the butterfly cruise or walk through the two scenic areas, each ticket is 25 yuan.

• Seven Star Crags (Chinese: 七星岩; pinyin: Qīxīng Yán)

• Paifang water fountain(牌坊喷泉) This public musical fountain is one of the biggest in Asia and sits adjacent to Star lake in Paifang square . It is the symbolic focal point of downtown Zhaoqing and attracts large crowds of visitors every night to see the show put on at 8 pm. The fountain is able to play musical flutes as well as other accompanying music and water is shot upwards to heights of 30 meters. The pools where the fountain nozzles are located have bright neon lights and even more lights shine into the sky to illuminate the vertical spouts of water. There is no cost to see the show and it is a good idea to arrive early in order to informally reserve a suitable place to stand or sit.

• Duanzhou ancient city wall（端州古城墙） Located in Zhaoqing city proper, this is the last remaining complete city wall in Guangdong Province. It was built in the Song Dynasty and its purpose was to protect the government offices from outside attacks or invaders. Piyun Tower (meaning cloud-covered in Chinese) is a major landmark of the wall. It stands at 19.3 meters in height and in ancient times was used as a watchtower to see what was occurring outside of the city gates. The walls shape is rectangular and it measures at least 700 meters in circumference. It underwent extensive reconstruction and refurbishing in the 1970's and was first opened for tourism in 1990. The wall is located near the modern day Songcheng Road.^[7]

• Matteo Ricci Center

• Chongxi Pagoda

• Baogong Memorial Temple

• Tower for Reviewing the River (Chinese: 阅江楼; pinyin: Yuè jiāng lóu) Yuejiang Tower is in the Duanzhou district and is on the Eastern side of Stone hill on East Road. It was built in the Ming Dynasty period, for the original cottage, Qing Shunzhi fourteen years (1657) into the two layer of building. It is typical of the Southern garden courtyard ancient building style. The tower is 15 meters high and covers an area of 2000 square meters. Inside the courtyard there are rockery and a fish pond while around the building there are spacious platforms on the planted trees. On the South side in front of the stone steps there are steps leading down to the square which extends all the way to the Xi Jiang river. South Yanxia hanging wooden plaque, with regular script" Yuejianglou" giant word. Yuejianglou is one of Zhaoqing's eight scenic spots and is called "the river floor night vision". Many literati of the past left famous poem inscriptions on the walls. The building was listed in 1962 as a Guangdong provincial heritage conservation site and is now a Ye Ting independent group Memorial site.

• Please add 请贡献

Hotels 宾馆[link]

Entertainment 娱乐[link]

• Xinghui Indoor Rollerskating Rink (pinyin: Xīng huī shìnèi gǔn zhóu liūbīng chǎng) This rink is one of the few or possibly only classic roller-skating rinks in Guangdong Province. It follows the classic model of turning down the lights and using disco ball style light beaming along with loud music to create a unique atmosphere.
• Bowling Alley
• Ice skating rink
• Dadi digital cinema The theater is located on the 5th floor of the international plaza on Kangle North road.
• Please add 请贡献

Local specialties and delicacies 当地特产[link]

Many cities, counties, provinces and regions in China are known for having local Chinese specialties and/or delicacies. These specialties can be in the form of food and drink or can be of the arts and crafts nature. Zhaoqing and its neighboring areas are known for many of both of these types.

• Zhaoqing Sticky/glutinous Rice Dumplings
• Guangning Bamboo Shoots
• Deqing Mandarin Orange Dessert
• Sweet Sihui Tangerine Dessert
• Guangning Bamboo Wine
• Zhaoqing lotus root
• Chinese Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer
• Duanxi ink stone
• Please add 请贡献
• Please add 请贡献
• Please add 请贡献
• Please add 请贡献
• Please add 请贡献

Gallery[link]

• 

  Zhaoqing downtown taxi stand 1999

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zhaoqing

• Zhaoqing Government website
• Zhaoqing University website (in Chinese and English)
• Zhaoqing Foreign Language College website
• Guangdong University of Finance website (in Chinese and English)
• News Guangdong Zhaoqing page
• The Zhaoqing Ricci center
• Matteo Ricci and his contributions to science in China
• Map of the city center
• Chu Kong Passenger Transport Co. Ltd.

v t e Pearl River Delta Region Pearl River Delta Economic Zone Guangdong Province Guangzhou • Shenzhen • Zhuhai (Hengqin New Area) • Dongguan • Zhongshan • Foshan • Jiangmen • Huizhou (Huicheng • Huidong • Boluo) • Zhaoqing (Sihui • Gaoyao) Special Administrative Region  Hong Kong •  Macau

Coordinates: 23°03′N 112°27′E / 23.05°N 112.45°E / 23.05; 112.45