Shantou 汕头 Swátōw —  Prefecture-level city  — 汕头市 File:Shantou street.jpg Shantou City in Guangdong Shantou Location in China Coordinates: 23°21′N 116°40′E / 23.35°N 116.667°E / 23.35; 116.667Coordinates: 23°21′N 116°40′E / 23.35°N 116.667°E / 23.35; 116.667 Country People's Republic of China Province Guangdong City seat Jinping District Government  • CPC Committee Secretary Li Feng (李锋)  • Mayor Cai Zongze (蔡宗泽) Area  • Total 2,064 km2 (797 sq mi) Population  • Total 5,391,028  • Density 2,600/km2 (6,800/sq mi)  • Major Nationalities Han Time zone China Standard (UTC+8) Postal Code 515000, 515041 Area code(s) 754 License Plate Prefix 粤D Website http://www.shantou.gov.cn/ Shantou Simplified Chinese 汕头 Traditional Chinese 汕頭 Hokkien POJ Sòaⁿ-thâu Literal meaning bamboo top Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Sân-thèu Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Shàntóu Min - Hokkien POJ Sòaⁿ-thâu - Teochew Peng'im Suaⁿ-thâu Wu - Romanization sae去deu平 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping saan3 tau4

Shantou (simplified Chinese: 汕头; traditional Chinese: 汕頭; pinyin: Shàntóu; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sòaⁿ-thâu), also known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of 2,064 square kilometres (797 sq mi). With it and the immediately surrounding cities of Jieyang and Chaozhou, the metropolitan region – known as Chaoshan – covers an area of 10,404 square kilometres (4,017 sq mi), and had a permanent population of 13,937,897 at the end of 2010.

It is the fourth-largest most populated area in China, after Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

Shantou, a city significant in 19th-century Chinese history as one of the treaty ports established for Western trade and contact, was one of the original Special Economic Zones of the People's Republic of China established in the 1980s, but failed to blossom like other cities such as Shenzhen, Xiamen and Zhuhai. However, it remains as Eastern Guangdong's economic centre, and is home to Shantou University, a member of the “Project 211” group.

History[link]

The historic quarter of Shantou, which features both Western and Chinese architecture

Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang City (鮀江都), Jieyang District (揭陽縣) during the Song Dynasty. It came to be Xialing (廈嶺) during the Yuan Dynasty. In 1563, Shantou was a part of Chenghai District (澄海縣) in Chao Prefecture (Chaozhou). As early as 1574, Shantou had been called Shashan Ping (沙汕坪). In the seventeenth century, a cannon platform called Shashan Toupaotai (沙汕頭炮臺 sha shan tou pao tai) was made here, and the placename later was shortened to "Shantou". Locally it has been referred to as Kialat.

Connecting to Shantou across the Queshi Bridge is Queshi (礐石) 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 are somewhat preserved from its earlier history.

It became a city in 1919, and was separated from Chenghai in 1921. 1922 saw the devastating Swatow Typhoon, which killed 50,000 out of the 65,000 people then inhabiting the city.^[1]

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).

With higher-level administrative authority, Shantou governed Chaozhou City and Jieyang City from 1983 to 1989.

Administration[link]

Shantou is a prefecture-level city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districts and one county.

Map	#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010 Census)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
	City proper
	1	Jinping District	金平区	Jīnpíng Qū	810,606	109	7,437
	3	Longhu District	龙湖区	Lónghú Qū	536,102	104	5,155
	Suburban
	2	Haojiang District	濠江区	Háojiāng Qū	267,597	135	1,982
	4	Chaoyang District	潮阳区	Cháoyáng Qū	1,626,641	668	2,435
	5	Chaonan District	潮南区	Cháonán Qū	1,290,922	596	2,166
	6	Chenghai District	澄海区	Chénghǎi Qū	798,896	345	2,315
	Rural
	7	Nan'ao County	南澳县	Nán'ào Xiàn	60,264	108	558

As of 2003, the district of Haojiang was established out of Hepu and Dahao 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.

Geography and climate[link]

Shantou has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa), with mild, short winters, and long, hot, and humid summers. Monthly means range from 13.8 to 28.3 °C (56.8 to 82.9 °F), for an annual average of 21.5 °C (70.7 °F). Annual rainfall averages 1,640 millimetres (64.6 in), being the heaviest during the monsoon from April to September.

Economy[link]

Shantou's economy is medium by Guangdong standards. Manufacturing accounts for a large and increasing share of employment. Canning, 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.

Guiyu, a populous town in Chaoyang District, is the biggest electronic waste site on earth.^[2] Health-environmental issues incurred have concerned international organisations such as Greenpeace.

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.

Development Zone[link]

• Shantou Free Trade Zone

With an area of 2.34 km², 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 and founded in January 1993, it formally came into use on December of the same year after its supervision installations are checked and accepted by the General Customs. 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 the overseas by drawing experience from international free trade zone.^[3]

Demographics[link]

Shantou is one of the most densely populated regions in China. Former Chaoyang City was China's most populous county-level administrative region, with 2.4 million inhabitants.

Most residents are linguistically Teochew. There are also Hakka, popularly known as Half-Hakka (半山客), living mainly in Chaoyang District (潮陽區) and Chaonan District (潮南區), although they speak Teochew on a daily basis and practise Teochew culture. Thanks to the Mandarin-medium education system, most people, especially the younger generations, can speak Mandarin fluently. Thanks to Cantonese-language TV and labor migrations to the Pearl River Delta, Cantonese is widely spoken as a second or third language by the younger generations.

Governmental statistics show that 2.16 million overseas Chinese have roots in Shantou, with significant populations of Teochew people residing in Thailand and Cambodia. This is demonstrated by the unusually high number of international direct flights between Bangkok and Shantou. In addition, there are at least two Teochew-speaking air hostesses on board each China Southern flight between Shantou and Bangkok.^[4] The Teochew presence, furthermore, is evident in Singapore and Malaysia; Johor Bahru, a coastal city situated at the latter's southernmost tip, is known as 'Little Swatow'. On 02/02/2010, Jetstar Asia launches flights between Shantou and Singapore to better connect the latter's Teochew community.^[5]

Culture and lifestyle[link]

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,^[6] Shantou people "drink more tea than anyone else in China, in total 700 million yuan (US$87.5 million) each year".

• Teochew culture

Infrastructure[link]

Health[link]

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[link]

The main post office in the old city centre (老市区)

Shantou's electricity is provided entirely by China Southern Power Grid, postal service operated by China Post.

Telecommunications[link]

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, China-US Cable Network, SMW3 and South-East Asia Japan Cable System (SJC).)^[7]

China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile provide fixed lines, broadband internet access and mobile telecommunications services there.

Transport[link]

The private car has matured as a transport option for Shantou residents. However, more still travel by autobikes. Public transportation is provided by bus, ferry and taxi.

The Jieyang Chaoshan Airport is the airport serving Shantou. Over 2 million people use the airport each year. Taxi is the usual way to travel between the airport and the city proper. The taxi fare is around 60 RMB.

Tourism attractions[link]

• Shipaotai Park (Chinese: 石炮台公园; pinyin: Shí pàotái gōngyuán)
• Chen Cihong's Former Residence (Chinese: 陈慈黉故居; pinyin: Chén Cíhóng gùjū)
• Nan'ao Island (南澳島 Nanao Dao): rated as Guangdong's most beautiful island by China's National Geographic magazine
• Palace-Temple of Old Mother (老媽宮 Laoma Gong): dedicated to the goddess Matsu
• Temple of Emperor Guan (關帝廟 Guandi Miao): dedicated to Guan Yu
• Tropic of Cancer Symbol Tower (北回归线标志塔 Beihuiguixian Biaozhita): The Tropic of Cancer slips through Centipede Mountain, which is 20 kilometers away from the city proper.
• Cultural Revolution Museum (文革博物馆 Wenge Bowuguan): The country's only museum dedicated to the Cultural Revolution.

Education[link]

Education is overseen provincewide by the Guangdong Education Bureau.

Primary and secondary[link]

Public primary and secondary schools provide education free.

A list of known schools:

• Shantou Number One Middle School
• Shantou Experimental School
• Shantou Number four Middle School
• Shantou Number ten Middle School
• Shantou Number two Middle School
• Shantou Number three Middle School
• Dahua number one primary school

a rural primary school in Chenghai District

Colleges and universities[link]

• South China University of Technology Shantou College
• Shantou Polytechnic
• Shantou Radio and TV University
• Shantou University

Twin towns — sister cities[link]

Shantou is twinned with the following cities: ^[8]

Country	City	County/District/Province/Region/State	Date
Japan	Kishiwada	Osaka Prefecture	June 2, 1990[9]
Canada	Saint John	New Brunswick	February 28, 1997[10]
Vietnam	Can Tho	Municipality of Vietnam	August 1, 2005[11]

Friendly exchanges with the following cities:

Country	City	County/District/Province/Region/State	Date
South Korea	Pyongtaek	Gyeonggi-do	March 25, 2003[12]
Australia	Fairfield	New South Wales	April 26, 2005[13]
United States	Orlando	Florida	August 8, 2007[14]
United States	Los Angeles	California	December 25, 2001[15]

Prominent people[link]

Many famous Chinese come from Shantou or their ancestral home is Shantou.

Entertainers[link]

• Hong Kong
  • Adam Cheng (1947-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
  • Canti Lau (1964-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
  • Emil Chau (1960-; Chaoyang, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
  • Kwong Wah (1962-; Shantou, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actor and singer
  • Sammi Cheng (1972-; Chenghai, Guangdong; born in Hong Kong), actress and singer

Entrepreneurs[link]

• Mainland China
  • Huang Guangyu (1969-; Chaoyang, Guangdong), chairman of Gome Group and the richest person in Mainland
  • Ma Huateng (1971-; Chaoyang, Guangdong), General Manager of Tencent Computer System Co., Ltd and creator of QQ
• Hong Kong
  • Li Ka-shing (1928-; Chaozhou, Guangdong), tycoon
  • Lim Por-yen (1914–2005; Chaoyang, Guangdong), media tycoon, banker and charitarian
• Thailand
  • Low Khiok Chiang (1843-1911; Shantou, Guangdong), founder of Khiam Hoa Heng entreprises (1872-1950s)
• Singapore
  • Tang Choon Keng (1901–2000; Shantou, Guangdong), founder of Tangs
• Malaysia
  • Teh Liang Teik (1923–2011; Shantou, Guangdong), chairman of Malayan Flour Mills

Film director[link]

• Mainland China
  • Cai Chusheng (1906–1968; Chaoyang, Guangdong), famous director, and the film "Yu Guang Qu" (渔光曲) directed by him received the first international film prize in China's history

Literary figure[link]

• Qin Mu (1919–1992, Chenghai, Guangdong) Chinese writer,famous in mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Religious figure[link]

• Watchman Nee (1903–1972, Shantou, Guangdong) Chinese theologian, famous world wide as an opponent of prosperity theology.

Sports[link]

• Tan Howe Liang (1933-; Shantou, Guangdong), first (and only one till 2008) Singaporean to win an Olympic Medal (Silver in Weightlifting at the 1960 Summer Olympics).

See also[link]

• Chaoshan
• Chaozhou
• Teochew people

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Herbert Allen Giles (1877). From Swatow to Canton: (overland). SHANGHAI : PRINTED AT THE "CELESTIAL EMPIRE" OFFICE: Trübner

LONDON : Trübner & CO. SHANGHAI : KELLY & WALSH. pp. 74. http://books.google.com/books?id=Q1UuAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 10th of February, 2012. (Harvard University)

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shantou

• (Chinese) Official government website
• (English) Website of Shantou Government
• Shantou Daily
• Guangdong Statistical Yearbook