SHANTOU
Also known as Swatow or Suátao,
is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guandong province, peoples republic 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 Zone of
the People Public of China established
in the 1980s, but failed to blossom like other cities such as Shenzhen, Xianmen 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
Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang City (鮀江都), Jieyang District (揭陽縣) during the Song Dinasty. It came to be Xialing (廈嶺) during the Yuan Dinasty. 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 Typoon, which killed 50,000 out of
the 65,000 people then inhabiting the city.
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'sA Man in the East: A Journey through French
Indo-China (Michael Jospeh
Ltd., London, 1939).
With
higher-level administrative authority, Shantou governed Chaozhou City and Jieyang City from 1983 to 1989.
Shantou was a fishing village part of Tuojiang City (鮀江都), Xieyang District (揭陽縣) during the Song Dinasty. It came to be
Xialing (廈嶺) during the Yuan Dinasty. In a 1563, Shantou was a
part of Denghai 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 shortend to "Shantou".
It became a city in 1919, and was separated from Denghai in 1921.
As a high-level city, Shantou administered Chaozhou city from 1983 to 1989.
Administration
Shantou is a Prefecture-level city. It has direct jurisdiction over six districs and one County.
|
Map
|
#
|
Name
|
Population (2010 Census)
|
Area (km²)
|
Density (/km²)
|
||
  |
City proper
|
||||||
|
1
|
金平区
|
Jīnpíng Qū
|
810,606
|
109
|
7,437
|
||
|
3
|
龙湖区
|
Lónghú Qū
|
536,102
|
104
|
5,155
|
||
|
Suburban
|
|||||||
|
2
|
濠江区
|
Háojiāng
Qū
|
267,597
|
135
|
1,982
|
||
|
4
|
潮阳区
|
Cháoyáng
Qū
|
1,626,641
|
668
|
2,435
|
||
|
5
|
潮南区
|
Cháonán Qū
|
1,290,922
|
596
|
2,166
|
||
|
6
|
澄海区
|
Chénghǎi
Qū
|
798,896
|
345
|
2,315
|
||
|
Rural
|
|||||||
|
7
|
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 together, 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.
DEMOGRAPIC
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 Bankok and Shantou. In addition, there are at
least two Teochew-speaking air hostesses on board each China Southern flight
between Shantou and Bangkok.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.
Demographics
It has a large population from Chaozhou, and most residents use the local Chaozhou dialect of Min Chinese, or the national dialect, putonghua.
Government statistics show that 2.16 million overseas chinese have roots in Shantou,
with significant populations of Chaozhou people residing inThailand and Singpore.
This is demonstrated by the unusually high number of international direct
flights between Bankok and Shantou.
