Sze Yup

Sze Yup, Sze Yap, Seiyap or Siyi (Chinese characters: 四邑; Cantonese Yale: Sei3 yap1; Mandarin pinyin: Sìyì) are the four counties of Sun Wui, Toi Shan, Hoi Ping and Yan Ping in the Pearl River Delta, in southern Kwangtung Province, China. The area gives rise to the Sze Yup dialects (四邑片), which are distinct from Standard Cantonese (廣東話). In 19th century, because of their poverty, many people of these counties had been to Hong Kong and overseas. The Punti-Hakka Clan Wars in these counties also arose in this century. Sze Yup people speak Toisanese, a variant of Cantonese language. Although Toisanese and Standard Cantonese are both Cantonese, the speakers of both languages are hardly mutually intelligible. Therefore, Sze Yup people keep their identity amidst Cantonese people even in Hong Kong and overseas.