Chaozhou

Chaozhou 潮州市
Prefecture-level city
Hubin Road
Nickname(s): The Phoenix City (凤城)
Location of Chaozhou in Guangdong
Chaozhou Location in China
Coordinates: 23°40′N 116°38′E / 23.667°N 116.633°E / 23.667; 116.633
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Guangdong
County-level divisions	4
Township divisions	43
Government
• CPC Chaozhou	Luo Wenzhi (骆文智) Committee Secretary
• Mayor	Tang Xikun (汤锡坤)
Area(ranked 31st)
• Total	3,110 km2 (1,200 sq mi)
Elevation	0–1,497.5 m (0–4,913 ft)
Population
• Total	2,669,844
• Density	860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
• Major nationalities	Han—99.7%
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	521000 (Urban center) 515600, 515700 (Other areas)
Area code(s)	+86768
License plate prefixes	粤U
GDP (2008)	CNY 44.3 billion
- per capita	CNY 17,317
Website	www.chaozhou.gov.cn

Cháozhōu (Chinese: 潮州), alternatively transliterated Chiuchow,^[1] Chaochow,^[2] or Teochew^[3] is a city in eastern Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast. It is administered as a prefecture-level city with a jurisdiction area of 3,110 square kilometres (1,200 sq mi) and a total population of 2,669,844.^[4] Along with Shantou and Jieyang, Chaozhou is part of the Chaoshan region.

Administration

Chaozhou's municipal executive, legislature and judiciary are situated in Xiangqiao District, together with its CPC and Public Security bureau.

Map						Name	Simplified Chinese	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2010 census)	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)
Xiangqiao Chao'an Raoping County						Xiangqiao District	湘桥区	Xiāngqiáo Qū	452,472	152,5	2,967
						Chao'an District	潮安区	Cháo'ān Qū	1,335,398	1,261	1059
						Raoping County	饶平县	Ràopíng Xiàn	881,974	1696,5	520

Geography and climate

Han River

Chaozhou is located in the easternmost part of Guangdong Province, north of the coastal Shantou City. It is situated in the north of the delta of the Han River, which flows throughout the city.

Chaozhou territory mountains, at the junction of Wuyishan have Yuemin system, macro mountains offshoot and tidal peaks Mei at the junction of the Lotus Mountain - Phoenix mountains. Phoenix bun for the eastern peak,1497 meters above sea level. The main rivers are the Huanggang River and the Han River. Han River from west to Southeast ramp through downtown Chaozhou, flows through Chaoan County, in the Chenghai River; Huanggang river flowing from north to south through the whole territory of Raoping, in the Huanggang town of Dongfeng dam into the sea. Two rivers provide abundant water resource for Chaozhou. Throughout the low-lying North High South, the northern mountains, the central hills, south of Han River alluvial plain. Hills account for 65% of the total area, mainly in Raoping and Northern Chaoan. North is a mountainous area suitable for tea cultivation and Shan, Tong, oak, Ke, tree growth; Hilly and low mountainous areas mainly bamboo, peach, plum, plum, olive, pineapple and tuber growth; Han River alluvial plain fertile land for rice, sweet potato, peanut, soybean, carrot, orange, peach, banana, Yang cultivation. History is" more mature rice, silkworm also received five place".

History

Chaozhou Municipal People's Government

In 214 BC, Chaozhou was an undeveloped and named part of Nanhai Commandery (南海郡) of the Qin Dynasty. In 331 during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Haiyang (海陽縣) was established as a part of Dongguan Commandery (東官郡).

Dongguan Commandery was renamed Yi'an Commandery (義安郡) in 413. The commandery became a prefecture in 590 in the early Sui Dynasty; first as Xun Prefecture (循州, Xunzhou), then as Chao Prefecture (潮州, Chaozhou) in the following year. In 1914, the Republic of China government combined Chao and Xun prefectures into Chaoxun Prefecture or Chaoxun Circuit (潮循道).

For a short while in the Sui and early Tang Dynasties, Haiyang District was called Yi'an District (義安縣). The name remained Haiyang until 1914, when it was renamed to Chao'an County (潮安縣) to avoid ambiguity with the Haiyang County, Shandong.

The seat of the 1951 Guangdong People's Government was at Chao'an County; part of it was converted to Chao'an City in 1953 and later that year renamed Chaozhou City (county-level). In 1955, the provincial seat moved to Shantou. Chaozhou City was abolished five years later, and reestablished again in 1979. In 1983, the situation was reversed, with Chao'an abolished and made a part of Chaozhou City. Chaozhou was made a provincially administered city in January 1989, and a vice-prefecture-level city in January 1990. In December 1991, Chaozhou was further upgraded into its current statue of prefecture-level city.

Chaozhou and the nearby cities of Shantou and Jieyang are collectively called Chaoshan. The name was used for the joint political-administrative area which encompassed the three cities from 1958 until 1983. For the next five years, Shantou City was a higher-level city containing Chaozhou and Jieyang within it. Currently, Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang are equal in status.

Language

Teochew dialect (潮州話), by which the Chaozhou culture is conveyed, is one of the most conservative Chinese dialects because it preserves many contrasts from ancient Chinese that have been lost in some of the other modern dialects of Chinese. (See the Teochow dialect transcription of the poem Shi shi shi shi shi to note how words which have become homophonic in other dialects stay distinct in Teochow.)

It is spoken by about 10 million people in local Chaozhou and approximately 2–5 million overseas. Thirty percent of the Chinese in Vietnam speak this dialect. Teochew people are the largest ethnic Chinese group in Thailand and Cambodia, and the second largest ethnic Chinese group in Singapore, after the Hokkien. However, in Singapore, Mandarin is gradually supplanting the Teochew topolect as the mother tongue for this group, especially among younger generations.

Culture

Chaozhou is famously known as one of the great cultural centres in the Lingnan region of China. Chaozhou culture is known worldwide as a unique part of world heritage . Throughout history, the Chaozhou region, was able to flourish and thrive as a prosperous cultural centre enabling the nourishing of a unique and distinctive character epitomized in the Chaozhou Dialect, Chaozhou opera, Chaozhou cuisine, Fenghuang Dancong tea, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou lion dance and Chaozhou embroidery.

Chaozhou Opera

Chaozhou opera (潮劇) is a traditional art form which has a history of more than 500 years and is now appreciated by 20 million Chaozhou natives in over 20 countries and regions . Based on the local folk dances and ballads, Chaozhou opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas and originated in the Song Dynasty. Clowns and females are the most distinctive characters in a Chaozhou opera, and fan-playing and acrobatic skills are more prominent than in other types of performances.

Gongfu tea, the 'espresso' of Chinese teas with a formidable kick, which was first sipped in the Song Dynasty, is still flourishing and remains an important part of social etiquette in Chaozhou. Visitors to local families can be sure of at least one round of Ganghu tea. Though it tastes bitter when it first reaches the mouth, it is the lingering aftertaste that marks Ganghu tea. Drinking Ganghu tea is a process of aesthetics rather than a solution to thirst.

At the local teahouse, tea service is often accompanied by Chaozhou music. String music, gong and drum music and the ancient music of set flutes are the traditional forms of Chaozhou music. Chaozhou string music is made up of mostly plucked and bowed string instruments, and on some occasions, wind instruments are used. The most characteristic instruments are the rihin (二弦), tihu and yahu (all two-stringed bowed lutes), the sanxian, pipa, ruan, guzheng, and yangqin. The number of instruments and performers in the ensemble is flexible and depends on the availability of instruments and musicians to play them - but to have an even and balanced texture only one of each instrument is preferred. Chaozhou drum music includes the big drum and gong, the small drum and gong, the dizi set drum and dong and su drum and gong ensembles. The current Chaozhou drum music is said to be similar to the form of the Drum and Wind Music of the Han and Tang Dynasties. The Chaozhou guzheng and erhu are also regarded as major members of the southern instrument family.

The region is best known for originating 'Bak Kut Teh' (肉骨茶), loosely translated in dialect as 'Meat Bone Tea' which is a popular dish with overseas Chinese Teochew community in Singapore and Malaysia. Owing to its coastal geography, Chaozhou is also famed for its seafood soups and porridge known as a 'Myu'eh'.

Economy

Located Chaofeng Road and Chaozhou Avenue spread out over three buildings, namely Bank of China Tower (left), Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Tower (Center) and China Telecom Tower (right).

In 2006, GDP of the whole city totaled 33.0 billion yuan, up by 13% over the previous year. Agricultural output value reached 5.732 billion yuan, dropped by 3.1%. Industrial output value amounted to 64.9 billion yuan, representing an increase of 16.4%. Seven pillar industries of ceramics, garment, food, plastics, electronics, stainless steel products and printing achieved above-scale industrial output value of 22.92 billion yuan, up by 30.3%, accounting for 62.7% of the total above-scale industrial output value. The proportion of the three industries to the aggregate of GDP was 9.5:56.2:34.3 in 2006. Local financial revenue in the general budget increased to 1065 million yuan, up 23.2%. The gross value of import and export added to US$2.3 billion, representing an increase of 21.3%. Overall consumer product retail sales came to 11.814 billion yuan, representing an increase of 14.7%. Consumption on transport and telecommunication, garment, health care and housing showed massive growth. Expenditure reached 3.56 billion yuan for urban resident and 8.25 billion yuan for rural resident, showing rises of 11.1% and 16.4% respectively. Throughout the year, Chaozhou received visitors of 1,899,000 person/time, up by 15.6%, yielding a revenue of 2.748 billion yuan in tourism, up by 15.4%. Investment in fixed assets came to 10.974 billion yuan, up by 12.4%.

Tourism

Haiyang Xuegong (Confucianism school of Haiyang County).

Chaozhou People's Square musical fountain

Chaozhou is a famous historical and cultural city in the country. The city's feature is known as "Classic Tourist City" which receives numerous tourists both from abroad and home. There are many valuable historic relics in Chaozhou city, totally about 600 units and among them 42 are classified as the state, provincial and city's key preservation units of cultural relics. The Chaozhou Dialect, Chaozhou Opera, Chaozhou Ganghu tea, etc. have unique features of Chaozhou culture, attracting numerous tourists from home and abroad, and are the richly endowed tourist resources.

• Beige Fodeng—The Lighthouse of Buddha (北閣佛燈). The lighthouse was used for boats in the Han River as this part of the river was dangerous. The lighthouse could remind people that they were in Chaozhou area and ought to be careful. It is said a former emperor once passed in his "dragon boat" while he was sleeping and was woken by the light from this Lighthouse. He thought it must have been a bodhisattva sending him the light and therefore named it the "lighthouse of Buddha".
• Guangji Bridge, built in the Southern Song Dynasty (1170 A.D.).
• Huang Jilue Temple (己略黃公祠), displaying the wood carving art of Chaozhou in the Qing Dynasty.
• The old site of Song Kiln, that shows the scale of production and the exquisite craftsmanship of ceramic in ancient Chaozhou.
• Jiadixiang (甲第巷), the ancient family houses.
• Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺) is a Buddhist center embodied with the quintessence of the architectural art of various dynasties such as the Tang, the Song, the Yuan and the Qing. This temple is over 200 years old. The temple is also home to the most influential Buddhism Study Institute in Southeast China. Inside, handsome calligraphy and inscribed steles remind visitors that this temple once functioned as the record keeper of the city.
• Night scene of the People's Square.
• The Ming city wall (明城墻), 2.6 kilometers long.
• Xu, Imperial Son-in-law, Mansion (許駙馬府), which retains the basic pattern of the architecture of the Song Dynasty.
• Xi Hu Yuan, a museum in the main city park, has a unique collection unique of stones with natural geological markings representing (or resembling) Chinese characters.

Education

Chaozhou Nanchun High School

Emperor Taizong of Tang period, there Chaozhou Scholars appear. Han Yu Demotion, set up education, the creation of Shushe, Chaozhou education has been greatly improved. Chaozhou style begin heyday Song, "a two-state college, which he no gun." Southern Song Dynasty, Chaozhou main client population of more than 140,000 people, the imperial-to-end flat after a "whistle to the million or more people," the final generation of Chaozhou Scholars Song as many as 172 people, including Jianyan years (1128) Section Jie 9 people. Ming Dynasty Scholars for 160 people, the provincial examinations in the move is also up to 1088 people. In the history of the successful candidates in Chaozhou also emerged champion Lin Daqin, Wang Bao second place, third overall Yao in such a talent.

2008 Chaozhou city junior high school graduates total of 44,944 people, the test candidates to reach 32,184 people, candidates was 71.61%, 2.6 percentage points higher than elevate 69.05% in 2007, the enrollment rate of 69.53 percent, 4.5 percentage points higher than elevate 65.05% in 2007. Three years of junior high school retention rate remains above 92.28%, living in Guangdong Province sixth. High school enrollment 25,266 people (including vocational, non-skilled workers), compared with 24,136 people in 2007 to increase 1130, an increase of 4.7%, including general high enrollment 20,304, an increase of more than 850 people in 2007, 19,454 people, an increase of 4.4%; in vocational enrollment 4962, an increase of 409 people in 4553 than in 2007, an increase of 9.0%. Transported to the Pearl River Delta in vocational schools reached 1050 people. The city high school to further improve coverage, high school gross enrollment rate of 60.9 percent, 4.5 percentage points higher than enhance the 56.43 percent in 2007.

Media

Newspaper

Chaozhou Daily Building

• Chaozhou Daily

Radio and Television

Chaozhou Broadcasting Television Center

• Chaozhou Broadcast Television，CZBTV
  • Chaozhou Television
  • Radio Chaozhou

Miscellaneous

• The township of Chaojhou in western Pingtung County, Taiwan is named after Chaozhou.

• The Chaozhou people form the second largest group amongst the ethnic Chinese in Singapore, after the Hokkiens, comprising 21% of Chinese Singaporeans. Teochew was originally the dominant language amongst the Chinese immigrants in Singapore, until it was superseded by the Hokkiens due to later immigration flows. Concentrations of Chaozhou people once settled along the banks of the Singapore River as well as the Straits of Johor, until urban development and the redistribution of the people in public housing development diluted this geographic trend, although they are still known to concentrate in the northeast such as in Hougang. Traditional commercial sectors of Chinatown once dominated by Teochews include Circular Road and South Bridge Road. Chaozhou peoples also founded rural settlements and were active in the plantation industry, and gave rise to modern place names such as Choa Chu Kang, Lim Chu Kang and Yio Chu Kang. Today, the Chaozhou people continue to be represented by various clans and association, one of the most prominent being the Ngee Ann Kongsi, which built schools such as the Ngee Ann Secondary School and also went into real-estate (Ngee Ann City). Much effort has been made to preserve their distinct identity and culture under the heavy influence of the Hokkiens, including through the airing of a popular television drama, The Teochew Family in 1995 by MediaCorp's Channel 8.

• There is also a large number of Teochew people in Penang, Malaysia. In the early 19th century some Teochew people settled here and in 1855, they founded the Teochew Association, which also includes a temple in Chulia Street, George Town. The community continued to grow until in 1919, a school named after the Han River, Han Chiang School, was founded to provide education for the people. Today, during some large occasions, the Teochew community still holds Teochew operas here. Other than that, Han Chiang School went on to become one of the most famous education institutions in Penang. They have 3 schools, namely SJK(C) Han Chiang, Han Chiang High School and Han Chiang College.

• There is a large population of Chaozhou people in Hong Kong. When mainland China opened its doors in the 1950s, there was an exodus of refugees into Hong Kong to flee communist rule. Refugees from Chaozhou banded together in very tight communities and were known to be very generous towards helping refugees from their own regions. They spoke their own Teochew dialect amongst themselves, hence they stood out among locals when almost everybody else spoke Cantonese in Hong Kong. Locals called them by the name "Chiu Chow Loun", where Chiu Chow is the Cantonese pronunciation of their origin. Teo Chew and Nang is the Teochew pronunciation of the word "people". They were known to be a very hardworking people and to be good at running small businesses. Back in the 1960s, almost every "rice store" (grocery stores for dried food and uncooked rice) in Hong Kong was owned by "Chiu Chow Loun". Decades and generations later, the children of these immigrants blended into Hong Kong society. Large corporation-run supermarkets drove many independent Chiu Chow "rice stores" out of business. Chiu Chow Loun no longer stands out as a distinct community in Hong Kong, though they are still very active in organizing charity activities, especially around the "ghost festival" in the seventh month of the Chinese calendar. See Teochew people for more details.

• On an added note, 70% of the population of Kowloon Walled City (formerly located in Hong Kong) was Chiu Chou.

• There is a large population of Chaozhou people in Pontianak and Ketapang, Indonesia. Teochew is the main lingua franca used among the Chinese, and Teochew are the dominant ethnic Chinese group in Pontianak and Ketapang.

• There is a large population of Chaozhou people in Thailand. Thailand has had a long history of business and trade with Teochew merchants. Many of the major business families in Thailand can trace their roots to Chaozhou. There are also many instances in the Thai language where Teochew words have been adopted as part of daily use.

• There is a large population of Chaozhou people also in Cambodia, where they had been residents for generations most of the trade in Cambodia, even in small towns is dominated by them. Most of the business and professional families in Cambodia can trace their ancestry to Chaozhou. The Teochew community associations are engaged in management of their own schools, pagodas and charities. The Chinese lunar new year is a national holiday.

Friendship City

• Bangkok, Thailand (2005-11-25)
• 13th arrondissement of Paris, France (2009-05-15)
• Xiamen, China (2013-07-24)
• San Francisco, USA (2013-11-22)

See also

• Chaozhou cuisine, the cooking style originating from Chaozhou.
• Teochew dialect, the dialect spoken in Chaozhou.
• Teochew people, history of the people from Chaozhou.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chaozhou.

• UC Los Angeles Teo-Chew Association
• UC Berkeley Teo-Chew Association
• Government website of Chaozhou (simplified Chinese)

Coordinates: 23°40′N 116°38′E / 23.67°N 116.63°E / 23.67; 116.63