Shanwei

Shanwei
汕尾市
Prefecture-level city

Shanwei

Location of Shanwei in Guangdong
Shanwei

Location in China

Coordinates: 22°47′04″N 115°21′55″E / 22.78444°N 115.36528°E
Country People's Republic of China
Province Guangdong
County-level divisions 4
Township divisions 53
Municipal seat Chengqu
Government
Area
  Total 5,271 km2 (2,035 sq mi)
Elevation 8 m (26 ft)
Population
  Total 2,130,000
  Density 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s) 660
Licence plate prefixes N
Major Nationalities Han
Coastline(excluding islands) 302 km (188 mi)
Shanwei

"Shanwei", as written in Chinese
Chinese 汕尾
Cantonese Jyutping Saan3 mei5
Cantonese Yale Saanméih
Hanyu Pinyin Shànwěi
Postal Map Swabue
Literal meaning Tail or end of the fishing sandbar

Shànwěi (Chinese: 汕尾), or Swabue, is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. It borders Jieyang to the east, Meizhou and Heyuan to the north, Huizhou to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south. It lies approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) east of Shenzhen and the locals speak the Haifeng dialect.

Geography and climate

Shanwei has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), with short, mild to warm winters, and long, hot, humid summers. Winter begins sunny and dry but becomes progressively wetter and cloudier. Spring is generally overcast, while summer brings the heaviest rains of the year though is much sunnier; there are 10.3 days with 50 mm (1.97 in) or more rainfall. Autumn is sunny and dry. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 14.8 °C (58.6 °F) in January to 28.1 °C (82.6 °F) in July, and the annual mean is 22.22 °C (72.0 °F). The annual rainfall is around 1,950 mm (77 in), about two-thirds of which occurs from May to August. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 26% in March to 57% in October, the city receives 1,925 hours of bright sunshine annually.

Climate data for Shanwei (1971−2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 19.0
(66.2)
18.9
(66)
21.5
(70.7)
24.9
(76.8)
27.8
(82)
29.8
(85.6)
30.9
(87.6)
30.9
(87.6)
30.6
(87.1)
28.6
(83.5)
24.9
(76.8)
21.0
(69.8)
25.7
(78.3)
Average low °C (°F) 11.8
(53.2)
12.7
(54.9)
15.5
(59.9)
19.3
(66.7)
22.6
(72.7)
24.9
(76.8)
25.6
(78.1)
25.4
(77.7)
24.3
(75.7)
21.4
(70.5)
17.1
(62.8)
13.1
(55.6)
19.5
(67.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 29.0
(1.142)
55.1
(2.169)
87.9
(3.461)
171.8
(6.764)
280.9
(11.059)
350.1
(13.783)
335.2
(13.197)
331.6
(13.055)
172.6
(6.795)
72.0
(2.835)
30.8
(1.213)
30.3
(1.193)
1,947.3
(76.666)
Avg. rainy days (≥ 0.1 mm) 6.1 9.2 11.3 12.5 14.8 17.7 16.6 16.0 11.2 5.3 4.1 4.2 129.0
Average relative humidity (%) 73 78 81 83 85 86 85 84 79 73 69 69 78.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours 145.9 101.8 94.7 104.5 135.6 166.3 228.6 201.4 191.4 204.9 180.1 170.0 1,925.2
Percent possible sunshine 43 32 26 28 33 41 55 51 52 57 55 51 43
Source: China Meteorological Administration

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Shanwei administers 4 county-level divisions, including 1 district, 1 county-level city and 2 counties.

Map Name Simplified Chinese Hanyu Pinyin Population
(2010 census)
Area
(km2)
Density
(/km2)
Cheng District 城区 Chéng Qū 460,000 421 1,093
Haifeng County 海丰县 Hǎifēng Xiàn 760,000 1,750 434
Luhe County 陆河县 Lùhé Xiàn 280,000 986 284
Lufeng 陆丰市 Lùfēng Shì 1,570,000 1,671 940

These are further divided into 53 township-level divisions, including 40 towns, 10 townships and 3 subdistricts.

Economy

According to a December 2011 report, officials from Shenzhen considered Shanwei as one of the major destinations to which air-polluting industries should be relocated from Shenzhen. According to the mayor of Shenzhen, some 4000 Shenzhen factories should be moved to an industrial park in Shanwei.[1]

Recent history

Main articles: Dongzhou protests and Siege of Wukan

On the night of December 6, 2005, armed policemen were sent to the village of Dongzhou, located near the coast of Jieshi Bay some 15 km (9.3 mi) southeast of central Shanwei, to suppress appeals by residents protesting the lack of compensation for having land confiscated by the government. Several residents were shot dead: the Chinese government claimed that three people were killed, and residents claimed that the number was between 20 and 33, with up to 40 more missing.[2] Other media have reported armed police were sent in after the villagers attacked unarmed police.[3][4]

In 2011, a conflict between the residents of the Wukan village (in Shanwei's Lufeng county-level city, on the Jieshi Bay some 30 km (19 mi) east of Shanwei city center) attracted world media's attention.

Language

Generally used is Shanweihua which is similar to Chaozhou dialect and Hoklo, belonging to the Min Nan division of Min Chinese. Haifeng, Lufeng and the urban area have basically the same accent. Most parts of Luhe District of Lufeng city use Hakka Chinese belonging to the Xinhui subdialect of the Yuetai dialect. As Shanwei is adjacent to the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong, together with the impact of television programs from Hong Kong and population movements within Guangdong province, many local residents, especially the younger generation, have communication skills in Cantonese.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shanwei.