Shunde District

Shunde
顺德区
District
(with autonomous sub-provincial status)

Coordinates: 22°50′11″N 113°15′09″E / 22.83639°N 113.25250°E / 22.83639; 113.25250Coordinates: 22°50′11″N 113°15′09″E / 22.83639°N 113.25250°E / 22.83639; 113.25250
Country People's Republic of China
Province Guangdong
Prefecture-level city Foshan
Area
 • Total 806 km2 (311 sq mi)
  [1]
Population [1]
 • Total 1,220,000
 • Density 1,500/km2 (3,900/sq mi)
Time zone China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code 528300
Website (in Chinese) www.shunde.gov.cn
Shunde District
Simplified Chinese 顺德区
Traditional Chinese 順德區
Cantonese Yale Seuhndāk Kēui
Cantonese Jyutping seon6 dak1 keoi1
Hanyu Pinyin Shùndé Qū
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese 顺德
Traditional Chinese 順德
Cantonese Yale Seuhndāk
Cantonese Jyutping seon6 dak1
Hanyu Pinyin Shùndé
Postal Shuntak

Shunde District is a district in the city of Foshan in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong Province, China. Once a traditional agricultural county, it has become one of the most affluent counties in Guangdong and mainland China. Since 2009, it is administrated independently of Foshan city, answerable directly to the Guangdong provincial government.

Administration division

Shunde was a county-level city until 8 December 2002, when it became a district of Foshan prefecture-level city.[2] Shunde has direct jurisdiction over four subdistricts and six towns:

Name Chinese (S) Hanyu Pinyin Population (2010)[3] Area (km2)
Daliang Subdistrict 大良街道 Dàliáng Jiēdào 404,309 80.19
Ronggui Subdistrict 容桂街道 Róngguì Jiēdào 449,687 80.17
Leliu Subdistrict 勒流街道 Lēiliú Jiēdào 252,364 90.84
Lunjiao Subdistrict 伦教街道 Lúnjiào Jiēdào 184,479 59.21
Beijiao Town 北滘镇 Běijiào Zhèn 270,310 92.41
Lecong Town 乐从镇 Lècóng Zhèn 259,795 77.55
Jun'an Town 均安镇 Jūn'ān Zhèn 141,736 79.36
Xingtan Town 杏坛镇 Xìngtán Zhèn 144,537 122.07
Chencun Town 陈村镇 Chéncūn Zhèn 135,686 50.92
Longjiang Town 龙江镇 Lóngjiāng Zhèn 221,881 73.78

Unique as a district of any prefecture-level city in China, Shunde has been granted a degree of prefecture-level administrative autonomy over certain matters, notably economic development, independent of Foshan city, and has been answerable directly to the Guangdong Provincial government since 2009.[2]

Economy

Situated in the fertile Pearl River Delta, its economy was once dominated by agriculture, fisheries and silk farming. Since the implementation of policies related to reform and openness began in 1978, the people of this area were given full control over their geographical position and culture. This has allowed Shunde to gradually develop into a modern industrial boomtown, especially the manufacturing of furniture and electric appliances.[4] Some mainland Chinese product brands like Kelon or Midea are made in Shunde. Recently a new technology industrial park has also been opened in this area, featuring car manufacturers such as Toyota. Galanz, an appliance maker, has its headquarters in Shunde District.[5]

Shunde was approved as a pilot city for the comprehensive reform of Guangdong in 1993,[2] and also for taking the lead in accomplishing modernization in 1999. From 2000 to 2003, Shunde was ranked first among China's top 100 counties for Basic Economic Competitiveness for four consecutive years (released by National Bureau of Statistics of China). In 2005, Shunde's GDP was 2,170 billion yuan.[6]

Today, this area has become one of the most affluent counties in Guangdong and mainland China (according to official information from the Chinese government and the United Nations). The GDP reached 127.5 billion yuan in 2007, an annual increase of 18%, and GDP per capita reached 107,991 yuan (ca. US$14,200).

Tourism

Tourist attractions include the Qinghui Garden, which features fish ponds surrounded by osmanthus, bamboo and mulberry bushes,[7] as well as the Bruce Lee Memorial Museum located in Jun'an. Shunfengshan Park was opened to the public in 2004 and has a memorial archway which is 88 metres (289 ft) wide and 38 metres (125 ft) high. Baolin Temple is accessible through the park.[8]

Travelling from Shunde is easy with many different options. There are ferries and buses that go directly to Hong Kong, including an option to Hong Kong International Airport. Bus tickets can be purchased at the New World Centre Hotel. Macau is easily accessible by train, taking less than an hour. Guangzhou is accessible by train, taxi or bus. [9]

UNESCO Creative Cities

China’s southern city of Shunde joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as the city of gastronomy on Monday. Another 27 cities from 19 countries were also added to the list.

Shunde has long been widely regarded as the basis for exquisite Cantonese cuisine and the cradle of Cantonese cuisine chefs. While the cuisine of Guangzhou has been historically very minimalist in terms of flavorings, food from Shunde is known for its liberal use of ingredients such as sun dried tangerine peel and dates, resulting in simple but powerful flavors.

Launched in 2004, the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. The network aims to foster international cooperation between cities committed to investing in creativity as a driver for sustainable urban development, social inclusion and enhanced cultural influence in the world.

By joining the network, cities commit to collaborate and develop partnerships with a view to promoting creativity and cultural industries, to share best practices, to strengthen participation in cultural life and to integrate culture in economic and social development plans.

The network covers seven thematic areas: craft and folk arts, design, film, gastronomy, Literature, media arts and music. It aims to promote international cooperation and encourage the sharing of experiences and resources to promote local development through culture and creativity.

With these new designations, the number of UNESCO Creative Cities Network members now totals 69.

City of Gastronomy

Shunde is one of the cradles of Cantonese cuisine, situated at the core of the Pearl River Delta, with Guangzhou to the north and Hong Kong to the south. Its outstanding natural environment, lively cultural scene, prosperous economy and renowned culinary arts academies provide particularly favorable conditions for the development of a gastronomic culture and industry.

The chefs in the city pay special attention to retaining the ingredients’ flavors and cook with attractive colors, fragrances and tastes that can be described as "light, fresh, crispy, tender, smooth and genuine". Shunde cuisine is famous for its delicacies characterized by their nutritional value and preparation. The combination of inventive cooking methods, creative ways of presentation and outstanding flavors, make the city’s cuisine truly exceptional.

Shunde’s longstanding and well-developed gastronomy as well as more recent processes of industrialization have brought forth ambitions for future developments. The city is determined to further its image as an innovative city of gastronomy and creativity.

An unusual feature of Shunde cuisine is its desserts, such as double skin milk, made with dairy products - otherwise rare in Chinese cuisine - an indirect legacy of European missionaries and merchants active in the area since the 16th Century.

As of 2017 there are 18 cities in the world which have been awarded the UNESCO "City of Gastronomy", of which Shunde is one of two in China (the other being Chengdu).

Famous residents and people from the area

Martial artist Bruce Lee's ancestral roots are traced to Gwan'on (Jun'an) in Seundak (Shunde). A street in the village is named after the actor, and his ancestral home is open to the public.

Others include:

One possible translation of the demonym for Shunde(Shuntak) might be Shuntakese

See also

References

  1. 1 2 顺德基本概况 (in Chinese). Shunde People's Government of Foshan. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 历史沿革 (in Chinese). Government of Shunde. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ shi, Guo wu yuan ren kou pu cha ban gong; council, Guo jia tong ji ju ren kou he jiu ye tong ji si bian = Tabulation on the 2010 population census of the people's republic of China by township / compiled by Population census office under the state; population, Department of; statistics, employment statistics national bureau of (2012). Zhongguo 2010 nian ren kou pu cha fen xiang, zhen, jie dao zi liao (Di 1 ban. ed.). Beijing Shi: Zhongguo tong ji chu ban she. ISBN 978-7-5037-6660-2.
  4. ↑ 传统产业 (in Chinese). Government of Shunde. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Contact Us." Galanz. Retrieved on May 23, 2015. "Address: No.25, Ronggui South Rd, Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, China" and Chinese address: Foshan: "地址：广东省佛山市顺德区容桂大道南25号"
  6. ↑ "广东GDP总量超新加坡香港" (in Chinese). Government of Shunde. Jan 26, 2006.
  7. ↑ "Qinghui Garden". CITS.net. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ http://www.shunde-hotels.com/en/tour.html
  9. ↑ 顺峰山简介 (in Chinese). July 24, 2009.
  10. ↑ "Bloomberg Billionaires Index". Retrieved 1 June 2013.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.