Chaozhou
Encyclopedia
Chaozhou 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 kilometers and a total population of 2,669,844.
Chaozhou is part of the Chaoshan
region.
executive, legislature and judiciary
are situated in Xiangqiao District
(湘桥区), together with its CPC
and Public Security
bureau.
City. It is situated in the north of the delta of the Han River (韩江), which flows throughout the city.
. In 331 during the Eastern Han Dynasty (東汉), 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 of Shandong Province.
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
.
Together, Chaozhou and the nearby cities of Shantou
(汕头) and Jieyang
(揭阳) are 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.
It is spoken by about 10 million people in local Chaozhou and approximately 2-5 million overseas. 30% of the Chinese in Vietnam speak this dialect . Teochew people are the second largest ethnic Chinese group in Singapore
, after the Hokkien
- although Mandarin
is gradually supplanting the Teochew topolect as the mother tongue for this group, especially among younger generations.
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, Chaozhou Ganghu tea, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou lion dance and Chaozhou embroidery.
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 (工夫茶), the 'espresso' of Chinese teas with a formidable kick, which was first sipped back 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 (潮州音樂). 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
(提胡) 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
(潮州古筝) is also regarded as a major member of the southern guzheng family.
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
province of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. It borders Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
to the south, Jieyang
Jieyang
Jieyang is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the east, Chaozhou to the northeast, Meizhou to the north, Shanwei to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.-Administration:...
to the southwest, Meizhou
Meizhou
-Administration:The municipal government, Intermediate Court and CPC and PSB bureaux are housed in the district of Jiangnan , on the right bank of Meijiang River.A second district of Meizhou is Jiangbei , on the left bank...
to the northwest, the province of Fujian
Fujian
' , formerly romanised as Fukien or Huguing or Foukien, is a province on the southeast coast of mainland China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait...
to the east, and the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
to the southeast. It is administered as a prefecture-level city
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
with a jurisdiction area of 3,110 square kilometers and a total population of 2,669,844.
Chaozhou is part of the Chaoshan
Chaoshan
Cháoshàn refers to the linguistic and cultural region in the east of Guangdong, a southeastern province of China. This region is the origin of the Min Nan dialect Teochew. The area is known as Teochew for most people overseas, although it also consists of the cities of Shantou and Jieyang...
region.
Administration
Chaozhou's municipalPrefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
executive, legislature and judiciary
Intermediate people's court
An intermediate people's court is the second lowest local people's court in the People's Republic of China. According to the Organic Law of the People's Courts of the People's Republic of China, the intermediate people's courts handle relevant important local cases in the first instance and hear...
are situated in Xiangqiao District
Xiangqiao District
Xiangqiao District is a district under the administration of Chaozhou city, in Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. Its name comes from the ancient Xiangzi Bridge that once lay in its territory. The total area of the district is 155.14 square kilometers, and its population in...
(湘桥区), together with its CPC
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
and Public Security
Public Security Bureau
In the People's Republic of China, a public security bureau refers to the government offices while the smaller offices are called Police posts which are similar in concept to the Japanese Kōban system) present in each province and municipality that handles policing , public security, and...
bureau.
| Map | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2010 Census) | Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
| 1 | Xiangqiao District Xiangqiao District Xiangqiao District is a district under the administration of Chaozhou city, in Guangdong province of the People's Republic of China. Its name comes from the ancient Xiangzi Bridge that once lay in its territory. The total area of the district is 155.14 square kilometers, and its population in... |
湘桥区 | Xiāngqiáo Qū | 452,472 | 152,5 | 2,967 |
| 2 | Chao'an County Chao'an County Chao'an County is a county in eastern Guangdong Province.It has an area of 1238.77 square kilometers and a population of 1,076,500... |
潮安县 | Cháo'ān Xiàn | 1,335,398 | 1,261 | 1059 |
| 3 | Raoping County | 饶平县 | Ràopíng Xiàn | 881,974 | 1696,5 | 520 |
Geography and climate
Chaozhou is located in the easternmost part of Guangdong Province, north of the coastal ShantouShantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
City. It is situated in the north of the delta of the Han River (韩江), which flows throughout the city.
History
In 214 BC, Chaozhou was an undeveloped and named part of Nanhai Commandery (南海郡) of the Qin DynastyQin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
. In 331 during the Eastern Han Dynasty (東汉), 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
Prefecture
A prefecture is an administrative jurisdiction or subdivision in any of various countries and within some international church structures, and in antiquity a Roman district governed by an appointed prefect.-Antiquity:...
in 590 in the early Sui Dynasty
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang 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
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
government combined Chao and Xun prefectures into Chaoxun Prefecture or Chaoxun Circuit (潮循道).
For a short while in the Sui
Sui Dynasty
The Sui Dynasty was a powerful, but short-lived Imperial Chinese dynasty. Preceded by the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it ended nearly four centuries of division between rival regimes. It was followed by the Tang Dynasty....
and early Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
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
Chao'an County
Chao'an County is a county in eastern Guangdong Province.It has an area of 1238.77 square kilometers and a population of 1,076,500...
(潮安縣) to avoid ambiguity with the Haiyang County of Shandong Province.
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
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
. 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
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
.
Together, Chaozhou and the nearby cities of Shantou
Shantou
Shantou , historically known as Swatow or Suátao, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, with a total population of 5,391,028 as of 2010 and an administrative area of...
(汕头) and Jieyang
Jieyang
Jieyang is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It borders Shantou to the east, Chaozhou to the northeast, Meizhou to the north, Shanwei to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.-Administration:...
(揭阳) are called Chaoshan
Chaoshan
Cháoshàn refers to the linguistic and cultural region in the east of Guangdong, a southeastern province of China. This region is the origin of the Min Nan dialect Teochew. The area is known as Teochew for most people overseas, although it also consists of the cities of Shantou and Jieyang...
. 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. 30% of the Chinese in Vietnam speak this dialect . Teochew people are the second largest ethnic Chinese group in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, after the Hokkien
Hoklo
Hoklo can mean the following:* The Hoklo people, a geographically widespread cultural-linguistic group originating in southeast China , also called Hokkien.* Min Nan, the Chinese language group spoken by the Hoklo....
- although Mandarin
Standard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
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 LingnanLingnan
Lingnan is a geographic area referring to lands in the south of China's "Five Ranges" which are Tayu, Qitian, Dupang, Mengzhu, Yuecheng. The region covers the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces of modern China and northern Vietnam...
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, Chaozhou Ganghu tea, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou lion dance and Chaozhou embroidery.
Nanxi
Nanxi is an early form of Chinese drama, developed from ancient traditions of mime, singing, and dancing during the Song Dynasty in the 12th century AD...
. Nanxi
Nanxi
Nanxi is an early form of Chinese drama, developed from ancient traditions of mime, singing, and dancing during the Song Dynasty in the 12th century AD...
is one of the oldest Chinese operas and originated in the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. 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 (工夫茶), the 'espresso' of Chinese teas with a formidable kick, which was first sipped back in the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
, 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 (潮州音樂). String music
Chaozhou xianshi
Teochew sring music or Chaozhou xianshi is classed as a type of sizhu music although it typically uses stringed instruments only. It is found in northeastern Guangdong and parts of Fujian and also in regions with overseas Teochew populations, such as Singapore, Thailand, and the United States...
, 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
Tihu (instrument)
The tihu is a two-stringed bowed vertical fiddle in the huqin family, used in Chaozhou xianshi music of the Chaozhou people. It is an adaptation of the gaohu used in Cantonese music. It has a tubular hardwood body that is covered on the playing end with python skin...
(提胡) and yahu
Yehu
The instrument comes in various sizes. In Chaozhou music it is a leading instrument, and is tuned quite high. In Cantonese music it can be quite large and is often tuned to a relatively low pitch, lower than the erhu...
(all two-stringed bowed lutes), the sanxian
Sanxian
The sanxian is a Chinese lute — a three-stringed fretless plucked musical instrument. It has a long fingerboard, and the body is traditionally made from snakeskin stretched over a rounded rectangular resonator. It is made in several sizes for different purposes and in the late 20th century a...
, pipa
Pipa
The pipa is a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments . Sometimes called the Chinese lute, the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets ranging from 12–26...
, ruan
Ruan
The ruan is a Chinese plucked string instrument. It is a lute with a fretted neck, a circular body, and four strings. Its strings were formerly made of silk but since the 20th century they have been made of steel...
, guzheng
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
, and yangqin
Yangqin
The trapezoidal yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer, originally from Middle East and Persia . It used to be written with the characters 洋琴 , but over time the first character changed to 揚 , which means "acclaimed". It is also spelled yang quin or yang ch'in...
. 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
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
(潮州古筝) is also regarded as a major member of the southern guzheng family.
Economy
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
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 Hanjiang 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".
- Guangzi Bridge (廣濟橋), 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.
Miscellaneous
- The township of Chaojhou in western Pingtung CountyPingtung CountyPingtung County is a county in Southern Taiwan. Pingtung County is officially administered as a county of the Republic of China . The oldest national park in Taiwan, Kenting National Park, was established in Pingtung County in 1984...
, TaiwanTaiwanTaiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
is named after Chaozhou.
- The Chaozhou people form the second largest group amongst the ethnic Chinese in SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, after the HokkienHokkienHokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
s, 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 RiverSingapore RiverThe Singapore River is a river in Singapore with great historical importance. The Singapore River flows from the Central Area, which lies in the Central Region in the southern part of Singapore before emptying into the ocean...
as well as the Straits of JohorStraits of JohorThe Straits of Johor is a strait that separates the Malaysian state of Johor to the north from Singapore to the south....
, until urban development and the redistribution of the people in public housing developmentPublic housing in SingaporePublic housing in Singapore is currently managed by the Housing and Development Board. The majority of the residential housing developments in Singapore are publicly governed and developed and about 85% of Singaporeans live in such houses...
diluted this geographic trend, although they are still known to concentrate in the northeast such as in HougangHougangHougang is an urban planning area and a suburb in the north-eastern area of the city-state of Singapore. Under classification by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the area is part of the North-East Region, an urban planning division. Hougang borders Sengkang in the north and Serangoon to its...
. 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 KangChoa Chu KangChoa Chu Kang is a major residential town and neighbourhood and is a suburban area in the West Region of Singapore...
, Lim Chu KangLim Chu KangLim Chu Kang is a planning area located in the northwestern part of Singapore.-History:Lim Chu Kang Village was founded by Neo Tiew , a Chinese immigrant who was the sheriff of the village. The village is on the banks of the Sungei Kranji and was controlled by the Lim clan. Neo Tiew also set up a...
and Yio Chu KangYio Chu KangYio Chu Kang is a sub-urban area in the northeast of Singapore, with proximity to the Ang Mo Kio, Seletar and Serangoon areas. Deriving its name from the Yio Chu Kang Village, it is still known for lush greenery and low-density housing with high-rise public housing in its southern fringes...
. Today, the Chaozhou people continue to be represented by various clans and association, one of the most prominent being the Ngee Ann KongsiNgee Ann KongsiThe Ngee Ann Kongsi is a foundation governed by the Ngee Ann Kongsi Ordinance , that is actively involved in educational, cultural and welfare activities in Singapore. The Ordinance has undergone corrections in Parliament in 2007, adjusting many clauses to keep the Kongsi up to date...
, which built schools such as the Ngee Ann Secondary SchoolNgee Ann Secondary SchoolNgee Ann Secondary School is an autonomous government-aided secondary school in Tampines, Singapore. The school was started by the Ngee Ann Kongsi, a Teochew clan foundation. Set up in 1994, Ngee Ann Secondary was a successor to the now defunct Tuan Mong High School which closed in that same year...
and also went into real-estate (Ngee Ann CityNgee Ann CityNgee Ann City is a shopping and commercial centre located on Orchard Road, Singapore. The S$520 million building was officially opened on 21 September 1993 by then Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong. Many Singaporeans refer to Ngee Ann City as "Taka", a slang-abbreviation of the anchor tenant's name,...
). 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 FamilyThe Teochew FamilyThe Teochew Family is a 1995 Singaporean Drama Series produced by Mediacorp and Fujian TV. Starring veteran Hong Kong actor Kenneth Tsang and Singaporean stars Zoe Tay, Chew Chor Meng and Zeng Huifen, this drama describes the trials and tribulations the teochew Cai Family under the patriarch Cai...
(潮州家族) in 1995 by MediaCorpMediaCorpMedia Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
's Channel 8.
- There is also a large number of Teochew people in PenangPenangPenang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
, 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 TownGeorge Town, PenangGeorge Town was voted as one of the best cities in Asia by Asiaweek, ranked 6th in 1998 and 9th in 2000. More recently, George Town has improved a notch to rank as the 9th most liveable city in Asia in a survey of 254 cities worldwide according to an international location ratings survey by , an...
. The community continued to grow until in 1919, a school named after the Han RiverHan RiverHan River may refer to:*Han River , flowing through Seoul, South Korea*Han River , in central China*Han River , in southeastern China...
, Han Chiang SchoolHan Chiang SchoolHan Chiang School is a group of three schools in Malaysia. The first school was founded on 10 October 1919 in Jalan Lim Lean Teng, Penang. All three schools are controlled by the Han Chiang Board of Directors...
, 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 ChiangSJK(C) Han ChiangSJK Han ChiangSekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Han Chiang槟城韩江国民型小学PrincipalPuan Tan Hwa Hwa School typeNational type primary schoolFoundedOctober 10, 1919FoundersTeochew Association of Penang and Lim Lean Teng...
, Han Chiang High SchoolHan Chiang High SchoolHan Chiang High School is a private Chinese high school located in Jalan Han Chiang, Penang, Malaysia. The school was founded in 1950 by The Teow Chew Association of Penang. Mr.Lim Lean Teng gave the school and Han Chiang Primary School a piece of land measuring .The school is the first private...
and Han Chiang CollegeHan Chiang CollegeHan Chiang College is a private college located in Penang, Malaysia.Established in July 1999, Han Chiang College is a not-for-profit institution of higher learning...
.
- There is a large population of Chaozhou people in Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. When mainland China opened its gate in the 1950s, there was an exodus of refugees into Hong Kong to flee the communist rule. Refugees from Chaozhou banded together in very tight communities. They were known to be very generous of helping refugees from their own regions. They spoke their own Teochew dialect amongst themselves, hence they stood out among the locals when almost everybody else spoke Cantonese in Hong Kong. The 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 they were good at running small businesses. Back in the 1960s, almost every "rice store" (grocery stores for dried food and uncooked rice) in Hong Kong were owned by "Chiu Chow Loun". Decades and generations later, the offspring of these immigrants blended into the rest of the communities. Large corporation run supermarkets drove many "rice stores" out of business. Chiu Chow Loun no longer as stood out as special communities 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 peopleTeochew peopleThe Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...
for more details.
- There is a large population of Chaozhou people in PontianakPontianak, IndonesiaPontianak is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. It is a medium-size industrial city on the island of Borneo. Pontianak occupies an area of 107.82 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River...
and KetapangKetapangKetapang is the capital city of Ketapang regency . Ketapang city is located, on the island of Borneo. It is a small city on the delta of the Pawan River. Ketapang regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. It occupies an area of 35,809 km²...
, 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 profesional 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.
See also
- Chaozhou cuisine, the cooking style originating from Chaozhou.
- Teochew dialect, the dialectDialectThe term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
spoken in Chaozhou. - Teochew peopleTeochew peopleThe Chaozhou people are Han people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province of China who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the...
, history of the people from Chaozhou.