Shaoguan
Encyclopedia
Shaoguan historically known as Shaokwan and Shao-chow, is a prefecture-level city
in the north of Southern China
's Guangdong
province. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen
Buddhist
patriarch Huineng
.
relocated his mission house - the first ever Jesuit mission
in mainland China - to Shaoguan after a fallout with the authorities in Zhaoqing
. He remained in Shaoguan for a few years, eventually benefiting from Shaoguan's location on the important north-south travel route to establish connections with traveling dignitaries that allowed him to move north, to Nanchang
, Nanjing
, and Beijing
.
During World War II
the city, then called Kukong, was the capital of Guangdong Province.
In June 2009, Uyghur
s and Han
workers clashed
at a toy factory in Shaoguan, which was followed by the Ürümqi riots in July.
and 5 counties:
(Beijing–Guangzhou) about 221 kilometres (137.3 mi) north of the provincial capital of Guangzhou
. Shaoguan is also readily accessible by road as it is adjacent to the Jingzhu Expressway
running from Beijing to Zhuhai.
At Shaoguan, the Wu River from the northwest and the Zhen River from the northeast join up to create the North River (Bei Jiang) which flows south to Guangzhou.
The downtown part of Shaoguan is located on a peninsula between the Wu and Zhen Rivers. The rivers are maintained at a constant level by a dam about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) downstream from the city. The city has about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) of tree-lined riverside esplanades along the banks of the rivers. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers.
-influenced humid subtropical climate
(Köppen
Cfa), with short, mild, damp winters, rainy springs, long, hot, and humid summers, and relatively sunny autumns. Due to the city's location far inland, winters are significantly cooler than in the rest of the province, with a January average temperature of 10.2 °C (50.4 °F), and summer maxima are higher here, averaging 1.3 C-change higher in July than in Guangzhou. Frosts may occur, but freezing temperatures are much rarer. Winter starts off dry and sunny but becomes cloudier as spring approaches. Spring is the cloudiest and wettest time of the year, with only 16% of the possible amount of sunshine in March.
. To the south of the tower, at the other end of a pedestrian shopping street, the Dajian Monastery was founded in 660.
Near Shaoguan is the town of Maba, home of relics and museum of the Maba Man
, Chinese Neanderthals. Near Maba is Nanhua Temple
, which was founded by Huineng
, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. The large Shaogang iron and steel factory is also located near Maba.
Near Shaoguan in Renhua county is located the Danxia
Mountain which is a famous scenic area.
Northwest of Shaoguan, at the town of Pingshi, a dramatic stretch of river known as the Nine Torrents and Eighteen Shoals is a popular place for white-water rafting.
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...
in the north of Southern China
South Central China
South Central China is a region of the People's Republic of China defined by governmental bureaus that includes the provinces of Guangdong, Hainan, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan, and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, however excluding the 2 special administrative regions : Hong Kong and...
's Guangdong
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. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
patriarch Huineng
Huineng
Dajian Huineng was a Chinese Chán monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies...
.
History
In 1589, Matteo RicciMatteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
relocated his mission house - the first ever Jesuit mission
Jesuit China missions
The history of the missions of the Jesuits in China is part of the history of relations between China and the Western world. The missionary efforts and other work of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, between the 16th and 17th century played a significant role in continuing the transmission of...
in mainland China - to Shaoguan after a fallout with the authorities in Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing
Zhaoqing is a prefecture-level city of Guangdong province in southern China.-Geography:Zhaoqing is located 110 km northwest of Guangzhou, in the west Pearl River Delta. It lies on the north shores of the Xijiang River, which is flows from west to east, and opposite of Gaoyao...
. He remained in Shaoguan for a few years, eventually benefiting from Shaoguan's location on the important north-south travel route to establish connections with traveling dignitaries that allowed him to move north, to Nanchang
Nanchang
Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province in southeastern China. It is located in the north-central portion of the province. As it is bounded on the west by the Jiuling Mountains, and on the east by Poyang Lake, it is famous for its scenery, rich history and cultural sites...
, Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
, and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the city, then called Kukong, was the capital of Guangdong Province.
In June 2009, Uyghur
Uyghur people
The Uyghur are a Turkic ethnic group living in Eastern and Central Asia. Today, Uyghurs live primarily in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China...
s and Han
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
workers clashed
Shaoguan incident
The Shaoguan incident was a civil disturbance which took place overnight on 25/26 June 2009 in Guangdong province, China. A violent dispute erupted between migrant Uyghurs and Han workers at a toy factory in Shaoguan as a result of allegations of the sexual assault of a Han female...
at a toy factory in Shaoguan, which was followed by the Ürümqi riots in July.
Administrative divisions
Shaoguan has direct jurisdiction over 2 districts, 2 county-level citiesCounty-level city
A county-level city is a county-level administrative division of mainland China. County-level cities are usually governed by prefecture-level divisions, but a few are governed directly by province-level divisions....
and 5 counties:
| Map | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Hanzi | Hanyu Pinyin | Population (2003 est.) |
Area (km²) | Density (/km²) |
||
| 1 | Zhenjiang District Zhenjiang District Zhenjiang District is a district of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
浈江区 | Zhēnjiāng Qū | 360,000 | 523 | 688 | ||
| 2 | Wujiang District Wujiang District Wujiang District is a district of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
武江区 | Wǔjiāng Qū | 230,000 | 682 | 337 | ||
| 3 | Qujiang District Qujiang District, Shaoguan Qujiang District is a district of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
曲江区 | Qǔjiāng Qū | 300,000 | 1,651 | 182 | ||
| 4 | Lechang City Lechang Lechang is a city in the northern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, bordering Hunan province to the north. It is administratively a county-level city of Shaoguan City.-Administrative division:* Lecheng Jiedao... |
乐昌市 | Lèchāng Shì | 520,000 | 2,391 | 217 | ||
| 5 | Nanxiong City Nanxiong Nanxiong is a city district of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
南雄市 | Nánxióng Shì | 460,000 | 2,361 | 195 | ||
| 6 | Shixing County | 始兴县 | Shǐxīng Xiàn | 240,000 | 1,174 | 204 | ||
| 7 | Renhua County Renhua County Renhua County is a county of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
仁化县 | Rénhuà Xiàn | 220,000 | 2,223 | 99 | ||
| 8 | Wengyuan County Wengyuan County Wengyuan County is a county of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
翁源县 | Wēngyuán Xiàn | 380,000 | 2,234 | 170 | ||
| 9 | Xinfeng Xinfeng County, Guangdong Xinfeng County, Guangdong is a county of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
新丰县 | Xīnfēng Xiàn | 240,000 | 2,016 | 119 | ||
| 10 | Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County is a county of Guangdong Province, China. It is under the administration of Shaoguan city.... |
乳源瑶族 自治县 |
Rǔyuán Yáozú Zìzhìxiàn |
200,000 | 2,125 | 94 | ||
Geography
Shaoguan is located on the Jingguang RailwayJingguang Railway
The Beijing–Guangzhou Railway or Jingguang Railway is a major arterial railway in the China that connects Beijing in the north with Guangzhou in the south. This dual-track electrified line has a total length of 2,324 kilometres and spans five provinces through north, central and south China...
(Beijing–Guangzhou) about 221 kilometres (137.3 mi) north of the provincial capital of Guangzhou
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. Shaoguan is also readily accessible by road as it is adjacent to the Jingzhu Expressway
Jingzhu Expressway
The Jingzhu Expressway is the first completed north-south expressway in the People's Republic of China, starting from Beijing and ending in Zhuhai, on the border with the Macau SAR....
running from Beijing to Zhuhai.
At Shaoguan, the Wu River from the northwest and the Zhen River from the northeast join up to create the North River (Bei Jiang) which flows south to Guangzhou.
The downtown part of Shaoguan is located on a peninsula between the Wu and Zhen Rivers. The rivers are maintained at a constant level by a dam about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) downstream from the city. The city has about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) of tree-lined riverside esplanades along the banks of the rivers. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers.
Climate
Shaoguan has a monsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
-influenced humid subtropical climate
Humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a climate zone characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Cfa), with short, mild, damp winters, rainy springs, long, hot, and humid summers, and relatively sunny autumns. Due to the city's location far inland, winters are significantly cooler than in the rest of the province, with a January average temperature of 10.2 °C (50.4 °F), and summer maxima are higher here, averaging 1.3 C-change higher in July than in Guangzhou. Frosts may occur, but freezing temperatures are much rarer. Winter starts off dry and sunny but becomes cloudier as spring approaches. Spring is the cloudiest and wettest time of the year, with only 16% of the possible amount of sunshine in March.
Tourism
The Fengcai Tower in the centre of Shaoguan was built in the Ming DynastyMing Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
. To the south of the tower, at the other end of a pedestrian shopping street, the Dajian Monastery was founded in 660.
Near Shaoguan is the town of Maba, home of relics and museum of the Maba Man
Maba Man
Maba Man is the pre-modern hominid whose remains were discovered in caves near the town called Maba, near Shaoguan city in the north part of Guangdong province, China....
, Chinese Neanderthals. Near Maba is Nanhua Temple
Nanhua Temple
Nanhua Temple is a Buddhist monastery of the Chan School, one of Five Great Schools of Buddhism where Hui Neng, the Sixth Patriarch of the Chan School of Buddhism, once lived and taught. It is located 25 km southeast of Shaoguan, China in the town of Caoxi , within Qujiang District...
, which was founded by Huineng
Huineng
Dajian Huineng was a Chinese Chán monastic who is one of the most important figures in the entire tradition, according to standard Zen hagiographies...
, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. The large Shaogang iron and steel factory is also located near Maba.
Near Shaoguan in Renhua county is located the Danxia
Danxia
Mount Danxia is a famous scenic area near Shaoguan city in the northern part of Guangdong, China. The Danxia mountain is formed from a reddish sandstone which has been eroded over time into a series of mountains surrounded by curvaceous cliffs and many unusual rock formations . It is described in...
Mountain which is a famous scenic area.
Northwest of Shaoguan, at the town of Pingshi, a dramatic stretch of river known as the Nine Torrents and Eighteen Shoals is a popular place for white-water rafting.
External links
- http://www.shaoguan.gov.cn/
- http://www.shaoguan.com.cn/
- Shaoguan, China