Shantou City (汕头)
(By iStock)
City Information
History
Shantou City or Shantou (汕头) was a port city on the east coast of China located in Guangdong Province, it is considered one of the regions of Chinese civilization known as Teochew, which consists of 3 provinces: Teochew, Shantou, and Jieyang. Shantou City is one of the settlements of the Teochew people who speak Chinese Teochew which is a language that is divided from the Southern Min language (Southern Hokkien). During the Song Dynasty, Shantou City was a port city of Tuojiang. In the year 1563, Shantou City was part of Chenghai District or Tenghai (in Teochew dialect) in Chaozhou or Teochew today. At that time, Shantou City was called Shashan Ping and Shantou was created in the 17th century. The word was created after a porcelain called Shashan Toubaotai. In the past, Shantou City was a small fisherman’s village. Then, the city started to expand and become a transit port. It began to have various shops and businesses. Later, it was upgraded to an international port city in the 18th century before becoming one of the four special economic zone cities in China today.
Area and population
Shantou City has a total area of 2,248 square kilometers. and has a permanent population of 5.502 million people.
Geography
- Shantou City is a city in the eastern part of Guangdong Province. It is located in the southern part of the Hanjiang River Delta. Shantou City is located between longitude 116°14'40" East and 117°19'35" East and latitude 23°02'33" North and 23°38'50" East. It is 187 sea miles from Hong Kong Island and 160 sea miles from Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
- Shantou City mainly consists of a deltaic plain for 63.62% of the total city area, hilly mountains for 30.40% of the land area, and a high plateau for 5.98% of the total area.
- Shantou City is an important transportation interchange point in the eastern Guangdong Province, Southern Jiangxi Province, and Southwest Fujian Region.
- Shantou City is an import and export port and distribution center known as the ‘Communication Center of South China and Gateway of East Guangdong.’
Map of Shantou City located in Guangdong Province by Researchgate
Transportation
Shantou City is focusing on building a high-level national comprehensive transportation hub by speeding up the construction of high-speed railways to increase convenience in connecting between the Shantou-Chaozhou-Jieyang metropolitan area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, the Guangdong-Fujian-Zhejiang coastal city cluster, and the Yangtze River Delta.
Shantou City has 6 expressways: 1) Shenyang-Haikou 2) Shantou-Kunming 3) Chaozhou-Huizhou 4) Jieyang-Huizhou 5) Shantou-Zhanjiang and 6) Chaozhou-Shantou Ring Road
Shantou City has the ‘Shantou Port’ which is an important port and transportation hub for international trade on the southeastern coast of China, ranking as one of the 27 major coastal ports in China and one of the 15 key construction nodes of the “the Belt and Road Initiative”. There are 35 berths with a terminal capacity of 42.02 million tons and 22 international trade routes with a container capacity of 1.63 million TEU.
Traveling in the City
- Buses: It is the most cost-effective public transport, and it mostly costs 2 RMB per trip.
- Taxi: Download the ‘DiDi’ application (similar to Uber) to call a ride.
- Bicycle: Download the bicycle-sharing application on your mobile phone to use the bicycle rental services.
Traveling from Shantou City to the outside of the city
- High-speed train: It is convenient to travel to other major cities such as Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Wuhan, and Chengdu. Tickets can be purchased online and picked up at stores in the city or at the Chaoshan High-speed Railway Station.
- Long-distance coach: Shantou City is one of the 45 major highway hub cities, and the network is very convenient for traveling.
- Airport: The Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport (IATA: SWA) provides domestic links with major cities in China and provides international flights to Macau, Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Taichung, Nay Pyi Taw, and Seoul.
Economy
Shantou City began its industrial development in 1949 and produced a variety of products in large quantities. In addition, the development of Shantou City is also linked to ‘openness’ and the ‘capital and overseas Chinese power.’ In the early 20th century, overseas Chinese built the first railway, the first waterworks, and the first power plant in Shantou City. In 1981, there was the establishment of a special economic zone in Shantou City. It expanded to cover the entire Shantou City area in 1991, which is considered to lead to expanding economic development. As a result, products from Shantou City are well known throughout the country, namely the photochemical industry, ultrasonic instruments, magnetogram and electronic products, toys, textiles, processed food, drafting, handicrafts, and embroidery.
- The Shantou Comprehensive Bonded Zone: It is an area under special customs supervision. There is the highest level of openness and a policy that gives the most privileges and comprehensive functions. In addition, the Shantou Comprehensive Bonded Area is the only comprehensive bonded area in China's eastern Guangdong Province.
- The Shantou Overseas Chinese Economic and Cultural Cooperation Experimental Zone: It was approved by the State Council in 2014 as the only national development platform named after the overseas Chinese that considers the characteristics of ‘Overseas Chinese’ and ‘culture.’ It covers some areas of Longhu District, Chenghai District, Haojiang District, and Nan'ao District. It was laid out as an economic zone with nine main industries, which consist of cross-border finance, business exhibition, resources and energy trading, cultural creativity, tourism and leisure, education and training, medical services, information, and maritime.
- Shantou High-tech Industrial Development Zone: It is committed to building a regional innovation source that focuses on promoting the construction of 5G industrial parks and developing key industries such as artificial intelligence, new materials, biopharmaceuticals, etc.
Shantou City has a policy to provide incentives to investors who invest in the city according to the Incentive Measures for Key Industrial Projects of Investment Promotion in Shantou in 2020, focusing on advanced manufacturing and modern service industries to accelerate the rollout of high-quality industrial projects. The incentives are as below:
- Fixed Assets Investment Incentive: a certain proportion of rewards will be given according to the investment in fixed assets of the project, where the total reward amount of each enterprise can reach 30 million yuan.
- Project Development Incentive
- Loan Discount Incentive
- Recommendation Incentive
- Mega-project Incentive
All Year Climate & Weather Averages in Shantou
| High Temp : |
32 |
°C |
| Low Temp : |
11 |
°C |
| Mean Temp : |
23 |
°C |
| Humidity : |
79 |
% |
| Precipitation : |
64.5 |
mm |
| Annual Rainfall: |
773.4 |
mm (per year) |
| Dew Point: |
18 |
°C |
| Wind: |
10 |
km/h |
| Pressure: |
1014 |
mbar |
| Visibility: |
10 |
km |
 |
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| Nan’ao Island- by Li Chang/ Flickr |
Zhongshan Park- by Leo_li Photography/ Flickr |
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| Queshi (Queshi Scenic Area)- by Tripadvisor |
Lotus Mountain Hot Springs Resort- by hotel.elong.net |
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| Longquan (Dragon Rock) Temple - by Tripadvisor |
Chen Cihong Mansion- by Tripadvisor |
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| Tropic of Cancer Monument - by Tripadvisor |
Shantou Xitang (Shantou Xitang Landscape Garden) - by Tripadvisor |
City Agreement:
On 2 March 2000, the Governor of Shantou and the Governor of Bangkok signed the Agreement on the Establishment of Relation and Cooperation on Education, Cultural Tourism, Economic and Trade Between City of Bangkok, the Kingdom of Thailand, and City of Shantou, Guangdong Province, the People's Republic of China.
Leader: Zeng Fengbao, Mayor (January 2023)
Website: https://english.shantou.gov.cn
Download: Agreement on the Establishment of Relation and Cooperation
Consequences Activities after Signing on the Agreement
| No. |
Date |
Activity |
Venue |
Link Photos/Vdo Album |
| 1 |
2 March 2000 |
The Governor of Shantou and the Governor of Bangkok signed the Agreement on the Establishment of Relation and Cooperation on Education, Cultural Tourism, Economic and Trade Between City of Bangkok, the Kingdom of Thailand and City of Shantou, Guangdong Province, the People's Republic of China.
|
Shantou |
|
| 2 |
7 July 2023 |
Mr. Wen Zhanbin, Secretary of the CPC Shantou Municipal Committee together with the delegation paid a courtesy call to Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, to discuss economic, trade, cultural, and educational exchange cooperation between Shantou City and Bangkok at Amon Piman Room, Bangkok City Hall, Sao Chingcha.
|
Bangkok |
|
| 3 |
26 September 2023 |
Shantou City is planning to start holding sister city promotion days. Hence, Investment in Shantou (PDF) was submitted to provide a better understanding of the economic development and industrial investment potential in Shantou City.
|
Online |
|
As of Jan 2024
