Zhanjiang

This article is about the Chinese city of Zhanjiang, known in French as Fort Bayard. For the fort in the District of Columbia, see Fort Bayard (Washington, D.C.).

Zhanjiang 湛江 广州湾 · Kwangchouwan
—  Prefecture-level city  —
湛江市
Hu Guang Yan Lake
Nickname(s): Harbour City (港城)
Zhanjiang Location in China
Coordinates: 21°12′N 110°24′E / 21.2°N 110.4°E / 21.2; 110.4Coordinates: 21°12′N 110°24′E / 21.2°N 110.4°E / 21.2; 110.4
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Guangdong
City seat	Chikan District
Government
– CPC Party Chief	Liu Xiaohua (刘小华)
– Mayor	Wang Zhongbing (王中丙)
Area
– Prefecture-level city	12,490 km2 (4,822.4 sq mi)
Population (2010 census)
– Prefecture-level city	6,993,304
– Density	559.9/km2 (1,450.2/sq mi)
– Urban	1,400,685
– Metro	1,400,685
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	524000
Area code(s)	759
Major Nationalities	Han
County-level divisions	9
License Plate Prefix	粤G
GDP	2010
- Total	CNY 140.28 billion
- per capita	CNY 20,048
Website	http://www.zhanjiang.gov.cn/

Zhanjiang
Chinese	湛江
Literal meaning	azure river
Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Chhám-kông Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Zhànjiāng - Wade–Giles Tsankiang - IPA ʈ͡ʂânt͡ɕi̯ɑ́ŋ Min - Hokkien POJ Tām-kang Wu - Romanization zae上kaon上 Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping zaam3gong1

Zhanjiang (Chinese: 湛江), formerly known as Tsamkong, Tsankiang, Fort-Bayard, and Kwang-Chou-Wan, is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province of Southern China, facing the island of Hainan to the south.

Its population is 6,993,304 inhabitants at the 2010 census. 1,400,685 live in the built up area made of 4 urban districts (Chikan, Xiashan, Potou and Mazhang)

Administration

Zhanjiang has direct juridiction over 9 county-level divisions:

Map	#	Name	Hanzi	Hanyu Pinyin	Population (2003 est.)	Area (km²)	Density (/km²)
	City proper
	1	Chikan District	赤坎区	Chìkǎn Qū	220,000	79	2,785
	2	Xiashan District	霞山区	Xiáshān Qū	360,000	88	4,091
	Suburban
	3	Potou District	坡头区	Pōtóu Qū	380,000	424	896
	4	Mazhang District	麻章区	Mázhāng Qū	470,000	769	611
	Satellite cities
	5	Wuchuan City	吴川市	Wúchuān Shì	1,010,000	848	1,191
	6	Lianjiang City	廉江市	Liánjiāng Shì	1,510,000	2,835	533
	7	Leizhou City	雷州市	Léizhōu Shì	1,510,000	3,523	429
	Rural
	8	Suixi County	遂溪县	Suíxī Xiàn	990,000	2,144	462
	9	Xuwen County	徐闻县	Xúwén Xiàn	690,000	1954.37	382

Geography

Zhanjiang is located to the southwest of the city of Guangzhou on an inlet of the South China Sea. It is located on the eastern coast of the Leizhou Peninsula. The dialect in downtown districts is Cantonese, while the people in most counties speak Hai'nan dialect (or Leizhou dialect as referred locally). The dialect in Lianjiang County is Hahka.

History

During the Qin Dynasty (221BC–206BC), the area of today's belonged to Xiang Shire and the central government of the Han Dynasty (206BC–220AD) set Xuwen County administering the whole Leizhou Peninsular. It was one of the earliest departure points on the Marine Silk Road. The population spiked during the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties.

The region was still a small fishing port when it was occupied by the French in 1898. The next year, the French forced the Chinese to lease a small enclave of Zhanjiang to them for 99 years as the territory of Kwang-Chou-Wan. The French wanted to develop the port, which they called Fort-Bayard, to serve southern China, in parts of which France had exclusive rights to railway and mineral development. Their efforts, however, were hindered by the poverty of the surrounding land. The French retained control of the region until 1943, when the Japanese occupied the area during World War II. At the end of the war the region returned briefly under French rule before being formally returned to China in 1946 by the general De Gaulle, then French head of state.

Following the establishment of the People’s Republic in 1949, Zhanjiang developed new importance. In 1955 a rail link was built to Litang in Guangxi province, where it joined the Hunan-Guangxi rail system. Since then, Zhanjiang has developed into a major modern port serving southern China, usable by ships of up to 50,000 tons. In 1984 Zhanjiang was designated one of the “open” cities of China, where the central government invited foreign investment; this spurred the city’s further industrial development. It has shipyards and engineering works; automobile, electrical-appliance, and textile plants; and sugar refineries, flour and rice mills, and chemical works. In the early 1990s a new rail line was completed, linking Zhanjiang with Guangzhou, the provincial capital. The line was later extended to Hai’an, at the southernmost tip of Leizhou Peninsula, where trains could be transported by ferry across the Hainan Strait to Haikou.

Until the introduction of Pinyin spelling, it was often known in the west as "Tsamkong" due to the Cantonese pronunciation of the name.

Military

Zhanjiang is headquarter of the South Sea Fleet of the People's Liberation Army Navy. It is also home base to two marine brigades.

Economy

The most important resource of Zhanjiang City is the resource port. Zhanjiang Port 241 kilometers long coastline, is the world's first port of 4 times the port of Rotterdam. Zhanjiang Port is one of the eight major ports, the annual throughput of more than 2,600 million tons. It was the first self-designed and domestically built modern deep water port of China.

It is a seaport and trade center with a diversified industrial base, including the shipyard, textile plants, and sugar refining.

Agriculture

Zhanjiang agricultural performance in 2007 is the most prominent sugarcane production: in 2006 9,135,500 tons, 1,000 million tons in 2007. Akoya cultured pearls,pineapples,bananas,papayas,seafood,raised prawns,fish are native products.

Industry

Industrial economy to make a breakthrough, a marked increase in the number of units. Zhanjiang in 2007 of all industrial output value of 112.134 billion yuan, up 17.1 percent, a growth rate of nearly 4-year high of 15.3 billion net increase over the previous year. In 2007 the city's industrial enterprises above designated size reached 714, 71 more than last year, industrial output value of over a hundred million of the 132 enterprises.

• Zhanjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone

The zone was founded in 1984. Its total planned area is 9.2 square kilometers. It is located in Zhanjiang. The zone has a very good location for transportation. It is very convenient to get to the airport, the national highway G325 as well as the port. The major industries in the zone including automobile assembly, biotechnology and computer software.^[1]

Business

Zhanjiang in 2007 total retail sales of social consumer goods 38.216 billion yuan, an increase of 19.5%, the growth rate of nearly 12 years since a new high.

Port of Zhanjiang

Port of Zhanjiang is located in the southernmost tip of mainland China's Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province, the east port of the South China Sea, north of Hainan Island, the north west Bay. People's Republic of China after the establishment of their own design and construction of the first modern port, China and Southeast Asia, Australia, European countries bordering the Indian Ocean and the shortest journey between the port's foreign trade.

Tourism

Zhanjiang, a well-known tourist attractions, "Zhanjiang Eight," as follows:

1. East Island
2. Huguangyan National Geopark
3. View of the sea promenade
4. Park Jin-inch
5. Lighthouse
6. South Asia Subtropical Botanical Garden
7. South Isles
8. Zhanjiang Port

Major theme attractions

South Park North Park Hoi Tin Park Southern tropical garden Sino-Australian Friendship Garden Jin Sha Wan Park

Golden Bay promenade Guanhai Zhanjiang Waterfront Park Park fishing port Xia Lake Park Green River Wetland Park

French architectural monuments

• French minister to the Department of the Guangzhou Bay
• France, the Police Department, Guangzhou Bay
• Victor Catholic Church
• Calyon site
• Gospel
• Guangzhou Bay Chamber of Commerce Center

In addition the sea and the sky dragon, Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve, Cape Reservoir is well-known tourist attractions, distinctive.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in China

Twin towns — Sister cities

Zhanjiang is twinned with:

• Serpukhov (Russia)
• Marikina (Philippines)
• Cairns (Australia)

See also

• Kwang-Chou-Wan

References

1. ^ RightSite.asia | Zhanjiang Economic and Technological Development Zone

External links

• Official website of Zhanjiang Government