Chaozhou Travel Guide
Population: 2,490,000
Area: 3,081 square kilometers (1,190 square miles)
Nationalities: Han
Administrative Division: 1 district (Xiangqiao); 2 counties (Chao'an, Raoping)
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0768-2277123
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China: 0768-2260979
Location: Situated in the east part of Guangdong Province, Chaozhou is bounded on the east by Fujian Province, and it neighbors Shantou in the south, adjacent to the South China Sea. It has a coastline of 136 kilometers (85 miles) in total.
History: Over 1600 years ago, the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) established Haiyang County to administrate this area. The name of Chaozhou was first used in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). Before the establishment of the PRC, it had been the political, economical and cultural center of eastern Guangdong for quite a long time.
Physical Features: Among the main types of landform of Chaozhou, including mountainous region, hills, terraces and plains, mountainous and hilly areas constitute the major part of the city, which are mainly distributed in Raoping County and northern Chao'an County.
Climatic Features: Chaozhou belongs to a subtropical oceanic monsoon climate. Summer is longer, while winter is shorter. Its annual temperature of a year is about 21.4C (71F). Generally speaking, the rainy season may come in April, and rainstorms appear frequently in June.
When to Go: Visitors can get there at any season, especially better in spring and autumn.
Special Local Products: tea, pickles, Chao embroidery
Scenic Spots:
Egrets' Paradise (Bai Lu Tian Tang): Located in Tuolin Town of Raoping County, the Xi'ao Island becomes increasingly noticeable for the grand spectacle of egrets back to their habitat before dusk.
Guangji Gate Tower: Among the multitude of seven ancient city gates of Chaozhou, the Guangji Gate Wall is the most spectacular one. Constructed in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the gate tower is the main symbol of Chaozhou City.
Other Scenic Spots: Guangji Bridge, Kaiyuan Temple, Longqiu Pagoda, North Pavilions, Han Wengong Temple
Tourist Tips:
1. Chaozhou Cuisine, together with Guangzhou Cuisine and Dongjiang Cuisine, constitutes the three principal cuisine styles of Guangzhou Cuisine. It is adept at cooking seafood and soup, pays attention to refine knife works and maintain original favor and fragrance of materials. Therefore, Visitors can list some featured Chaozhou dishes in their menus, such as Chaozhou big fish bolus, Chaozhou aspic, winter melon bowl with assorted meat soup and mushroom goose palm.
2. Chaozhou is only 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the Shantou Waisha Airport. Visitors intending to travel by air can transfer to the airport getting in and out of Chaozhou. In addition, the Chaozhou bus terminal in Chaofeng Road provides buses to Guangzhou, Shantou and Shenzhen respectively costing about 6, 1 and 5 hours.
3. There are also some pedestrian malls recommended, such as the commerce pedestrian street in Xinqiao Road (East), Sanli Street (Sanli Jie) and Kaiyuan Road. They are perfect shopping destination. Notable is that bargaining is necessary in the Sanli Street.