| Shaoguan | |
| Native Name: | 韶关市 |
| Native Name Lang: | zh-Hans |
| Other Name: | Shiukwan |
| Settlement Type: | Prefecture-level city |
| Image Map1: | Guangdong subdivisions - Shaoguan.svg |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Shaoguan City jurisdiction in Guangdong |
| Pushpin Map: | China |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in China |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | People's Republic of China |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Guangdong |
| Subdivision Type2: | County-level divisions |
| Subdivision Name2: | 10 |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township divisions |
| Seat Type: | Municipal seat |
| Seat: | Zhenjiang District |
| Leader Title: | CPC Secretary |
| Leader Name: | Jiang Ling (Chinese: 江凌) |
| Leader Title1: | Mayor |
| Leader Name1: | Luo Weifeng (Chinese: 骆蔚峰) |
| Area Total Km2: | 18645 |
| Area Urban Km2: | 2870.7 |
| Area Metro Km2: | 2870.7 |
| Elevation M: | 59 |
| Elevation Ft: | 194 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 census |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 2855131 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Metro: | 1028460 |
| Population Density Metro Km2: | auto |
| Population Urban: | 1028460 |
| Population Density Urban Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type2: | GDP[2] |
| Demographics2 Info1: | CN¥ 155.4 billion US$ 24.1 billion |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Per capita |
| Demographics2 Info2: | CN¥ 54,377 US$ 8,429 |
| Timezone: | China Standard |
| Utc Offset: | +8 |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Shaoguan municipal government |
| Coordinates: | 24.811°N 113.597°W |
| Postal Code: | 512000 |
| Area Code: | (0)751 |
| Iso Code: | CN-GD-02 |
| Blank2 Name: | Licence plate prefixes |
| Blank2 Info: | Chinese: 粤F |
| Blank3 Name: | Local dialect |
| Blank3 Info: | Hakka (regional) Cantonese (native; provincial level) |
| Blank4 Name: | Major Nationalities |
| Blank4 Info: | Han |
| Pic: | SG name.svg |
| Piccap: | "Shaoguan" in Traditional (top) and Simplified (bottom) Chinese characters |
| Picsize: | 105px |
| P: | Sháoguān |
| Gr: | Shaurguan |
| W: | Shao2-kuan1 |
| Psp: | Shiukwan Shiuchow (former) |
| J: | Siu4gwaan1 |
| Y: | Sìuhgwāan |
| Wuu: | zau1kuae1 |
| H: | Shâu-kûan |
| L: | Beautiful pass |
| Order: | st |
| Showflag: | phy |
Shaoguan is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province (Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the northwest and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng. Its built-up (or metro) area made up of Zhenjiang, Wujiang and Qujiang urban conurbated districts was home to 1,028,460 inhabitants as of the 2020 census.[3]
Shaozhou was a prefecture under the Tang and Song.
In 1589, Matteo Ricci relocated his mission housethe first ever Jesuit mission in mainland Chinato 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.[4]
During World War II the city, then called Kukong, was the temporary capital of Guangdong Province.
In June 2009, Uyghurs and Han workers clashed at a toy factory in Shaoguan (Shaoguan incident), which was followed by the Ürümqi riots in July.
Shaoguan is the northernmost prefecture-level city of Guangdong, bordering Chenzhou (Hunan) to the northwest and north, Ganzhou (Jiangxi) to the northeast, Heyuan to the east, Guangzhou and Huizhou to the south, and Qingyuan to the west. It spans latitude 23° 53'−25° 31' N and longitude 112° 53'−114° 45' E.[5] It is situated at the southern end of the Nan Mountains (Nan Ling), which primarily run east-west here, and is marked by numerous erosion-created valleys; within its borders lies the 1902abbr=on0abbr=on Mount Shikeng (Chinese: 石坑崆), the highest point in the province. The city is located on the Jingguang Railway (Beijing−Guangzhou) about north of the provincial capital of Guangzhou. Shaoguan is also readily accessible by road as it is adjacent to the G4 Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway as well as numerous other National Highways.
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 downstream from the city. The city has about of tree-lined riverside esplanades along the banks of the rivers. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers.
Shaoguan has a monsoon-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 freezing rain possible in the nearby mountain passes in some years. Winter begins dry and relatively sunny but becomes progressively cloudier and damper. Spring is the cloudiest and wettest season, with the sun shining less than 30% of the time. The annual rainfall is around 1600mm, much of it delivered from April thru June. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from 10.3°C in January to 29°C in July; the annual mean is 20.5°C. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 16% in March to 54% in July, the city receives 1,617 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Shaoguan has direct jurisdiction over 3 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties:
| Map | Name | Simplified Chinese | Hanyu Pinyin | Population | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zhenjiang District | Chinese: 浈江区 | Zhēnjiāng Qū | 393,521 | 572.11 | 688 | ||||||
| Wujiang District | Chinese: 武江区 | Wǔjiāng Qū | 294,708 | 677.78 | 435 | ||||||
| Qujiang District | Chinese: 曲江区 | Qǔjiāng Qū | 303,371 | 1,620.77 | 187 | ||||||
| Shixing County | Chinese: 始兴县 | Shǐxīng Xiàn | 205,452 | 2,131.91 | 96 | ||||||
| Renhua County | Chinese: 仁化县 | Rénhuà Xiàn | 200,354 | 2,223.22 | 99 | ||||||
| Wengyuan County | Chinese: 翁源县 | Wēngyuán Xiàn | 331,120 | 2,174.87 | 152 | ||||||
| Xinfeng County | Chinese: 新丰县 | Xīnfēng Xiàn | 206,091 | 1,967.39 | 105 | ||||||
| Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County | Chinese: 乳源瑶族自治县 | Rǔyuán Yáozú Zìzhìxiàn | 177,471 | 2,299.01 | 77 | ||||||
| Lechang City | Chinese: 乐昌市 | Lèchāng Shì | 397,779 | 2,419,28 | 164 | ||||||
| Nanxiong City | Chinese: 南雄市 | Nánxióng Shì | 316,179 | 2,326,18 | 136 | ||||||
The Fengcai Tower in the centre of Shaoguan was built in the Ming Dynasty. 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. Shaoguan Iron and Steel is also located near Maba.
Danxia Mountain is located in Renhua County, Shaoguan.
Northwest of Shaoguan, at the town of Pingshi, a stretch of river known as the Nine Torrents and Eighteen Shoals is a popular place for white-water rafting.
The city is served by Shaoguan Danxia Airport.
Shaoguan University is located in the city.
The main languages spoken are Hakka and Shaozhou Tuhua, related to Ping Chinese. Shaozhounese is spoken in Shaozhou city and Hakka (mainly Yetpet and Seunan dialects) are spoken in neighboring counties.
Notable people: