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Chaozhou Travel Guide

Overview

Chaozhou is one of the historical and cultural cities of China. It is on the coast, in the eastern part of Guangdong Province that is in the southeast corner of China. Hong Kong is adjacent to Guangdong Province and is to the south. It is now a medium sized city with a population of about 2.5 million people. The area under the Chaozhou government's administration is about 3,500 square kilometers. It is said that about 2 million people from Chaozhou live abroad in Taiwan and other countries, or are living in Hong Kong and Macau. It is a six hour bus journey (about 480 kilometers）from the capital city of Guangdong Province that is called Guangzhou. The area has some ancient buildings and scenic highlights.

Chaozhou City is surrounded by three mountains, and the Han River and Huanggang River flow through the city area. There are mountains in the northeast, caves in the southwest, and a plain in the southeast. In Chaozhou city, there are hundreds of scenic areas such as ancient walls, ancient temples, ancient bridges and ancient pagodas. This is why Chaozhou City is considered to be a historical city. The ethnic group came from central China more than a thousand years ago, and the area was sort of isolated and had contact with cultures off the mainland, so they developed a distinct language dialect and distinctive art forms. So this is why it is also considered to be a city of cultural origin in China. The area developed its own style of operatic theatre, its own tea ceremony and "Kongfu Tea", and its own ceramic styles. There is an old saying: "If you haven't come to Chaozhou, you haven't really come to Guangdong".

Chaozhou Telephone Area Code: 0768
Postal Zip Code: 515600

Chaozhou History

The area of the city has never been important politically in China as a whole, but it was important as a coastal port and a merchant's community. It is also the place of origin of about 10 million of the Chinese diaspora. It is thought that the people migrated from north-central China during the Jin Dynasty period about 1,600 years years ago due to warfare. Their language is akin to the dialect in that region as are their customs. It is thought that the people group retained their language and culture because they were geographically isolated. These people also retained art forms such as the Nanxi opera style of the Song Dynasty that they embellished over the last thousand years.

In the 1940s and 1950s, a large number of people from the area moved to Hong Kong or Taiwan, and they formed close-knit communities. In Hong Kong, unlike most people, they didn't speak Cantonese, but spoke their own Teochew dialect. They opened small shops in Hong Kong and blended in. There are also large Teochew communities in Indonesia and Singapore.

The city shared in the fast economic growth of Guangdong and the coastal cities in China in the past decade.

Chaozhou Weather

Chaozhou is in the eastern part of Guangdong Province on the coast, so it has a maritime subtropical monsoon climate. Temperatures in July and August are higher than in other months. The annual mean temperature is about 21 degrees. There is abundant rainfall, and except for typhoons, the weather is generally mild. The coldest months are December, January, and February. It doesn't freeze, and most trees are green throughout the year. The best time to travel may be in September, October and November when it is cooler and sunnier.

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Q: Mario Asked on 2013-04-05 Reply

I need to travel from San Francisco to Chaozhou, Guangdong, China in July or August. I need to visit some ceramic factories. Would you advice to land directly in Chaozhou or Hong Kong? Also, is there a simple way to get there from HongKong?

Hi Mario, if there are direct flights from San Francisco to Chaozhou, why not land there? Sorry, I don't know any simple way to get Chaozhou from Hongkong.

Whitney Liao Replied on 2013-04-07

Q: gene forgue Asked on 2012-12-14 Reply

hello , what is best fastest way from hong kong airport to guanghou city?i will be traveling alone in march there for only 1 week, have only small suitcase, thank you gene

Dear Gene, You could take a bus from Hong Kong airport to Guagngzhou city direclty. It takes about 3.5 hours and it costs about US$40 per person. Please click this link to check the details: http://www.hongkongairport.com/CBT/Itinerary?actionType=list&locale=eng&locType=c&locCode=gz&arr_dep=D&locations=GZ&operation=&deptDate=&schehr1=00&schemin1=00&schehr2=23&schemin2=59 Lussie Lu Replied on 2012-12-14

Q: Julia Foo Asked on 2012-11-18 Reply

11 persons and wish to stay for 10 days. Reach Guangzhou on 7/2/2013 and wish to go to Chaozhou, zhuhai and xiamen. We wish to stay in deluxe hotel. Can you arrange and plan for us and let us know the cost per person. Thank you.

Hi Julia,

Thanks for your enquiry! It is my pleasure to design the China tour for you. Will you advise more details on the tour, e.g. the length you wish to stay in each city, the villages you wish to visit, also for 11 people, how many rooms do you need? I will start working on the itinerary as soon as I hear from you.

Candy Wei Replied on 2012-11-20

Q: Chen Shu Kun Asked on 2012-08-22 Reply

Wish to book a Tour Coach between 12th & 19th of November 2012 for 12 people for couple of days.

It is 1400 Yuan per day for a 19 seat bus, Max 100km and 8 hrs. Please let me know if you want to travel out of the city.

Leon Long Replied on 2012-08-23

Q: Vincent Asked on 2012-08-19 Reply

Hi there, how do I get to Chaozhou from hong kong ? If it''s a coach, how long does it take ? Tks.Vincent

Dear Vincent, You could take a train from Honk Kong to Shenzhen. It takes about 40 minutes and it costs about CNY30/US$4 per person. And then take a long distance bus to Chaozhou from Shenzhen Luohu bus station which is near Shenzhen railway station. It takes about 6 hours and it costs about CNY150/US$24 per person. It sets off at around 8:30am, 11:30am, 13:50pm and 20:00pm. Lussie Lu Replied on 2012-08-20