Shaoguan

Shaoguan 韶关
—  Prefecture-level city  —
Chinese transcription(s)
- Simplified	韶关
- Traditional	韶關
- Pinyin	Sháoguān
Location of Shaoguan Prefecture within Guangdong
Country	China
Province	Guangdong
County-level divisions	10
Township divisions
City seat	Zhenjiang District
Area
- Total	18,645 km2 (7,198.9 sq mi)
Population (2002)
- Total	3,148,500
- Density	168.9/km2 (437.4/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC)
Area code(s)	751

Shaoguan (simplified Chinese: 韶关; pinyin: Sháoguān) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong province, China. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng.

Administration

Shaoguan has direct jurisdiction over 2 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties:

• Qujiang District (曲江区, pinyin: Qǔjiāng Qū)
• Wujiang District (武江区, pinyin: Wǔjiāng Qū)
• Zhenjiang District (浈江区, pinyin: Zhēnjiāng Qū) (Shaoguan's main urban area)
• Lechang City (乐昌市, pinyin: Lèchāng Shì)
• Nanxiong City (南雄市, pinyin: Nánxióng Shì)
• Renhua County (仁化县, pinyin: Rénhuà Xiàn)
• Shixing County (始兴县, pinyin: Shǐxīng Xiàn)
• Wengyuan County (翁源县, pinyin: Wēngyuán Xiàn)
• Xinfeng County (新丰县, pinyin: Xīnfēng Xiàn)
• Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County (乳源瑶族自治县, pinyin: Rǔyuán Yáozú Zìzhìxiàn)

Geography

Shaoguan is located on the Beijing-Guangzhou Railway about 221 km north of Guangzhou. Shaoguan is also readily accessible by road as it is adjacent to the Beijing-Zhuhai freeway.

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 12 km downstream from the city. The city has about 20 km of tree-lined riverside esplanades along the banks of the rivers. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers.

Climate

Shaoguan experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa).

Sights

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. The large Shaogang iron and steel factory is also located near Maba.

Near Shaoguan in Renhua county is located the Danxia Mountain which is a famous scenic area.

Northwest of Shaoguan, at the town of Pingshi, a dramatic stretch of river known as the Nine Torrents and Eighteen Shoals is a popular place for white-water rafting.

History

In June 2009, Uyghurs and Han workers clashed at a toy factory in Shaoguan, which was followed by the Ürümqi riots in July.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shaoguan

• http://www.shaoguan.gov.cn/ (Chinese)
• http://www.shaoguan.com.cn/ (Chinese)
• Shaoguan, China

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Coordinates: 24°48′N 113°35′E / 24.8°N 113.583°E / 24.8; 113.583