(Photo by Fang Ganming)
OVERVIEW
Shantou, a beautiful harbor city in Guangdong Province, China, is located in the southeast of East Asia and on the west shores of the Pacific Ocean. As one of the five Special Economic Zones of China, the government of Shantou has undertaken extensive projects to improve the infrastructure of the city during the last 30 years.
Shantou is the hometown of many overseas Chinese with more than 4 million people from Shantou living in over 40 regions and countries across the world. The local dialect is Chaoshan dialect. Chaozhou opera, Gongfu Tea, and Chaozhou music are all Chaoshan specialties. Shantou is also renowned as the hometown of Chaoshan cuisine.
Chaoshan people are known for their talent in entrepreneurship. Famous Chaoshan entrepreneurs are around the globe, such as Li Ka-Shing, the president of Li Ka-Shing Foundation; Xie Guomin, President of Thailand Chia Tai Group; and Pony Ma, the CEO of Tencent. Shantou is the perfect combination of profound traditional culture and modern business culture.
On December 16, 2015, the cities of Shantou and Haifa became sister cities.
By overcoming many challenges, Shantou is poised to become a new economic growth hub, benefiting from the opportunities that will flow from the collaboration with the Technion and from the establishment of a Sino-Israeli Innovation Industrial Park & Economic and Cultural Cooperation Experimental Zone.
Major industries in Shantou are plastic products, toys, textiles, printing, packaging, machinery (electrical and mechanical), and chemicals. Leading export products are electronic and mechanical goods, textiles, plastics and toys.
CLIMATE AND TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Long coastal lines and a pleasant subtropical marine climate provide the city with many tourist attractions. These include the beautiful Sangpu hills surrounding STU and GTIIT, natural beaches and exquisite islands like Nan Ao, together with the marine scenery of the harbor. Some citizens take advantage of the rich seaside resources to operate resort areas that provide facilities and services for tourists.
In addition, the Tropic of Cancer traverses the south of the city, making it a place to enjoy the mild winter in China.
（The picture shows a
female charactor in Chao Opera.
Photo by Huang Songhui）
Chao-Shan culture, which is named after Shantou and Chaozhou, is one of the most unique in China. Chaoshan culture is a culture of southern Guangdong culture with a history of more than two thousand years, and is produced and developed from the integration of Central Plains culture of China and overseas culture.
CHAOSHAN DIALECT
Teochew, the Chaoshan dialect, maintains many old Chinese pronunciations and vocabulary that have been lost among modern dialects in China. As such, many linguists consider Teochew one of the most well-preserved ancient Chinese dialects.
CHAO MUSIC
The Chao music is well known for its dulcet melody, varying rhythms and peculiar instruments, while the Chao opera is renowned for its beautiful arias, and various acting roles.
TEOCHEW OPERA:
Teochew opera, sung in Chaoshan dialect, is an ancient traditional opera drama with more than 400 years of history.
There are Teochew opera performances every Friday night in the Shantou Huiru Theatre in central Shantou.
CHAO CUISINE
The Chao cuisine, one of the famous Cantonese cuisines, features delicate food, and enjoys a leading reputation in China. Most dishes are cooked with seafood and various seasonings with a fresh taste, light but delicious. The most popular snack is beef balls.
KUNGFU TEA
The locals are fond of Kungfu tea. Oolong tea are their first choice. They make tea using exquisite tea sets with fastidious formality and etiquette, which is regarded as China's Teaism. Enjoying a cup of Kungfu tea (in tiny cups) has become one of the most popular forms of nightlife throughout China.
FOOD STREETS IN DOWNTOWN SHANTOU
1. Shopping Malls: For example, Suning Plaza, Xinghu Commercial City and Hesheng department stores.
2. Zhujiang Road Food Street: including North/South China flavors such as Hunan, Sichuan, North, Hakka and, Chao cuisines as well as Western food.
3. Xinxi Food Street: mainly offers seafood and beef hotpot.
Getting around Shantou is simple by bus, taxi, and bicycle, while China's extensive high-speed rail network allows you to easily explore this vast and fascinating country.
GETTING AROUND SHANTOU
BUS
The most cost-effective public transportation is taking a bus, which usually costs only two RMB per trip.
Daily bus lines：
No. 6 (STU - Shantou Train Station): 06:00 - 22:00; via Tuopu, Jinhu West Road, International Hotel, Junhua Hotel, Global Mansion, Middle of Zhuchi Road.
No. 17 (Square Ferry - Liantang Xinliao): 06:00 - 17:00; via Buttercup Sculpture, Bus Terminal, Housing Project.
No. 21 (Liantang Xinliao - South of Fengze Garden): 06:00 - 22:00; via Longquan Mountain, Jinhu West Road, North of Jinxin Road, Shantou Daily, South of Jinxin Road, South of Times Square, Zhongtai Residential Quarters, Jintao Residential Quarters.
No. 27 (STU - Guangxia New Town): 06:30 - 19:00; via TV Tower, Furong Residential Quarters, West of Changjiang Road, End of Huanghe Road, the Second Affiliated Hospital of STU.
No. 39 (STU - Shantou Train Station): 06:30 - 19:00; via TV Tower, Bus Terminal, Shantou China Travel Agency, End of Dongxia South Road, Convention Center, New City Square, Yangguang Hai'an Residential Quarters.
No. 41 (Liantang Xinliao - Qishan Passenger Station): 6:30—17:30；via Tuopu, Agricultural Science and Technology Park, Dongfeng Printing Company, Huaxin Residence Community.
No.181B (STU - Chaoshan High Speed Rail Station): 7:30 - 18:30; via Longquan Rock, Housing Project, End of Daxue Road, Agricultural Science and Technology Zone, Qishan Bus Terminal, Chao'an Station, Chao'an Road, County People's Hospital, Caitang Station.
Direct nonstop bus lines on weekends: STU - Times Square
STU Campus - Times Square： 09:00/ 13:00/ 19:00
Times Square - STU Campus： 11:00/ 17:00/ 22:00
* This bus line is unavailable during winter and summer holiday.
Weekly shopping trips：STU - Xing Hu Commercial City (This shuttle bus line is arranged by the International Office of STU for international faculty ).
Time: 14:00-16:30, Saturday
* Biweekly shopping trips will be arranged during the winter vacation.
TAXI
You can download an app called “DiDi”, which is similar to Uber. With this app you can call a taxi any time, any where. The rates are clearly visible on the body of the cab.
BICYCLE
Bike-share services are provided on GTIIT and STU campuses. Just download the relevant bike sharing app on your mobile phone, and you can use the nearest bicycle rental service. Rental costs are very reasonable; they vary slightly depending on bicycle color.
TRAVELLING BEYOND SHANTOU
Studying at GTIIT gives you the opportunity to explore other parts of China, which can be reached by the national high-speed rail network, or long distance coach. Alternatively, you can take flights to domestic and international destinations.
HIGH-SPEED TRAIN
It is convenient to get to other major cities including Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Wuhan, and Chengdu by high-speed train. Tickets can be purchased online and picked up at outlets downtown, or directly at the train station. The "Chaoshan High-speed Railway Station" is about 40 minutes' drive from the GTIIT campus.
LONG-DISTANCE COACH
Shantou is one of the 45 main highway hub cities, and this network is very convenient for traveling. Shantou Intercity Passenger Stations is about 30 minutes drive from GTIIT.
FLIGHTS
Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport( IATA: SWA), which is a 40-minute ride from the GTIIT campus, has domestic connections with most major cities in China and also serves international flights to HongKong, Bangkok, Singapore, Taichung, Naypyidaw, and Seoul.
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