Chaozhou 潮州市

Setting and landscape

Hills rise to the north and the sea lies to the south, and three hills, Jinshan (金山), Hulu Mountain (葫芦山) and Bijia Mountain (笔架山), screen the city. The climate is subtropical and monsoonal, and the prefecture has more hills than flat land.

History

The old city was the seat of Chaozhou prefecture and Haiyang County (海阳县); the prefecture once governed nine counties covering all of eastern Guangdong and parts of Fujian. Chaozhou has long been called “Zou and Lu by the sea” (海滨邹鲁), and it is a national historic and cultural city. The Tang writer Han Yu (韩愈) governed Chaozhou; a temple to him was founded in 999, and in 1189 the prefect Ding Yunyuan (丁允元) moved it to its present site on the east bank of the river.

What to see

The old city covers about 3 square kilometres, with more than 720 lanes and many Ming and Qing houses; its Paifang Street (牌坊街) is a national tourism and leisure street. Outside the east gate, Guangji Bridge (广济桥), begun in 1171, crosses the Han River with beam, arch and pontoon sections; the boats of the pontoon can be unfastened to open a channel, and pavilions on the bridge once served as shops. The Han Wengong Temple (韩文公祠), at the western foot of Bijia Mountain, keeps about forty inscribed steles from successive dynasties. Both are national key protected sites.

Food and local products

Chaozhou cuisine, whose cooking techniques joined the national intangible heritage list in 2021, draws on local produce and seafood and is known for plenty of seafood, vegetable and sweet dishes, each served with its own dipping sauce. The city describes the ideal as light but not bland, fresh but not fishy, rich but not greasy. Signature dishes include conch roasted over an open fire, sugar-frosted taro (反沙芋头) and Chaozhou beef balls (潮州牛肉丸). Gongfu tea (工夫茶), dating from the Ming, is brewed from semi-fermented oolong in a small clay pot and drunk from cups the size of half a ping-pong ball; Chaozhou’s tea art forms part of an item on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list.

Getting oriented

The prefecture comprises Xiangqiao (湘桥区) and Chao’an (潮安区) districts and Raoping County (饶平县). Chaoshan Station on the Xiamen–Shenzhen high-speed railway (厦深高铁) is a transport hub of eastern Guangdong, and Chaoshan Airport (潮汕机场) also serves the city.

Highlights

• Guangji Bridge 广济桥: Bridge begun in 1171 across the Han River, with a pontoon of boats that can be unfastened to let ships through.
• Han Wengong Temple 韩文公祠: Temple to the Tang writer Han Yu, founded in 999 and on its present site since 1189.
• Paifang Street 牌坊街: Old-city street named a national tourism and leisure street.
• Chaozhou gongfu tea 潮州工夫茶: Oolong brewed in a small clay pot and served in tiny cups; part of a UNESCO-listed tea item.