Chikan District 赤坎区

History

Chikan grew up as a trading harbour, known as Chikan Port (赤坎港) or Chikan Bu (赤坎埠), from the Song dynasty, which gives it close to a thousand years as a port. Qing sea bans between 1656 and 1664 left the harbour almost deserted, but it became one of ten trading ports when sea trade reopened in 1685. Qing-era merchants built five guild halls here, for traders from Fujian and Zhejiang, Chaozhou (潮州), Gaozhou (高州), Guangzhou and Leiyang (雷阳), and merchant communities left the names Chaozhou Street (潮州街) and Fujian Street (福建街).

From 1899 Chikan was one of the districts of Guangzhouwan (广州湾), the French-administered territory, and in 1911 it was reorganised as Chikan city. In the early years of the war against Japan, when other ports were blockaded, the district government says Chikan was for a time the only sea lifeline to the interior, and the artists Guan Shanyue (关山月) and Hongxian Nü (红线女) took refuge in Guangzhouwan. Japanese troops occupied the territory in February 1943; after the surrender in 1945 it was returned and became Zhanjiang city. From 1950 to 1983 successive regional party, government and military offices for western Guangdong were based in Chikan.

What to see

Chikan Old Street (赤坎老街) is a national 3A scenic area. The district government calls the historic block of the old commercial port (古商埠历史文化街区) the most complete and largest group of buildings in Zhanjiang reflecting modern Lingnan history. The Jinsha Bay coastal leisure area (金沙湾滨海休闲旅游区) is a national 4A scenic area, is named among Guangdong's ten most beautiful coastlines, and is on the third national list of beautiful bays.

Lingnan Normal University (岭南师范学院) is based in the district. The district's youth sports school has trained Olympic diving champions including Lao Lishi (劳丽诗), He Chong (何冲) and Chen Yiwen (陈艺文).

Getting oriented

The district covers 79 square kilometres and has 14.59 kilometres of mainland coast. Zhanjiang Avenue (湛江大道) and three other trunk roads run north to south, and the Tiaoshun Sea-crossing Bridge (调顺跨海大桥) links the east and west shores of Zhanjiang Bay (湛江湾). The Yulin–Zhanjiang Expressway and National Highway 228 pass through, and the Shenyang–Haikou and Chongqing–Zhanjiang expressways skirt the city.

Highlights

• Chikan Old Street 赤坎老街: National 3A scenic area in the historic block of the old commercial port.
• Jinsha Bay coastal leisure area 金沙湾滨海休闲旅游区: National 4A scenic area on the third national list of beautiful bays.
• Tiaoshun Sea-crossing Bridge 调顺跨海大桥: Bridge linking the east and west shores of Zhanjiang Bay.