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Historic city · Cultural centre · Guangdong

Chaozhou

潮州 (Cháozhōu)

Walled Teochew city on the Han River

Chaozhou is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong on the Han River, the historic centre of the Teochew (Chaoshan) people. It keeps a walled old town, the Guangji Bridge, the Tang-founded Kaiyuan Temple and a strong tradition of gongfu tea, woodcarving, embroidery and opera; many Teochew communities in South-East Asia trace their origins to the region.

ProvinceGuangdong

Key facts

Province
Guangdong
Administrative level
Prefecture-level city
Area
about 3,146 km²[1]
Resident population
2.57 million(as of 2020 census)[2]
Prefecture since
591

Overview

Chaozhou was the administrative and cultural capital of the Chaoshan plain for more than a thousand years, until the port of Shantou overtook it in the late nineteenth century. Its compact old town, with a chessboard of lanes, ancestral halls and a restored wall along the river, preserves the domestic architecture of the region better than any other city.

Teochew is a Southern Min language, and Chaozhou's culture has more in common with southern Fujian than with Cantonese Guangzhou. Emigrants from Chaozhou and neighbouring counties formed large communities in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Names and nicknames

  • 海滨邹鲁 (hǎibīn Zōu-Lǔ)

    “Zou and Lu by the sea” — likening the city's learning to the home states of Mencius and Confucius.

History

Chaozhou became a prefecture in 591 under the Sui. The Tang writer Han Yu was exiled here as prefect in 819; tradition credits him with founding schools and driving away the crocodiles of the river, and the river and the hill opposite the city were renamed after him. The Guangji Bridge was begun in 1171 and combined stone piers with a central section of pontoon boats. In the Ming and Qing Chaozhou merchants traded along the coast and to South-East Asia, and in the nineteenth century emigration from the region grew rapidly.

  1. 591

    Chaozhou prefecture created

    The Sui gave the region the name it has kept since.

  2. 819

    Han Yu exiled to Chaozhou

    Banished for his memorial against the veneration of a Buddhist relic, he served eight months as prefect; the Han River and Mount Han are named after him.

  3. 1171

    Guangji Bridge begun

    Built over more than half a century, it combined stone-pier spans with a movable middle section of boats.

  4. 1860

    Shantou opened as a treaty port

    The treaty port for Chaozhou was established downstream at Shantou, which gradually replaced Chaozhou as the region's commercial centre.

Landmarks

  1. Historic site

    Guangji Bridge

    广济桥 (Guǎngjì Qiáo)

    Bridge across the Han River with pavilions on its stone piers and a pontoon section of eighteen boats that can be opened.

  2. Temple or shrine

    Kaiyuan Temple

    开元寺 (Kāiyuán Sì)

    Buddhist temple founded in 738, with Song and Yuan relics and carved stone balustrades.

  3. Historic site

    Han Yu Memorial Temple

    韩文公祠 (Hán Wéngōng Cí)

    Temple to Han Yu on Mount Han across the river from the old city.

  4. Street or quarter

    Paifang Street

    牌坊街 (Páifāng Jiē)

    The main street of the old town, lined with arcaded shops and restored stone memorial arches.

  5. Street or quarter

    Jiadi Lane

    甲第巷 (Jiǎdì Xiàng)

    Lane of Qing mansions with carved gateways and courtyards.

Neighbourhoods

  • Old city

    潮州古城 (Cháozhōu gǔchéng)

    The walled town between the West Lake and the Han River.

Food

  • Braised goose

    卤鹅 (lǔ'é)

    Lion-head goose braised in a spiced master stock and served sliced with garlic vinegar.

  • Beef balls

    牛肉丸 (niúròu wán)

    Hand-pounded, springy beef balls, eaten in clear soup or hotpot.

  • Kway

    粿 (guǒ)

    Rice-flour cakes and dumplings in dozens of shapes and fillings, made for festivals and offerings.

Culture

Daily life in Chaozhou revolves around gongfu tea, brewed in tiny pots and cups at home, in shops and on street corners. The city's crafts include gilded woodcarving, Chaozhou embroidery with raised gold thread, and hand-painted porcelain from Fengxi. Teochew opera and the Teochew string ensemble are performed at temple festivals, and ancestral halls remain important in family life.

一封朝奏九重天，夕贬潮州路八千。

Yī fēng zhāo zòu jiǔ chóng tiān, xī biǎn Cháozhōu lù bā qiān.

“One memorial presented at dawn to the ninefold heaven; by dusk I was banished to Chaozhou, eight thousand li away.”

— Han Yu, “Demoted, I Reach the Lan Pass and Show This to My Grand-nephew Xiang” (左迁至蓝关示侄孙湘), 819

Getting around

  • Chaoshan station, between Chaozhou and Jieyang, is on the high-speed line from Xiamen to Shenzhen; Chaozhou station also has services.
  • Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport serves the region.
  • The old town is compact and best explored on foot.

Day trips

  • Phoenix Mountain

    凤凰山 (Fènghuáng Shān)

    Tea mountain north of the city, home of Fenghuang Dancong oolong and old tea trees.

  • Shantou

    汕头 (Shàntóu)

    The former treaty port and special economic zone, with arcaded streets in its old town.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

  1. Chaozhou Municipal People's Government — Chaozhou Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  2. Seventh National Population Census communiqués — National Bureau of Statistics of China (retrieved 27 September 2026)
  3. Chaozhou — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)

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