Shantou
Shantou, alternately romanized as Swatow and sometimes known as Santow, is a prefecture-level city on the eastern coast of Guangdong, China, with a total population of 5,502,031 as of the 2020 census and an administrative area of 2,248.39 square kilometres (868.11 sq mi).
However, its built-up area is much bigger with 12,543,024 inhabitants including Rongcheng and Jiedong districts, Jiexi county and Puning city in Jieyang plus all of Chaozhou city largely conurbated. This is de facto the 5th built-up area in mainland China between Hangzhou-Shaoxing, Xi'an-Xianyang and Tianjin.
Getting to Shantou
- 01Jieyang Chaoshan International Airport
The main airport serving the Chaoshan area, located in neighboring Jieyang, having replaced Shantou Waisha Airport in 2011.
- 02Chaoshan Railway Station
- 03Shantou Railway Station
After renovation, conventional rail service no longer serves the station.
Worth seeing
- 01Shantou Museum
- 02Shantou Founding Museum
- 03Longyan South Road
- 04Pagoda Mountain
- 05Stone Fort Park
Things to do
Taste seafood. Shantou is famous for its fresh and delicious seafood. Don't miss the opportunity to taste local seafood dishes at seafood markets or restaurants, such as Chaoshan-style beef hotpot (潮汕牛肉火锅) and Chaoshan-style claypot congee (潮汕式粘土锅粥). Visit seaside attractions. Shantou offers beautiful seaside scenery, including Seaside Park, Nan'ao Island (南澳岛), and Chenghai Jinshan (澄海金山).
Where to eat
There is lots of local food available which is also famous in China, including beef balls (牛肉丸), oyster omelette (蚝烙, Oh Lua in Teochew), seafood, etc. Lianhua Vegetarian Restaurant (莲花素食府 Lianhua Sushi Fu), Haibin Road, Dayang Group Building, west wing, +86 754 8520098. Vegetarian chain restaurant also found in Chaozhou and Jieyang.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.