Jieyang


Jieyang is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China, part of the Chaoshan region whose people speak Teochew dialect distinct from neighbouring Yue speakers. It is historically important as the hometown of many overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia. It borders Shantou to the east, Chaozhou to the northeast, Meizhou to the north, Shanwei to the west, and looks out to the South China Sea to the south.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Jieyang administers five county-level divisions, including one district, one county-level city and three counties.
These are further divided into 100 township-level divisions, including 69 towns, 10 townships and 21 subdistricts.

Economy

Rice cultivation and the textile industry are important to its economy.

Transport

Air

The new Jieyang Chaoshan Airport is the third largest airport complex in Guangdong Province, after Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport. It replaced the Shantou Waisha Airport on 15 November 2011.

Rail

Jieyang is located on the Guangzhou–Meizhou–Shantou Railway.

Language and culture

The Teochew dialect is predominantly spoken in this region. The Hakka dialect, however, has its limited presence among Hakka people in Jiexi County.

History

The 1930s saw numerous Jieyang inhabitants emigrating overseas. Pontianak and Ketapang in Indonesia, Johor Bahru in Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand have large Overseas Chinese communities of Jieyang origin.
In 1991, the Chinese central government approved Jieyang as a prefecture-level city.

Notable people