Overview

Shantou is a coastal city in the eastern part of Guangdong Province, situated about 300 kilometers farther along the coast, east-northeast of Hong Kong, near the border with Fujian Province, and thus facing Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits. As one of China's 5 Special Economic Zones, Shantou is one of China's - as well as Guangdong Province's - most important port cities. Through the ages, Shantou has played a pivotal role in the regional trade between coastal south China and the nearby inland area (Shantou lies at the confluence of the Han, Lian and Ron Rivers), and between Guangdong Province and the neighboring coastal provinces, though, before the era of the Opium Wars (1839-42 and 1856-60), there was little trade between this part of China and the rest of the world.

With the development of an extensive railway system in China, especially under the government of the People's Republic of China, Shantou became a crucial railway hub, with two of China's main railway lines intersecting the city. Shantou is also a regional hub for the transportation of goods by highway, with excellent connections to other major regional centers such as Beijing and Chengdu. It is little wonder, then, that the Chinese people think of Shantou as the gateway to eastern Guangdong and the transportation and communication hub of south China. Curiously, Shantou owes its existence as a major trade port to the Americans.