ZHANJIANG

'湛江市
Zhànjiāng Shì'

Zhanjiang is highlighted on this map
'Administration Type'	Prefecture-level city
'City Seat'	Chikan District
'Area'	12,490 km²
'Coastline'	? km (including islands)
'Population'	6,571,400 (2004)
'GDP' '- Total' '- Per Capita'	¥ ¥
'Major Nationalities'	Han
'County-level divisions'	9
'Township-level divisions'
'CPC Committee Secretary'	Xu Shaohua (徐少华)
'Mayor'	Chen Yaoguang (陈耀光)
'Area code'	759
'Postal Code'	524000
'License Plate Prefix'	粤G

'Zhanjiang' (湛江; French ''Fort-Bayard'') is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong province, in southeast China.

Contents

Administration

Geography

History

Economy

See also

Administration

Zhanjiang has direct juridiction over 9 county-level divisions:

★ Chikan District (赤坎区; pinyin: Chìkǎn Qū)

★ Mazhang District (麻章区; pinyin: Mázhāng Qū)

★ Potou District (坡头区; pinyin: Pōtóu Qū)

★ Xiashan District (霞山区; pinyin: Xiáshān Qū)

★ Leizhou City (雷州市; pinyin: Léizhōu Shì)

★ Lianjiang City (廉江市; pinyin: Liánjiāng Shì)

★ Wuchuan City (吴川市; pinyin: Wúchuān Shì)

★ Suixi County (遂溪县; pinyin: Suíxī Xiàn)

★ Xuwen County (徐闻县; pinyin: Xúwén Xiàn)

Geography

Zhanjiang is located to the southwest of the city of Guangzhou on an inlet of the South China Sea. It is located on the eastern coast of the Leizhou Peninsula. The dialect of Leizhou is different from Cantonese and is a dialect of Min Nan.

History

Zhanjiang was a small fishing port when it was occupied by the French in 1898. The next year, the French forced the Chinese to lease Zhanjiang to them for 99 years as the territory of Kwang-Chou-Wan. The French wanted to develop the port, which they called ''Fort Bayard'', to serve southern China, in parts of which France had exclusive rights to railway and mineral development. Their efforts, however, were hindered by the poverty of the surrounding land. The French retained control of the region until 1943, when the Japanese occupied the area during World War II. At the end of the war the region returned briefly under French rule before being formally returned to China in 1946 by the general De Gaulle, then French head of state.
Until the introduction of Pinyin spelling, it was often known in the west as "Tsamkong".

Economy

It is a seaport and trade center having many varied industries, including shipyards, textile plants, and sugar refining.
The port is the headquarters of the South Sea Fleet of the Chinese Navy.

See also

★ Kwang-Chou-Wan