View source for Chaoshan

{{Short description|Place in China}}
{{for|the high-speed railway station serving this region|Chaoshan railway station}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2022}}
'''Chaoshan''' or '''Teoswa''' ({{lang-zh|s=潮汕|p=Cháoshàn|cy=Chìuhsaan}}; [[Teochew Min|Teochew]] [[peng'im]]: {{Tone superscript|''Dio5 suan1''}} {{IPA|nan|ti̯o˥˥˩˩.sũ̯ã˧˧|}} or {{Tone superscript|''Diê5 suan1''}} {{IPA|nan|ti̯e˥˥˩˩.sũ̯ã˧˧|}} ) is a cultural-linguistic region in the east of [[Guangdong]], [[China]]. It is the origin of the [[Teochew Min]] language. The region, also known as '''Chiushan''' in Cantonese, consists of the cities [[Chaozhou]], [[Jieyang]] and [[Shantou]]. It differs linguistically from the rest of Guangdong province, which was historically dominated by [[Yue Chinese|Yue]], [[Hakka Chinese|Hakka]], [[Haklau Min|Haklau]] and [[Leizhou Min]] speakers.<ref>{{cite book|title=An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of China |author=James Stuart Olson|year=1998|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=0-313-28853-4|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IOM8qF34s4YC&q=Chaoshan&pg=PA42|page=42}}</ref>

Since the beginning of "[[Promotion of Standard Chinese|the promotion of Standard Chinese]]" in China in late 1990s, many children cannot speak their native languages or dialects.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ni |first=Vincent |date=2022-01-16 |title=Chinese dialects in decline as government enforces Mandarin |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/16/chinese-dialects-in-decline-as-government-enforces-mandarin |access-date=2025-01-10 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=肖燕菁 |title=潮州功夫④方言学家、中国语言文学二级教授林伦伦：一生所爱 乡音无改__南方plus_南方+ |url=https://pc.nfnews.com/88/5602974.html |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=pc.nfnews.com |language=zh-CN}}</ref>  Although many Teoswa scholars made an effort to keep the language, Mandarin has slowly become the dominant language in the region.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-18 |title=潮汕话，一门学到老都学不会的方言 |url=https://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_10421837 }}</ref><ref name=":0" />

It is historically important as the [[ancestral homeland]] of many citizens of other countries of Chinese descent, including [[Hoa people|Viets]], [[Thai Chinese|Thais]], [[Chinese Cambodians|Cambodians]], [[Chinese Singaporeans|Singaporeans]], [[Malaysian Chinese|Malaysians]], and [[Indonesian Chinese|Indonesians]].

The [[Teochew people]] are mainly spread over Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao; they have emigrated and established communities in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Taiwan, France, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, and other countries and coastal areas.<ref>{{cite web|title=Teochew People|website=Asia Cultural Travel|date=22 January 2020 |url=https://www.asiaculturaltravel.co.uk/teochew-people/}}</ref> The [[Teochew Letters]], which have been admitted into the Asia/Pacific Regional Memory of the World (MOW) Register, were family correspondence and remittance sent by [[Teochew people|Teochew]] immigrants in Southeast Asia to their families living in Chaoshan.

==Etymology==
The name "Chaoshan" ({{lang|zh-hans|潮汕}}) is a contraction of two prefecture-level cities in the region: [[Chaozhou]] ({{lang|zh-hans|潮州}}) and [[Shantou]] ({{lang|zh-hans|汕头}}). The name was first used in the 1904 construction of the [[Chao Chow and Swatow Railway]], which connected the two major cities. Chaoshan then became the general name for three prefecture-level cities: Chaozhou, Shantou and [[Jieyang]]. Chaozhou and Shantou have agglomerated into a single, dense metropolitan area, which is among China's most densely populated.<ref>{{cite web|title=China: Administrative Division (Provinces and Prefectures) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map|url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/china/admin/}}</ref> It is [[Guangdong]]'s second largest metropolitan area, after the [[Guangzhou]]-centered [[Pearl River Delta]]. Chaozhou is a major cultural center of the Chaoshan region, and thus the descendants of overseas Chaoshan immigrants are often called "Chaozhou".<ref name="gen">{{citation|title=An Introduction to the Culture and History of the Teochews in Singapore|date=July 2018 |publisher=World Scientific |doi=10.1142/9789813239364_0001 |s2cid=240469453 |format=pdf|url=https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/pdf/10.1142/9789813239364_0001|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Chaozhou Mansion.jpg|left|thumb|Traditional courtyard mansion in Chaozhou.]]
The Chaoshan region, despite having the second largest economy in Guangdong after the [[Pearl River Delta]] (PRD), is still considered quite economically small in comparison to the PRD's economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.na-businesspress.com/JABE/TianWeb12-6.pdf|title=Soft Power and Shantou Economic Special Zone Construction : A New Breakthrough Point for Development|author=Tian Guang|website=Na-businesspress.com|access-date=2022-01-27}}</ref> Although the growth of the area's GDP stagnated in the late 1990s during the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]], it has experienced regional economic growth and a steady increase in GDP.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=UT Planning Forum|url=https://sites.utexas.edu/planningforum/article-2-transregional-communities-and-the-regional-economy-a-case-study-of-development-in-the-chaoshan-region-china/|title=Article 2: Transregional Communities and the Regional Economy: A Case Study of Development in the Chaoshan Region, China|date=5 March 2021 }}</ref> [[Li Ka-shing]] has also invested heavily in the education and healthcare of the region, recognizing its potential for growth; in 2023, he donated RMB 100 million to support the construction of a new inpatient building of the Chaozhou People's Hospital.<ref>{{cite web|website=Li Ka Shing Foundation|url=https://www.lksf.org/timeline/|title=Inspiring change since 1980}}</ref>

There have been proposals to the Chinese government to amalgamate the region into one [[Special Economic Zone]],<ref name="SEZ">{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-03/14/content_16307866.htm |title = Calls for the creation of new SEZ in Shantou - Business |website=Chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref> as the split of the region into three cities (Chaozhou, Jieyang, and Shantou) in 1991 greatly slowed the level of economic growth in the region; in 2012, the per capita GDP of [[Shantou]] reached only US$4,250, whereas the province's total GDP per capita was US$8,600.<ref name="SEZ" /> During the period 2007–2012, there was only a 10% growth in GDP, whereas the average economic growth in the whole province was around 15%. In 2007, the total GDP of the four cities in eastern [[Guangdong]] was 210.748 billion yuan, accounting for 6.56% of the total GDP of the Province.

In 2023, the total GDP of Guangdong province was 13.57 trillion yuan while the GDP of [[Shantou]], one of the first four [[Special economic zones of China|special economic zones]] opened to the outside world, was only 315.83 billion yuan (2.33% of the Province's GDP), ranked 11th of the 21 cities in the Guangdong province; the GDP of [[Jieyang]] was 244.50 billion yuan (1.80% of the Province's GDP), ranked 13th; and the GDP of [[Chaozhou]] was 135.66 billion yuan (1.00% of the Province's GDP), ranked 19th.<ref>{{Cite web |title=广东21地市2023年经济"成绩单"出炉 深广佛莞惠经济总量位居全省前五 广东省人民政府门户网站 |url=https://www.gd.gov.cn/gdywdt/dsdt/content/post_4358338.html |access-date=2025-01-20 |website=www.gd.gov.cn}}</ref>

==Geography==
The Chaoshan region encompasses the cities of [[Chaozhou]], [[Jieyang]], and [[Shantou]]. It had a permanent population of 13,937,897 at the end of 2010, and covers an area of {{convert|10,415|km2|abbr=on}} that stretches from Jieyang on the coast to the southern border of [[Fujian]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Study in Shantou|website=CUCAS (China's University and College Admission System)|url=https://www.cucas.cn/studyinchina/city/feature/Ordinary/Shantou_119_77.html}}</ref>

Chaoshan is located in the east of [[Guangdong]]; it is bordered by [[Zhangzhou]] to its northeast and [[Meizhou]] in the northwest. The region has varying elevations, with highlands in northwest Chaoshan and low-lying deltas in the south and southeast. Two of the most notable mountain ranges in the northwest are the {{ill|Phoenix Mountains (Chaozhou)|lt=Phoenix Mountain Range|zh|凤凰山 (潮州)}} ([[Teochew Min|Teochew]]: hong6 huang5 suan1; {{lang-zh|c=|p=Fènghuáng shān|s=凤凰山|t=鳳凰山}}) and the {{ill|Lotus Mountains (Guangdong)|lt=Lotus Mountain Range|zh|莲花山脉}} ({{lang-zh|c=|p=Liánhuā shānmài|s=莲花山脉|t=蓮花山脈}}).<ref name="gen" /> Another famous mountain is the [[Sangpu Mountain]] located at the junction of Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang 3 prefecture-level cities. The region's flat terrain is served by three rivers and their tributaries: the [[Han River (Guangdong)|Hanjiang]] ({{lang-zh|c=韩江}}), the [[Rong River (Guangdong)|Rongjiang]] ({{lang-zh|c=榕江}}), and the [[Lian River (South China Sea)|Lianjiang]] ({{lang-zh|c=练江}}).<ref name="gen" />

Chaoshan has a long [[coastline]] with many ports, reaching a total length of more than {{convert|325.6|km|mi}}. Its coastline spreads southwest from [[Raoping County]] and is detailed by bays, inlets, and islands; the largest island being [[Nan'ao Island]].<ref name="gen" />

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!City!![[Romanization]]!!Population (2010)!!Image!!Information!!City Map
|-
| '''[[Shantou]]'''<br>{{lang|zh-hans|汕头}}
| {{small|'''Pinyin:''' Shàntóu<br> '''Cantonese Yale:''' Saantàu<br> '''Peng'im:''' Suan1-tao5<br> '''Pe̍h-ōe-jī:''' Sòaⁿ-thâu}}
| 5,391,028
| [[File:shantouharbor.jpg|200 px]]
| Shantou is the main city of the Chaoshan region. It is a port on the [[South China Sea]], and is one of China's [[Special Economic Zones]].<br>
----
'''Districts:''' [[Jinping District|Jinping]], [[Longhu District|Longhu]], [[Haojiang District|Haojiang]], [[Chaoyang District, Shantou|Chaoyang]], [[Chaonan District|Chaonan]], [[Chenghai District|Chenghai]]<br>'''County:''' [[Nan'ao County|Nan'ao]]<br>'''New Area:''' [[Haiwan New Area|Haiwan]]
| [[File:Administrative Division Shantou.png|200x200px]]
|-
| '''[[Jieyang]]'''<br>{{lang|zh-hans|揭阳}}
| {{small|'''Pinyin:''' Jiēyáng<br> '''Cantonese Yale:''' Kityèung<br> '''Peng'im:''' Gig4-ion5<br> '''Pe̍h-ōe-jī:''' Kiat-iông}}
| 5,877,025
| [[File:Night View of Urban of Puning in Jan 2011.jpg|200 px]]
| Jieyang is the most populous city in the region. It is one of the fastest-growing cities in terms of population.<br>
----
'''Districts:''' [[Rongcheng District|Rongcheng]], [[Jiedong District|Jiedong]]<br>'''Counties:''' [[Jiexi County|Jiexi]], [[Huilai County|Huilai]]<br>'''County-level City:''' [[Puning]]
| [[File:Administrative Division Jieyang 2.png|200x200px]]
|-
| '''[[Chaozhou]]'''<br>{{lang|zh-hans|潮州}}
| {{small|'''Pinyin:''' Cháozhōu <br> '''Cantonese Yale:''' Chìujāu<br>'''Peng'im:''' Dio5-ziu1<br> '''Pe̍h-ōe-jī:''' Tiô-chiu}}
| 2,669,844
| [[File:Chaozhou hbr.jpg|200 px]]
| Chaozhou is the smallest of the three cities in the Chaoshan region. It is an old town with a large historic and cultural value, which is now undergoing urbanisation.<br>
----
'''Districts:''' [[Xiangqiao District|Xiangqiao]], [[Chao'an District|Chao'an]]<br>'''County:''' [[Raoping County|Raoping]]
| [[File:Administrative Division Chaozhou 2.png|200x200px]]
|}
In March 2013, a proposal to merge [[Chaozhou]], [[Jieyang]], and [[Shantou]] into [[Sub-provincial division|sub-provincial]] cities in [[Guangdong]] Province was submitted to the [[National People's Congress]]. Chen Jingwei, a member of the [[CPPCC]] National Committee and [[vice-chairman]] of the Federation of Chinese Industry and Commerce, submitted the proposal again in March 2014.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}<!--I looked for the life of me to find a source for this claim and I couldn't. Keeping it for now in hopes that someone else can find one.-->

===Energy===
The area contains two coal-fired power plants with 1000 megawatt or greater outputs: Shantou Power Station (1200MW)<ref>{{cite web|title=Power plant profile: Shantou Power Plant, China|website=Power Technology|date=24 April 2023 |url=https://www.power-technology.com/data-insights/power-plant-profile-shantou-power-plant-china/}}</ref> and [[Huilai Power Station]] (3200MW).<ref>{{cite web|title=Power plant profile: Huilai Power Plant, China|website=Power Technology|date=26 November 2021 |url=https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-huilai-power-plant-china/}}</ref>

Chaoshan is home to many active wind farms, including the [[Nan'ao Wind Farm]] complex on [[Nan'ao Island]] in [[Shantou]], which is the largest island wind farm in Asia;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clpgroup.com/en/about/our-business/assets-and-services/mainland-china/nanao-iii-wind-farm.html#|website=CLP Group|title=Nanao III Wind Farm}}</ref> and the Shibeishan Wind Farm in [[Huilai County]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/DB/DNV-CUK1203852135.01/view?cp=1|title=Project 1627 : Shibeishan Wind Power Generation Project in Huilai County, Guangdong Province|website=CDM (Clean Development Mechanism)}}</ref> There are also multiple planned wind farm complexes set to start construction in 2024–2025, the most notable being [[Chaozhou]]'s planned offshore wind farm in the [[Taiwan Strait]] (set to be a 43.3 gigawatt facility)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/10/25/china-is-building-the-worlds-largest-wind-farm-and-it-could-power-13m-homes|title=China is building the world's largest wind farm and it could power 13m homes|website=Euronews.green|date=25 October 2022 }}</ref> and the planned Guangdong Jieyang Huilai wind farm (which has five separate projects).<ref>{{cite web|title=Power plant profile: Guangdong Jieyang Huilai No. 5 Wind Farm, China|website=Power Technology|date=December 2021 |url=https://www.power-technology.com/marketdata/power-plant-profile-guangdong-jieyang-huilai-no-5-wind-farm-china/}}</ref>

There are also plans to build a nuclear power plant in [[Jieyang]], although the date by which construction will start has yet to be determined.<ref>{{cite web|website=World Nuclear Association|title=Nuclear Power in China|url=https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-a-f/china-nuclear-power.aspx|accessdate=6 December 2023}}</ref>

==Culture and language==
[[File:Chaozhou Opera-Menglikung.jpg|thumb|right|225px|Chaozhou Opera]]

Chaoshan has a culture that is distinct from its neighbors in [[Guangdong]] and the rest of China. It does, however, share similarities to the [[Minnan region|Minnan]] areas just north of Chaoshan in [[Fujian]] province. One of the main reasons is its language, the Chaoshan or [[Swatow dialect]]. This variant of Chinese has eight tones compared to the six tones found in [[Cantonese]] and the four to five tones found in [[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]], which makes it one of the most difficult variants to master.<ref>{{cite web |last1=潮汕拾贝 |first1=潮汕拾贝 |title=【潮文化】潮汕方言八音 Chaoshan language have 8 tone |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/E5I8MJOI0520QDH6.html |website=163 |date=15 January 2019 |publisher=163.com |access-date=25 April 2025 |ref=潮汕方言八音}}</ref> Music, opera and [[Teochew cuisine|Chaozhou cuisine]] are further characteristics that distinguish Chaoshan people from the rest of [[Guangdong]].

[[Chaoshan Min|The Chaoshan dialect]] ({{lang|zh-hans|潮州話/潮汕話}}) of [[Min Chinese|Min]] is considered one of the more conservative Chinese dialects, as it preserves features from ancient Chinese that have been lost in some of the other modern dialects of Chinese.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Yap |first1=Foong Ha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o-Fiq1Ct4OIC&dq=chaozhou%2520most%2520conservative%2520chinese%2520dialect&pg=PA111 |title=Nominalization in Asian Languages: Diachronic and typological perspectives |last2=Grunow-Hårsta |first2=Karen |last3=Wrona |first3=Janick |date=2011-06-29 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing |isbn=978-90-272-0677-0 |language=en}}</ref> Locals claim Chaoshan dialect is one of the oldest in China.<ref name="潮汕方言文">{{cite web |last1=Chaozhouwenhua |first1=Chaozhouwenhua |title=潮汕方言文化中的"古汉语活化石" Chaoshan is one of the oldest language of Chinese |url=http://www.chaozhouwenhua.com/csh/407.html |website=chaozhouwenhua |access-date=25 April 2025 |ref=语言（方言）是一种文化（亚文化）}}</ref> It is spoken by about 15 million people in Chaoshan and approximately two to five million overseas.<ref name="大潮汕谈世情">{{cite web |last1=大潮汕谈世情 |first1=全面解析潮汕文化、传统、习俗 |title=潮汕话，究竟还能讲多久？How many people spoke the Chaoshan language? |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/DNI74SMA0523X2LD.html#:~:text=%E7%B2%A4%E4%B8%9C%E5%9C%B0%E5%8C%BA%E7%9A%84%E6%BD%AE%E6%B1%95,%E6%9C%89%E5%9B%9B%E4%BA%94%E5%8D%83%E4%B8%87%E3%80%82 |website=163.com |date=25 July 2018 |access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref>

Chaozhou [[opera]] ({{lang|zh-hans|潮劇}}) is a traditional art form that has a history of more than 500 years, and it has been performed in over 20 countries and regions.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Miao|first1=Lei|last2=Wang|first2=Qiuping|date=2018-05-01|title=A Study on the Spread of Chaozhou Opera in Thailand under the Strategy of Maritime Silk Road|url=http://www.academypublication.com/issues2/jltr/vol09/03/10.pdf|journal=Journal of Language Teaching and Research|volume=9|issue=3|pages=520|doi=10.17507/jltr.0903.10|issn=1798-4769}}</ref> Based on the local folk dances and ballads, Chaozhou opera has formed its own style under the influence of [[Nanxi (Chinese opera)|Nanxi opera]]. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas that originated in the [[Song dynasty]]. The old form of choral accompaniment still retains its special features. Clowns and females are the most distinctive characters in a Chaozhou opera, and fan-playing and acrobatic skills are more prominent than in other types of performances.<ref>{{cite web |last1=潮安区融媒体中心 |first1=潮安区融媒体中心 |title=潮剧：潮调潮腔声生不息 "南国奇葩"独具特色 Nanxi Opera Chaoshan Culture |url=https://www.chaoan.gov.cn/zjca/qcgm/msfq/content/post_3808182.html |website=chaoan.gov.cn |publisher=潮安区融媒体中心 |access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref>

[[Chinese tea ceremony|Gongfu tea]] ({{lang|zh-hans|[[Chinese tea ceremony|工夫茶]]}}), the "espresso" of Chinese teas with a formidable kick, which was first consumed back in the [[Song dynasty]], is still flourishing and remains an important part of social etiquette in Chaozhou.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Min Tao |first1=Lucy Chen |title=Chinese Gong Fu Tea Culture 中国功夫 |url=https://www.sbs.com.au/language/chinese/zh-hans/podcast-episode/cultural-strike-a-taste-of-tea/wvw87oyhg |website=sbs |publisher=sbs.com.au |access-date=25 April 2025}}</ref>

At the local teahouse, tea service is often accompanied by Chaozhou music ({{lang|zh-hans|潮州音樂}}). [[Chaozhou xianshi|Chaozhou string music]], the gong and drum music, flute music<!-- dizi or xiao? ---> are the traditional musical forms of Chaozhou music. Chaozhou string music is made up of mostly plucked and bowed string instruments, and on some occasions, wind instruments are used. The most characteristic instruments are the ''erxian (or touxian)''<ref>https://cloud.hakka.gov.tw/site/hakka/public/%E8%AA%8D%E8%AD%98%E6%A8%82%E5%99%A8-1835-8641.html {{Bare URL inline|date=September 2025}}</ref> ({{lang|zh-hans|二弦，頭弦}}), ''[[Tihu (instrument)|tihu]]'' ({{lang|zh-hans|提胡}}) and ''[[yehu]]'' (all two-stringed bowed lutes), the ''[[sanxian]]'', ''[[pipa]]'', ''[[Ruan (instrument)|ruan]]'', ''[[guzheng]]'', and ''[[yangqin]]''. The number of instruments and performers in the ensemble is flexible and depends on the availability of instruments and musicians to play them - but for an even and balanced texture only one of each instrument is preferred.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Chaozhou drum music includes the big drum and gong, the small drum and gong, the dizi set drum and dong and su drum and gong ensembles. The current Chaozhou drum music is said to be similar to the form of the Drum and Wind Music of the Han and Tang dynasties. Chaozhou ''[[guzheng]]'' ({{lang|zh-hans|潮州古筝}}) is also a major genre of Southern style Chinese ''guzheng''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

== Chaoshan cuisine ==
Chaoshan cuisine, also known as '''Chiuchow cuisine''', '''Chaozhou cuisine''' or '''[[Teochew cuisine]]''', originated from the Chaoshan region in the eastern part of China's [[Guangdong|Guangdong Province]], which includes the cities of [[Chaozhou]], [[Shantou]] and [[Jieyang]]. Relative economic and linguistic isolation (most people also speak Mandarin) has helped maintain the Chaoshan area's local traditions, which has turned into a boon for foodies.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=http://travel.cnn.com/shanghai/eat/ireport/eat-your-way-through-chaoshan-316348|title=Chaoshan cuisine: A culinary tour through Chaoshan |website=Travel.cnn.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-07}}</ref>

Chaoshan cuisine, similar to [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese cooking]], is characterized by the use of ingredients such as fresh seafood, poultry, galangal, Chinese basil, and vegetables.<ref name="auto1"/> Chaoshan dishes taste fresh, light and natural. There are also unique local sauces such as pruning soy sauce, Shantou sweet and spicy sauce, garlic white vinegar sauce, and fermented fish sauce. Salty, spicy, sweet or sour, each has its own outstanding flavor.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.travelchinaguide.com/chaoshan-cuisine.html|title=Chaoshan Cuisine / Teochew Cuisine in Chaozhou & Shantou|website=Travelchinaguide.com|access-date=2019-11-21}}</ref> Teochew (also Chaoshan or Chiu Chow or Chaozhou) cooking focuses on restraint and subtlety and avoids heavy seasonings to highlight the freshness of ingredients.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/food/la-fo-flavorful-origins-20190225-story.html|title=Chaoshan cuisine gets the spotlight on Netflix's new show, 'Flavorful Origins'|last1=Liao|first1=Nick|date=2019-02-25|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-07}}</ref> The ingredients of Chaoshan dishes usually include white olives, rice noodles, or mandarin oranges.<ref name="auto2"/> These ingredients often come from the sea in Chaoshan, a hundred miles up the coast from Hong Kong.<ref name="auto2"/>

The cooking methods of Chaoshan dishes are diversified, including brining, deep-frying, pan-frying, braising, alive marinating, stewing, roasting, smoking, steam stewing, dressing, etc.<ref name="auto"/> The most used method among these is brining. Chaoshan brined meat is the signature dish in Chaoshan cuisine. Meat is brined together with rich flavors. Local dishes also use marinated raw seafood, such as colorful flower crabs steeped in a bath of vinegar, salt, chilis and cilantro.<ref name="auto2"/> The seafood cooked in this way is extremely umami.

Chaoshan has a rich history of farming and drying seaweed, which Westerners might instinctively associate with Korean and Japanese cooking.<ref name="auto2"/> The ancient Teochew tradition of preparing thinly sliced raw fish was later exported to Japan, becoming known as sashimi.<ref name="auto2"/>

The most famous culinary method in Chaoshan is marinated broth stew, where poultry (especially local geese) and other meat are slow-cooked in a highly flavored broth.<ref name="auto1" /> This is different from Cantonese food, in which barbecued meat is arguably one of the most representative dishes.

<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Chaoshan Cuisine.jpg|Chaoshan seafood hotpot
File:Chaoshan Cuisine2.jpg|Drunken crabs
File:Chaoshan Cuisine3.jpg|[[Chaoshan beef hotpot]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[Chu Hua Yuan]], the area's traditional coming-of-age ceremony
* [[Lingnan]]
* [[Lingnan culture]]
* [[Teochew people]]
* [[Thai Chinese]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|Chaoshan}}

{{Guangdong topics}}

[[Category:Chaoshan| ]]
[[Category:Chaozhou]]
[[Category:Regions of China]]
[[Category:Shantou]]