Shaoguan, Guangdong Province, China

🇨🇳 Shaoguan (韶关; Seukoan) is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong Province (Yuebei), South China, bordering Hunan to the north-west and Jiangxi to the northeast. It is home to the mummified remains of the sixth Zen Buddhist patriarch Huineng. Its built-up (or metro) area is made up of Zhenjiang, Wujiang and Qujiang urban conurbated districts.

History Shaozhou was a prefecture under the Tang and Song.

In 1589, Matteo Ricci relocated his mission house – the first ever Jesuit mission in mainland China – to Shaoguan after a fallout with the authorities in Zhaoqing. He remained in Shaoguan for a few years, eventually benefiting from Shaoguan's location on the important north-south travel route to establish connections with traveling dignitaries that allowed him to move north, to Nanchang, Nanjing, and Beijing.

During World War II the city, then called Kukong, was the temporary capital of Guangdong Province.

In June 2009, Uyghurs and Han workers clashed at a toy factory in Shaoguan (Shaoguan incident), which was followed by the Ürümqi riots in July.

Geography Shaoguan is the northernmost prefecture-level city of Guangdong, bordering Chenzhou (Hunan) to the north-west and north, Ganzhou (Jiangxi) to the north-east, Heyuan to the east, Guangzhou and Huizhou to the south, and Qingyuan to the west. It is situated at the southern end of the Nan Mountains (Nan Ling), which primarily run east-west here, and is marked by numerous erosion-created valleys; within its borders lies the 1,902 m (6,240 ft) Mount Shikeng (石坑崆), the highest point in the province. The city is located on the Jingguang Railway (Beijing−Guangzhou) about 221 km (137 mi) north of the provincial capital of Guangzhou. Shaoguan is also readily accessible by road as it is adjacent to the G4 Beijing–Hong Kong and Macau Expressway as well as numerous other National Highways.

At Shaoguan, the Wu River from the north-west and the Zhen River from the north-east join up to create the North River (Bei Jiang) which flows south to Guangzhou. The downtown part of Shaoguan is located on a peninsula between the Wu and Zhen Rivers. The rivers are maintained at a constant level by a dam about 12 km (7.5 mi) downstream from the city. The city has about 20 km (12 mi) of tree-lined riverside esplanades along the banks of the rivers. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers.

Administrative divisions Shaoguan has direct jurisdiction over 3 districts, 2 county-level cities and 5 counties: Zhenjiang District, 浈江区, Zhēnjiāng Qū; Wujiang District, 武江区, Wǔjiāng Qū; Qujiang District, 曲江区, Qǔjiāng Qū; Shixing County, 始兴县, Shǐxīng Xiàn; Renhua County, 仁化县, Rénhuà Xiàn; Wengyuan County, 翁源县, Wēngyuán Xiàn; Xinfeng County, 新丰县, Xīnfēng Xiàn; Ruyuan Yao Autonomous County, 乳源瑶族自治县, Rǔyuán Yáozú Zìzhìxiàn; Lechang City, 乐昌市, Lèchāng Shì; Nanxiong City, 南雄市, Nánxió.

Economy: Tourist Industry The Fengcai Tower (风采楼; 風采樓; fēngcǎi lóu) in the centre of Shaoguan was built in the Ming Dynasty. To the south of the tower, at the other end of a pedestrian shopping street, the Dajian Monastery was founded in 660.

Near Shaoguan is the town of Maba, home of relics and museum of the Maba Man, Chinese Neanderthals. Near Maba is Nanhua Temple, which was founded by Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Zen Buddhism. Shaoguan Iron and Steel is also located near Maba.

Danxia Mountain is located in Renhua County, Shaoguan.

Northwest of Shaoguan, at the town of Pingshi, a stretch of river known as the Nine Torrents and Eighteen Shoals is a popular place for white-water rafting.

The city is served by Shaoguan Danxia Airport.

Education Shaoguan University is located in the city.

Language The main languages spoken are Hakka and Shaozhou Tuhua, related to Ping Chinese. Shaozhounese is spoken in Shaozhou city and Hakka (mainly Yetpet and Seunan dialects) are spoken in neighboring counties.