Chaozhou

Chaozhou (Chinese: 潮州), alternatively Chiuchow,[3] Chaochow[4] or Teochew,[5] is a city in the eastern Guangdong province of China. It borders Shantou to the south, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou to the northwest, the province of Fujian to the east, and the South China Sea to the southeast. It is administered as a prefecture-level city with a jurisdiction area of 3,110 km2 (1,200 sq mi) and a total population of 2,568,387. Its built-up (or metro) area encompassing most of Shantou and Jieyang cities was home to 12,543,024 inhabitants on 13 local administrative areas.[6] Along with Shantou and Jieyang, Chaozhou is a cultural center of the Chaoshan region. In 214 BC, Chaozhou was an undeveloped part of Nanhai Commandery (南海郡) of the Qin dynasty. In 331[citation needed] during the Eastern Jin dynasty, Haiyang (海陽縣) was established as a part of Dongguan Commandery (東官郡). The Dongguan Commandery was renamed Yi'an Commandery (義安郡) in 413. The commandery became a prefecture in 590 during the early Sui dynasty, first as Xun Prefecture (循州; Xúnzhōu), then as Chao Prefecture (潮州; Cháozhōu) in the following year. In 1914, the Republic of China government combined the Chao and Xun prefectures into Chaoxun Prefecture or Chaoxun Circuit (潮循道).