Bordering on Hunan Province to the further north and Jiangxi Province to the east, Shaoguan is a hub of communications connecting Central China with South China. It lies in the north of Guangdong Province, thus having been called the northern Gate of Guangdong. Covering an area of 18,579 square kilometers (7,173 square miles), the city has a population of 3,148,500 (2003) and consists of three urban districts, six counties and two cities. With a long history, an important geographic location, aged cultural tradition and rich natural resources, Shaoguan is an excellent tourist city in China, a national advanced clean city and a civilized city in Guangdong as well.
History
It is one of the earliest birthplaces of Lingnan's ancient culture, the native place of Maba People and the rising place of Shixia's culture. As early as 100 thousand years ago, the ancestors of North Guangdong worked and lived here. Shaoguan was called Shaozhou in Sui Dynasty (581 - 618) and set up the customhouse in Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) and thus began to be called the present name.
Landform
At Shaoguan, the Wu River from the northwest and the Zhen River from the northeast join up to create the Beijiang River which flows south to Guangzhou. The downtown area lies on a peninsula shaped by the Zhen River and the Wu River. There are seven bridges crossing the three rivers. Located in a comparatively high mountainous region,the city is popular for its beautiful natural scenery with a few hot springs.
Climate
Shaoguan is in the middle subtropical monsoon area of humid type. The four seasons are very distinct with a lot rain in summer and occasionally snowfall in winter. The annual rainfall is 1,910 millimeters (6.3 feet) and the average annual temperature is 20.7 degrees Celsius (69.3 degrees Fahrenheit). The rainy season and hot season are basically of the same time, favorable to plant growth and agricultural production.
Tourist Resources
Shaoguan has peculiar landscapes and rich tourist resources. It has 11 scenic spots, conservation areas, forest parks, key temples and cultural relics at national level and 19 scenic spots, temples and cultural relics at provincial level, such as Fengcailou Mansion, Mausoleum of Zhang Jiuling, Mt. Furongshan and Maozifeng Peak. The most well known natural view is Danxia Mountain, one of the four famous mountains of Guangdong Province, distinctive for its steep stone walls, peaks and pillars. Besides, there is a modern communication network of railways, highways and waterways organically connected. Shaoguan has become a modern city with convenient transport facilities and it was rated as China's Excellent Tourist City in 2001.
What to see: Mount Danxia
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