潮州(Chaozhou)

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潮州概况
潮州地处广东省东部，东与福建接壤，是国家历史文化名城，著名侨乡，对外开放旅游城市，素有“海滨邹鲁”、“岭海名邦”之称。全市总面积陆地 3116.12平方公里、海域５３３平方公里，总人口２５０万人，旅居海外的潮籍侨胞、华人及港澳台同胞约200万人。辖二县二区，即潮安县、饶平县和湘桥区、枫溪区。潮安县辖19个镇,饶平县辖21个镇,湘桥区辖城区9个街道和意溪镇。

潮州建制历史悠久。自东晋咸和六年（公元331 年）设立海阳县以来，至今已有1600多年的历史，隋朝时撤郡设州，始称“潮州”。新中国建立前，潮州均为历代县、郡、州、路、府的治所，位居粤东地区政治、经济、文化中心。在漫长的历史长河中，长期的对外交往和中西文化交融，使本土的原生文化与周边文化、中原文化、海洋文化互相交流渗透，形成了风格独特的地域文化 —— 潮人文化，拥有地方特色鲜明、结构完整、门类齐全、品位甚高的文化景观。728处文物点以及潮州菜、潮州工夫茶、潮州大锣鼓、潮州戏等众多“潮”字品牌，构成潮州丰富多彩的旅游资源，自古就有“到广不到潮，枉费走一遭”的美誉。

潮州民俗文化独特。潮州方言、潮剧、潮州音乐、潮州大锣鼓、潮州菜、潮州工夫茶、潮州民俗风情等，无不具有鲜明的地方色彩，蕴涵浓郁的中古遗风，潮州因而被汉学家誉为“中原文化的典橱”。潮州工艺巧夺天工。潮绣是我国四大名绣中粤绣的重要一支，潮州木雕是中国两大木雕体系之一，潮州的工艺陶瓷以“白如玉，薄如纸，明如镜，细如丝，声如罄”见长，潮州因而成为中国陶瓷出口的主要基地。

潮州文物古迹众多。全市现有文物古迹728处，其中全国重点文物保护单位6处，省级重点文物保护单位10处，市县两级重点文物保护单位55处，是粤东文物古迹荟萃之地。6处全国重点文物保护单位有始建于南宋、中国四大古桥之一、被誉为世界上第一座启闭式石桥梁的广济桥，国内罕见的宋代建筑府第许驸马府，始建于唐代、堪称粤东地区佛教活动中心的开元寺，集潮州木雕之大成的己略黄公祠，反映宋代潮州陶瓷业繁荣景象的笔架山宋窑遗址，始建于宋代、我国现存历史最久、保存最完整的纪念唐代大文学家韩愈的韩文公祠。省市级重点文物保护单位有，始建于明代、全长2.6公里的古城墙，有与广州越秀山镇海楼齐名的明代建筑广济城楼等。此外还有目前国内建筑面积最大的泰式佛殿，有珍藏珍贵历史文物的淡浮文物院等。“潮州八景”凤凰时雨、湘桥春涨、鳄渡秋风、北阁佛灯、龙湫宝塔等景点，如珠散落于韩江两岸，与2.6公里古城墙、滨江长廊和古城内保存完好的古民居群一起，构成潮州古城文化旅游区的壮丽景象。

潮州自然风光秀美。古城区笔架山、金山、葫芦山三山拱护，韩江绕古城而过，山光水色十分宜人。北部凤凰山主峰海拔1497米，为粤东最高峰，是中国乌龙茶之乡和少数民族畲族的发祥地，少数民族风情浓郁。山上有高10多米、覆盖面积一亩多、年龄600多岁的宋茶树王，这株老干轧枝的宋种茶树，饱经风霜雪雨，度过了六百多个春秋，斑斓的躯干上有三个分桠，茎粗分别为0.72米、0.93米和0.8米围.树高5.8米,树冠(南北向)直径7.3米,树叶茂茂密密像一把伞。山顶有面积60多亩的古火山口凤凰天池，俗称“四脚鱼”的珍稀动物蝾螈在池中游弋。西部桑浦山麓有丰富的温泉、矿泉，梅林湖畔的稻田里有形态各异，形似山鹰、海狗、蟾蜍、百鸟求凰的古海蚀地貌，东部柘林湾有栖息数万只黄嘴白鹭“白鹭天堂”，全国规模最大的海上网箱养殖基地“海上牧场”，碧水蓝天的金狮湾海滨浴场，都是观光休闲度假的旅游胜地。

(source: http://www.chaozhou.gov.cn)

潮州古属“九州”之扬州地域。

公元前214年（秦），属南海郡。公元前111年（西汉元鼎六年），属南海郡揭阳县。潮州最早的建制始于公元331年（东晋咸和六年）在南海郡东部析置东官郡，413年（东晋义熙九年）又分东官郡置义安郡。590年（隋文帝开皇十年），全国废郡设州，属循州义安县[注 3]，同年升立州。因地临南海取“潮水往复之意”，首命名“潮州”，义安县为州治。“潮州”之名开始见之史册。

公元607年（隋帝大业三年）全国罢州复郡，潮州曾一度改为潮阳郡。直到621年（唐武德四年）第二次称潮州。在这个时候，潮州的疆域是很大的，东到泉州，北到江西，南到大海，西到惠州。 公元686年（唐垂拱二年），从潮州与泉州各割出一些区域，设置了漳州。即使在今天潮州话还是可以在漳州通行，其管辖的云霄、诏安、东山、漳浦、和平等县市，也都有潮剧团，演潮州戏。 所谓地有闽粤之分，俗无漳潮之异。

742年（唐天宝元年）潮州又改称潮阳郡，到758年（唐乾元年）再复潮州。元朝时期，潮州称为潮州路。到1369年（明洪武二年）改路始置府制，称潮州府。

到了清末民初，潮州的概念就基本定型了，海内外潮州人共有的潮州，也基本上定型在这个基础上。这时潮州的辖县一共有9个：就是潮安（海阳）县、潮阳县、揭阳县、惠来县、普宁县、澄海县、饶平县 、丰顺县、大埔县，还有汕头埠和南澳岛。

1914年（中华民国），设潮循道。1914年（中华民国），海阳县改称潮安县。1953年，拆潮安县城区建潮州市为省辖市。1955年，粤东行署从潮州迁至汕头。1958年，潮州市改为县级市。1958年11月，撤销潮州市并入潮安县。1979年，恢复潮州市建制。1983年，撤销潮安县并入潮州市。1989年1月，潮州市恢复为省辖市。1990年，由广东省定为副地级市。1991年12月，原潮州市升格为地级市，同时扩大区域，管辖新恢复的潮安县、新设立的湘桥区、枫溪区和原汕头市管辖的饶平县。

解放后二次大的疆域调整，造成了二个“潮州”的概念，一个是广义的潮州概念，一个是狭义的潮州的概念。

广义的潮州，也就是历史上的潮州，主要包括现在潮州市、汕头市和揭阳市以及粤东其他部分地区等。共同的生活习惯，共同的民风民俗，共同的文化背景，共同的语言环境，共同的价值取向，共同拥有了潮州人的 称谓。

狭义的潮州，就是目前的潮州市，它是在1991年12月将原来的副地级市的潮州升格和扩大区域的。作为地级市，潮州现在管辖潮安县、饶平县、湘桥区和枫溪区。湘桥区也就是通常民间称呼的府城、潮州城。

但是，现在无论是国内还是海外，关于潮州的概念，还是倾向于广义的潮州，甚至就是广义的潮州。

2008年末潮州市常住人口256.66万人，[参 4]比2007年末增加1.96万人。2008年末户籍总人口256.13万人，比上年增加2.07万人。按计生口径，全年出生率为10.98‰，死亡率5.65‰，自然增长率5.33‰。

潮州市各区（县）面积与人口数据（2007年末）

区划名称 ↓ 面积（公里2） ↓ 常住人口 ↓ 户籍人口 ↓
潮州市 3,109.57 2,547,000 2,540,616
湘桥区 152.27 347,061
潮安县 1,263.24 1,203,451
饶平县 1,694.06 990,104


潮州是国家历史文化名城，有“海滨邹鲁”、岭海名邦之美誉。潮州文化起源于潮州先民、成型于秦汉、发展于唐宋、昌盛于明清、创新于现代，是中华民族优秀传统文化的一个小分支，也是潮州文化的发源地。她有中 外文化兼容的特点，也有自己独特的文化体系。另外有专门研究潮州文化的学问“潮学”。

潮州话为闽南语的次方言，保留较多的古汉语。

潮州还是著名的侨乡、旅居世界各地潮人总数已超过潮州本地。潮人素有“东方犹太人”之称，潮州人的富商以华人首富李嘉诚为代表闻名天下。著名学者包括以国学大师饶宗颐等为代表。世界各地潮人会馆商会多不胜数。

Chaozhou
Chaozhou (Chinese: 潮州; pinyin: Cháozhōu; Wade-Giles: Ch'ao²-chou¹; literally "Tide Prefecture"; usually spelled Chiu Chow in the US and Hong Kong), also widely known by its Postal map spelling Teochew, is a prefecture-level city in eastern Guangdong province, People's Republic 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 has an area of 3,614 square kilometers and a population of 2,500,000

Chaozhou's municipal executive, legislature and judiciary are situated in Xiangqiao District (湘桥区), together with its CPC and Public Security bureaux.

Chaozhou oversees one other district:

* Fengxi (枫溪)

[edit] Counties (县, xian)

* Raoping (饶平)
* ChaoAn (潮安)

In 214 BC, Chaozhou was an undeveloped and named part of Nanhai Commandery (南海郡) of the Qin Dynasty. In 331 during the Eastern Han Dynasty (東汉), Haiyang (海陽縣) was established as a part of Dongguan Commandery (東官郡).

Dongguan Commandery was renamed to Yi'an Commandery (義安郡) in 413. The commandery became a prefecture in 590 in the early Sui Dynasty; first as Xun Prefecture (循州, Xunzhou), then as Chao Prefecture (潮州, Chaozhou) in the following year. In 1914, the Republic of China government combined Chao and Xun prefectures into Chaoxun Prefecture or Chaoxun Circuit (潮循道).

For a short while in the Sui and early Tang Dynasties, Haiyang District was called Yi'an District (義安縣). The name remained Haiyang until 1914, when it was renamed to Chao'an County (潮安縣) to avoid ambiguity with the Haiyang County of Shandong Province.

The seat of the 1951 Guangdong People's Government was at Chao'an County, a part of it was created as Chao'an City in 1953 and later that year renamed to Chaozhou City (county-level). In 1955, the provincial seat moved to Shantou. Chaozhou City was abolished five years later, and reestablished again in 1979. In 1983, the situation was reversed, with Chao'an abolished and made a part of Chaozhou City. Chaozhou was made a provincially-administered city in January 1989, and a vice-prefecture-level city in January 1990. In December 1991, Chaozhou was further upgraded into its current statue of prefecture-level city.

Together, Chaozhou and the nearby cities of Shantou(汕头） and Jieyang（揭阳） are called Chaoshan. The name was used for the joint political-administrative area which encompassed the three cities from 1958 until 1983. For the next five years, Shantou City was a higher-level city containing Chaozhou and Jieyang within it. Currently, Chaozhou, Shantou and Jieyang are equal in status.

Culture

Chaozhou is famously known as one of the great cultural centres in the Lingnan region of China. Chaozhou culture is known worldwide as a unique part of world heritage. Down through history, the Chaozhou region, was able to flourish and thrive as a prosperous cultural centre enabling the nourishing of a unique and distinctive character epitomized in the Chaozhou Dialect, Chaozhou opera, Chaozhou cuisine, Chaozhou Ganghu tea, Chaozhou music, Chaozhou lion dance and Chaozhou embroidery.

Chaozhou Dialect (潮州話), by which the Chaozhou culture conveys, is considered as one of the oldest Chinese dialects for it preserves many elegant and refined features from ancient Chinese that have been lost in some of the other modern dialects of Chinese. It is spoken by about 10 million people in local Chaozhou and approximately 2-5 million overseas.
Chaozhou Opera

Chaozhou opera (潮劇) is a traditional art form which has a history of more than 500 years and is now loved by 20 million Chaozhou natives in over 20 countries and regions. Based on the local folk dances and ballads, Chaozhou opera has formed its own style under the influence of Nanxi Opera. Nanxi is one of the oldest Chinese operas that originated in the Song Dynasty. Its tunes are graceful and pleasant, full of local color. The old form of choral accompaniment still remains 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.

Gongfu tea (工夫茶), the 'espresso' of Chinese teas with a formidable kick, which was first sipped back in the Song Dynasty, is still flourishing and remains an important part of social etiquette in Chaozhou. If you visit a family, you can be sure of at least one round of Ganghu tea. Though it tastes bitter when it first reaches your mouth, it is the lingering aftertaste that makes Ganghu tea probably the most charming tea culture in China. Drinking Ganghu tea is in fact a process of aesthetics rather than a solution to thirst.

At the local teahouse, tea service is often accompanied with Chaozhou music (潮州音樂). String music, the gong and drum music, the ancient music of set flutes are the traditional play 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 rihin (二弦), tihu (提胡) and yahu (all two-stringed bowed lutes), the sanxian, pipa, 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 to have an even and balanced texture only one of each instrument is preferred. 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. The Chaozhou guzheng (潮州古筝) is also regarded as a major member of the southern guzheng family.

(source: wikipedia)