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- Wade-Giles romanization:
- Kuang-tung
- Conventional:
- Kwangtung
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Economically and culturally, the different regions of Guangdong are linked by the waterways of the Pearl River system. In addition, a number of coastal and international shipping routes are variously linked to more than 100 large and small ports. The leading ports, including Huangpu (Guangzhou’s seaport), Zhanjiang, and Shantou, are of national significance. Water transport accounts for more than two-fifths of Guangdong’s total traffic tonnage. The waterways are maintained by continually dredging, widening, and clearing the channels.
Connections with other provinces depend principally on land transportation. Guangdong has developed one of the best highway networks in China, running primarily along river valleys. Interprovincial links, both for highways and railroads, usually run north-south. The vital Beijing-Guangzhou railroad was double-tracked in the early 1960s. Another major north-south line, from Beijing to Kowloon (Jiulong) in Hong Kong, was opened in the mid-1990s. The low priority placed on east-west transport is indicated by the absence of a railroad running parallel to the Xi River and by the fact that the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang line was only opened in 1963. However, this line, connected with a line (completed 1956) that runs northwest to Litang in Guangxi, links the province by rail with its western neighbouring province. A new railroad connecting Guangzhou with Shantou via Meizhou (north of Shantou) opened in the mid-1990s and was extended eastward into Fujian province in 2000. In addition, a number of express highways have been built connecting Guangdong’s major cities and Hong Kong and Macau with neighbouring provinces, except the island province of Hainan.
Guangdong provides a crucial link in China’s domestic and international civil aviation routes. Air services connect the province to numerous international cities. To cope with the increasing traffic, Guangzhou’s Baiyun airport has been enlarged and modernized.
Government and society
Constitutional framework
The administrative system in Guangdong has undergone many changes since the establishment of communist rule in 1949. Autonomous administrative units were created in the early 1950s for areas with large ethnic minority populations. The status of Guangzhou was changed in 1954 from a centrally administered municipality (tebieshi) to a prefecture-level municipality (dijishi) under the jurisdiction of the provincial government. Guangdong is subdivided into 20 other prefecture-level municipalities in addition to Guangzhou. Guangdong is further divided into districts under the municipalities (shixiaqu), counties (xian), autonomous counties (zizhixian), and country-level municipalities (xianjishi). Rural administration was reorganized in 1958 when communization replaced the administrative villages, market towns, and municipal districts. In 1980–81 the government implemented a policy of greater decentralized economic management, and the communes lost their administrative role.
Health and welfare
In general, hospitals, clinics, and many health stations, including maternity centres, are available at the local level. Better-equipped and better-staffed hospitals are maintained at the county and provincial levels. Medical education has been greatly expanded and includes a university devoted to Chinese medicine (acupuncture and herbal medicine). Many short-term medical-training classes are organized for health workers assigned to rural areas. The development of medical services, coupled with the general improvement in sanitation and health education, has succeeded in eliminating many previously common diseases such as malaria, schistosomiasis, and filariasis.
Education
Education, health, and other social conditions in Guangdong have generally been improved since 1949. There are now many more kindergartens and nurseries for preschool education, secondary schools, and postsecondary schools and universities. Repeated campaigns have succeeded in reducing illiteracy throughout the province. Special attention has been given to the education of the ethnic minorities. New schools, including a national minority college, have been established in minority communities. Dozens of higher learning institutions are located in different cities in the province, notably in Guangzhou, including Sun Yat-sen University (founded 1924), South China University of Technology (1952), Jinan University (1927), and Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine (1956).
Cultural life
Guangdong has long been noted for the distinctive cultural traits of its people, as evidenced by the variety of dialects spoken. Guangdong is famous for its two types of local opera: the Yue Opera and the Chao Opera, which are popular among the Cantonese and Fujianese communities. Guangdong also has some characteristic puppet plays. The hand puppets of Guangzhou are distinguished by their size—they are between 3 to 4 feet (about 1 metre) high—and by the beautiful carving of their wooden heads. Many places in Guangdong have distinctive forms of folk art; examples are the woodcuts of Chaozhou and the stone engravings of Shunde.
Cantonese food is widely recognized as among the most distinctive in China and is the best-known Chinese cuisine worldwide. It is characterized by the use of a variety of fresh ingredients, minimal seasoning, and quick cooking (typically, by stir-frying). Living in a coastal province, the people are particularly fond of seafood. Especially in winter, the “big-headed fish” (tench) is often served raw in a fish salad—a departure from habitual Chinese culinary practice. Some other food habits, such as the eating of newborn rats, monkey’s brain, and fried snake, are regarded as revolting by most Chinese in other provinces. Chinese who have returned from Southeast Asia have popularized the chewing of betel nut wrapped in cockscomb (Celosia cristata) leaves. Special congees (rice or millet gruels) and soups with different ingredients are also often served in Cantonese cuisine.
Guangdong is a province where lineage—an important social institution in China—has been emphasized. The importance of ancestry is often reflected in the settlement pattern of lineage groups. The inhabitants of many villages belong exclusively to one or two lineages. In such villages, community and lineage organizations are virtually identical. Conflicts between lineages were once common and often took the form of community strife, with bitter vendettas sometimes lasting for long periods of time.
With the founding of the new regime in 1949, systematic efforts were made to change these cultural patterns in accordance with governmental ideology and policy, although in the early 1980s limited religious practice was again allowed. On the other hand, many aspects of traditional culture, especially the folk arts and the theatre, were revived and extolled.
Guangdong has a wealth of tourist attractions. Major scenic areas include Zhaoxing Lake near Zhaoqing, Mount Danxia at Renhua, and Mount Xiqiao at Nanhai. In addition, Dinghu Mountain at Zhaoqing, Ancestral Temple (Zumiao) at Foshan, and the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Huanghuagang Park in Guangzhou are all noted tourist destinations.
Many of Guangdong’s handicrafts are exquisite specialties. These include red sandalwood furniture, rattan chairs, Guangdong embroidery (characterized by the use of handmade silk), drawnwork (a specialized style of needlework) from Chaozhou and Shantou, ivory carvings from Guangzhou, pottery from Shiwan, fireworks from Dongguan, and ink slabs from Zhaoqing—all of which are known throughout the country.