Zhanjiang

Zhanjiang 湛江市
Prefecture-level city
Former site of the French Ministerial Department and Headquarters of the French Army
Nickname(s): Harbour City (港城)
Location of Zhanjiang City jurisdiction in Guangdong
Zhanjiang Location in China
Coordinates: 21°12′N 110°24′E / 21.200°N 110.400°E / 21.200; 110.400Coordinates: 21°12′N 110°24′E / 21.200°N 110.400°E / 21.200; 110.400
Country	China
Province	Guangdong
Municipal seat	Chikan District
Government
• CPC Party Chief	Liu Xiaohua (刘小华)
Area
• Prefecture-level city	12,490 km2 (4,820 sq mi)
• Urban	1,360 km2 (530 sq mi)
• Metro	1,360 km2 (530 sq mi)
Elevation	21 m (69 ft)
Population (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	6,994,832
• Density	560/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
• Urban	1,611,868
• Urban density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
• Metro	1,611,868
• Metro density	1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Postal code	524000
Area code(s)	759
Major Nationalities	Han
County-level divisions	9
License Plate Prefix	粤G
GDP	2010
- Total	CNY 140.28 billion
- per capita	CNY 20,048
Local dialect	Hakka Leizhou Min Cantonese (non-native)
Website	www.zhanjiang.gov.cn

Zhanjiang
"Zhanjiang", as written in Chinese
Chinese	湛江
Cantonese Yale	Jaamgōng
Cantonese Jyutping	zaam3gong1
Hanyu Pinyin	Zhànjiāng
Postal	Tsamkong Fort-Bayard (pre-1946)
Literal meaning	Azure River
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhànjiāng Wade–Giles Chan4-ch'iang1 IPA [tʂântɕjɑ́ŋ] Wu Romanization zae上kaon上 Hakka Romanization Chhám-kông Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jaamgōng Jyutping zaam3gong1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tām-kang Leizhou Romanization Tchiàm-kōng
Alternative Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	广州湾
Traditional Chinese	廣州灣
Cantonese Yale	Gwóngjāuwāan
Cantonese Jyutping	Gwong2 zau1 waan1
Hanyu Pinyin	Guǎngzhōuwān
Postal	Kouang-Tchéou-Wan (pre-1946)
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guǎngzhōuwān Wade–Giles Kuang3-chou1-wan1 Wu Romanization Kuaon上tseu平uae平 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Gwóngjāuwāan Jyutping Gwong2 zau1 waan1 Southern Min Leizhou Romanization Gèng-tsiú oen

Zhanjiang (Chinese: 湛江; pinyin: Zhànjiāng; Leizhou Min: Tchiàm-kōng), is a prefecture-level city at the southwestern end of Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, facing Hainan to the south.

Its population was 6,994,832 inhabitants at the 2010 census. 1,611,868 live in the built-up area made of four urban districts: Chikan, Xiashan, Potou and Mazhang. In 2007, the city is named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum.

During the Qin Dynasty (221–206 BC), the area belonged to Xiang Shire. The central government of the Han Dynasty (206 BC−220 AD) set Xuwen County administering the whole Leizhou Peninsula. It was one of the earliest departure points on the Marine Silk Road. The population spiked during the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) dynasties.

The region was still a small fishing port when it was occupied by the French in 1898. The next year, the French forced the Chinese to lease a small enclave of Zhanjiang to them for 99 years (or until 1997, as the British did in Hong Kong's New Territories) as the territory of Kouang-Tchéou-Wan. The French wanted to develop the port, which they called Fort-Bayard, to serve southern China, in parts where France had exclusive rights to railway and mineral development. Their efforts, however, were hindered by the poverty of the surrounding land. The French retained control of the region until 1943, when the Japanese occupied the area during World War II. At the end of the war, the region returned briefly under French rule before being formally returned to China in 1946 by General Charles de Gaulle, then French head of state.