Zhaoqing

Zhàoqìng 肇庆市
Prefecture-level city
Panorama view of Duanzhou District and Seven Star Crags
Location of Zhaoqing City jurisdiction in Guangdong
Zhàoqìng Location in China
Coordinates: 23°03′N 112°28′E / 23.050°N 112.467°E / 23.050; 112.467
Country	People's Republic of China
Province	Guangdong
County-level divisions	8
Municipal seat	Duanzhou District
Area
• Prefecture-level city	14,891.23 km2 (5,749.54 sq mi)
• Urban	706.4 km2 (272.7 sq mi)
• Metro	2,339.6 km2 (903.3 sq mi)
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Population (2010 census)
• Prefecture-level city	3,918,467
• Density	260/km2 (680/sq mi)
• Urban	644,032
• Urban density	910/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
• Metro	1,232,462
• Metro density	530/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
Time zone	China Standard (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	0758
License Plate	粤H
Major Nationalities	Han
Website	Zhaoqing official site

Zhaoqing
"Zhaoqing" in simplified and traditional characters, respectively
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Cantonese Yale	Siuh-hing
Postal	Shiuhing
Literal meaning	"Beginning Auspiciousness"
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhàoqìng Wade–Giles Chao4-ch‘ing4 IPA [ʈʂâu̯tɕʰîŋ] Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Siuh-hing Jyutping Siu6-hing3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tiāu-khèng

Zhaoqing, formerly romanized as Shiuhing, is a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. During the 2010 census, its population was 3,918,467, with 1,232,462 living in the urbanized areas of Duanzhou District and Gaoyao County. The prefectural seat—excluding Seven Star Crags—is fairly flat, but thickly forested mountains lie just outside its limits. Numerous rice paddies and aquaculture ponds are found on the outskirts of the city. Sihui and the southern districts of the prefecture are considered part of the Pearl River Delta.

Formerly one of the most important cities in southern China, Zhaoqing lost importance during the Qing and is now primarily known for tourism and as a provincial "college town". Residents from Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and the other cities of the Pearl River Delta visit it for weekend excursions. It is also a growing manufacturing center.

Zhaoqing was known to the Qin and Han as Gaoyao. It was renamed Duanzhou from its role as the seat of Duan Prefecture under the Sui. The present name, meaning "Beginning Auspiciousness", was bestowed on the area by Emperor Huizong of the Song in 1118. "Zhaoqing" is the pinyin romanization; the earlier Postal Map form "Shiuhing" derives from the name's Cantonese pronunciation.