Beihai
Encyclopedia
Beihai is a prefecture-level city
of Guangxi
, China
. Beihai means "north of the sea" in Chinese, signifying its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin
. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city. Beihai has a large shipyard
, but most of the money generated in the city is derived from trade.
The dialect spoken throughout Beihai is "Baihua" a Cantonese dialect; Mandarin is not often used or spoken by the population (Mandarin is the official language used in government, business and education above elementary level throughout mainland China).
It governs the small island
s of Weizhou and Xieyang, and is north of Hainan Island.
, US
, Germany
, Austria-Hungary
, France
, Italy
, Portugal
, and Belgium
) set up embassies, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs
. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai. It officially became an international tourist spot (旅遊對外開放城市) in 1982.
, with a few minorities such as ethnic Zhuang.
Beihai is projected to be the fastest growing city in the world from now until 2020, with an estimated population increase of 10.58% per year. This would take the population of the city itself in 2020 to an estimated 1,250,000 (from just 306,000 in 2006)
with: Gold Coast
, Queensland
, Australia
Suva
, Fiji
Tulsa
, Oklahoma
, United States
Yatsushiro
, Kumamoto
, Kyushu
, Japan
. This Beihai delicacy can be eaten deep fried, steamed or broiled in soup. When deep fried, the fried crispy outside taste like a fried onion ring while the inside has a chewy center.
Beihai is also known for its variety of noodles. When visiting Beihai, one must pay a visit to one of the many local noodle shops. Some noodle dishes in the area include Luo si fen (escargot noodle soup), Zhu jiao fen (pig's feet noodle soup), niu ruo fen (Vietnamese styled beef noodle soup)and many more. Beihai lies in the tropical areas of China. The city has tropical fruits such as lychee, longgan and coconuts.
s at September 1, with the tides being 5 meters (16 feet) high.
Prefecture-level city
A prefectural level city , prefectural city or prefectural level municipality is an administrative division of the People's Republic of China, ranking below a province and above a county in China's administrative structure. Prefectural level cities form the second level of the administrative...
of Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. Beihai means "north of the sea" in Chinese, signifying its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city. Beihai has a large shipyard
Shipyard
Shipyards and dockyards are places which repair and build ships. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance and basing activities than shipyards, which are sometimes associated more with initial...
, but most of the money generated in the city is derived from trade.
The dialect spoken throughout Beihai is "Baihua" a Cantonese dialect; Mandarin is not often used or spoken by the population (Mandarin is the official language used in government, business and education above elementary level throughout mainland China).
- Area: 3337 km², 957 km² urban districts and 563 km² for built up area.
- Population: 1,539,300 at the 2010 census whom 405,600 live in the built up area made of 2 urban districts HaichengHaichengHaicheng is a county-level city of central Liaoning province, Northeast China. It is located about southwest of Shenyang, the provincial capital, and is under the administration of Anshan City, the seat of which lies to the northeast....
and Yinhai. - Municipal seat: HaichengHaichengHaicheng is a county-level city of central Liaoning province, Northeast China. It is located about southwest of Shenyang, the provincial capital, and is under the administration of Anshan City, the seat of which lies to the northeast....
District - Geographic coordinates: 108°50′45″ - 109°47′28″ East, 21°29′ - 21°55′34″ North
It governs the small island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
s of Weizhou and Xieyang, and is north of Hainan Island.
Subdivision
Beihai contains three districts and one county, which are subdivided into five urban sub-districts, 23 towns, 3 townships, 87 neighborhood committees, 343 village committees. (see also Administrative divisions of the People's Republic of China#Levels)- Haicheng DistrictHaicheng DistrictHaicheng District is the seat of Beihai City, Guangxi, China. It has 51 neighborhood committees and 20 village committees.* Area: 140 km²* Population: 240,000* District seat: at Gulf of Tonkin Way - Subdivisions :* Dongjie Sub-district...
(Cantonese: Hoi Shing) - Yinhai District (Cantonese: Ngan Hoi)
- Tieshangang District (Cantonese: Tit San Gang)
- Hepu County
History
After the 1876 Sino-British Treaty of Yantai, eight Western nations (UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) set up embassies, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...
. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai. It officially became an international tourist spot (旅遊對外開放城市) in 1982.
City timeline
- December 4, 1949: Beihai became a town of Hepu County under the Communist Party of ChinaCommunist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
. - January 1951: a province-administered city of GuangdongGuangdongGuangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
- May 1951: entrusted to Guangxi
- March 1952: officially administered by Guangxi
- May 1955: Administered by Guangdong again
- 1956: reduced to a county-level city
- 1958: reduced to Beihai People's CommunePeople's communeThe people's commune was the highest of three administrative levels in rural areas of the People's Republic of China during the period of 1958 to 1982-85 until they were replaced by townships. Communes, the largest collective units, were divided in turn into production brigades and production teams...
of Hepu County - 1959: county-class town
- 1964: restored to county-class city
- June 1965: Administered by Guangxi again
- October 1983: restored to prefecture-level city
Climate
Demographics
Beihai is dominated by Han ChineseHan Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
, with a few minorities such as ethnic Zhuang.
Beihai is projected to be the fastest growing city in the world from now until 2020, with an estimated population increase of 10.58% per year. This would take the population of the city itself in 2020 to an estimated 1,250,000 (from just 306,000 in 2006)
Transport
- The Beihai AirportBeihai AirportBeihai Fucheng Airport is an airport serving the city of Beihai in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China.-Airlines and destinations:-See also:*List of airports in the People's Republic of China...
has scheduled flights to major airports in China. - China National Highway 209China National Highway 209China National Highway 209 runs from Huhhot, Inner Mongolia to Beihai, Guangxi province. It is3,435 kilometres in length and runs south from Huhhot towards Shanxi province, Henan province, Hubei province, Hunan province, and ends in Guangxi province.Despite the "National Highway" designation, G209...
Twin towns — Sister cities
Beihai is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Gold Coast
Gold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Yatsushiro
Yatsushiro, Kumamoto
is a city located in Kumamoto, Japan.On August 1, 2005, the city merged with the municipalities of Izumi, Kagami, Sakamoto, Senchō and Tōyō to form the new expanded city of Yashushiro....
, Kumamoto
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyushu Island. The capital is the city of Kumamoto.- History :Historically the area was called Higo Province; and the province was renamed Kumamoto during the Meiji Restoration. The creation of prefectures was part of the abolition of the feudal system...
, Kyushu
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Cuisine
One of the local dishes that is unique to Beihai is Sachong, otherwise known locally as "sandworms"Sipunculus nudus
Sipunculus nudus is a species of unsegmented marine worm, also known as peanut worms. The body of the adult worm is around in length but can reach up to in some cases....
. This Beihai delicacy can be eaten deep fried, steamed or broiled in soup. When deep fried, the fried crispy outside taste like a fried onion ring while the inside has a chewy center.
Beihai is also known for its variety of noodles. When visiting Beihai, one must pay a visit to one of the many local noodle shops. Some noodle dishes in the area include Luo si fen (escargot noodle soup), Zhu jiao fen (pig's feet noodle soup), niu ruo fen (Vietnamese styled beef noodle soup)and many more. Beihai lies in the tropical areas of China. The city has tropical fruits such as lychee, longgan and coconuts.
Miscellaneous
Beihai has greatest high tideHigh Tide
High Tide was a band formed in 1969 by Tony Hill , Simon House , Peter Pavli and Roger Hadden .-History:...
s at September 1, with the tides being 5 meters (16 feet) high.