Shantou is a prefecture-level city located on the eastern coast of Guangdong province. It borders the Hanjiang River Delta to the south, Chaozhou to the north, Jieyang to the west, and the South China Sea to the east.

Shantou covers a land area of 2,199 square kilometers, with direct jurisdiction over six districts and one county. The total population of Shantou reached 5.79 million, according to an official census in 2023.

The Symbolic Tower of the Tropic of Cancer is located in the western suburb of Shantou city in Guangdong province. [Photo/shantou.gov.cn]

As one of the treaty ports established for Western trade and contact, as well as one of the original Special Economic Zones of China established in the 1980s, Shantou is one of Guangdong's core economic cities, with a GDP of 315.83 billion ($43.99 billion) yuan in 2023.

It has a humid subtropical climate with an annual average temperature of 18-22 degrees Celsius, receiving 1,300 to 1,800 mm of annual rainfall.

The city has been honored as the "Hometown of Delicious Food" owing to its rich cultural cuisine. Shantou has also won numerous national titles including a National Top City for Tourism and one of the Top 100 Chinese Cities for Investment.

Official website: https://english.shantou.gov.cn/