CH'AO-CHOU

formerly Ch'ao-an, Pinyin Chaozhou, or Chao'an, city in eastern Kwangtung sheng (province), China. It is at the head of the delta of the Han River, some 26 miles (42 km) north of Swatow. Having good communications with northern Kwangtung, Fukien, and Kiangsi provinces, via the Han River system, the city has been an important regional centre from early times. Its county, under the name Hai-yang, was founded in AD 413; the city itself was the seat of various commanderies and prefectures. The name Ch'ao was first given to it as a prefecture in 591. This part of Kwangtung was a wild frontier and was a favourite place of banishment for disgraced officials during medieval times. In the 13th century the city began to play an important administrative role, and from 1368 until 1911 it was a superior prefecture. After it was opened to foreign trade in 1858, Ch'ao-chou was gradually overtaken in size and commercial importance by Swatow, and, under the communist government, Swatow replaced it as the major local seat of administration. Ch'ao-chou is situated at the centre of a rich and extremely fertile agricultural district that has a high population density. The city is an important regional agricultural market and is also a well-known centre of various handicrafts. Pop. (1990) 313,469.