Zhanjiang

Zhanjiang (湛江; Jaamgōng in Cantonese, Zhàn​jiāng in Mandarin​) is a port city of 1.6 million people (2010) in the western part of Guangdong Province in China.

Understand
Zhanjiang was a small fishing port when it was under French occupation in the early 20th century. French colonizers forced the Qing Dynasty to agree for a 99-year lease in 1899 (in a manner similar to what British colonizers did with Hong Kong's New Territories) and renamed the city as Fort Bayard — some old colonial buildings still survive. That said, mismanagement and fierce competition with other neighbouring cities failed to create another Hong Kong for the French, and they returned Zhanjiang to China in 1946 due to unprofitability. In 1964, Zhanjiang began its development into a naval base owing to its geographic importance, and this also enabled Zhanjiang's heavy industrial development. Now it is a rapidly developing modern city and the gateway to Hainan by car and railway.

Talk
Cantonese is the main language spoken in Zhanjiang, albeit with a distinctive accent. Nevertheless, if you are fluent in standard Cantonese, this shouldn't pose too much of a challenge. The local language in Leizhou is Leizhouhua (雷州话 Léizhōuhuà), a member of the Min family of Chinese dialects that is closely related to Hainanese, though not mutually intelligible. Most younger locals are able to speak Mandarin as well, though often with a heavy accent.

Get in
Zhanjiang is at the base of the Leizhou Peninsula that points toward the island province of Hainan. Travellers often pass through Zhanjiang en route to Hainan. There are trains and buses to and from nearby mainland cities and boats to Haikou, capital of Hainan. The boat is an hour's bus ride away from Zhanjiang.

There are two major train stations and a small airport that service Zhanjiang. Buses also run daily to most nearby cities. The downtown bus terminal next to the downtown train station (end of Jiefang West Rd) has one bus daily to Kaiping at 14:00.

A bus runs daily to Zhanjiang from Hong Kong (8 hours) via Shenzhen and tickets are ¥280 at the travel agency's office in Chikan District.

Get around
Zhanjiang is almost like two cities combined. The northern half, composed of Chikan district (赤坎区 Chìkǎn qū) and Mazhang District (麻章区 Mázhāng qū) and the southern Xiashan District (霞山区 Xiáshān qū) are separated by a less developed corridor.

The main bus routes (2, 11, 12, 22) travel from the northern districts to Xiashan and back. Smaller buses and other routes can allow you to explore more areas of the individual districts.

The Zhanjiang bus company has a list of its routes (公司所有线路) on its web site (in Chinese only).

Taxis in Zhanjiang are fairly cheap, starting at ¥5. Afterwards the fare increases by ¥2 per kilometer. Please note that there is an additional ¥1 fuel surcharge that will be added onto your final fare.

Buy
As a major stop for many bikers heading to the islands, Zhanjiang has a fair range of bicycle shops to shop on components and parts. Most shops are along Minzhi Road (民治路) and certain brands such as Dahon, Giant, Merida also have their branches there.



Eat
Local specialties include seafood, sugarcane, charcoal-grilled oysters (炭烧蚝) and chicken (湛江鸡). The Lianjiang area is known for its red oranges (红江橙).



Drink
Zhanjiang has a small bar street (酒吧街 jiǔbā jiē) in Xiashan District. Unfortunately, most places do not serve cocktails or shots, but instead tend to sell liquor by the bottle. Beers in the bar also tend to be about three to four times more expensive than on the street.

Some western-style restaurants such as Steakking Kitchen Production and the West Coast Coffeehouse (西海安 xīhǎi ān) do sell mixed drinks and shots.

Also, Wal-Mart has the best selection of spirits for sell if you would like to make your own drinks.

Sleep
Zhanjiang is separated as two major districts: Chikan and Xiashan, in which Xiashan is more developed and newer than Chikan, but both districts also have plenty of hotels.

Many budget hotels are along Minzhi Road (民治路) near to Jiefang East Road (解放东路). Prices range from ¥60-70 for a double room.
 * Xiashan



Go next

 * Donghai Island, the fourth largest island in China, is about 1½ hours drive from Zhanjiang and is popular for its beaches. Buses leave regularly from the Xiashan District.
 * Naozhou Island, reachable by ferry from Donghai Island.
 * There are almost hourly buses to Guangzhou, the provincial capital. Buses also leave four times a day for Zhuhai, where you can easily cross into Macau.
 * Several trains to Hainan Island originate in Beijing and other mainland cities, and will take you from Zhanjiang West Station to either Haikou or Sanya. It is about eight hours to Sanya, the southernmost Chinese city.
 * There are also regular trains to Guilin in neighboring Guangxi province. The ride takes about eight hours.