Chikan, Kaiping

Chikan
赤坎
Town

Chikan Dixi Lu Waterfront dominated by Qilous dating from the early 20th century
Etymology: Red Coloured Soil[1]
Coordinates: 22°21′25.97″N 112°36′49.99″E / 22.3572139°N 112.6138861°E / 22.3572139; 112.6138861Coordinates: 22°21′25.97″N 112°36′49.99″E / 22.3572139°N 112.6138861°E / 22.3572139; 112.6138861
Area
 • Town 61.4 km2 (23.7 sq mi)
 • Urban 5 km2 (2 sq mi)
Population (2013)
 • Town 46,000[2]

Chikan (Chinese: 赤坎; pinyin: Chìkǎn; Jyutping: cek3 ham2; Taishanese: cok4 ham1) is a town in Kaiping, Guangdong Province, China. It is officially designated as a National Historic and Cultural Town of China (中国历史文化名镇). Historically it was the administrative centre of Kaiping.[3][4]


History

The town was founded in the year 1649[5] and was originally part of Xinhui County. Due to it being surrounded by the Tan River on all sides, it thrived in waterway transport, and became a regional maritime transportation hub in the Pearl River Delta. According to the 1991 town chronicle, a pier was present by the year 1676.[6]

Geography

Chikan is located near the geographical center of Kaiping, 12 kilometres south of Kaiping city center. Main roads that run through the town include Dixi Lu (堤西路)(sometimes referred to as 'European Styled Street') and Didong Lu (堤东路) on either sides of the Tan river, Er Malu (二马路) and Zhonghua Lu (中华路). There are 19 villages within Chikan as of 2013.[7][8][9]

Historical sites

Qilous

There are over 600 Qing and early Republic Qilou spanning over a length of 3 kilometers in Chikan. The town also contains a number of Diaolous, which are collectively designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a result of the concentration of historical buildings in the town, part of the town was made into Chikan Studio City (赤坎影视城) in 2005, for filming of historical scenes. Movies least partially filmed in Chikan Studio City include The Grandmaster and Drunken Master II.[10][11]

Jinghui Lou

Jinghui Lou (Chinese:景辉楼) is a Qilou on Dixi Road and was the former residence of Zhang Jinghui, a noted clinic in the early 20th century. Now converted into a museum.[12]

Diaolous

Nan Lou

Nan Lou (Chinese:南楼) is a defensive Diaolou. Seven Situ Clan members fought against Japanese invasion into Chikan atop Nan Lou for 7 consecutive days. They were only captured and killed after the invading Japanese fired poison gas. A monument (Chinese:南楼七烈士就义纪念碑) was built in the town in their memory.[13][14]

Yinglong Lou

Yinglong Lou (Chinese:迎龙楼),one of the earliest Diaolou in Kaiping, built by the Guan clan during Jiaqing years of the Ming dynasty (1522-1566).[15]

Canada Village

Canada Village (Chinese:加拿大村) is a famous village known for its integration of foreign and local architecture. Originally known as Yaohua Fang (耀华坊), but as a result of much of its villagers now reside in Canada, its became colloquially known as Canada Village.[16][17]

The Two Clans

The town was originally largely ran by two clans, the Situ (司徒族) and the Guan (关族), each of which resides on the either side of Tan River. Historically the two were under constant rivalry and competition.[18] In 1923 the Situs built their own, though publicly open library, the 'Situ's Library', costing more than 30,000 silver dollars. In saving their reputation, the Guan built their own 'Guan's Library' at an similar scale to Situ's.[19]

References

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