Beihai


Beihai is a prefecture-level city in the south of Guangxi, People's Republic of China. Its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin has granted it historical importance as a port of international trade for Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Between 2006 and 2020, Beihai was 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.
In addition, it governs the small islands of Weizhou and Xieyang, and is directly west of Leizhou Peninsula. At the end of 2024, the city's resident population is 1.91,700, of which 1.169 million are urban residents, accounting for 61.52% of the resident population.

Subdivisions

Up to 2022, Beihai contains 3 districts and 1 county, which are subdivided into 7 urban sub-districts, 22 towns, 1 townships, 95 neighborhood committees, 336 village committees.
Map

History

After the 1876 Sino-British Treaty of Yantai, eight Western nations set up consulates, hospitals, churches, schools, and maritime customs. Today, 15 of these western buildings remain in Beihai. It officially became an international tourist spot in 1982.

City timeline

  • December 4, 1949: Beihai became a town of Hepu County under the Chinese Communist Party.
  • January 1951: a province-administered city of Guangdong
  • 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 Commune 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

Beihai has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, with mild to warm winters and long, hot summers, and very humid conditions year-round. The monthly 24-hour average temperature ranges from in January to in July, while extremes have ranged from. Rain is both the heaviest and most frequent from June to September, when 70% of the annual rainfall also occurs. This is in contrast to the autumn and winter months, where only of rain falls per month. The area receives about 2,000 hours of sunshine annually. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from to.

Language

Yue Language">Yue Chinese">Yue Language

  • Qin-Lian Yue
It is the mostly common vernacular languages group in Beihai, including old language and new language.
  • *Limchownese Language
, the name stemming from the Town of Lianzhou, the capital of County of Hepu, which was the central and capital town for several modern cities nearby in early history. Or Hoppo Language, has been named by the County of Hepu, which was the major city in Gulf of Tonkin of ancient China. Or Rural Language, literally speaking, the language was most widely used until the Cantonese and Tanka immigrants from the zone of Pearl River - capital district of Province of Guangdong with their Cantonese Language have been dominating South of Hepu - modern District of Haicheng, focal point of Beihai, where downtown has been moved to from Town of Lianzhou since 19th century after Chefoo Convention which demanded Beihai as a treaty port. Or Jute-planter Language, whose name was from 'jute-planter' is used to describe the Limchownese-speaking people tend to broadly plant jute. The term is widely used in East of Hepu. Limchownese is mostly widely used in Beihai, and regarded as the first language and mother tongue by the most of native. People in County of Hepu and District of Yinhai only speak Limchownese as monolingual. However, citizens in District of Haicheng - the zone of chief administration mostly speak it as bilingual, Pakhoi Cantonese is more mainstream here, the elder are mostly proficient for the 2 languages, the young might only speak the latter and are mostly able to listen, understand and simulate the former language.
  • *Nga Language
named by the pronunciation of 'I' /ŋa/, some call Maritime Language, another elder speakers call Hoppo Language, for distinguishing from sharing the same name of with Limchownese Language, they call Limchownese 'Outer Language'. Linguistically, Nga Language is closely related to Limchownese Language, sometimes regarded as a dialect of it. Nga Language is mostly spoken in District of Tieshangang, and some in District of Yinhai and Town of Zakou border on Tieshangang. Nga Language and Limchownese Language are able to be talked each other in some extent, but a little confusion about understand and tone. And it's easy to learn and simulate Limchownese for the people speaking Nga Language. Historical name for Tieshangang was 'pearl pool', so the many ancient people who spoke this language called 'the pearl fishers' in historical information. The pearl played the most significant role in Beihai's ancient history.
  • *Costal Language
, also named Civilian Language is spoken in Town of Shatian. This language is debatable Which language group it belongs to, sometimes it will be stated as Min Language. However, it shares many indigenous words with Limchownese Language and Nga Language.
  • *Pakhoi Cantonese
, abbreviated as Pakhoi Language, vernacular or Common Language, the dialect of Cantonese, is the second most-spoken language in Beihai. After Cantonese and Tanka immigrants brought their language and culture while settled in Beihai in 19th century, it has been changed by the influence of native through time. 'Limchownese-Cantonese' is the most appropriate term to explain it. Pakhoi Cantonese has experienced strong influence from Limchownese language, especially native conventional vocabularies and phrase different from Cantonese Language, some are originated from Kra–Dai languages without Chinese characters to write, others are diverse or very rare Sintic words to use. And its pronunciations are also influenced, some Chinese characters each have 2 different pronunciations - Limchownese-Cantonese pronunciation and native 'Cantonese pronunciation, depending on their different vocabulary which means combining more than 2 characters to form a phrase. And some expressions have 2 different phrases - native Cantonese phrase and Limchownese phrase.
  • *Naamhong Cantonese, is only spoken in the downtown of Town of Nankang. It is close to Pakhoi Cantonese but with an obviously different tone. However, the most widely used in Town of Nankang is Nga Language, mostly in hinterland.
  • Cantonese varieties of mixed Yue
The local Cantonese accents of Beihai with native Qin-Lian Yue and Yuehai Yue mixed.
  • *Tanka Cantonese
is spoken by Tanka People who are mostly living in Waishaqiao the north bank of Beihai, some very elderly people speak in the absolute Tanka accent, the middle age and the young speak in mixed accents with Pakhoi Cantonese.
  • *Overseas-Chinese Cantonese
is spoken by the people living in Town of Qiaogang, majorly consist of Chinese-Vietnamese refugees expelled during the anti-China protest in Vietnam in 1975. Overseas-Chinese accents are complex, the minority speak in Cantonese accent or Tanka accent, the majority speak in a mixed accent with Pakhoi Cantonese or Limchownese Language.
  • *Saanhau Cantonese'
is only spoken in the downtown of Town of Shankou which is the border Province of Guangxi and Province of Guangdong. It is close to Guangzhou Cantonese.

Hakka Language">Hakka Chinese">Hakka Language

  • West Guangdong-South Guangxi Hakka
  • *Ngai Language
named by the pronunciation of 'I' /ŋai/, 涯 is the meaningless 'borrowed characters' based on its similar pronunciation, or New-immigrants Language is the third most-speaking language. It is linguistically divided as a dialect of Hakka Language, but some speakers distinguish themselves from Hakka. The speakers mainly gather in several towns of Eastern Hepu and Weizhou Island. Most of Ngai people's ancestors moved from Dingzhou, Province of Fujian to Beihai during Ming and Qing dynasties.

Min Language">Min Chinese">Min Language

  • Leizhou-Hainan Min
  • *Leizhou Min
is rare in Beihai and only used in some villages of Tieshangang and Weizhou Island. The speakers are descendants of Immigrants from Leizhou. Weizhou Island was governed by District of Leizhou, then was transferred to Hepu.
  • *Bomei Language
is a dialect of Min language, only spoken by very small people living around Beihai Fucheng Airport. The speakers are mostly descendants of the Immigrants from Dianbai.
  • Eastern Min
  • *Army Language
is a dialect of Eastern Min, spoken in Village of Yongan, East of Hepu, which was a historical military zone in ancient China. The language as literally was brought by army from Province of Fujian.

Others

is of increasing prevalence as a result of the Chinese government's general promotion of it.

Transportation

Air transportation

Beihai is served by Beihai Fucheng Airport. It serves domestic destinations and also Hong Kong.

Rail

Beihai is served by a railway branch from Nanning. There are passenger trains to Nanning and Guilin. At the end of 2013, the introduction of high-speed train service to Beihai was announced as well.

Road