Sanyi

Sanyi or Nanpanshun, also known by Cantonese romanizations such as Sam Yup and Nam Pun Shun, refers to the three districts of Nanhai, Panyu and Shunde surrounding Guangzhou and Foshan in Guangdong, China.

Geography

The former counties and the corresponding modern districts are
;Nanhai
;Panyu
;Shunde

Dialects

The area gave rise to the Yuehai dialects, the most prominent of which is Cantonese. Standard Cantonese is based on the Yuehai dialects belongs to the Yue branch of Chinese, Cantonese speakers easily understand throughout Chinese part of Lingnan area.

Emigration

Most of the Chinese immigrants to the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century came from eight districts in the Pearl River Delta, including the three districts of Sanyi, together with the four districts of Siyi to the southwest and the district of Zhongshan.