Sanshui District


Sanshui District, formerly romanized as Samshui, is an urban district of the prefecture-level city of Foshan in Guangdong province, China. It had about 386,000 inhabitants in 2002. It is known for the "Samsui women", emigrants who labor in Singapore, and for a large fireworks explosion in 2008.

History

According to archaeology sites discovered within the region, there were human beings inhabited in the town of Baini Sanshui District about four thousand years ago.
Samshui was formerly a town which served as the seat of an eponymous county. It was elevated to city status before becoming an urban district of Foshan.
In February 2008, twenty fireworks warehouses exploded in Sanshui. In total over 15,000 cartons of fireworks were set off over a period of 24 hours. The loss of inventory was extensive enough that U.S. markets faced real shortages of supply.

Administration divisions

The neighbouring cities, counties and districts are Gaoyao, Dinghu District and Sihui in the west, Qingxin County and Qingyuan in the north, Huadu District and Nanhai District in the east and Gaoming District in the south-west. Sanshui administers 2 subdistricts and 5 towns:
NameChinese Hanyu PinyinPopulation Area
Xinan Subdistrict西南街道Xīnán Jiēdào283,819178.00
Yundonghai Subdistrict云东海街道Yúndōnghǎi Jiēdào29,95356.00
Lubao town芦苞镇Lúbāo Zhèn40,626105.00
Datang town大塘镇Dàtáng Zhèn46,70498.23
Leping town乐平镇Lèpíng Zhèn134,508198.50
Baini town白坭镇Báiní Zhèn64,42566.46
Nanshan town南山镇Nánshān Zhèn22,610115.62

Economy

Oil, coal, and slate are found in the surrounding area. However, Sanshui is also an important producer of food for Guangdong Province, especially fruit. The mainstay of the former city's economy was the Jianlibao Company, which produced a soft drink made from oranges and honey. During the 1990s, Jianlibao was a popular drink throughout China and it even made it into the Hong Kong market. However, embezzlement by the company's senior management has reduced its success. Despite Sanshui's proximity to Guangzhou and other Pearl River Delta cities, it remains a relatively poor place with many people only earning a few hundred yuan a month.

Transportation

Sanshui is on the railway line from Guangzhou to Maoming. The district is served by G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway, G55 Erenhot–Guangzhou Expressway, China National Highway 321 and China National Highway 324.

Climate