Nan'ao or Nanao (simplified Chinese: 南澳县; traditional Chinese: 南澳縣; pinyin: Nán'ào Xiàn), formerly romanized Namoa[citation needed], is an island and county of the prefecture-level city of Shantou in Guangdong Province, China.
[2][3] Since ancient times, Nan'ao has been an important and necessary transit station for marine trade along the southeast coast of China and has been known as the "land of mutual market at sea".
[citation needed] There have been human activities on Nan'ao island since the Neolithic Age, dating back to approximately 6000 BCE.
[1] Archeological sites indicate the island was home to a Neolithic people known today as the Xiangshan culture (Chinese: 象山文化; pinyin: Xiàngshān Wénhuà).
[1] Additionally, the Dongkengzi Shang and Zhou culture site [zh] located in Nan'ao provides evidence of ancient human inhabitation.
[4] Nan'ao was incorporated into the Han dynasty's territory and was administered under the jurisdiction of Jieyang County [zh], Nanhai Commandery.
[4] The former site of the Nan'ao General Headquarters still exists and has become an important cultural tourist attraction.
[4] Nan'ao County is part of the prefecture-level city of Shantou in Guangdong Province, China.
[3] Owing to the close geographic proximity to Taiwan, as well as close linguistic and cultural connections, the county government estimates that over 100,000 people hailing from Nan'ao County live in Taiwan.
[10] The total retail sales of consumer goods were 2.662 billion RMB (397,556,390 USD), an increase of 8.9% over 2017.
[12] The bridge starts at Laiwuwei (莱芜围) in Chenghai District, and ends at Changshanwei (长山尾), Nan'ao County, which is connected with a loop highway which circumferences the island.
[1] In 1276 (during the Southern Song dynasty), the Ming emperor fled to Nan'ao in order to escape the pursuit of the Yuan army.
Because of Nan'ao's strategic geographical location, it has always been an important military site since ancient times.
It is believed to have been the place where the Ming dynasty pirate, Wu Ping, hid his treasures.
Located at the easternmost end of Nan'ao Island, lying on the Tropic of Cancer, Qing'ao Bay is the first place in Guangdong Province to see sunrise.
Coastal garden construction, ecological environment construction of sewage treatment project, beach comprehensive treatment, hotel domestic sewage discharge standard, mountain spring water source protection, and sea area environmental improvement have been developed a lot, all of which ensure the effective management and protection of local natural ecosystems such as bays, rocky banks, beaches, streams, gardens and vegetation.
The erosion of sea breeze, sunshine and rainwater for a long time cause weathering of rocks, which is called granite landform.
It has more than 40 kinds of national protected wild animals such as Plumed Egret, pythons and Cyclemys trifasciata (money turtles).
The Back Garden village is located to the north of Guolao Mountain which is in the central part of Nan'ao Island, with an altitude of 400–500 meters and a forest coverage rate of 90%.
The statues on the square show the cultural connotation of this island, which used to be a node of the maritime silk road in ancient times.
The Gate of Nature is located on the Square of the Tropic of Cancer in Qing'ao bay.
Every summer solstice at noon, when the sun shines directly on the Tropic of Cancer, the shadow will pass through the central tube of the upper sphere, and the sun shines directly on the center of the platform.
The attractions nearby are: a stone-carving area where there are more than 1,000 works by famous calligraphers from all over the world, Anti-Japanese Memorial Hall, Educational Youth Hall, Dajian Mountain sightseeing Pavilion, Giant Stone Turtle Sculpture, Ancient Banyan Tree, and Changshangwei Qing Dynasty Emplacement site.
The Tianzai Geopark displays granite landforms typical of the local coast, and rocks of different shapes.
Dajian Mountain, 588.1 meters above sea level, is the highest peak in Shantou and may be climbed.