Shantou, also Swatow or Shan-t'ou, city, southern China, in Guangdong Province, a seaport and industrial center, in the Han River delta, on the South China Sea. Fish, fruit, processed food, and lumber are the city's principal exports. Major industries include food processing and shipbuilding. A minor fishing village until the 19th century, Shantou developed rapidly as a seaport and commercial center after it was opened to foreign trade in 1860. It was occupied (1939-45) by Japan and was developed by the Chinese as an industrial center following the severance of traditional trade ties with nearby Taiwan after 1949. Population (1991) 742,220.
