Toisanese People / Sze Yap Cantonese / 臺山人 / 四邑人
Total population
Estimated: 8 - 9 million
Regions with significant populations
Greater China (Guangdong, Hong Kong) North America (Canada, United States)
Languages
Taishanese, Cantonese, Mandarin
Religion
Predominantly Mahayana Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Traditional Chinese religion. Minority Christianity.
Related ethnic groups
Other Han Chinese
Sze Yap Cantonese (Chinese: 四邑廣東人; Taishanese: Sli Yip Gong Ong Ngin; Cantonese: Sze Yap Gwong Dong Yan; Mandarin: Si Yi Guang Dong Ren) are a Han Chinese group coming from a region in Guangdong Province in China called Sze Yap (四邑), now called Ng Yap, which consists of the cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Xinhui, Enping, Heshan and Jiangmen; which now administers these cities. Their ancestors are said to have arrived from what is today's central China about less than a thousand years ago and migrated into Guangdong around the Tang Dynasty rule period and thus linguistically preserved many characteristics of Middle Chinese.
[edit] Culture
Today many Sze Yap people have become successful in many areas such as the entertainment industry, business and politics. Hong Kongers of Sze Yap origin include: Andy Lau, Beyond (band), Danny Chan, Kenny Kwan, Joey Yung, Ronnie Chan, John Tsang, Andrew Li and many others. The Father of Hong Kong Cinema, Lai Man-Wai also has ancestry from the Sze Yap region of Guangdong province. As a result, Sze Yap people have dominated in the Hong Kong entertainment industry and play most major roles in the music and movie sectors. In many Hong Kong films, Taishanese can be heard, especially in many of Karl Maka's films such as Merry Christmas and Aces Go Places.
It is said that over 100 famous people come from the Sze Yap region of Guangdong province, making the region famous for producing more stars than any other city/region in Mainland China. As a result, the local government in Jiangmen which administers the Sze Yap or Ng Yap cities of Taishan, Kaiping, Enping, Xinhui, and Heshan, decided to build a Stars Park called Jiangmen star park (江门星光园).[1]
[edit] Business
Besides dominating the entertainment industry, they are quite dominant and influential in Hong Kong's Business Industry, such as the Bank of East Asia (東亞銀行), Lee Kum Kee (李錦記), Hang Lung Properties, Maxim's Catering (美心), Hysan Development Company Limited, Li & Fung (利豐) and many others.
[edit] List of Notable people
Lai Man-Wai (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Father of Hong Kong Cinema
Feng Ru (Enping, Guangdong) - Father of Chinese Aviation
Liang Sicheng (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Father of Modern Chinese Architecture
Hu Die (Heshan, Guangdong) - Empress of Chinese Cinema
Chen Yunchang (Taishan, Guangdong) - Very Famous Shanghainese Actress and is the "3rd Empress of Chinese Movie" (连获三届“中国电影皇后”) who starred some popular movies including "Mulan Joins the Army" in 1939.
Lee Ya-Ching (Enping, Guangdong) - China’s First Lady of Flight
Dai AiLian (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Mother of Chinese Dance"中国舞蹈之母".
Lily Leung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong's First TV Actress. She acted in the first ever TV drama series produced in Hong Kong
Shawn Yue (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a famous Hong Kong Actor, Singer and former model
Chow Yun-fat (Kaiping, Guangdong) - a famous Hong Kong Actor
Joey Yung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong
Andy Lau (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer, film actor, and producer; one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Cantopop (四大天王)
Tony Leung Chiu-Wai (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Cannes Film Festival and five-time Hong Kong Film Award-winning Chinese film and television actor
Danny Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - Very popular Hong Kong Actor, Singer and Song Writer; his hometown is Sijiu, Taishan
Kenny Kwan (Kaiping, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actor and Singer; former member of Hong Kong boy band Boy'z
Gillian Chung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress and Singer; a member of Hong Kong music group Twins
Eric Tsang (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong prolific actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio series on TVB over the course of 10 years.
Beyond (band) (Taishan, Guangdong) - The most famous Hong Kong rock band; the whole band members have origins from Taishan
Karl Maka (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a popular Hong Kong producer, director, actor and presenter; his hometown is Chonglou, Taishan
Donnie Yen (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong martial artist, actor, film director, action choreographer and film producer
Ekin Cheng (Enping, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong actor and Cantopop singer
Kenny Bee (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong singer, musician and actor; a member of the Hong Kong English pop and cantopop band the Wynners
Alan Tam (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is an award winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor
Hacken Lee (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is an award winning Hong Kong based Cantopop singer and lyricist, actor, Master of Ceremonies and Association football sportscaster
Adam Cheng (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong TVB actor and Cantopop singer; wife of Lydia Shum (肥肥)
Joyce Cheng (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong musician, writer, actor and performer. She is the daughter of famous Hong Kong comedian Lydia Shum and veteran actor Adam Cheng.
William So (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Cantopop singer
Edmond Leung (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Singer-songwriter, record producer, actor, TV host
Wong He (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong Chinese Actor & Model and former Hong Kong Policeman
Myolie Wu (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress and Singer
Maggie Cheung Ho-yee (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
Gigi Leung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong singer and actress
Moses Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actor
Michelle Yim (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong actress
Deep Ng (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actor, song writer, and singer
Lee Kum Sheung (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Founder of Lee Kum Kee (李錦裳)
Ha Yu (actor) (Xinhui, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actor
Christine Ng (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
Cutie Mui (Taishan, Guangdong) - Hong Kong Actress
David Li (Heshan, Guangdong) - Chairman and Chief Executive of the Bank of East Asia (東亞銀行); his grand father founded the Bank
Ronnie Chan (Taishan, Guangdong) - One of the top 10 HK Billionaire; he is the chairman of Hang Lung Group and Hang Lung Properties
Victor Fung (Heshan, Guangdong) - is the Group Chairman of Li & Fung (利豐) group of companies; his grand father founded the company
Lee Hysan (Xinhui, Guangdong) - was a renowned land developer and entrepreneur in Hong Kong who founded modern-day Hysan Development Company Limited (希慎興業). He was known as the Li Ka-shing or the wealthiest man in HK in the early 20th Century.
Dr.James Tak Wu (Taishan, Guangdong) - founder of Maxim's Catering (美心); which is Hong Kong's largest food & beverage corporation and restaurant chain
Annie Wu Suk-ching (Taishan, Guangdong) - is a Hong Kong-based Chinese businesswoman and activist who founded Beijing Air Catering Ltd, the first joint venture company in the People's Republic of China; she is the daughter of Dr. James Tak Wu
[edit] References
^ "江门星光园" nddaily
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taishanese_people
