Teochew People

The Chaozhou people (commonly known as Teochew) are Han Chinese people, native to the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong province who speak the Teochew dialect. Today, most Teochew people live outside China in Southeast Asia especially in Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. They can also be found almost anywhere in the world, including North America, Australasia and France. The diaspora is estimated to contain over 10 million people, which is as much as the population of Chaoshan itself. The Teochow speak Chinese Teochew dialect, Teochew cuisine is also distinctive. The ancestors of the Teochew people moved to present-day Chaoshan from the Central Plains of China in order to escape from a series of civil wars during the Jin Dynasty.