Toisan

Toisan, also spelled Taishan, is a county-level city in western Guangdong Province, China. It is administered by the prefecture-level city of Jiangmen and lies in the Pearl River Delta region. The city encompasses coastal and inland areas and is part of Guangdong’s broader economic and transportation network. The name Toisan reflects older Western romanizations, while Taishan is the standard pinyin form.

Toisan is historically notable as a major source of Chinese emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Large numbers of Toisanese migrants settled in North America, Hawaii, and other parts of Asia, contributing to the overseas Chinese diaspora. The local language, Taishanese, is a distinctive variant of Yue Chinese and is closely associated with these communities. Today, Mandarin and Cantonese are also widely used in education and commerce.

Economically, Taishan has a mixed profile, with manufacturing, agriculture, and increasingly service-oriented activities. The region benefits from its proximity to Guangdong’s larger urban centers and from river and road connections that link it to neighboring cities. Cultural heritage includes traditional festivals and cuisine common to the greater Guangdong region, reflecting a long history of cross-border exchange and migration that has shaped both the city and its global diaspora.