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Shantou is the home city of the Teochew, and the Teochew are everywhere. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Hong Kong: communities that left this coast generations ago and kept the connection. Most shipping through here follows those family lines rather than the European ones.
One vetted mover from our network takes the job, matched for eastern Guangdong. The useful local knowledge here is Southeast Asian routing, which the trade handles as ordinary work because it always has.
Guang'ao, east of the city, is the deep water container terminal. Shenzhen is the alternative for a sailing that suits your dates better, about four hours west along the coastal expressway.
Shantou has its own deep water terminal at Guang'ao, east of the city, which handles container traffic properly and keeps the road leg short. It is smaller than the delta ports and sees fewer European services, so sailing choice is narrower.
Shenzhen is the practical alternative, about four hours west on the coastal expressway. For a shipment from Britain that is often where the better sailing dates are, and the drive is long but straightforward.
The routes that genuinely run through here are the Southeast Asian ones. Shantou was opened as a treaty port in 1860 under the name Swatow, and the emigration that followed built Teochew communities across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam that remain substantial today. Family shipments along those lines have never stopped, and local movers price Bangkok or Singapore with the same ease that a Shanghai firm prices Sydney.
If your move is on one of those routes, the local experience is worth having. If it is to Britain, be prepared for the capacity to be thinner and book further ahead.
One historical note that explains the city. Shantou was named one of China's four original special economic zones in 1980, alongside Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Xiamen. It did not grow the way the others did, and the result is a city with genuine port infrastructure and international heritage but a smaller international services sector than its status suggests.
Shantou spreads across both sides of an inlet and takes in several older towns that have grown together.
Jinping, the central district on the north side, is the main urban area. Mid and high rise blocks, lifts common in the newer stock, wide main roads. The historic core within it is a different matter and gets its own note below.
Longhu, east of the centre, holds most of the newer residential development and the compound housing. Planned roads, service lifts, easy access. This is the straightforward delivery.
Chenghai, to the north, is the toy manufacturing centre and produces a very large share of China's toys. Residential stock is a mix of factory area housing and newer development, and access varies accordingly.
Chaoyang and Chaonan, south across the water, are more spread out with a mix of town centres and newer development.
The old town in central Jinping deserves attention if you are heading there. It is a district of qilou arcade buildings, colonnaded shophouses from the early twentieth century, laid out on an unusual pattern of curving streets radiating from a small central park. Restoration work has pedestrianised parts of it. Vehicles cannot reach many addresses and the buildings have no lifts, so delivery there is a hand carry and a stair climb.
Typhoon exposure is direct. Shantou faces the open sea on an exposed stretch of the Guangdong coast and the June to September season is a real scheduling factor.
Teochew is spoken here rather than Cantonese or Mandarin as a first language among many residents, which matters less for a move than for daily life, but it is worth knowing if you are arranging things locally.
Shantou prices below the delta cities because labour and access cost less, but the thinner market means fewer competing quotes and less flexibility on dates. Booking early is worth more here than negotiating hard.
Plan for around £250 to £1,100
Family shipments to and from Southeast Asia, the common case here.
Plan for around £1,250 to £3,300
Apartment moves into Longhu or newer Jinping stock.
Plan for around £3,500 to £8,300
Full household moves, usually families settled here for years.
Tell us the destination country and book early. Capacity here is thinner than in the delta.
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Clearance is at Guang'ao or at Shenzhen depending on the routing. You need a valid residence permit, a full valued inventory and your passport details. If you have bought anything from the Chenghai manufacturers, keep it out of the household declaration.
The national rules are the same across mainland China, so the detail on permits, restricted goods and the cultural relics rule is set out in full on the China removals and shipping page. Read that before you start packing, particularly the section on items made before 1949.
Far more departures from Shantou head for Southeast Asia than for Europe. Bangkok, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh are the ordinary destinations, and the routes are short, frequent and well handled.
Each of those countries has its own import procedure and most have some form of relief for a transfer of residence. For Britain that is Transfer of Residence relief with HMRC, applied for before the goods land. Whichever direction you are going, anything made before 1949 needs a Chinese export certificate.
A move usually means moving money too, whether that is a deposit on a Shantou flat or funds coming back the other way. We have helped customers with currency exchange in any currency through trusted partners for many years, and our partners can help with the money side of your move. Mention it on the form and it gets included.
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The eastern Guangdong and Fujian coast shares a long emigration history, and family shipping between it and Southeast Asia is constant.
For the full picture on routes, sea freight, rail freight, costs and Chinese customs, start at the China shipping and moving page.
Yes, Guang'ao, the deep water terminal east of the city, which keeps the road leg short. It is smaller than the delta ports and sees fewer European services, so Shenzhen four hours west is often where the better sailing dates are for a shipment from Britain.
Because Shantou was opened as a treaty port in 1860 and the emigration that followed built Teochew communities across Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam that remain substantial. Family shipments along those lines have run continuously ever since.
No, and it is worth planning around. Shantou was one of China's four original special economic zones but grew far more slowly than the others, so its international services sector is thinner than its port infrastructure suggests. Book earlier than you would for a delta city.
Longhu, east of the centre, where most of the newer residential and compound housing sits. Planned roads, service lifts, easy access. Jinping, the central district, is generally fine outside the historic core.
Difficult. It is a district of qilou arcade buildings laid out on curving streets radiating from a small central park, and restoration has pedestrianised parts of it. Vehicles cannot reach many addresses and the buildings have no lifts, so it is a hand carry and a stair climb.
Six to nine weeks door to door by sea. The range is wider than in the delta because sailing frequency to Guang'ao is lower, and a Shenzhen routing adds a four hour road leg. Weather delay in late summer widens it further.
Yes, and those are among the busiest routes out of the city. Local movers price them as ordinary work. Each destination has its own import procedure and most have relief for a transfer of residence, so give the country at enquiry and it gets checked before pricing.
Not inside a household shipment if they are bought for trade. Chenghai is China's toy manufacturing centre and buying in quantity is common, but goods for resale are not used personal effects and need a separate commercial declaration with their own invoices.
A valid residence permit, a complete inventory with values and your passport details. Clearance happens at Guang'ao or Shenzhen depending on the routing. Anything made before 1949 needs an export certificate on the way out, whichever country it is bound for.
Send your collection address, your Shantou district, a rough idea of the volume and your date. A vetted mover from our network checks the route, the access and the paperwork, then comes back to you with the price.
Send your move detailsWe match international moving enquiries with vetted moving companies in the AGM Group network, each holding FIDI FAIM certification and BAR Overseas membership.
We are not a removal firm ourselves. We find you the one that suits your route, and you deal with them directly from there.