Why is it that Zhanjiang Leizhou and Chaoshan are thousands of miles apart, but the locals all speak Minnan? Are their origins the same?

Historically, not only Leizhou and Chaoshan, but also Hainan, Taiwan Province Province and even many parts of Southeast Asia have witnessed the migration of Minnan people. In the process of migration, combined with local culture, a distinctive sub-dialect was gradually formed.

It is said that Minnan dialect originated in the Yellow River and Luoshui Valley, moved to southern Fujian in the Western Jin, Tang and Northern Song Dynasties, and originated in Quanzhou, Fujian. At present, it is mainly distributed not only in southern Fujian and Taiwan Province Province, but also in northeastern Fujian, southeastern Zhejiang, Chaoshan (Jieyang, Shantou and Chaozhou), Hailufeng, western Guangdong (Zhanjiang, Maoming and Yangjiang), Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Zhongshan and Hong Kong), Hainan Island and most Chinese communities in Southeast Asia. There are more than 70 million people who use Minnan in the world.

The word "Minnan dialect" has broad and narrow meanings. In a broad sense, it refers to the collection of Minnan languages, and in a narrow sense, it only refers to the Minnan languages of Fujian and Taiwan Province. Scholars in Taiwan Province Province and the West believe that it is a language, belonging to the Min branch of Sino-Tibetan language family. In the classification of continental linguistics, it belongs to a kind of Min language in Chinese language family.

Minnan dialect in Chinese mainland is called Quanzhou dialect, Zhangzhou dialect, Xiamen dialect, Fujian dialect, Heluo dialect, Chaoshan dialect, Leizhou dialect, Shanwei dialect (ancient Henan dialect) and Xuelao dialect. In Taiwan Province Province, it is also called Taiwan dialect, Heluo dialect or Fulao dialect, while overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia are called Minnan dialect or Zan dialect (Taiwan dialect writes Zan Nong dialect).