Sanyi
{{Short description|Locality within Guangdong, China}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Chinese|title=Sanyi|pic=Sam-yap.png|piccap=Detail of a 1797 map, with added highlighting on the Guangzhou area, including the Sanyi[https://www.loc.gov/item/gm%2071005137 Jing ban tian wen quan tu], by Ma Junliang, 1797. (Library of Congress)|c=三邑|p=sānyì|y=Sāmyāp|j=sam1 jap1|l=Three counties|s2=南番顺|t2=南番順|p2=Nánpānshùn|y2=Nàahmpūnseuhn|j2=naam4 pun1 seon6|l2=Nanhai Panyu Shunde}}
Sanyi ({{zh|c=三邑|p=sānyì|y=Sāmyāp|j=sam1 jap1|l=Three counties}}) or Nanpanshun ({{zh|c=南番順|p=Nánpānshùn|y=Nàahmpūnseuhn|j=naam4 pun1 seon6|l=Nanhai Panyu Shunde}}), also known by Cantonese romanizations such as Sam Yup and Nam Pun Shun, refers to the three districts (former counties) of Nanhai, Panyu and Shunde surrounding Guangzhou and Foshan in Guangdong, China.
Geography
Dialects
The area gave rise to the Yuehai dialects, the most prominent of which is Cantonese (Guangzhou/Guangfu dialect). Standard Cantonese is based on the Yuehai dialects belongs to the Yue branch of Chinese, Cantonese speakers easily understand throughout Chinese part of Lingnan area.
Emigration
{{see also|Chinese emigration}}
File:Num Pon Soon Melbourne.jpg. The Num Pon Soon Society is a district society, a benevolent association aimed at supporting Sanyi immigrants to Melbourne during the Victorian gold rush.]]
Most of the Chinese immigrants to the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century came from eight districts in the Pearl River Delta, including the three districts of Sanyi, together with the four districts of Siyi to the southwest{{cite book
| title = On Becoming Chinese American: A History of Communities and Institutions
| first = Him Mark | last = Lai
| publisher = Rowman Altamira | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-759-10458-7
| chapter = The Sanyi (Sam Yup) community in America
| pages = 77–142
| title = Chinese Transnational Networks
| editor-first = Chee-Beng | editor-last = Tan
| publisher = Taylor & Francis | year = 2007
| isbn = 978-0-415-39583-0
}} and the district of Zhongshan.{{cite book|title=Chinese America: the untold story of America's oldest new community |author=Peter Kwong and Dusanka Miscevic|publisher=The New Press|year=2005|isbn=978-1-56584-962-4 }}{{rp|19}}