Li Dan

AS if to remind people of its origin as a fishing village, with a history much older than the modern metropolis built in the past two decades, Shenzhen has many places like the Huang family temple and Tianhou temple in its urban villages, unknown to tourists and locals living in high-rise housing estates.

For longtime residents of urban villages, and those still living in “handshaking” buildings (so-called because these old buildings have very narrow spaces between them, allowing people to shake hands from their windows), places like the two temples in Shangsha Village, Futian District, are an important part of their lives.

Right behind Shangsha Square stand side by side two ancient buildings, one in memory of the ancestors of the Huangs who lived in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), the other to offer sacrifice to the Empress of Heaven, who is said to be the guardian of fishermen along the southern Chinese coast.

On benches outside the temples, young mothers chat, while their children play together. Old villagers practice taijiquan in the open space nearby, and peddlers hawk their fruits and peanuts. It is as if life has suddenly slowed down, and the people belong to somewhere other than the highly competitive, hustling, bustling city of Shenzhen.

Facing south and occupying an area of 481 square meters, the Huang family temple consists of three conjoined houses separated by two courtyards. The wood-and-brick building, 12.9 meters wide and 33.8 meters deep, is in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) style and has been renovated many times. The most recent important renovation was done in 1991, with money donated by the descendants of the Huang family living overseas. Part of the stone floor and two stone pillars in the central lounge court are relics from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), according to Peng Quanmin, a local archaeologist.

The temple was built in memory of Huang Zhaosun and his son Huang Huaide, the second- and third-generation of Huangs in Guangdong Province, where they moved during the Southern Song (1127-1279) period. Huang Zhaosun’s father, Huang Jintang, was the first man in Futian District to have been appointed an official. His brother Huang Motang’s tomb in Lotus Hill is a provincial-level historical relic.

On the walls of the family temple are photos and names of the descendants of the Huang family, and a wooden board is carved with the names of those who passed away.

“There are a dozen such family temples in Futian alone. But this is definitely the oldest in the city,” said a young man from a nearby village.

The temple has been used as a primary school, public canteen, sugar plant, and grain storehouse since 1949.

An old villager living in the temple serves as gatekeeper. But it is open to the public for free. Members of the Huang clan normally come to pay tribute to their ancestors on the day of the Double Ninth Festival and other traditional Chinese festivals. Curious passers-by, especially those who share the surname Huang, visit from time to time.

The neighboring Tianhou temple, which occupies 208 square meters, was most likely built in the late Qing Dynasty, judging from its construction style.

A delicate and precisely built piece of architecture, the temple is dedicated to the Empress of Heaven, the guardian of fishermen in South China, who is also called Mazu in Taiwan and Fujian.

“Thousands come to offer sacrifice to the goddess on the 23rd day of the third month in the lunar calendar, which is her birthday,” said a villager in his 60s.