Mazu, literally meaning “mother ancestor,” is the Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors. She is extremely popular among the people of Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan.
The Shalanxia Mazu Temple in Shatoujiao, built 200 years ago during the Qing Dynasty, has been on the city’s heritage list since 1988. It was renovated by the Yantian District Government in 2001.
The brick temple sees worshippers during the first and fifth days of every lunar month, and important festivals such as Chinese New Year’s Day.
While Mazu temples can be seen around the province, this one features a unique century-old fish lantern dance which is held when sacrifices are made to Mazu. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the dance spread to other coastal villages in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The dance can be seen at the temple on Chinese New Year’s Day, which falls on Saturday, and during the Lantern Festival on March 4.
During the dance, villagers will perform as fishermen, shrimps and crabs, and accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments.
Local resident Wu Masheng, 82, joined the fish lantern dance in 1932. “We received numerous invitations from nearby villages at that time, and used to perform twice a day in the summer or at important festivals,” he said.
The dance was put on the provincial heritage list last year.
Tan Xiaomi
FOR those not aware of the history of the boundary stones on Zhongying Street, and the Mazu temple in Shatoujiao in Yantian District, the two sites have little significance.
Actually, the eight boundary stones, located in the middle of Zhongying Street, where Shenzhen and Hong Kong meet, form an important historical site under provincial protection. They bear witness to the occupation of Chinese territory by British colonists following the Opium War during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Mazu temple with its unique fish lantern dance is part of the cultural heritage of the area.
Mazu, literally meaning “mother ancestor,” is the Taoist goddess of the sea who protects fishermen and sailors. She is extremely popular among the people of Guangdong, Fujian and Taiwan.
The Shalanxia Mazu Temple in Shatoujiao, built 200 years ago during the Qing Dynasty, has been on the city’s heritage list since 1988. It was renovated by the Yantian District Government in 2001.
The brick temple sees worshippers during the first and fifth days of every lunar month, and important festivals such as Chinese New Year’s Day.
While Mazu temples can be seen around the province, this one features a unique century-old fish lantern dance which is held when sacrifices are made to Mazu. In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the dance spread to other coastal villages in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The dance can be seen at the temple on Chinese New Year’s Day, which falls on Saturday, and during the Lantern Festival on March 4.
During the dance, villagers will perform as fishermen, shrimps and crabs, and accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments.
Local resident Wu Masheng, 82, joined the fish lantern dance in 1932. “We received numerous invitations from nearby villages at that time, and used to perform twice a day in the summer or at important festivals,” he said.
The dance was put on the provincial heritage list last year.
Famous as “one street, two systems,” the 250-meter-long Zhongying Street is listed as one of Shenzhen’s top eight scenic spots. Despite its rather mundane surroundings, the street remains historically and culturally important to the city.
The street is the product of a treaty signed by China and Britain in 1898. Eight stone markers were placed along the middle of the street in that year to mark the border between the city and Hong Kong, which was under British rule until 1997. The site of the boundary stones was put on the provincial heritage list in 1989.
Even today, half of the street is still part of Hong Kong, and that’s how the street gets its name. Zhongying Street literarily means Chinese-English Street.
Big and small stores pack both sides of the street and remind visitors of Hong Kong’s hustle and bustle. Many remember the shopping craze on Zhong-ying Street during the 1980s and early 1990s. From daily necessities such as soap, socks and shampoo to precious gold jewelry, shoppers were spoilt for choice on the street.
During the late 1980s, more than 100,000 travelers used to visit Zhongying Street every day, generating annual sales revenue of some 1.5 billion yuan (US$194 million). However, the street gradually lost its sheen in recent years after the rapid economic development of Shenzhen. It was reported early last year that over 90 percent of the old shops on the Zhong-ying Street had closed, with the number of daily visitors falling to less than 1,000.
The Zhongying Street museum, which opened in 1999, still carries evidence of the area’s glory days.
