My Life FIRST丨CITYWALK in Search of the Gods of the Old City of Shanwei

The old city of Shanwei is very small, and half a day is enough for a CITYWALK. When mentioning Chaoshan, Shanwei is often left out, but whether it's the night-time hustle and bustle of Erma Road Food Street or the religious atmosphere of the old city, Shanwei is undoubtedly part of the Chaoshan cultural circle. Walking along the coastal greenway of Pingqing Lake to the Fengshan Ancestral Temple Tourist Area, this is the most important ancient site in Shanwei. Shanwei Port was formed in the mid-Ming Dynasty. Fujian fishermen drifted to the Fengshan area to settle, bringing with them their protector deity—Mazu. In the ninth year of Chongzhen (1636), Fengshan Mazu Temple was established. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the sea ban was lifted, and Shanwei Port saw great development, resulting in a bustling scene of 'merchants and travelers gathering, boats and ships like clouds.' The Fengshan Ancestral Temple was expanded in the Renxu year of Qianlong (1742), and the incense has continued ever since. The Mazu stone statue on the Fengyi Platform in the Fengshan Ancestral Temple is closed for repairs and guarded by staff, so it is not accessible, but the ancestral temple can still be visited. The temple building itself is also very beautiful, with a three-entry two-courtyard layout, belonging to the traditional three-mountain temple architecture, integrating rich and colorful folk architectural art. You can see a lot of inlaid porcelain, stone carvings, wood carvings, clay sculptures, and painted art, especially the inlaid porcelain ridge decorations, which are both rustic and gorgeous, making people smile in the morning sunlight. A sunshade canopy has been set up in the large open space in front of the temple, where devout local believers are praying and worshiping. Where there are docks and ports, there is usually another important folk belief—Guan Gong. The Shanwei Guandi Temple was built in the tenth year of Chongzhen (1637), and this is also the birthplace of Shanwei Port's century-old commercial port. According to local folklore, on the thirteenth day of the fifth lunar month in the tenth year of Chongzhen, the first birthday of Guandi after the completion of Kanxia City, a parade of the Guandi deity statue was held. When the parade reached the current Sanma Road Temple Front Street, the sedan chair stopped to rest. When people tried to lift the sedan chair to return to the city, they couldn't lift it no matter what. People believed that Guandi wanted to stay here, so they built a temple for Guandi at this location for believers to worship. The incense has flourished year by year, and shops were built around the Guandi Temple, forming a community. The current Guandi Temple is being expanded and has been blessed by the Guandi Ancestral Temple in Yuncheng, Shanxi, as the 'Southern Palace,' an officially recognized branch temple. Once the expansion is completed, the Shanwei Guandi Temple will become the largest Guandi temple in the Greater Bay Area. I have always felt that the Chaoshan and Minnan regions have a natural tolerance for different religions, and their attitude towards faith is both traditional and open. Besides the two important traditional folk beliefs of Mazu and Guan Gong, if you open a map, you will see that the small old city of Shanwei is also home to various other folk belief temples, such as the Xuantian Shangdi Ancient Temple, Nuwa Temple, Shuixianye Temple, Dadi Temple, Tianshenye Temple, and others. There is also the Anmei Ancestral Temple, which also worships Mazu, and three or four Christian churches. The small neighborhood is truly a gathering of gods. Shanwei people not only tolerate different beliefs but also embrace revolution. Shanwei is one of the 13 red revolutionary bases in the country, the birthplace of the first county-level Soviet government in China, and the only entire revolutionary old area in Guangdong—all four counties (cities, districts) in the city are first-class revolutionary old area counties. When passing by Erma Road Food Street, remember to look for the former site of the CPC Hailufeng Central County Committee hidden in the community. The roads in the old city of Shanwei are very narrow, only to be called alleys, and the houses are built very high. Each house varies in height, layout, decoration, and even color. Although overall still relatively monotonous and lacking in beauty, there is a sense of chaotic historical narrative. During the walk, I encountered a garbage truck playing model opera music, which seemed to pull me back to the black-and-white movie era before I was even born. Although Erma Road loses much of its charm during the day, the food remains delicious.