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Tian Hou Temple Shenzhen China

Tian Hou Temple, Shenzhen

Since living in Shenzhen, I’ve often wondered if there’s any culture or history that hasn’t been miniaturized or replicated  and become the subject of a city theme park. So, we were very excited to discover the existence of an “ancient palace museum”, just two metro stops from our home at Sea World in Nanshan District.

We found the location on Google Maps (using a VPN) and hopped onto the local bus which stopped right outside our intended destination.

The bus drove on past Shekou Port and into new territory. Towering docks bordered an industrial landscape which left us wondering if the palace still existed.  However, our spirits rose when the bus stopped outside an old building decorated in traditional Chinese style and guarded by two menacing stone lions.

Lions guard the entrance

Lions guard the entrance

As we approached the gate we realized happily that this was not in fact a palace – it was a temple! For the first time since arriving in Shenzhen seven months earlier, we were finally getting a fix of Chinese history and culture! We eagerly handed over our 15 Yuan entry fees and entered, keen to explore our new discovery.

This isn’t a Buddhist temple – it’s dedicated to Tian Hou, goddess of the sea, and was built originally during the Song Dynasty in 1410. It’s been destroyed and rebuilt several times since and even now is undergoing another revival. The museum areas are being renovated and many of the exhibits had been removed for safe keeping.

The decorative interior of the temple buildings

The decorative interior of the temple buildings

The temple overlooks the massive docks and ship yard at Chiwan Port and you can instantly appreciate its importance, offering the promise of protection to sailors venturing out on long journeys across the South China Sea.

The benefactor of the Tian Hou Temple

It is said that a famous Ming admiral, Zheng He, was commissioned by emperor Zhu Di to sail west. When he approached the Pearl River Delta near to Chiwan, the fleet was halted in the wake of a ferocious storm. Goddess Tian Hou appeared to the emperor, saying that she had saved his fleet and that he should build a temple close by as an expression of his thanks. It seems Zheng He was in agreement and so he and his men built the temple, and he personally planted the original “wish giving tree” in the courtyard.

The legend of the Goddess Tian Hou

Tian Hou (or Matsu as she is commonly known to the coastal people of South Asia),  protects fishermen, sailors and others whose lives are dependent on the ocean. She’s worshiped in Guangdong, Fujian, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

The goddess Tian Hou

The goddess Tian Hou

In the main hall at the back of the inner courtyard, you’ll find the goddess herself. A large, golden, ornately decorated statue that dominates the (presumably) lesser deities of Caishen (Chinese god of wealth), and Guanyin (bodhisattva of compassion). In the corner is Tian Hou’s bed and furniture, used in the annual celebration of her birthday.

She was apparently born in 960AD on an island off the coast of China, into a family of fishermen. She gained her “goddess” status in part after saving her brother from drowning in a typhoon. An excellent swimmer, she lifted him effortlessly from the sea.

Legend has it that she either died while then searching for her father, who died in the same storm, or that she flew from a mountain top to be with the gods. In any case her fame spread and you can now visit more than 1500 temples dedicated to her in 26 different countries.

The temple is still a popular place of worship. During the two weeks before Tian Hou’s birthday (23rd day of the 3rd month of Chinese Lunar calendar), the temple celebrates, and visitors get a chance to witness tradition and history in action.

Standing guard

Standing guard

The temple courtyards

To the right of the temple, Zheng Hi’s “Celestial Tree” (possibly its second or third reincarnation), is weighed down with lucky red cards and ribbons, requiring the support of modern day scaffolding.

Red prayer cards and ribbons

Red prayer cards and ribbons

You can ease your troubled mind by inscribing your prayers and wishes, before tying them to the branches of this ancient tree.

In front of the main hall, incense burns in huge containers and walkways lead to further courtyard areas.

Incense burning at the front of the main hall

Incense burning at the front of the main hall

A decorative portal is guarded by two loyal generals, Chien Li Yen and Shun Feng Er. Their postures demonstrate protective abilities – they can “see” and “hear” from a distance anyone that might prove troublesome for their goddess, Tian Hou.

Between the main temple hall and the courtyard areas

Between the main temple hall and the courtyard areas

In the main courtyard you are able to explore the two story drum tower, but the bell tower is closed, as are the museums until the renovations are complete.

Ian resists the temptation to bang the drum!

Ian resists the temptation to bang the drum!

The bell tower

The bell tower

There’s been some remodeling here too of the original moon and sun, yin and yang shaped pools. They’ve sadly been replaced by a single, more modern carp fish pond. Similarly, the original statue of Tian Hou is also missing – hopefully not lost at sea!

The original sun and moon pools

The original sun and moon pools

The newly remodeled carp pond

The newly remodeled carp pond

Behind this pool the original sea wall towered, protecting the temple from the backlash of the ocean. Now a newer wall simply blocks the view of the shipyard. Alongside the pool you’ll find a small well, allegedly home to the spirit of a young boy who drowned in it.

Remnants of the old museum

Remnants of the old museum

Chiwan is still an important port on the Pearl River Delta. Close to Tian Hou temple you can also visit two other historically significant sites, the Left Fort and the tomb of the last emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty. All three sites can easily be visited in a morning or afternoon. We really enjoyed our visit and will return when the museum renovation is completed.

Places of worship throughout the temple grounds

Places of worship throughout the temple grounds

Getting there

Address: 9 Chiwan 6th Road, Nanshan District. Chiwan 6th Road runs along the north side and back of the temple.  The bus stops outside this entrance where you’ll find the ticket office.

Take the orange metro line to Chiwan and walk right along the road until you reach the temple. Alternatively you can take bus numbers 226, 355 or B819. A taxi from Sea World should cost you no more than 15 Yuan.

The temple is open from 8:00am to 17:30pm each day.

Paintings adorn the walls around the temple

Paintings adorn the walls around the temple

  • July 19, 2015
2 Dameisha Beach Shenzhen China

Dameisha Beach, Shenzhen

We lived for a year in Shenzhen, southern China, and from our home we could gaze across Sea World in Shekou, towards Hong Kong. There are no beaches to be found here, just paved walkways and modern promenades.

However, to the east of Shenzhen, just 12km from central Futian, you’ll find yourself in the Yantian district. Here the coastline stretches for 19km with beaches, mountains, islands and reefs. This is also the closest weekend getaway for locals and visiting tourists.

Yantian was established in 1998 and it is connected to the urban area of Shenzhen by highways and expressways that offer a quick connection by car. For tourists it’s possible to take the J1 bus all the way from Sea World on a route that meanders through Nanshan, Futian, Luohu and on into Dameisha, where you disembark at the central bus station. It takes around one and a half hours, probably much longer in rush hour and at holidays, but it’s a cheap option for tourists and locals alike.

Colourful shops on the way to the beach

Colourful shops on the way to the beach

 

“Soft sand and limpid sea water”

I was sceptical about visiting Dameisha, but we were keen to see for ourselves whether the beach lived up to the Shenzhen tourist brochure’s claim of having the “longest beech (sic), soft sands and limpid (?) sea water”.

We’d seen the news reports of 160,000 people crammed onto this beach during Spring Festival, and heard locals talk of an alarm that sounds when more than 50,000 people frequent the beach on busy spring and summer weekends. So we opted to visit on a quieter Monday morning.

It was an overcast day, a little stormy with dark skies but the sun was warm enough to attract a steady stream of visitors, and we followed the small procession down through the town to the sea front.

I’m not sure what I was expecting, but as usual in China I was surprised. I felt as if I had been transported back to 1970s England as we passed by shop fronts full of beach paraphernalia including a mix of large floats, buckets and spades, bikinis and summer hats.

A walk around town

A walk around town

Dameisha is not a small coastal village, but a large sprawling town. It has an older, more typically Chinese area that leads to a modern mall alongside an equally modern marina with large hotels, including a Sheraton resort style property.

 

The Sheraton, Dameisha

The Sheraton, Dameisha

We ventured into a couple of smaller hotels to check out the overnight rates but were told they couldn’t accommodate tourists. This is not because they don’t want foreigners staying in their hotels. For anyone staying overnight in China you have to be registered by the hotel at a local police station. Some hotels simply haven’t got the license to enable them to do this.

Don’t ever take it personally. There are plenty of hotels where you will be able to make a reservation, but don’t leave it to the last minute at busy times!

 

The coastal road is lined with trees and you cannot see directly to the seafront, but we found our way to the beach entrance at the more western end of town.

The entrance is masked with barriers and for a moment we thought we would need to pay as is common at some other beaches. By watching other visitors we realised these are the “people counters” used to monitor the number of people entering, and that no payment is in fact required at Dameisha.

 

If you are used to five star luxury and deserted beaches, then you will be disappointed. But by English standards, it really isn’t that bad. The sand is beautifully soft, and despite warnings from locals, the sea looked clean. At least there wasn’t a flotilla of rubbish as I thought there might be. In fact, there were waste bins at regular intervals and everything looked extremely organized.

Dotted along the beach were lifeguards overseeing their own small areas of netted sea for safe swimming. There are activities including diving, (off a small island that can be seen from the beach), jet skis and even paragliding.

Beach angel sculptures

Far in the distance we could make out some unusual sculptures rising off the beach and we made our way along to investigate. Large angel-like figures rose out of the sand providing an interesting photo opportunity.

According to TravelChinaGuide.com – “these sculptures “depict the aspirations for a better life for the “drifting generation” – the young people who had unstable jobs and insecure living conditions during the 1940s to 1980s. Now the sculptures have become a symbol of happiness.”

 

We ourselves “drifted” to the back of the beach and were surprised to see rows of lockers. What a great idea – it’s always a problem on a busy beach as to what to do with your possessions. This solves the problem in a safe and practical way. There were also changing rooms and toilets, although I can’t vouch for their cleanliness when there are more than 50,000 people on the beach!

The clouds were gathering and the sky darkened ominously, so we wandered back to the local restaurants, most offering a varied selection of fish and seafood.

 

Seafood restaurants at the west end of town

Seafood restaurants at the west end of town

Here you can select live fish from the stacked aquariums and eat a freshly cooked meal.

Live seafood and fish on display

Live seafood and fish on display

We made it into a busy restaurant just before the heavens opened and sat undercover watching the street scenes as we ate our lunch. As we were due to fly out to Abu Dhabi the next day, we steered clear of the seafood and opted for a tasty tofu and vegetable lunch – just to be on the safe side!

Lunch at Dameisha

Lunch at Dameisha

There’s enough to do here for a day – a few activities, sunbathing, shopping and a walk around the town, but if you want to venture into a less crowded area I would suggest going a little further along the coastline to Xiaomeisha beach. It’s smaller and less busy, with an entrance fee of 30 Yuan. Camping is a popular activity here and you can rent a tent or take your own.

If you have children you can also visit Xiaomeisha Sea World  to provide some variety. You could also visit Wutong Mountain, a popular hiking spot, before arriving at Dameisha.

Dapeng Penninsula

Map of the Dapeng Penninsula (courtesy of Shenzhen Party)

Map of the Dapeng Penninsula (courtesy of Shenzhen Party)

However, I have higher hopes for the Dapeng Penninsula, further to the east, which as yet we haven’t visited. Here I am told you can hike, visit smaller coves and even the historic Dapeng Fortress, built in 1394.

This is a relatively undeveloped area, by Chinese standards and you will find seafood restaurants in Nanao, as well as small bed and breakfast type establishments at Jiaochangwei. These small inns were formerly homes of fishermen and local families. They are much more characterful and many have been updated along the lines of small western boutique hotels.

Dapeng Ancient Fortress

Dapeng Ancient Fortress

As with most places in China you will no doubt hear both good and bad reports about this stretch of coastline, but we found it a pleasant escape from city life and look forward to exploring it further.

For more information take a look at some of these links:

Beaches in Shenzhen
www.shenzhenparty.com

Sheraton Hotel Resort – Dameisha Beach
www.StarwoodHotels.com

Xichong Surfing Beach, Dapeng – Secret Spot Café and B&B
http://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1558106/let-it-rip-surfs-shenzhen

Unrealistic Living
http://www.unrealisticliving.com/2014/10/19/xicong-beach-pizza-french-toast-and-paradise/

Dapeng Fortress
http://www.szcchina.com/blog/da-peng-old-fortress-shenzhen.html

Getting around Shenzhen
http://www.saporedicina.com/english/getting-around-shenzhen/

  • June 30, 2015