Xiasha, an "Ancient Village" in Modern Shenzhen
By James Baquet
We've often been told that, before 1980, Shenzhen was "just a small fishing village."
This is not quite true.
In 1980, it was a cluster of fishing villages, farming villages, small towns and small urbanized areas. Way before 1980, back in the Ming Dynasty, it was a government center administering the areas of modern Dongguan, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong, boasting several military installations. (You can see some remains of the old government center at Nantou's Xin'an Ancient City, which will be the subject of another column.)
But this time, I want to concentrate on one of these "villages."
Xiasha Village is quite easy to find. Just look for the high rises across from the B&Q on Shennan, where it crosses the Guangshen Expressway (look for the big red "2" on this map).
The "villagers" have done alright for themselves. Suddenly finding themselves on prime urban real estate, these former fishermen and farmers have done so well that they could refurbish a temple and an ancestral hall. They've also put up numerous statues around their plaza, including one of -- what else -- a fisherman and a farmer (above).
Here are a few more pictures with brief explanations.
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| Here's an overview of Xiasha Village. You can make out the large Laughing Buddha statue in the greenery on the left; moving right is the temple, then the ancestral hall. Lining the roads are the lamp posts in the forms of traditional literary figures. The view is from the Pioneers' statue. |
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This is the exterior of the "Chen Yang Hao Miao." The temple was built "in the Ming" (meaning no one knows); it was "refurbished" (rebuilt) around 1994. More about the temple here. |
| Inside the temple are the two "heroes" that it is dedicated to, Chen Hao and Yang Hao. Yang Hao (also call Hau Wang, or Yang Liang Jie) is well known to history; he was associated with the last Song (boy) emperor. Chen Hao's identity is a mystery. More about Yang Hao here. |  |
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Next door is the Huang Ancestral Hall. Not a temple, rather it's a place for members of one branch of the Huang family to gather. |
| Around the entire Xiasha plaza are lamp posts featuring dozens of figures from Chinese lierature. You'll find Sun Wukong from Journey to the West (right), as well as mythical figures like Chang E. |  |
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On the west side of the plaza are larger (and more garish) figures of the "Ba Xian" (Eight Immortals), Guanyin, and the Laughing Buddha (shown here), as well as a few smaller figures. |
Getting there:
- Taxi: Use this card:
Bus: These buses stop right in the village: 33, 47, 50, 212, 215, 244. These stop around the village or out on Binhe Lu: 34, 65, 103, 212, 215, 231, 303, 305, 312, 317, 322, 337, 339, 369, 372, K105, K204. Remember that buses are notoriously changeable.- GPS: click here to see the location in Google Maps
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