Visiting Heroes’ Hometown and Exploring the Overseas Chinese Township of Kuixia
东南形胜石井津,闽海雄风国姓爷
Shijing, also known as Shijingjin in history, enjoys great geographical advantages in the southeast. Zheng Chenggong, praised as a national hero in Chinese history, originated from the Fujian coast and was granted with the last name of the royal family.
Shijing Town, accessing the only outlet to the ocean in Nan’an City, serves as the most important maritime hub in southern Fujian. It is also a significant commercial town along the coast of the south of Fujian, weighing heavily in the local history of transport.
(石井行政区地图,来源于网络)
(Map of Shijing Administrative District from the Internet)
On February 3rd, 2024, more than 20 members of the Special Committee on the History and Culture of Transpor-t of the Xiamen Minnan Culture Resea-rch Association, visited transport mon-uments in Shijing Town, Nan’an City, Quanzhou, led by Zhuo Xiaoling, Direc-tor of the Special Committee. ** tri-p was under the auspice of Cai Yayue, Secretary-General of the Xiamen Minnan Culture Research Association, who a-lso took part in the event.
此行寻访重点古迹:靖海门、石井海关遗址、延平郡王祠、郑成功纪念馆、奎霞村。
Key historical sites of ** trip: Jinghai Gate, Shijing Customs Site, Yanping Prince Temple, Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall and Kuixia Village.
访英雄故里
Visiting Heroes’Hometown
延平郡王祠
Yanping Prince Temple
在石井社区郑毅鹏主任的带领下,专委会一行人走进了延平郡王祠。
The Special Committee guided by Zheng Yipeng, Director of the Shijing Community, visited the Yanping Prince Temple.
Hung inside the temple is a wooden plaque with the title of “Three Generations of Princes” created in the first year under the reign of the Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty (1862) and the inscription of “Mighty and Noble” by Xu Shiying, an Admiral in Fujian in 1913. A pair of couplets beside recorded the Emperor Kangxi’s edict for the relocation of the grave of Zheng Chenggong and his son, reading "As four treacherous towns sent armies to two islands, half of the territory southeastward was coveted. Only when lords with no lands dared to fight with the back to the wall, the Emperor saw who was the loyalist overseas".
Background and details shared by Zheng Xinxin, Director of the Management Committee to the temple, helped the Special Committee better understand its story in commemoration of the Zheng Family. Wheels of history are rolling forward. Zheng Chenggong, honored as “patriotic and loyal” and “the only loyalist” who “represented the Fujian heroic style,” has al**s been honored and respected by the public.
(邱荣川 摄)
(Photo by Qiu Rongchuan)
(延平郡王祠管委会主任郑新新专业的讲解)
(Zheng Xinxin, Director of the Management Committee to the Yanping Prince Temple, delivered a presentation in a professional manner)
After the visit to the temple, the Special Committee, led by Director Zheng Yipeng, visited the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall, Zhongxiandi, the Shijing Customs Site, Ding Naigan’s former residence and the Jinghaimen Site.
(Note: The Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall was inaugurated in Zheng’s hometown of Shijing on February 1st, 1962, on the occasion of the 300thanniversary of Zheng’s successful recovery of Taiwan by the People’s Government in Nan’an County in memory of Zheng as a national hero. Generations of local people, al**s keeping in mind Zheng’s heroic and courageous undertakings, have been educated to be patriotic.)
(郑成功纪念馆林老师细心而专业地讲解了三个展厅的内容)
(Lin from the Zheng Chenggong Memorial Hall professionally presented details of three exhibition halls)
中宪第
Zhongxiandi
中宪第被誉为“泉州南门外第一大厝”。它又称“大厝内”、“九十九间”。
Zhongxiandi is the largest mansion outside the south gate of Quanzhou, also known as the “Big House” or “Mansion with Ninety-nine Rooms.”
位于南安石井镇延平东路,宅第占地 13986 平方米,建筑总面积 7780 平方米。
** mansion is located along the Yanping East Road in Shijing Town, Nan’an. The residence covers an area of 13,986 square meters and its total construction reached 7,780 square meters.
(邱荣川摄)
(Photo by Qiu Rongchuan)
(中宪第 Zhongxiandi)
丁乃根旧居
Ding Naigan’s Former Residenc
(清風摄)
(Photo by Qingfeng)
(石井海关遗址)
(Shijing Customs Site)
(清風摄)
(Photo by Qingfeng)
(石井海关遗址—三坎店资料)
(庆芳老师提供)
(Documents of the Shijing Customs Site
(Sankandian provided by Qingfang)
(石井海关遗址对面的上世纪四十年代的华侨建筑)
(Buildings for the overseas Chinese from the 1940s stand opposite to the Shijing Customs Site)
(清風摄)
(Photo by Qingfeng)
靖海门遗址
Jinghaimen Site
(朱智强摄)
(Photo by Zhu Zhiqiang)
(清風摄)
(Photo by Qingfeng)
读侨乡奎霞
Into Kuixia, Hometown
of Overseas Chinese People
下午,专委会一行人来到了石井镇著名侨乡—奎霞村。
That afternoon, the Special Committee visited the famous Kuixia Village, hometown of overseas Chinese people, in Shijing Town.
Kuixia Village originally known as “Dongjingbao (Dongjing Fort)” and commonly known as “Anxia” has a population of more than 3,000 with 90% being overseas Chinese. More than 15,000 people tracing back to ** village are expatriates.
Lin Ruiqiu, Secretary of Kuixia Village, creatively led the delegation to stroll in ancient streets which rose to its prosperity in the Qing Dynasty. Later, the Special Committee appreciated representative buildings including Dai’an Mansion, Weixuan Tower, Liugu Tower, Chunhui Tower and Quansheng Tower.
Under the clouds was a giant and slowly-unfolding scroll in which buildings of the Kuixia Village stood tall. There are the ancient imperial-style red-brick houses, Fanzi buildings of a mixed style and the red-brick buildings from the Republic of China. Secretary Lin presented these ancient architectures and highlighted Kuixia villagers’ family tradition and motto that “the greatest joy is to do good” and that “descendants shall observe and adhere to the courtesy.”
最后,在林书记的安排下,专委会一行走进了最精美的建筑—泉胜楼参观。
In the end, Secretary Lin took the Special Committee to a most exquisite building of Quansheng.
文化决定理念,理念引领行动。闽南交通历史文化是闽南文化的重要组成部分。
Cultural elements are condensed into thoughts which influence people’s actions. The history and culture of transport in southern Fujian is an important component of the local culture.
Making more efforts to study and popularize the transport history and cultural relics from southern Fujian is the latest reflection of “Four Self-confidences.” It is also an important step to advance the Minnan culture and build cultural confidence in southern Fujian.