Shanwei 汕尾市

Setting and landscape

Mountains fill the north, with 23 peaks above 1,000 metres, among them Lianhua Mountain itself (1,337 metres) in northwestern Haifeng County (海丰县). The centre is hills and terraces and the coast terraces and plains, crossed by the Luo (螺河) and Huang (黄江) rivers flowing south to the sea. The city counts 881 islands and 12 fishing ports.

History

The city was created in 1988 from the old Haifeng and Lufeng (陆丰) counties and named after Shanwei town, a name first recorded in early Qing gazetteers for the tail edge of a sea-washed sand flat. Haifeng already belonged to Dongguan Commandery (东官郡) in 331, and Lufeng was split from it in 1731. In the 1920s Peng Pai (彭湃) led a peasant movement here: a peasant association was founded at Chishanyue (赤山约) in Haifeng in 1922, and in 1927 three armed uprisings set up the Hailufeng Soviet (海陆丰苏维埃).

Most of the city speaks the Haifeng dialect (海丰话), a Southern Min tongue closer to Quanzhou and Zhangzhou speech than to Teochew; Hakka is spoken in the north and across Luhe County (陆河县). The city government calls Zhengzi (正字戏), Xiqin (西秦戏) and Baizi (白字戏) opera rare forms peculiar to the area. Zhengzi opera, sung in the old Central Plains official speech, grew from southern drama brought to eastern Guangdong in the early Ming. All three were on the first national intangible heritage list in 2006, with the rolling golden dragon dance (滚地金龙) and Lufeng shadow puppetry (陆丰皮影戏).

What to see

The Red Palace and Red Square (红宫、红场) site in Haifeng and Yuanshan Temple (元山寺) are national key heritage sites. Zhelang (遮浪), on the headland between the two bays, is one of the national key bathing beaches, and the Jinxiang (金厢) beach at Guanyinling (观音岭) is known for white sand, clear water and small waves. The Fengshan Mazu (凤山妈祖) and Xuanwu Mountain (玄武山) temple fairs include processions.

Food and local products

Salty tea (咸茶), long a way to receive guests, is made by pounding tea leaves in a ridged earthenware bowl with a hardwood pestle, grinding in cooked peanuts, sesame and mint, then salting it and adding boiling water; Hailufeng families still hold salty-tea feasts for weddings, births and homecomings. Caicha (菜茶) is a festive bowl of fried chopped vegetables, dried seafood, sausage and meat under hot tea broth, topped with puffed rice and peanuts. Families once served it in the first lunar month to celebrate a newborn son; most places now make it every year.

Highlights

• Red Palace and Red Square site 红宫、红场旧址: National key heritage site in Haifeng.
• Zhelang 遮浪: Headland beach between Honghai and Jieshi bays, one of the national key bathing beaches.
• Zhengzi opera 正字戏: Opera sung in the old Central Plains official speech, on the first national intangible heritage list (2006).
• Salty tea 咸茶: Tea pounded with peanuts, sesame and mint, salted and topped with boiling water; served at family celebrations.
• Caicha 菜茶: Fried vegetables, dried seafood and meat under hot tea broth, a first-month festive dish.