That Riviera Touch
A taste of Zhuhai’s past, and a wander through the present
That Riviera Touch
A taste of Zhuhai’s past, and a wander through the present
Mild vertigo is something I seem to have inherited with age, but I’m a stubborn old boot, and I refuse to be bullied by it. True, I don’t ride observation wheels, and I’ll avoid certain types of escalators if I have other options. But when it comes to the pursuit of art and enquiry, a short cable car ride is no deterrent. So it was with a mixture of purpose and trepidation that I purchased my ticket for the brief ascent up to the 148 metre high viewing platform in Jingshan Park, Zhuhai.
The stuffed toy in the corner of the cable car was little comfort, but the ride lasted only a few minutes, and I reached the top without incident. On a clear day, the beaches that fringe Xiaiangzhou Bay sparkle, and one can see the opera house, the Fisher Girl statue, the HZM bridge, and even as far away as distant Hong Kong.
Modern Zhuhai has a population of a little over two million and boasts a land area of 1,725 square kilometres, bordering the north and west of Macau. Its coastline measures almost 225 kilometres, which meets 9,348 square kilometres of ocean, across which are scattered 262 islands.
A century ago, it was still very much a backwater. It had been designated a tax-free port in 1909, and the area around Xiangzhou, on the western shore of the Zhujiang, or Pearl River estuary, evolved into a bustling little port town. Vessels from Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and places further afield would anchor there. The streets were filled with stores selling marine products, fresh and dried fish, salt, agricultural staples such as rice and tea, and manufactured goods such as cloth from Hong Kong and Macau.
Cycling along the promenade in Xiangzhou Bay (top), The Fisher Girl statue (below left) and chilling on the beach by the opera house
Back then, the sumptuous bay with its golden beaches was mostly mudflats and silt. The docks were a little to the northwest of where the opera house now stands, close to the spot where Fenghuang North Road meets the river. Transformation to a modern riviera for tourists began in the 1980’s. In 1979, Zhuhai was awarded city status, and a year later was established as one of China’s first Special Economic Zones.
The mudflats were paved over, the docks reclaimed from the sea, and a new road, Qinglv Middle Road, often referred to as Lovers Road, was laid out. The 28-kilometre road is a scenic coastal route bordered with a promenade, lawns and gardens, and fringed with a brand new sandy beach. The Zhuhai Juepei Yacht Club is at the southern end by the ferry terminals, and there is another wharf for luxury yachts by the opera house.
The promenade is patrolled by vendors selling snacks, ice creams, and fresh fruit. There are convenience stores, with brightly coloured buckets and spades hanging by the door, snack bars, and coffee shops, all eager to tempt anyone walking past, or gliding by on a brightly coloured, rented bicycle.
Looking down on Xiangzhou Bay from Jingshan Park viewing platform (left), and the quick way down (right)
Jingshan Park itself is a mountainside of lush greenery strewn with huge, granite boulders, presumably hurled out by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. The Jingshan Road Walk Plank, as it is named on the map, passes amongst them. Some of the boulders are said to resemble animal shapes. I didn’t spot any, but I didn’t go all the way. The plank follows a long, winding trail down to the Jida Reservoir and back to the road. But that would have taken me in the opposite direction from where I planned to go.
Another heart thumping, thrills and spills, way to get back to sea level is by a toboggan on rails. It’s rather like a downwards-only rollercoaster, but I opted for a much gentler stroll through the forest. “Beware of snakes,” the sign cautioned, as I set off.
The Iyoho Park Urban balcony is a mall squeezed in between the park and the beach. It lives up to its name by providing a large open area overlooking the beach where one can chill at a selection of al-fresco restaurants and coffee shops.
A taste of the past
Fenghuang Road would have been the main thoroughfare of old Xiangzhou, though little remains of the old town. Almost all the old shophouse buildings have been replaced. I did find an old tea merchant on one of the backstreets but even that had been transplanted into a newer building. One of the few that are left is the Chen Ruji Suzhou-Hangzhou shop, at 1175-1189 Fenghuang South Road. The building has been restored and now serves as a fascinating museum telling the story of the area.
Chen Ruji Suzhou-Hangzhou shop, now a museum (left) and on old tea merchant
But to get a taste of the past, literally, pop around the corner to the Xiang Ma 1909 Cultural Centre. It is the brainchild of Ruan Jianjing, a native of the area, and is located between two other old buildings on Chaoyang Road. The only other old buildings I found. The atmosphere of a popular street food centre, with vendors offering popular dishes of the period, has been carefully recreated.
The food is good and very reasonably priced. Look out for the Brown Rice Lei Cha, a classic of Hakka cuisine. It consists of a bowl full of rice, plus chopped cabbage, lettuce, kale, string beans and perilla leaves, topped with dried shrimps and peanuts. A green tea soup, made from ground tea leaves, coriander, and basil, is served in a bowl on the side. This is poured over the rice, and then it is all thoroughly mixed just before eating. With it, I ordered a plate of Hakka-style stuffed tofu and rounded off with water chestnut cake.
An old photograph of Xiaiangzhou on the wall of a restaurant at Xiang Ma 1909 Cultural Centre (above), Hakka-style brown Rice Lei Cha (below left) and stuffed tofu (below right)
Ruan based the Centre on information gathered from old photographs and from his own personal memories. He said that the city, “cannot live without its own culture and story; if it tries, it will lack life.” On the wall of one of the eateries is a large photograph shot in 1910, from Fengbo Hill. The image shows the area under construction with Yeli Island visible at the top of the frame. Not included in that frame, of course, are the area’s two best-known landmarks, the De Yue Fang Seafood Restaurant and the Zhuhai Opera House, which today dominate the landscape.
The restaurant, designed to look like a traditional ship on the water, was completed in 2003. Its architects couldn’t possibly have foreseen, but its traditional-style roofs, with their flying eaves, are a splendid contrast to the minimalist appearance of the opera house. According to architects Zhu Xiaodi and Ma Long, the opera house was inspired by the fluctuations of the tides, the sun, and the moon.
The venue opened in January 2017 and is shaped like two enormous clam shells. They feature a 1,550-seat opera house, a 550-seat multi-function theatre, and 350 seat outdoor theatre. The complex also has coffee shops and restaurants, a perimeter walkway and a launch pad where tours of the bay by helicopter take off from.
De Yue Fang Seafood Restaurant and the Opera House, Xiaiangzhou, Zhuhai
Trees and tall buildings look like they would obscure the view from Fengbo Hill these days, so I didn’t bother to climb it. But there is no shortage of other interesting angles to shoot from. And no shortage of people shooting. As afternoon drifts into evening, the number of photographers, both with phones and high-end cameras, tripods and selfie sticks, multiplies exponentially, all waiting, watching, and clicking. As the daylight fades, the floodlights reveal the setting sun and the rising moon … and, if you are at the correct angle, a restaurant that looks as if it has been tattoo’d on.
Helicopter flights can be booked via this Trip.com link
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