Picturesque Mountains and Charming Waters in Hepu

The Father loves and favors this land by giving Hepu so many things with profound meanings. Hepu is a land attracting you to linger on with her with the most complicated and mysterious beauty. Every hill or mountains here adds brilliance and fosters the diversity of culture for her； every river or sea here brings breathtaking beautiful and endless resource for her. Please come and share your days with her and learn the inseparable relationship and stories of the picturesque mountains， charming waters and friendly people in Hepu.

Picturesque Mountains

Enclosed house in Quzhang Township

Amongst 15 villages in Hepu， the majority of them are close to the sea， while a small part of them are embraced by mountains， one of which is Quzhang Township.

Geographically， located in the heart of Dalianshan Gorge in remote mountainous areas， and surrounded by water and mountains， Zhangjia Village of Quzhang Township is a land of treasure， enjoying a reputation of “A Small Land of Abundance”. Zhangjia Village got its name from its resemblance to the shape of a royal jade article--jade tablet. Here is a reservoir area， with an area of more than 2，000 mu （a unit of area， 1 mu=0.0667 hectares）. Furthermore， there are the home of a famous patriotic general Chen Mingshu， and the biggest Hakka's enclosed house in Guangxi.

Nestled in the Lingganglong Mountain of Quzhang Township， Hakka's enclosed house is just like an epitome of the society. In a period of great prosperity， there were almost two thousand residents. In shape， Hakka's enclosed house serves as a solid defensive building which enables people to live and work in peace and contentment with its high fortified walls.

It is just because of the special material composition--mud， granulated sugar and grass ashes in the strong walls that Hakka's enclosed house can be well-preserved throughout several centuries. Taking a look at the looming traces of shell on the walls， the fierce battle scenes of those years would reappear in your eyes.

Today， walls overgrown with steamed bread trees will be covered with fruits in May and June. A local popular dessert--Chung po mook made by its ripe fruits is not only cool to quench residents’ thirst， but also has heat-clearing and detoxifying effect. After a bite of the yummy， every memory of your experience and the long history of Hepu will be savored， leaving a bitter taste lingering on your tongue.

In Laowu Village， there is a hall dedicated to Chen. At the sight of the well-preserved plaque given by Guangxu Emperor （1871-1908， an emperor in the Qing Dynasty） which reads： this is made by the Emperor blessed by the God， you will recall the images of its prosperous past. However， it seems so real when you notice the sunshine in the big house constituted by triple yards. For centuries， ancestors of this hall multiplied their descendants on this land with over 80，000 people. What a great family it is！

Hakka People living in the mountains

Being the biggest Hakka's enclosed house in Guangxi， Laowu Village has nurtured generations of Hakka People and fostered a strong idea of patriarchal clan. As the outcome of traditional Chinese society， aggressive and industrious spirits help accomplish their own valuable adventures in the outside world. And almost all of Hakka People away from their homeland would come back with honors.

It’s also a village with a variety of couplets which are profound yet concise. Some couplets are often displayed for special occasions such as weddings or Spring Festival. Most historical sites， and even the old vacant house here， would feature a famous couplet which can be kept intact in about a year. A wide range of topics can be included in a couplet. Some can be written to express one’s concerns for the origin of family， and some can be a light-hearted summary of diligent studying.

Maybe， for Hakka People， there is no real native place， and the birthplace should be deemed as their homeland. As a result of native complex， Hakka People regard the ancestral halls as holy places to remember and respect their ancestors.

Whenever visitors come to this village， Hakka People would express their warm welcome， naturally and genuinely， for they surely know better the hardships experienced in a distant land.

Tips

In Zhangjia Village， April is a harvest season for waxberry； in June and July， Jizhui litchi and wampee are ripe.

Shrimps and catfishes in the reservoir are ecological and pollution-free. The local specialties such as reservoir fish soup with carambola， local chicken， pork plate， yong tau foo are nutritious， tasty and refreshing.

Since Zhangjia Village is not taken as a key content of tourism planning， its air quality and environment are in good condition. You can drive through the tree-lined trail of over 20 kilometers， enjoying the breathtaking beautiful stillness. Well， walking can be a more wonderful experience in this place.

Ecological landscapes surrounding Star Island Lake

Star Island Lake Town is the only town named after a lake amongst 15 villages and towns of Hepu， covering an area of 154 square kilometers. The lake， with an area of 160 square kilometers， is dotted with 1，026 islets， just like numerous shining stars embedded in the green water， hence the name Star-Island Lake.

Lushly growing trees， blooming azaleas， pine and cypress rustled in the wind， and crystal clear lake， will make every visiting tourist gasp in admiration in this fairyland. Attracted by the unique environment， several domestic canoeing training teams have set up training bases here. When North China is covered with snow， team members would draw graceful arcs on the surface of Star Island Lake.

Also， a grand film-shooting base of Water Margin set up in 1996 is still here. Those magnificent and splendid sights， such as Liangshan Stockaded Village， the well-preserved Zhongyi Hall （Loyal-Righteous Hall）， the vivid and lifelike 108 heroes’ sculptures， Duanjin Pavilion， Racecourse， Hou Stockaded Village， Wenshu Academy （Manjusri Academy）， and streets of Suzhou and Hangzhou， lie in the fascinating landscape of lakes and mountains， evoking your deep thought of ancient times.

Charming Waters

Endless Coastal Scenery of Dang River

At nine o'clock in the morning， Grandmother Liu is ready for driving the sea ducks to Dang River.

Following the causeway of 24 kilometers， there is a mangrove forest， with blooming flowers in May. As soon as the flowering season starts， those cosmopolitan bee keepers attracted by a delicate fragrance will hasten to the sea of flowers， set up beehives and pitch tents， as busy as bees.

People living around Dang River are simple， sincere and peaceful. They are in the habit of being polite to everyone， even if they get stung by a bee and ask for explanations from bee keepers. At the same time， they show their tolerance and understanding to visitors， in part， because they make a living on the sea and realize that life is not easy.

Dang River， a land of plenty， is an important base for “rice and sea duck eggs”. In Hepu， residents live along the coastline where is rich in resources produced from the flat and fertile soil. In this land， there are vast stretches of paddy fields， with black rice and red rice of high nutritional quality sold across the country. Also， the sea duck eggs will wake you up with a pleasure of enjoying the rich taste， giving lingering flavor in the mouth.

“Sunshine， beach， wave， cactus and an old captain” are all our memories behind the famous Children’s song--Grandma’s Penghu Bay. Apart from brilliant sunshine， best beach and tough cactus， there are also ghost crabs in the Gold Beach of Dang River. As you approach this creature， they will scurry into their holes--those small rough sand holes on the beach.

After tens of seconds even a few minutes， these little ones will poke their heads out gingerly. As the sun set， the Gold Beach will be populated by ghost crabs. On closer observation， the scene that these lovely ghost crabs walk straight bravely on the beach is quite so spectacular.

Culture of Danjia family in Shatian Town

Embraced by mountains and waters， Haizhan Village of Shatian Town， Hepu County， is populated by boat-based fisherfolk.

“Dan people” are a special group who live on boat and depend on fishery along the coastal area and inland river of China. In China’s history， some anthropologists believe that the Dans were descended from the ancient Yue people.

As two special subgroups of the Han nationality， the Dan people and Hakka people share the same experience--their vagabond， relocated and sequestered life. Hakka people in Quzhang had sequestered themselves from the world in mountains， while the Dan people in Shatian Town had preferred to make a living on the sea. Instead of the large family and profound history of Hakka people， the Dan people treat life easily with a serene mind.

Oceans are emotional attachments and ties inherent in the Dan people from birth throughout human history. However， time is changing， and many Dan people have already relocated on land， taking boats only as fishing tools. Perhaps in several years， these “Gypsy on Sea” will not wander anymore and settle down on the land.