Zhāngzhōu “Land of Plenty” 漳州——“鱼米花果之乡
“Zhangzhou…is one of the most beautiful cities that I have ever seen
Reverend Macgowan, 1889
“Zhangzhou in the Middle Ages was the seat of a great silk manufacturer, and the production of its looms, such as gauzes, satins and velvets, were said to exceed in beauty those of Suzhou and Hangzhou.” George Phillips, 1888
Nine Dragon River is so named because so
meone saw nine dragons playing in it. Zhangzhou lies 25 miles west of Xiamen on the Nine Dragon River, which prevents droughts on Fujian’s largest plain, hence the nickname “land of plenty.”
Back to top AmoyMagic--Guide to Xiamen and Fujian
The Minyue people settled Zhangzhou about 5,018 (see note) years ago, give or take a few months, and it became an imperial prefecture in 686—the same year the miraculous mulberry tree sprouted lotus flowers in Quanzhou, and the same year that Xiamen’s Nanputuo temple was built. It was a busy year. Some scholars argue that ancient Zaytun was Zhangzhou, not Quanzhou. Doubtful, but excavations have uncovered relics of many ancient religions, including Nestorian Christianity, so Zhanzhou either had extensive foreign commerce or a lot of religious correspondence courses. Zhangzhou was famed for its high walls and gates, magnificent arches, trees, and fine silks. In 1889, Macgowan wrote of Zhanghou:
“The Chinese have a passionate love for trees and flowers, and consequently every householder had planted some kind of a tree in his courtyard…The people of Zhangzhou were proud and haughty. They were prosperous and well-to-do… They were proud, too, because of the exquisite silks and satin stuffs they could produce. Their looms were famous, and their designs were rare, and beautifully executed.”
The high walls and massive arches have pretty much vanished, but Zhangzhou silk can still fetch over $100 USD a yard in Hong Kong, and the passion for flowers is greater than ever. Hundreds of vendors sell a vast variety of flowers, shrubs, trees, and Chinese miniature landscapes—or giant cacti!
“That cactus is real!” my students argued. Impossible. Even in Zhangzhou nothing grows that well, I thought. So I pulled Toy Ota over and checked it out for myself. The verdict? Check it out for yourself. And then visit the nearby “100 Flower Village.” About 2.5 km south of Zhangzhou, this was the home of the original flower children!
100 Flower Village was founded about 500 years ago when a descendant of the famous philosopher Zhuxi fled to Zhangzhou to escape political persecution. One night he fell asleep, stone drunk, and had a dream of flower fairies descending from heaven. They danced, and sang, “Growing flowers brings eternal happiness, enjoying flowers brings long life.” He awoke, named the place Changfu (Lasting Happiness), and his descendants have been growing flowers ever since and now have over 20,000 kinds of flowers! Water Sprite Flower (narcissus) is Zhanghou’s most prized flower, and their secrets for cultivating it have been closely guarded for centuries. Zhangzhou’s Magical Little People Chinese, like people the world over, tell tales of magical little people—but in Zhangzhou they are for real! The 40cm (on average) folk are Zhangzhou’s famous glove puppets! I like Quanzhou’s marionettes. They’re about the only people on the planet who know who’s really pulling their strings. But glove puppets? (Also called "sack puppets" because the whole show can be packed up in a sack and carried off to the next town). Glove puppets sound more like a child’s toy to me. But in the hands of skilled puppet masters, these ancient works of art spring to life. One takes a t**e on a long pipe, and then blows smoke out his mouth. Another pours him a cup of tea with a steadier hand than I’ll ever have—and the liquid goes right into the pinky sized cup. Puppets did the dragon dance almost as well as the Xiamen International School students’ legendary performance. And they performance astonishing comic routines and acrobats—throwing spinning plates into the air and catching them on two poles, or juggling a barrel on their heads, tossing and flipping it—or tossing each other! No Puppets & Fireworks Chinese seemed amused at the childlike delight I took in the puppets antics. One told a friend, “It’s because America doesn’t have puppets like this.”
He reminded me of the Longyan farmers who saw us happily firing off half a ton of fireworks. One sagely told another, “Look how excited they are! They don’t fireworks outside of China, you know.”
For the record, Americans can buy fireworks, but in China they don’t cost an arm and a leg. And we have hand puppets—but I doubt we have the magic that brings them to life. Eventually I went behind the stage to reassure myself the creatures were not alive. Be sure and take in a Zhangzhou puppet show—an
Tianbao Banana Plantation Just 15 km from Zhangzhou is an endless plain of banana trees, and tin the roadside Banana Mall, dozens of small stalls sell tens of thousands of kilos daily of the famed Tianbao bananas. We took home an entire stalk of bananas, to our cat’s delight. Two field mice had nested inside. Longhai Crater is across the bay from Xiamen, and down the coast, past the South Taiwu Mountain with the giant footprint on the peak. On the way I like to make a quick pit stop at the quaint hamlet of Gucheng(???—Ancient Wall Village), with its rounded arches, quaint wooden doors, sparrow-tailed eaves, and Minnan roofs. White Beach Ancient Crater does indeed have fine white sand, as if it spilled straight from some heavenly hourglass. It felt like wet silk between our toes. And the waves were strong enough to beach1 our boogie boards2—to the dismay of local fishermen, who passed us in picturesque crafts fashioned from bamboo and chunks of Styrofoam bound with rope, or sailed Minnan boats painted red, green, yellow and blue (rather Tibetan, I thought). I was surprised that many of them don’t know how to swim, and were worried about the Laowai in the water.
