Mayu Island

At the mouth of Shantou Port, it covers an area of one square kilometer. There are bathing beaches and accommodation facilities on the island. Because it faces the open sea and the sea water is clean, it is a summer resort for citizens. There are two Tianhou Palaces built in Yuan Dynasty and Qing Dynasty respectively on the island, so it is called Mayu. The island is also known as the "chicken island" because in the old days, when ships going to sea passed by, they would take a live chicken and release it in the Tianhou Palace. Over time, the island became a chicken kingdom. In 1860, the British set up a customs here to carry out brutal plundering of the local area, and the colonialists also concentrated on selling labor here. Many people were tortured to death before they could get on the boat, and a large number of workers' corpses were unearthed on the island, which became irrefutable evidence that the imperialist powers invaded our country. The highest point on the island is 41 meters above sea level, which is the natural pier of the Bay Bridge. There is also a huge stone statue of the goddess on the mountain. Mayin Stone: When you come to the pier, there is a dark-brown stone on the sea. Its appearance is unremarkable. The locals call it Mayin Stone. Strange to say, this Mayin Stone always rises to the surface of the sea regardless of the ebb and flow of the tide, and is not submerged by the sea. Lao Ma Palace: Founded in the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), it is one of the earlier Ma Palaces along the east coast of Guangdong. In the forty-eighth year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, He Binchen, the deputy commander of South Australia, developed new ones. The inscriptions he wrote are called the historical treasures of Ma Temple, and have been re-engraved and embedded in the wall. Xianfeng was rebuilt in 11 years, expanded in 1928, donated by Hong Kong compatriots for repair in 1984, and rebuilt and completed on "Mother's Day" in 1993. The temple building is 335 square meters, magnificent, elegant and magnificent. It also has stone arches, a large stage, a stone sculpture of birthday stars, pavilions, stele corridors, and a three-dimensional inlaid porcelain table for chickens. New Mother Palace: Created in the Qing Dynasty. Legend has it that Mr. Wu, a Quanzhou native who came to Shantou to run a foreign company, asked his husband to choose a cemetery dozens of meters away from the Lao Ma Palace. ”, he took the lead in donating money, and after more than 3 years, the new mother palace was built here, which is larger than the old one. In 1983, led by the city tourism company, Mr. Zhang Bohua, a Thai overseas Chinese from Puning, donated more than 70,000 yuan, and the company also donated about 10,000 yuan to rebuild it together. In the same year, an inscription written by Zhang Huayun and written by Gao Yu was erected in front of the temple. The door wall is preserved in the Qing Dynasty and is made of more than 100 stone carvings and specification stones, which is antique. The craftsmanship of the dragon column is extraordinary, the inlaid porcelain is gorgeous and exquisite, and the wood carving is ingenious. Hailongwang Temple: This is a rare temple in Fujian and Guangdong. Behind the stage of the Laoma Palace, it was founded in the early Qing Dynasty and was repaired when the Laoma Palace was rebuilt in the eleventh year of Xianfeng. In 1988, Zhang Defa, the host of Beihai Palace in Singapore, asked him to return to his motherland to build a temple, so he first went back to his hometown of Fujian to find a temple and found nothing. Later, when he heard that there was a temple in Mayu, he found it on the island, and he led a total of 108 people. It was rebuilt with donations from overseas Chinese and was completed on November 2, 1989. Inlaid porcelain family Xu Meisan (deceased) and his son, inlaid Shuanglong treasures, flowers and birds, heroes and other excellent products, shining. It is one of the representative works of contemporary Chaoshan craftsmanship. Stone Statue of Empress in Tianhou Temple: The stone statue is located more than 100 meters south of Mazu Palace, facing the sea. As the main worship place, Mazu Palace is designed by Shantou Arts and Crafts School to retain the nostalgia of overseas Chinese and connect the hometown of overseas Chinese. The statue of the goddess in the ancient temple symbolizes the 108 doves of peace that are about to be released, praying for peace in Shantou port, peace for the country, peace and peace in the world. Putuo Mountain Temple in the East China Sea: On the southeast wall of Xinma Palace, it was built in the Jiawu year of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1774). The existing back wall of the main hall has a canopy to enshrine Buddha statues for worship. The government's religious department has approved the reconstruction and is raising funds. There are two important cultural relics inscribed in the temple. One is the plaque of "Putuo Mountain in the East China Sea". The upper and lower small characters are inscribed with "Yao Gaojing, General Manager of Biaoyouying, Nan'ao Town, Guangdong" and "Gu Dan Li in February of the Thirty-ninth Year of Qianlong (1775)". The second is the monument of "Zhengrui and Gonglianwei in the Three Temples of Kaishan", which contains the three temples (one of which is Donghai Puyuanshan Temple), five temples revived, more than 50 miles of roads, and more than 70 bridges built by the great monk Zhengrui. , can be called a great virtue. Customs: This is Chaozhou Xinguan, managed by the Chinese, also known as "Changguan", which are two bungalows on Yingzai Mountain. In the third year of Xianfeng (1853), the trade between Chaozhou and Hong Kong soared. Guangdong Customs set up customs in Mayu and built two bungalows of 150 square meters each (municipal cultural protection units). Therefore, customs had been set up in Anbu before, so Mayu It was called "Chaozhou Xinguan". It moved to Shantou in 1863 in the second year of Tongzhi, and was taken over by Chaozhou Customs in 1901. Seven years later, in the south of the island by the sea, Chaoguan Customs was set up, which was managed by foreigners, so it was also called "Yangguan". A two-story western-style building was built for the residence of the foreign leaders of the taxation department (demolition in 2002), and another two-story western-style building was built nearby for customs personnel (commonly known as the "water diversion building", which was demolished in 1991 because it was a dangerous house). Natural bathing beach: The bathing beach is located in the southeast, overlooking Nan'ao Island and Luyu in the distance. It is a crescent-shaped bay about 100 meters long. The beach is flat and white, and the sea water is clear and green. It is a bathing Tianchi. On both sides, Feng and Luan Mountains, the strange rocks are rugged and varied. In the middle of the beach, there is a small peak protruding, and the cracks are like petals, so it is called "Peony Peak", and it forms a beautiful scene of "Luanfengchao Peony" with the left and right mountains. The top of the beach is lined with casuarina green trees, which are available for swimmers to escape the heat. Dilution room, dining room and restaurant provide various conveniences for swimmers. The sea erosion of the bathing beach is engraved with masterpieces such as Lai Shaoqi's poems on Mazu, Zeng Ming's "Qifeng in the South Island", and Chen Dayu's "Listening to the Tao", adding luster to the island. In addition, there are Shuangzhong Temple, Bogong Temple, Friendship Pavilion, Guanhai Pavilion, Zuichao Tower, and the nearby Luyu Lighthouse and other historic sites and new sights on the island, which are dazzling and beautiful. Nowadays, the transportation is convenient. You can go to the west wharf at the Bay Bridge, park your car and take a boat about 1 km away to board the island, which has become a hot spot for Chaoshan tourism.