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| Attraction-The Stone
City of Chongwu |
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These
people are praying to the 12th Lord for a peaceful life.
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On any festive day, the old people of Chongwu
flock to the Temple of the 12th Lord to pay tribute. The older
women, who go hatless and cover their navels with longer clothes,
solemnly light their candles and incense and offer the 12th
Lord a sumptuous meal: steamed cakes bearing the character
for "double happiness", glutinous rice dumplings, fried cakes,
doughnuts, all kinds of seafoods and canned fruits.
No one knows for sure how long incense has been burning in
this temple. People have never stopped visiting, repairing
and taking great care of it. In its turn the temple livens
up the monotonous, grey tone of the city with its colourful
eaves and pillars.
Apart from the Temple of the 12th Lord, Chongwu also boasts
a Catholic church.
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The
architectural decorations here are uniquely beautiful.
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Every Sunday women from Hui'an nearby come
to Chongwu to attend morning services. What makes this church
different from others is that the priest wears ordinary clothes
and preaches in a local Fujian dialect. Previously, Roman Catholicism
was not very popular in Hui'an, but it appears to be gaining
ground among the younger generation, who have even collected
money for the construction of a new church.
After ages of living in the protective shadow of the ancient
city walls, the place is slowly undergoing changes: Where plants
had previously not flourished with ease, the city now sprouts
more greenery. Vines climb along bamboo fences by the stone
wells, while acacias growing outside the windows give an air
of idyllic restfulness.
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The
brightly coloured scarves of the local women are worn
even during church services.
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People here are very fond of a simple kind
of local opera. Some older people can hum virtually any piece,
while most young people can manage a couple of lines. Originating
in Yilin County in Taiwan, this opera is now a popular pastime
of the Chongwu people.
Chongwu is also a world of far-reaching sea vistas, golden sand
glittering in the sun and fishermen riding upon the waves. But
while the Hui'an women are in the main dressed in traditional
clothes, young girls are beginning to wear things bought in
department stores.
What Chongwu offers the visitor is a blending of its unusual
past and its fortuitous visual attractions: an ancient coastal
fortress that houses a unique stone city, lovely seascapes and
the peculiarly attired Hui'an women. |
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Many
of the Hui'an women have been converted to Catholicism.
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Women
often bring their children along when they go
to church.
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