Staying in Xiapu County, how should you plan your day?
Staying in Xiapu County, how should you spend your day?
Route:
Dongguan Market (lunch at Xiajie Street)—Jianshan Temple—Jiushidian Palace (White Lotus Palace) + Funing Prefecture Wenchang Pavilion—Yiwu City God Temple—Dizang Temple—Dongguan Xiajie Night Market
Tips:
Dongguan Market forms a V-shaped loop from Dongguan Xiajie Road to Dongguan Xiajie Street. The so-called "Old Street" is also in this area.
Inside Jiushidian Palace, there are bone pagodas of Fujian's Patron Gods.
Xiapu Bus Route 2 is frequent, while Xiapu Bus Route 7 will make you question your life choices. It is recommended to take Bus Route 2 to Dizang Temple. It's only a few hundred meters more to walk, which is much better than waiting anxiously.
Dongguan Market is a very traditional market, mainly selling seafood, as well as many local snacks. Fish balls are freshly made in-house every day. You can find everything here, from Hutang soup, Xiapu Guangbing (savory sesame flatbread), fried buns, Qingguo (green rice cakes), and Nian Gao (sticky rice cakes) to preserved fruits from your childhood and old-fashioned barbershops (a shave is only 5 yuan). This is the right way to experience Xiapu.
Jianshan Temple is located in the Dongguan Shangjie area, not far from the market. Its current name was inscribed by Zhao Puchu. This temple, recorded as early as the Tang Dynasty, is the oldest temple in Ningde area. The Hall of Heavenly Kings in the temple looks ancient. The nuns in the temple have their own vegetable garden and flower garden, appearing more down-to-earth and hardworking than those at Guoqing Temple in Taizhou. The flowers and plants in the temple are so beautiful they could make you cry, and the tranquility of the temple brings inner peace. Highly recommended.
Jiushidian Palace and White Lotus Palace are on the slope to the left of Jianshan Temple. Jiushidian Palace enshrines the bone pagodas of Patron Gods. Seeing the bone pagodas of Patron Gods for the first time filled me with awe. Both palaces have their own local legends.
Dizang Temple was originally built during the Later Zhou Dynasty. The current temple no longer bears any resemblance to the original. The reconstructed temple's architectural layout is somewhat reminiscent of Jing'an Temple in Shanghai, but the open-air statues of gods and Buddhas have a unique style, grand and solemn. It truly reflects the vow of Dizang Pusa, "If hell is not empty, I vow not to become a Buddha." This is a very photogenic place, highly recommended.
Dongguan Xiajie Night Market is one of the two major night markets in Xiapu. It has a more down-to-earth atmosphere, where ordinary people live their daily lives. You can find braised skewers for one yuan each, grilled oysters for 20 yuan for 11, beef steaks and bones similar to those in Quanzhou, Xiapu-style seafood with special sauce, herbal tea, and candied fruits. Strolling here, you'll wish you had ten stomachs.
I initially thought staying in the county would be a bad choice, but it turned out to be an opportunity to understand the authentic life of Xiapu. Next time, I will still choose to stay in the county.
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