Prose on a trip to Xiapu

Xiapu is a county under the jurisdiction of Ningde City, Fujian Province. It is located on the northwest coast of the Taiwan Strait and in the northeastern part of Fujian Province. It is a coastal economic open county and port city. It is the "Hometown of Kelp in China" and "Hometown of Seaweed in China", and is also known as the "Key of Fujian and Zhejiang", "Land of Fish and Rice", and "Seaside Zoulu". When the annual Mazu Water Walking Festival came, I followed the Youqian Shediao Photography Planning Studio to the coastal city of Xiapu.

1. People chasing the sun

This is a group of photographers who met during a Mazu walking tour in Xiapu, Fujian. I call them people chasing the sun.

Birds of a feather flock together, and as a keen traveler, I prefer to travel with a photography group. I feel that this has at least three major benefits: first, the routes taken are more classic; second, the scenic spots seen are relatively unique; third, Play time is relatively relaxed. The people who came out this time were all photography masters. The Eight Immortals crossed the sea and each showed their power. They are the material for blockbusters. Being able to walk with them and be influenced by them, I guess my photography skills will also improve by leaps and bounds!

After more than eight hours of bumpy car rides along the way, we arrived at the Bachimen Jiangbian Village Breeding Farm in Fuding, Fujian Province in the evening. Other photography groups had arrived before us, and the four-story rooftops of local houses were crowded. The experts set up tripods and used long guns and short cannons to shoot the fence from different perspectives. Climbing high and looking into the distance, the oval-shaped enclosures are scattered and extending in all directions; the low mountains further away are layered and faint.

The sun gradually slipped to the west, and thick clouds rolled in the blue sky. I imagined that in a short while, the red clouds would rise over the mountains in the west... I waited quietly.

Suddenly, the sun disappeared and slipped into the dense clouds. The clouds darkened and turned gray, but there was no glow. I just heard someone saying: "It's over, the sun won't come out today." I saw a few experts starting to put away their tripods, but most of them were still where they were.

The sky gradually darkened, and there was still no red clouds, so the beautiful sunset could no longer be photographed. "Alas, the weather is not beautiful!" People sighed and walked off the roof in disappointment.

For photographers, Kasumigaura can be said to be a place where gods exist, so it is also a paradise for photography. Sunrise and sunset, beachfront beaches, thick clouds and fog, are unpredictable. Many photography bases are located there. The hotel we stayed in is called a photography theme hotel.

The next day, we rushed to Huazhu Village, Sansha Town to take pictures of the sunrise. We departed from the hotel at four o'clock in the morning, and taxis took us to Huazhucun Mountain.

Although the sky is still dark, the plank road is already crowded with photography enthusiasts. Their guns and tripods have already been set up, waiting for the bright red sun to rise slowly from the east.

The sun has not shown its face for a long time. It is hiding in the clouds, seeming to be deliberately hiding from us. In the faint glow, the shape of the mountains in the distance is like a silhouette, reflecting a clear outline. With hope, I waited anxiously.

Gradually, the sky lit up, and the glow became wider and wider, but the smiling face of the sun was still not seen.

"The sun is probably blocked by the fog on the sea." I said a little discouraged.

"Yes, the sun has already come out at this time." The photographer next to him echoed.

"So, can I put a sun on the photo?" I remembered what the photography teacher once said, that photography is inseparable from post-production.

“No, there are still golden lights and shadows on the sea.”

“Then let’s also change the level of the sea, wouldn’t it?”

“Haha , then let’s make a sun come out!”

“Haha...”

Just as he was joking, the golden sun suddenly emerged from the clouds, and a line gradually appeared on the sea level. The round red light and shadow are sparkling and shining. I saw a small boat next to me rowing towards the light.

The sun gradually rose and began to fade, emitting a dazzling light, like a crystal clear pearl, the east was already golden...

In the evening, we arrived at Hu again. We took pictures of the fish steak sunset at Yu'ao Bridge. The next morning, some group members went to Beiqi to take pictures of the sunrise...

Although the sunrise and sunset were promising, I seemed to feel a little aesthetic fatigue after watching so many of them. But photographers still enjoy it and talk about it with relish. Don't they feel hard work? When I heard them communicating, there was a word called "light and shadow" that was talked about the most. This must be a professional term in photography. When is the best time for light and shadow? Of course, it is at sunrise and sunset. Therefore, for photographers, in order to take good pictures, they are willing to get up early and stay late at night, chasing the sun tirelessly without any slack.

Kuafu chased the sun, and finally he abandoned his cane and turned it into a gorgeous peach forest; while the photographer, holding the SLR in his hand tightly, brought a beautiful world of light and shadow. I want to praise you, photographers, you are the braggarts of the new era!

2. Mazu walks in the water on Zhujiang Island

Every year on March 23 of the lunar calendar, it is Mazu’s birthday. This year is the 1058th anniversary of Mazu’s birth. During this period, Mazu walks in the water. days. On May 11, we set off from Xiapu Photography Hotel at 5:30 in the morning. After arriving at Shajiang Ferry, we took a small boat to Zhujiang Island.

This season is the peak season for kelp cultivation, and the rafts on the sea are covered with kelp strips. I thought this was the legendary kelp drying, so I couldn’t wait to take some photos of kelp and posted them in my circle of friends with the title “kelp drying”. As a result, Lao Jipu corrected me, saying that this is called "kelp planting", and the ones spread out on the beach are called "kelp drying".

So, what happened to Mazu?

Mazu is a sea god belief centered on the southeastern coast. It has many titles such as the Holy Mother of Heaven, the Queen of Heaven, the Concubine of Heaven, and the Mother of Meizhou. According to legend, Mazu’s original name was Lin Mo, and she was born in Putian, Fujian during the Northern Song Dynasty. She was talented and specialized in medical skills. When she was 28 years old, she was hit in the head by a ship's mast while trying to save others, and she fell into the water and died. Because she was always willing to help others, did good deeds to save the world, was determined not to marry, and rescued people in distress at sea, she was respected by the fishermen and built a temple to worship her.

The belief in Mazu originated in the Minyue region of China. It evolved from a real person to a deity and was believed to be the protector of navigation. It has been among the people for more than a thousand years. As a folk belief, its longevity, wide spread, and deep influence are unprecedented. The main forms of Mazu sacrifices can be divided into temple sacrifices, suburb sacrifices, sea sacrifices, boat sacrifices and family sacrifices. This time, we went to Zhujiang Island to observe the "Mazu Water Walking" activity, which should be regarded as a kind of sea festival.

"Mazu walks through water" has become a folk custom unique to Xiapu Mazu belief over the years. Specifically, it is divided into "walking through water" and "grabbing water". "Walk the water" symbolizes Mazu's patrol at sea and bless the fishery harvest; "grab the water" means that after Mazu patrols the sea, on the way back to the palace, each village selects strong young people to block the road and grab the sedan chair, so that the sedan chair can pass by their own village and pray. Mazu bless them and keep them safe.

At 7:30, the sacrifice on the island began. After watching the performance at Thean Hou Temple, we rushed to the mountain to watch Mazu’s sea patrol.

The mighty patrol fishing boats sailed on the sea, constantly changing their patterns as they passed rows of rafts planted with kelp. Photography enthusiasts on the mountains in the distance, holding long guns and cannons, recorded the lively scene of the patrol.

The tidal flats of Zhujiang Island are full of floating rafts. The floating rafts float up when the tide rises and sink again when the tide falls, giving people the illusion that the entire island is floating. The ebb and flow of the tide allowed me to witness the magic of the sea with my own eyes.

The "water grabbing" activity is carried out when the tide is high. At two o'clock in the afternoon, we were waiting at the Xilu Bridge on Zhujiang Island. It's hard to imagine that this dry stone road under your feet is actually soaked in sea water most of the time. This is a tidal flat.

What is a tidal flat? It is the link between the land and the sea. It is a shallow beach formed by the deposition of sediment mixed with rivers or sea currents where flat rivers enter the sea or near the coast. When the tide is high, it is submerged in the water, and when the tide is low, it comes out of the water. In Kasumigaura, the most attractive thing is the beach.

We stayed in the sun for more than four hours and finally waited for the high tide. When the water overflows the tidal flats, the activity begins. Only twenty or thirty strong men in bright red clothes were seen, carrying two sedan chairs with Mazu statues on them, and rushed into the water under the guidance of the gong player. After they ran more than a hundred meters, the sedan was raised and lowered and dipped in water thirty-six times to pray for safety. After the sedan ran back and forth three times, the water grabbing activity was over.

At this time, the sea water had already reached my ankles and was rising higher and higher. I walked to the shore with the flow of water, and the audience who could not swim had a boat to help them evacuate quickly.

When we were on the way to evacuate the island, we saw the sedan carrying the Mazu statue being stopped by the locals.

Mazu's water walking is purely a folk ritual. Although it has unique regional characteristics, it is also widely popular and enjoyable to watch. It is precisely because of people's belief that Mazu, as the god of the sea, has spread more and more widely, gradually moving to Southeast Asia and the whole world, and has reached the level that no one knows about it. This time, our trip to Xiapu was for the Mazu Water Walking Festival. Fortunately, I witnessed the entire process of the Mazu Water Walking Festival.

During the four-day trip to Xiapu, we welcomed the sunrise, watched the sunset, boarded the island, walked on the tidal flats, and watched the Mazu Water Festival on Zhujiang Island. This trip to Kasumigaura with the photography team was shocking and novel to me. It is a visual impact and a spiritual excitement.