Cao Zhen

caozhen0806@126.com

IN preparation for the planning and construction of the Chiwan Maritime Museum in Nanshan District, the Shenzhen Museum has lent 12 cannons from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties from its collection to the Nanshan Museum.

Among the 12 cannons, two are from the Chiwan area in the far southwest corner of Shenzhen and they witnessed the centuries-old coastal defense history in Guangdong, said Ye Yang, director of the Shenzhen Museum, at the lending ceremony at the Left Fort in Chiwan on Sunday.

The lending also propels the development of the Chiwan cultural circle, which includes the Chiwan Tianhou Temple, the Left Fort, Wen Tianxiang Memorial Park, Tomb of the Young Song Emperor, Chiwan Beacon Tower and the Right Fort.

Chiwan was a key area of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and China’s coastal defense. In the Ming Dynasty, it was an important port connecting Hong Kong, Macao and Southeast Asian countries. Tianhou, also known as Mazu or Heavenly Queen, is the patron saint of seafarers and much revered throughout southern China’s coastal regions. The original Tianhou Temple in Chiwan was built in the late Song Dynasty (960-1279). In the Ming Dynasty, Chinese mariner and diplomat Zheng He commanded expeditionary voyages to Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, West Asia and East Africa from 1405 to 1433. He was said to have been protected by Mazu, so the temple was refurbished at that time.

From the 16th century to the 19th century, Chinese armies and citizens defeated Portuguese, Dutch and British invaders in the sea of Chiwan and Tuen Mun. The Left and Right Forts were built in 1669 and played a critical role in the defense during the Opium Wars in the 19th century. Today, on the remaining site of the Left Fort, a cannon on a sea-view platform, barracks and old trees tell the past stories of those brave people who had protected China.

In the future, the Chiwan Maritime Museum will display the coastal defense history in Shenzhen and Hong Kong and carry out national defense and patriotism education. Details of the museum, including its location, have not been officially announced yet.