Exploring the Hometown of Chinese Beauties (Part 4): The Beautiful Women of Xiapu Nurtured by Scenic Mountains and Waters --- Shenzhen Special Zone News
It is often said that beautiful women do not come from the seaside, as the harsh sea breeze makes it difficult for even the most naturally beautiful to withstand its daily assault. However, the sea of Xiapu seems to especially favor the women of this land.
1. A Small Coastal County Produces Many Beauties
Xiapu, a small county in coastal Min Dong, does not have much fame. However, visitors to Xiapu are often amazed by its seafood. The fresh and flavorful seafood immediately captivates the taste buds of outsiders: "Is there such fresh seafood?" After enjoying the delicious food, when they walk around on the streets, they find another surprise: the women here grow up with clear and natural beauty. Could it be that besides producing fine food, Xiapu also produces beautiful women? People from all over the country and the many Xiapu women who leave their hometown have, intentionally or unintentionally, given Xiapu the title of "Hometown of Beauties." Interestingly, the local people of Xiapu do not feel that the women here are particularly beautiful, and upon hearing compliments, they often become uneasy and bashful.
In fact, Xiapu can confidently accept the title of "Hometown of Beauties."
Among the common people of Xiapu, there is a popular saying: "The lychees of Hanjiang are red grain by grain, and the women of Hongjiang need no picking." Hanjiang and Hongjiang are two fishing villages along the coast of Xiapu. Hanjiang is famous for its late-ripening lychees and is the northernmost lychee-producing area in China; Hongjiang, on the other hand, is the hometown of Hong Qi'er, who won the title of "Top Model" in Fujian Province and third place in the 9th China Model Star Competition. The origin of this saying is unknown, but it at least verifies one fact: the beauties here, like the lychees, are produced in abundance, are well-known, and are full of vitality.
In the pen of an out-of-province poet, the beauties of Xiapu are described thus: "A place called Xiapu / makes every person present / heart sway... A few hours' drive is a bit far / please ask the people around you / if there are any girls from Xiapu / even nearby Xiapu / would be good too...". Although the poet's skillful brush has elements of exaggeration, the undeniable truth is that the beauty of Xiapu's young women has a group advantage.
The beauty of Xiapu's women can be described with just one word: "water." Faces as soft and moist as water, figures as graceful as water, and breaths as pure as water. This is because what nurtures them is "water," growing into "lotus flowers emerging from the water" is akin to "water finding its course." Just don't be surprised—this "water" is blue.
2. Beautiful Landscapes Nurture Beauties
In a certain sense, the beauties of Xiapu are daughters of the sea.
It is often said that beautiful women do not come from the seaside, as the harsh sea breeze makes it difficult for even the most naturally beautiful to withstand its daily assault. However, the sea of Xiapu seems to especially favor the women of this land. There is a beautiful legend about why Xiapu's seaside produces beauties. Long ago, at the foot of Ge Hong Mountain in the middle of Xiapu's Dongchong Peninsula, there was a strange stone. It was polished bright by the constant sea breeze, resembling a mirror. When women looked at themselves in it, they became radiant. Women from nearby villages often climbed the mountain to look at themselves in it, and indeed, they became more beautiful the more they looked. The story of the "Mirror of Beauty" spread quickly, and women from neighboring towns flocked to it. Over time, "beauty" was sown like seeds on the seaside, thriving endlessly. In fact, Ge Hong Mountain is also a famous Taoist mountain, where it is said that Ge Hong practiced diligently, grew tea, tasted tea, refined elixirs, and mastered techniques for health preservation and facial rejuvenation, which were passed down in the seaside villages, including secrets of skincare.
Of course, this is just a legend. The reasons why these daughters of the sea become beauties include various factors such as diet, climate, geography, environment, and culture. Xiapu is the largest coastal county in Fujian Province in terms of marine area, coastline length, tidal flats, islands, and ports. Its 404-kilometer-long coastline undulates gracefully, its 1.04 million mu of tidal flats shimmer with gold, and its 196 islands are scattered like stars. More than 700 kinds of marine organisms swim freely in its waters. Xiapu's seafood is famous far and wide, and ordinary families eat seafood for every meal. The title of "land of fish and rice" has been known for a long time. For thousands of years, the numerous and nutrient-rich seafood has nourished generation after generation of beauties.
Xiapu has a subtropical oceanic climate, warm and humid throughout the year. Abundant sunlight and plentiful rainfall nourish the mountains and rivers of Xiapu, and also moisturize the women of Xiapu, making them as radiant as peach blossoms and willows. To the south of Xiapu, the Dongchong Peninsula stretches majestically into the sea, forming the inland seas of "Dongwuyang" and "Guanjingyang." These two seas are rare lake-like oceans that temper the roughness of the sea breeze, undoubtedly a gift from heaven for women born by the sea. The Dongchong Peninsula gracefully extends into the sea, creating a winding coastline with a curvature ratio of 1:10, the most winding coastline in Fujian Province. Though it may seem unrelated to beauties, it actually creates the magnificent and splendid marine scenery of Xiapu. It has always been said that the land nurtures its people. The sunrise and sunset on the tidal flats, the ebb and flow of tides by the sandy beaches, the gathering of seagulls on the shore reefs, and the gentle sea breeze under the starlight—all of these are beautiful. Immersed in them for years, how could one remain unaffected?
3. Historical Culture Nourishes Beauties
If beauty alone is not enough to make a woman truly beautiful, then fortunately, thanks to the influence of a long history and culture, the beauties of Xiapu possess an additional grace and inner beauty.
In the third year of Tai Kang during the Jin Dynasty (AD 282), Xiapu was first established as Wenma County. In the first year of Tian Bao during the Tang Dynasty (AD 742), it was renamed Changxi County. In AD 1286, it was upgraded to Funing Prefecture, and in the twelfth year of Yongzheng during the Qing Dynasty (AD 1734), it was further upgraded to Funing Fu, becoming one of the eight prefectures of Fujian Province. In the second year of the Republic of China (AD 1913), the prefecture was abolished, but the county remained until today. It is renowned as a "key pass between Fujian and Zhejiang," "a land of fish and rice," and "a coastal Confucian scholar." It was once the political, economic, and cultural center of Min Dong. Accumulated over 1700 years of history, once it emits a fragrant aroma and lingers on a certain woman, it blooms like a smile, revealing beauty beyond mere physical appearance. Such women are often talented and beautiful.
During the Republican period, two of the "Four Talented Women of Min Dong" were from Xiapu: You Shou and Qiu Di. The former later became a famous historian, archaeologist, and calligrapher, teaching at Harbin Normal University for a long time. In the calligraphy world, the saying "Southern Xiao, Northern You" refers to "Northern You" being You Shou. The latter was the first generation of the most radical and avant-garde modern female painters in China. During her school days, Qiu Di was already known as the "campus flower," and her classmates praised her with this rhyme: "Hezhi is fat and good, Xiaoping is thin and good, Psheng is just right, but none of the three are as good as Bi Zhen (Qiu Di)." As an adult, Qiu Di remained beautiful, especially the poetic clarity in her eyes, which left a lasting impression. Her talent matched her beauty. Having studied abroad in Japan, her oil painting "Flower" won the only "Juelan Society Award" in 1933. The "Juelan Society" was the first modern art association in the history of Chinese art. Her costume design for the dance "Tea Picking and Butterfly Catching" in 1956 won the national costume design award for dance performances, and her works are now collected in the Shanghai Art Museum.
Nature creates regions, regions carry history, and history shapes human nature. Xiapu might really be a place destined to produce beauties. The long history exudes a strong cultural atmosphere on this land, and its influence on women blooms even more brilliantly. In 804 AD, the Japanese high priest Kukai arrived in China with the 17th Japanese envoy ship to Tang Dynasty. He encountered a typhoon at sea and drifted to Chisha in Xiapu, staying there for 41 days before proceeding to the Tang capital, Chang'an, to study Buddhism. After returning home, he became an outstanding messenger of Tang culture. For a long time, the Japanese side could not confirm where Kukai had drifted ashore, but it was You Shou's archaeological arguments that finally confirmed that Chisha in Xiapu was Kukai's landing site. As a place where the She ethnic group resides, the mutual integration of minority and Han cultures has made Xiapu's culture richer and more diverse. The She ethnic song king Zhong Xueji, recorded in the "Encyclopedia of China·Literature History," is from Xiapu. The She people are a singing nation, expressing their emotions through songs while chopping wood on the mountain, working in the fields, or chatting after meals. Every year during the Lantern Festival, March Third, and September Ninth, She villages in Xiapu hold She song festivals, where many minority beauties become the main characters of the festivals. If being naturally beautiful is a beauty's luck, then having knowledge and talent is a beauty's fortune.
Among the well-known beauties is Hong Qi'er. Standing at 1.77 meters tall, she has an elegant demeanor and a simple, genuine personality. After being discovered while working as a hotel receptionist, she went on to win titles such as "Top Ten Models" in Fujian Province, "Best Potential Award" in the first "Car Beauty Contest" in Fujian, and "Top Ten Car Image Misses" in the International Auto Show in Fuzhou. Winning third place in the 2002 China Model Star Competition, the "Top Ten Models in China," and the "Best Elegance Award" in the China Model Star Competition marked Hong Qi'er's transformation from a neighborhood girl to a famous runway model. Until now, the awards she has won remain the highest achievements in national modeling competitions in Fujian's history, rewriting the history of Fujian lacking notable models. Besides Hong Qi'er, Xue Kexin and Chen Yinxing are two other Xiapu beauties who gained recognition through competitions. Xue Kexin won third place in the finals of the first China Photography Model Competition in 2004 and received the "Best Elegance Award" in the Fujian selection of the 55th Miss World China Finals. Chen Yinxing won the "Best Newcomer Award" in the 2005 Miss Universe China (Beijing) Region Finals. Chen Yinxing graduated from the Foreign Languages Department of Xiangfan College in Hubei Province. During her middle school and university years, Chen Yinxing had already begun showcasing her artistic talents and served as the host of the CCTV Hope Star English Speech Contest in the Northwest Hubei region. Participating in large-scale competitions for the first time, she stood out with impressive strength and also passed the postgraduate entrance examination with excellent results.
The fame of Xiapu's beauties has spread far and wide, making them the desired objects of high-end hotels and resorts in large and medium-sized cities such as Fuzhou and Wenzhou. Hiring Xiapu's beauties as charming receptionists seems to attract many customers and bring prosperity. Younger generations of beauties prefer to travel the world with backpacks, and traveling actresses of Min Opera are representative examples.
In the Min Opera circle of Fujian Province, there is a saying: "No opera troupe can be complete without actors from Xiapu." Min Opera is the provincial opera, originating in Fuzhou, but among the hundreds of active Min Opera troupes across the province, almost every troupe has actors from Xiapu, with female actors being predominant, partly due to their good looks. Hong Qi'er's hometown, Hongjiang, managed to form five opera troupes in the early 1980s, despite being a small village. Under the moonlit night, the beautiful village maidens gently waved their sleeves, turned their bright eyes, and sang softly, seemingly enchanting the very night itself. Lin Minjin, who won the Excellent Actor Award at the Fujian Drama Performance and the First Prize of the "Yingshanhong" Award at the Changsha Folk Art Festival and was hailed by fans as the "Ma Wei-tao" of Min Opera, performs over 500 shows annually and hails from the fishing village of Yuyangli in Xiapu. With over 2,000 Min Opera performers from Xiapu performing outside, the reputation of Xiapu's beauties continues to rise. The annual income from performances of folk opera troupes is considerable, becoming an important way for rural areas to alleviate poverty and achieve prosperity.
Xiapu is the county with the largest environmental capacity in the "Min Northeast Water Tourism Route," one of China's ten perfect tourism routes. Seafood is abundant all year round, and within its borders lies the national-level scenic spot "Yangjiaxi Scenic Area," where one can admire the largest pure camphor forest in southern China and the northernmost banyan tree cluster in China. The beautiful marine scenery is not only a great place for leisure tourism but also an ideal location for photography enthusiasts to capture sea views.
From Fuzhou to Xiapu, you can drive via the Shenhai Expressway (Fuzhou to Xiapu section), taking about 2 hours. There are regular buses from Fuzhou North Bus Station to Xiapu, departing every hour. From Shanghai to Xiapu, you can take a flight to Fuzhou Changle Airport, then drive via the airport expressway to Mawei in Fuzhou, and then onto the Shenhai Expressway.