Dinghai: Guarding the East Sea

3 min read

Dinghai is a special place in the mid-west of the Zhoushan Islands. Cultural relics preserved in the Dinghai Ma’ao Museum prove that more than 5500 years ago, there were human activities out here that have the characteristics of Liangzhu Culture. From the Spring and Autumn period to Tang and Song Dynasties, this place has had several names, in the Kangxi years of the Qing dynasty, it was named Zhoushan. Three years later, the Kangxi Emperor suddenly realized that an immobile place called Zhou(as boat in English) didn’t work, so he changed its name into Dinghai Shan (as fixed sea mountain in plain English), and that name has been settled down till today.

Now, with 936 square kilometers of sea area and a coastline of more than 400 kilometers, it is a port with convenient traffic and of great potential. As an important hub for sea routes from northern China to southern China, as well as for Far East international routes, State Council listed it as one of the coastal regions that enjoys prioritized planning and development in the Yangtze River Delta region. A booming made Dinghai, hometown of overseas Chinese, witness great developments in its island ies such as oil storage and transportation, ship building and maintaining, seafood processing, machinery manufacturing, building materials production and construction deve, textile and other industries.

You must have seen the magnificent sea-crossing bridge on many occasions. In fact,the Bridge is located in dinghai and called xihoumen bridge.

Zhoushan is the only proviincial historical and cultural island city in China, and Dinghai is located at its heart. The usands of years old, characterised by lots of former residences, Zuyin Temple and the commercial street, Zhongda Street, which dates to the Ming and Street not only has fashionable coffee shops and dessert stores,but also intangible cultur al heritage shops with marine features, selling shell carvings,ship models and such.

The first time I came across the name of Dinghai was in a middle school history textbook along with the Opium War aeral Ge Yunfei. The Battle of Defending Dinghai was the largest, longest and the most inter War. Based on that 150-year-old time of suffering and salvation, Dinghai has built an Opium War Memorial site. rombs of soldiers who died fighting the British can be seen here. Sanzhong Ci, a memorial temple Daoguang Emperor ordered to build to commemorate the three generals who died in the battle, as well as newly built Opium War Museum, and San Zongbing Memorial Square are also located here. Old and new memories and expectations add radiance and beauty to each other, showing a long standing national integrity.

There is a deserted yet elegant island called phoneix Island in Dinghai,and during the development of the area’s marine tourism scene, a five star exquisite resort hotel was built on there, equipped with private clubs, sea villas, yacht clubs, as well as golf, fishing and other recreational facilities.

If you are looking for an original ecological landscape, Wuzhi Shan Bird Island is a good choice. It is anature reserve for marine birds. But tional Forest Park of East Grand Canyon in the middle of Dinghai. Along getation, filling the park with negative oxygen ions. Down in the deep canyon is a place called Charen Valley. Along with peach, pear, pomelo and waxberry trees, there are over 1000 mu mountain tea bushes planted here on the upper stream hills, that heighten any visitor’s enjoyment of this peaceful, quiet valley.