Ningde, the Old City (Miscellaneous Notes on a 26-Day Trip through Fujian and Guangdong, Part 8)

From Xiapu to Ningde, I still chose the high-speed rail.

Ningde is the superior city of Xiapu, but Ningde itself is not famous for tourism, so there are few tourists, and accommodation and food are cheap and good.

The hotel I stayed at is a local old-brand hotel. Living on the tenth floor, I could get a general view of the city.

The old city district, Nanmen Dou, was right below, so I had to go for a stroll.

The land of Fujian is full of worship; in the old city, one sees old temples.

Within less than two hundred meters, there is always a temple: first the Guandi Temple, then the Monkey King Temple, then the Dragon King Temple, as well as the Tianhou Temple, the Earth God Temple...

They are on the streets, in the alleys, at the lane entrances, by the trees, at the bridgeheads, and around every corner.

Which deity is enshrined? Most locals might not be entirely clear, or if they told me, I wouldn't understand. Anyway, paying respects to many gods surely brings blessings for family safety, good health, smooth affairs, and prosperity.

I guessed as best I could: Lord Guan, loyalty and wealth; the Great Sage, exorcising demons; the Heavenly Empress, protecting pregnancy and childbirth; the Red and White Lords just back from their patrol, the City God...

Narrow alleys, wet ground, a stone bridge from the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, with old folks chatting in twos and threes on the bridge.

A doctor pounding herbs, an old man writing couplets and wedding characters, the streets full of snails, clams, and fish—fresh, dried, and pickled—along with Fujian fish balls, rice cakes, and shredded radish siu mai...

Oh my, not a trace of tourist development or embellishment, a completely original old city, whose everyday vitality was enough to intoxicate me, making me feel as if time had gone back half a century.