ZHUHAI PEARL OF THE BAY

Text by Madeline Weng Photos by Zhuhai Tourism Board & VCG Translation by Sonia

ZHUHAI PEARL OF THE BAY

Text by Madeline Weng Photos by Zhuhai Tourism Board & VCG Translation by Sonia

Zhuhai is the welcoming harbour for those travelling away from home. She sees off adventurous young people to destinations faraway, giving them courage and strength; when it is time to return, she opens to embrace the home comers.

珠海：海湾明珠

珠海是游子的温柔港湾。她将敢于开拓的年轻人送往远方，赋予他们勇气和力量；等到落叶归根时，她再次敞开胸襟，拥抱归家的人。

Zhuhai Grand Theater, China's only opera house built on an island.中国唯一建在海岛上的歌剧院——珠海大剧院。

The fragrance of white magnolia fi lls the air in the early summer sunshine in Zhuhai. The sub-tropical coastal city has a mild climate, with scenery outside of every window and greenery everywhere.

Facing the South Sea, bordering Macau, and located at the estuary of the Pearl River Ð the unique geographical position contributes to the open cultural atmosphere in Zhuhai. Led by Rong Hong (1828-1912), Father of Chinese International Students, Zhuhai people were the fi rst to step out of the country to see the world. Rong became the fi rst Chinese student graduating from Yale University, creating the prevalent trend of studying overseas for the Zhuhai residents. Chen Fang (1825-1906), the wealthiest overseas Chinese merchant, started his business in Hawaii and returned to his hometown for disaster relief through spending huge amounts of money and re-building the village. Tang Tingshu (1832-1892), the national capitalist, created many fi rst times: fi rst self-built railroad, fi rst steam locomotive, fi rst public Chinese-English dictionary, and so on.

In fact, the genes of diligence and bravery in the Zhuhai people come from over six thousand years ago. The forefathers of Zhuhai farmed and reproduced on the land, creating a prosperous pre-historic oceanic culture. During the Han and Tang dynasties, Zhuhai was an important corridor for the Maritime Silk Road. After Tang and Song dynasties, Zhuhai became the origin of the Xiangshan culture. In 1557, Macau was launched as a harbour and Zhuhai became the port where Chinese and western cultures interchanged. In modern times, under the infl uence of wars, patriotic martyrs like Yang Paoan and Lin Wenhu stood out and wrote the grand heroic epic.

Every year, Beishan Music Festival draws some foreign bands to take part.每年，北山世界音乐节都会吸引一些国外乐队参加。

What is most valuable is Zhuhai never forgets its root in the process of learning from the West. Every year on the Lantern Festival Zhuhai throws a folk art parade, showcasing traditional customs such as Doumen boat wedding, Shatian folk songs, Qianshan chicken dance, and so on. At the same time, modern musicians have found a way to integrate Chinese operas and jazz music: Beishan World Music Festival held in the Yang Ancestral Hall every year mixes modern music with the ancient village setting, a rather intriguing concept.

Zhuhai has the second highest number of colleges and universities in Guangdong and young entrepreneurs have been supported by the policy. The government offers small venturing loans and budgets for personal projects, sponsoring many incubators combining IT, fi lming, art and commerce. The vigorous and prosperous venturing atmosphere attracts more and more talents nationwide and world-wide to try their luck here.

In the 1980s, Zhuhai was appointed to be one of the four pilot-scheme Special Economic Zones. Now, as a crucial member of the Belt and Road and the Great Bay Area of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau, the port scale of Zhuhai is expected to develop drastically. As for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge scheduled to be completed at the end of this year, it will not only become the world's longest cross-sea bridge but also link one of the most active economic zones in the world. Travel time between Zhuhai and Hong Kong will be cut to 40 minutes; in the meanwhile, Zhuhai has formed a two-hour economic circle with the rest of the Pearl River Delta Area. Zhuhai, the precious pearl at the bay, is very likely to become the most important international port and logistics hub in South China.

With their dashing temper and tenacity, Zhuhai people have been through many obstacles and welcome good times. Given the people's unceasing efforts, Zhuhai has turned out to be a rising city with both cultural spirit and innovative future.

Luyi Ancestral Hall, located in Doumen, Zhuhai has a history of more than 500 years.位于珠海市斗门区南门村的菉猗堂已有500多年历史。

Boat Wedding is a folk custom which has been popular for hundreds of years in Doumen.水上婚嫁是斗门流行了几百年的传统民俗。

珠海的初夏阳光里馥郁着白玉兰的香气。这个气候温和的亚热带海滨城市，坐拥一面宜居的海湾，推窗见景，俯首拾绿。

濒临南海，毗邻澳门，地处珠江出海口——独特的地理位置造就了珠海开放的人文气质。以“中国留学生之父”容闳为首的珠海人率先走出国门看世界，成为中国第一个毕业于耶鲁大学的中国留学生，为后来珠海浓重的留洋氛围开导先河；华侨首富陈芳创业夏威夷，发家后返乡耗巨资赈灾、整理村容；“洋务派民族资本家”唐廷枢创下多个“第一”：第一条自建铁路、第一台蒸汽机车、第一部买办英语词典……

实际上，珠海人民勤劳勇敢的基因始于6000多年前。珠海的先民在这片热土上耕耘繁衍，创造了繁荣的史前海洋文明；汉唐时期，它是“海上丝绸之路”的重要走廊；唐宋以后，珠海成为“香山文化”的发祥地；1557年，澳门开埠，珠海成为中西文化交汇的桥头堡；到了近现代，在战争的洗礼中，杨匏安、林文虎等爱国烈士孕育而生，写就了波澜壮阔的英雄诗篇。

可贵的是，在西学东渐的过程中，珠海并没有忘记自己的根。每年元宵节，珠海都会举行民间艺术大巡游，原汁原味地展示“斗门水上婚嫁”、沙田民歌、“前山凤鸡舞”等传统民俗。与此同时，新潮音乐家们也找到了中国戏曲与爵士乐融合的方式，每年在杨氏宗祠举办的北山世界音乐节，将现代音乐与古村落相结合，饶有趣味。

珠海拥有广东第二多的高校数量，创业的青年才俊也得到政策支持。政府提供小额创业贷款和个人项目补贴等政策，并支持建立了众多集IT、影视、艺术和商业的孵化器。蓬勃发展的创业氛围吸引越来越多海内外人才在此一展拳脚。

改革开放后，珠海成为了中央试办的四个经济特区之一。而现在，作为“一带一路”和“粤港澳大湾区”的重要一员，珠海的港口规模势必迅猛发展。今年底即将建成的港珠澳大桥，不仅会成为世界上最长的跨海大桥，还将连接起世界上最有活力的经济区之一——粤港澳大湾区。珠海和香港两地的交通将压缩到40分钟车程；同时，珠海与珠三角其他地区也已形成了2小时经济圈，珠海这颗不可多得的海湾明珠，有望成为华南地区最重要的国际港口物流中心之一。

凭着一股闯劲和一份韧劲，珠海人民走过了许多风雨，迎来了好时代。在珠海人民的不懈努力下，珠海俨然已经成为一个兼顾人文精神与创新前景的朝阳城市。