Zhuhai Adventures

Any bus trip only costs 1 yuan in Zhuhai, approximately 10p; this can be for an hour or a minute’s journey- and I’ve actually witnessed both.
To myself: ‘Why didn’t that man walk the one stop, just around the corner? Oh! because it’s really hot, he’s quite elderly and it only costs 10p on the bus!’
My Plan: I am only going to take the bus to the first beach and get off and do some sketching.
10 minutes later…But that didn’t seem very far.
I’ll stay on until we reach Station restaurant on Lovers Walk.
20 minutes later…Well that didn’t take very long either.
I consult my AMap app which is charting my journey – if I stay on the number 69 Bus a little further I could walk through to the main Zhuhai Bay area.
45 minutes into the journey…I ask a woman next to me ‘Ni Hao, this the stop for the NuYu?’ Which is the Chinese name for the Fisher girl, she looks blankly at me for a beat… then ‘YuNu’ she excitedly motions -Oh no you’ve missed your stop? More women nearby join in- you’ll have to walk back up to the beach now!– All this without any English spoken by them and only ‘Xiexie’ from me, on repeat!
I walk 100 metres back along a busy Zhuhai City Road and then I am in the most beautiful coastal park, it has grassy lawns, flower beds with decorative floral arrangements, ornamental trees creating shady pathways. There are statues of sea creatures and local legends, a pagoda and lake with rowing boats in the shape of dragons and lions, it is stunning.
A tall sweeping bridge takes me high over the coastal road giving great views along a pure sandy beach and then I am walking up to the Yu Nu Fisher girl who stands on her own rock fifty metres from the beach spanned by a variety of rocky walkways with photo opportunities for all. There are photographers bartering with families for the perfect holiday shot. Some young women are dressed in elaborate costumes and have tripods to take their own selfies with the Fisher girl. I take my own selfie and then sit in the shade it is hot, hot, hot!
Local attitudes to the Fisher girl are conflicting. Amongst her supporters are those who say that she is an important symbol of this local folk tale. The story is complex, but is ‘Little Mermaid’-adjacent: a Princess to one of the Sea Gods swims out of the sea and falls in love with a local fisherman, when she gifts him one of her magic bracelets ( unaware that it is the source of her immortality ) she sadly dies; to save her he must grow some life-giving magic grasses using his own blood to sustain these. The grass grows, is somehow imbibed by the girl, she revives and they live happily ever after.
On the other hand, sceptics of the sculpture say that the statue was erected at far too great a cost to the local taxpayers, is not really part of the local traditional culture at all and was done solely to revive the tourist trade.
I have really enjoyed my first solo bus adventure and now I plan to return another day with Rob.
Visit to the Fishergirl 2 The Return…with Rob.
It’s late afternoon and supposed to be a cooler part of the day.

It is not cooler.
I have informed Rob, that I know exactly where I am going and we don’t need to consult the map…so we get off the bus probably a kilometre too early this time! But, it is a happy accident as we find ourselves on a lovely boardwalk-type walkway above the beach in delightful shade. Rob is as charmed by this beach as I was, the golden sand (imported obviously) which was empty before, is now crowded with families who set up camp at the seashore. There are pop-up tents and sunshades, buckets and spades and picnics. Nobody swims in this shallow muddy delta, but children certainly enjoy splashing in the surf and filling buckets to spill onto their sandcastles. It could be a scene from any beach anywhere in the world.
We walk along so that Rob can admire the Fisher girl close up, and I’ve also promised him an amazing pineapple ice-lolly with real chunks of pineapple.
We have researched a little about the area and have discovered that there is a cable car with a view and a walkway high above this beach. Through the shopping Mall, under the road and then we are buying tickets. It’s a very short ride in a modern enclosed car which we share with a young couple who don’t look very happy to be in our company – although I do offer to take a photo for them!
At the top the views are amazing. We can see back to our hometown of Tangjia; over the sea to the huge City of Shenzhen, and neighbouring this, Hong Kong’s Lantau Island has its ‘back’ to us. Further on, from the walkway, we can see the tops of Macau’s highest buildings, as well as having a bird’s eye view of the Fisher Girl bay.
The city and surrounds of Zhuhai are interspersed with wooded mountains which give a very beautiful silhouette, especially at sunset. In this part of the world where mountains are part of the City, town planners create walkways high on the sides of the steep slopes, these lead through the woods, over the interesting rock formations and go on for several kilometres giving opportunities for exercise and views. On our walk we encounter several older people as we saunter along, they have not paid for the cable car but have slowly come up the steps for an evening’s work out, now they are standing looking at the view and happily slapping themselves soundly on their bare arms and legs on repeat. I have previously witnessed this in the swimming pool changing area whilst changing, many of the older women have a really intense slapping session, it seems that it’s a Zen therapy that some people believe removes negative energy or ‘dampness’ from their bodies, improving their physical and mental well-being.
We walk about half a kilometre to a small hilltop where there is a ‘Gallery’ of Rocks- natural formations of huge magnificent boulders, the walkway continues on for miles, but it is getting late and we’re ready to head for home.
This has been such a lovely trip that we are already planning a return visit, this time we will also take in the Zhuhai Opera House and come back to the lower plaza where there are also great views and some nice eateries and bars.