"Travel Experiences" is a series written during a journey, recording the feelings and insights of different cities, measuring the vastness of the earth with footsteps, and experiencing the cultural customs of a place through words.
Preface#
Traveling, for many people, is a romantic and wonderful journey through time and space. Similar to reading, there are always interesting discoveries along the way, and we often pick up these fragments and piece together the best memories of this journey in our minds. While walking on the road, looking at unfamiliar scenery, curious thoughts accumulate in our hearts, always wanting to explore the unique personality of this land in a deeper place, treating passers-by as the owners of the city.
I don't know much about the world. It was only recently that my footsteps crossed provincial borders. At least before college, I was still an ignorant teenager in a small town. The appearance of the outside world was like clouds, vaguely appearing in my mind, knowing but never seeing. That summer, in the town library, holding a book about the world, it was the first time the teenager glimpsed different corners of the world from the book. However, the desire to travel was mostly a luxury at that time, and this seed has always remained in my heart without taking root and sprouting. The dreams of the teenager could only wander in the sea of books.
But now it seems that the footsteps of the teenager have long crossed the boundaries of the original ideals. However, the world is vast, and the more you explore, the more wonderful it becomes. Traveling is still a mysterious and unknown exploration. Keep moving forward, and there will always be many surprising discoveries. I rarely write travel articles or travelogues, simply because a few days of shallow journey is difficult to have a deep understanding of a city I have never been to. But after all, I have been here, not satisfied with just leaving a mechanical full-body photo in front of various attractions, I want to simply record some feelings and experiences, as a memory node in the journey, and compose another picture of life.
Young City#
Sitting on the high-speed train to Zhuhai, I deliberately chose a window seat and often looked out. The scenery passing by outside the window is like a promotional video of the city playing on a TV. I imprinted these unseen scenes in my mind, constructing my initial impression of this city.
If we calculate it in terms of human lifespan, the 43-year-old Zhuhai is in the prime of its youth. At this time, Zhuhai has a more stable style of dealing with the world, introverted and low-key. But from the perspective of the city's development history, Zhuhai is a young and romantic city, attracting countless young men and women to feel the beauty of the sea and love under the Stone Mountain.
Zhuhai is a young city, a place surrounded by mountains and seas. Unlike the outside world, life here is full of romance. Whether it is the Zhuhai Fisher Girl on the roadside for couples, or the Sun and Moon Shell on Wild Fox Island, or the Love Post Office accompanied by a lighthouse, they all reflect the romantic charm of Zhuhai. I think this is probably Zhuhai's pursuit of beauty. Here, looking at the sea from the mountains is a beautiful experience that people look forward to becoming a reality.
Youth means infinite possibilities. In the prime of their youth, Zhuhai and the young men and women in this romantic city feel the comfort of the mountains and the sea, allowing love to echo in the mountains and the sea.
Cycling by the Seaside#
When writing this article, I initially used the term "strolling". But in fact, cycling was the main mode of transportation throughout the day. Otherwise, if I walked this distance on foot, I wouldn't want to walk for several days.
Most of the seaside attractions are distributed along the Lover's Road. On one side are mountains and parks, and on the other side are the sea and rocks. If you ride a bicycle and tour along this road, you will see people swimming at the seaside swimming pool. A little further ahead is the Love Post Office and lighthouse, which are must-visit spots for couples. If the weather is good, it is best to take a photo in front of the lighthouse. If you want a better view and see further, the second floor of the Love Post Office is an excellent scenic spot. Here, you can see the lighthouse and the sea in the same frame, feel the pleasantness of a sunny afternoon while enjoying the sea breeze.
After leaving the lighthouse, continue along this endless Lover's Road, ride to the corner, cross the U-shaped bend where the mountain extends into the sea, and the famous Zhuhai Fisher Girl sculpture is not far away. The Zhuhai Fisher Girl is a city landmark of Zhuhai, telling the love story of the city. However, according to historical facts, Zhuhai existed before the Zhuhai Fisher Girl.
After listening to the story of the Zhuhai Fisher Girl, continue walking forward. There is a winding beach called Xianglu Bay, where people often sit and enjoy the sea breeze. Next to the beach is a small commercial complex, which has been given a name with a life-like atmosphere, called the City Balcony, and the endless Lover's Road passes below the City Balcony. Interestingly, behind the City Balcony is Jing Shan Park, and in between them is a main road. This natural and modern spatial structure is somewhat fascinating.
When the beach is behind you, look into the distance, and there is a shell-like building standing on the sea. That is the most popular landmark in Zhuhai, the Sun and Moon Shell, which also has a simple name, the Zhuhai Grand Theater. Next to the building is Wild Fox Island Park, but I don't intend to write about it because shared bicycles are not allowed. However, the scenery there is still very good, sitting on the lawn in the park, enjoying the sea breeze is very pleasant.
On this road that has just been walked, there are many parks. When cycling, I often see people sitting or lying in the parks. On a sunny afternoon in autumn, people spend leisure time with their loved ones, family, and friends. The sunlight at this time is warmer and more romantic than in summer.
Multiple Perspectives of Travel#
Looking at travel from the perspective of a tourist, the experiences throughout the journey are the most important. However, as a passerby in the city, there are inevitably shortcomings in understanding the city, but the various feelings along the way can reflect the temperature of the city. I try to understand this city from a factual perspective, but personal feelings often take the lead. And people are diverse, so there are a thousand impressions of Zhuhai.
More than Lover's Road#
Before coming to Zhuhai, I searched a lot of travel guides online and found that almost all the shares were about Lover's Road. So even before people arrived in Zhuhai, they had a clear understanding of the distribution of attractions on this road.
But Zhuhai is more than just Lover's Road. Zhuhai has a name called the "City of a Hundred Islands". Although it is the city with the smallest land area, it does not prevent it from having a large number of islands. The scenery of these islands is also very beautiful, but I haven't been there, so I can't make an objective evaluation.
In addition to the islands, in Zhuhai, going to Chimelong is also a major choice for people. Moreover, Zhuhai is connected to Macau on land, and as neighbors, Macau's advantages are more obvious. In the journey to Zhuhai, the flow of people near Gongbei, which is close to Macau, is often more considerable and popular. In the face of Macau's strong charm, Zhuhai is slightly inferior, and this is an undeniable reality.
Approaching the topic from a tourism perspective, Zhuhai is not considered a tourist city. Zhuhai's tourism resources are not rich. Regarding Lover's Road, whether it is the Love Post Office, Zhuhai Fisher Girl, or the Sun and Moon Shell, they are difficult to be considered as attractions. Zhuhai Fisher Girl is a modern sculpture that caters to the needs of urban development. It is mixed with the personal emotional experiences of the designer and creates a romantic cultural symbol with mythological love stories, but it is not favored by young people in reality.
The Zhuhai Fisher Girl sculpture stands on a giant rock not far from the shore, and there are no tourist facilities around it. It can only be regarded as a photo spot, and the people who come here to take pictures are like waves hitting the shore, rising and falling.
The Love Post Office is a trendy shop selling desserts and drinks. It probably got its name because it has a mailbox for sending letters and also sells some cultural and creative products. The lighthouse is a hydrological facility near the Love Post Office, and there are many people taking photos there. If you come during holidays when there are many people, there may not even be a place to sit, and the same goes for shared bicycles.
Lover's Road is very long, and for tourists, it is best to ride a shared bicycle to visit all the attractions on this road. If you walk, you will probably get tired, which is one of the reasons why the travel experience is not good. Xianglu Bay Beach along the way is an artificial beach because Zhuhai is located at the mouth of the Pearl River, and the quality of the seawater is not good, often turbid and yellowish throughout the year, which is an unavoidable geographical factor. So for those who want to see the sea, it is better to go to the islands in Zhuhai. Of course, the cost will be higher.
Next to the beach, the City Balcony is just an ordinary commercial complex, and the same goes for the City Living Room. In the distance, the Sun and Moon Shell, which is the Zhuhai Grand Theater, is the most distinctive building for tourists, but it does not bring any other tourist experiences. To go to the Sun and Moon Shell, it is about 1.5 kilometers away from the shore, and it takes at least twenty minutes to walk. The nearby Wild Fox Island has beautiful scenery, but unfortunately, shared bicycles are not allowed, so you can only ride to the parking lot near the Sun and Moon Shell.
Zhuhai has a long coastline and beautiful scenery. The coastline along Lover's Road is wide and suitable for cycling, and there are large and small beautiful parks along the way. However, for tourists, it is not suitable for tourism. If you come here to relax or live in Zhuhai, I think it is a beautiful place with a life-like atmosphere.
It is worth mentioning that the construction of non-motorized lanes in Zhuhai is very well-developed and friendly. For those who want to ride, Zhuhai is a city with warmth. In addition, the one-yuan bus is also heartwarming.
Lack of Cultural and Historical Heritage and Cuisine#
Zhuhai is a young city, and like other young modern cities, it lacks cultural and historical heritage. Compared with other cities in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai has a much weaker foundation. Every city has distinct cultural characteristics and symbols, but Zhuhai does not have a proud heritage in this regard. Therefore, it is difficult to leave a deeper impression of the city on tourists in terms of travel experience.
In terms of food, there are very few choices in Zhuhai, and there are no local specialties. Moreover, there are very few dining options around Lover's Road, only ordinary commercial areas to choose from. Around 10 o'clock at night, almost all shops are closed, and the night economy is not as active.
From the perspective of population size and land area, Zhuhai is a small and leisurely city. Walking on the streets of Zhuhai, you can always feel the sea breeze flowing through the streets and alleys, making people clearly feel the flow of the city's air. This is also a young city, because of the arrival of young people, it has a bit of vitality.
Zhuhai is a romantic city, with love and the charm of life.
Tangent#
This is the first time I have written a travelogue, and I am sincerely anxious and worried. As the saying goes, "The more you say, the more mistakes you make." However, when writing an article, it is necessary to follow personal feelings to some extent. Good or bad, I will try my best to be fair and impartial. But how should I put it, there must be some factual basis. Travel, as a subjective human activity, pays more attention to personal experiences. Just like "a thousand faces for a thousand people," in the hearts of a thousand people, a city has various appearances.