Let it rip: surf's up in Shenzhen
The little-known beaches of Shenzhen's Dapeng peninsula are nurturing a fledgling culture of surf, sand and sun devotees, writes Thomas Bird
Reaching deep into the South China Sea, Dapeng marks Shenzhen's eastern periphery. The peninsula is named after a mythological bird first mentioned in the classic collection of Taoist fables Zhuangzi: "When the Peng journeys to the southern darkness, the waters are roiled for three thousand li." These evocative words suggest that it is Dapeng's location, in the typhoon-lashed south, that has earned it its name, but it is important to remember that the Peng is also a thing of great beauty - with "wings like clouds" - that is able to transform into a giant fish.
The many facets of the Peng myth are embodied in the geography and economy of this largely undeveloped headland. Bulging into cobalt waters, typhoon-lashed Dapeng is still dominated by subtropical forests resounding with birdsong. Many of the local Hakka make their living from the spoils of the sea, and the town of Nanao is a major regional seafood market, replete with dried-fish stalls and seafood restaurants.
Nearby Jinshuiwan was, until recently, lined with grotty fishing tenements, its sands laced with litter. Today it is home to more than 100 colourfully painted guesthouses, bars and eateries, and its beach is covered with canoes and surfboards. The town's Peng-like transformation can largely be credited to one entrepreneurial woman.
"I was in middle school when my mum took me to live in Togo," says Sonia Ding, over coffee on the terrace of her Aloha Beach Club. "When I returned to China, I remember looking at people's faces on the metro. There was no emotion, it was totally different from Africa. I wanted to recreate that feeling [of Togo] here.
"Jinshuiwan is an ideal place to learn windsurfing," she says. "The wind blows on-shore, so you won't get swept out to sea, and the bay is relatively shallow, if you don't go too far out."
