Every year on Xiongben’s birthday, we prepare a special journey just for him. His fifth birthday was spent on Nan’ao Island.
Off the coast of Shantou in Guangdong, there is an island surrounded by sea wind called Nan’ao Island. Nan’ao Island is the only island county in Guangdong Province. It is also an important habitat for the Chinese white dolphin and is known as the Hawaii of the East.
After driving across Nan’ao Bridge, the ocean spreads out on both sides. At that moment, you can clearly feel the pace becoming slower. The density of the city is blown away by the sea breeze, and the sky becomes much higher. You can only reach Nan’ao Island after crossing Nan’ao Bridge, and there is a toll to pay. But that does not stop our longing for Nan’ao Island at all.
Have you ever seen blue tears? This is the ocean’s blue tears, a miracle where the sea glows at night. When night falls and waves hit the shore, the surface of the water suddenly glows with a faint blue light, like broken stars falling into the sea. This phenomenon is called “blue tears of the ocean.” Blue tears are usually caused by bioluminescent plankton or certain microorganisms. When stimulated, these organisms emit light. Waves, passing boats, and even people stepping into the water can cause them to glow instantly.
In Guangdong, China, you can see this phenomenon. Xiongben saw it too. He stared at it without blinking. Because dogs can see blue, this magical phenomenon became an unforgettable memory that happened by chance. And the romance of nature already exists without any filter.
We brought Xiongben to the Tropic of Cancer marker on Nan’ao Island. When taking photos here, there are passing vehicles, so you need to pay attention to safety. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn mark the boundary of the sun’s movement. The sun only moves between these two lines. Xiongben is our little sun. I am from Beijing, and his father is from Shanghai. Taking photos here carried a lot of romantic meaning. We took photos here and celebrated Xiongben’s fifth birthday. Xiongben smiled happily at that time. The people waiting nearby for their turn to take photos were smiling too. It seemed like he knew everyone felt happy because of him.
Nan’ao Island has many oyster farming bases. In the photos, the colorful small containers floating on the sea are all oyster seedlings.
When talking about Nan’ao, seafood must be mentioned. The oysters here are not very large, but each one is salty and delicious. Sea urchins have long spines. After simply steaming them and opening them, they are filled with sea urchin meat and sweet broth. This is truly a reward for food lovers. Abalone, grouper, and seaweed soup are all flavors freshly taken from the sea. Simple steaming is enough to bring out the freshness. The island also has old streets, fishing ports, and elderly fishermen drying nets. In the evening, fishing boats return to shore, the sky turns orange red, and the air carries a salty smell.
There are many lighthouses on the island, and they are popular places for visitors to take photos. The light of the lighthouse gives fishermen certainty and means the route home. For every traveler, it can also be a spiritual projection.
It is lonely but firm. It does not move, yet it guides others. It remains lit in wind and waves. It represents ideals. It represents waiting. It represents watchfulness. It represents finding direction in confusion. For us, a lighthouse is poetry.
Xiongben really likes the beach on Nan’ao Island. There is a lot of seaweed on the shore. He steps on the sand and keeps sniffing constantly. Even the beach seems to love the shape of his paws. You must catch Nan’ao Island on a good weather day. The sky looks as if it has been lifted higher, clean and almost unreal. Sunlight falls on the sea surface, and the entire water shows layers of blue, from transparent light blue near the shore to deep ocean blue farther away, spreading layer by layer.
There are many kinds of food on the island. Besides seafood, you should also try seafood noodles, licorice fruit, seaweed fried rice, and fish ball soup. The small buckets of mixed seafood sold on the street are also good. You can walk while eating seafood and choose which kinds you want. If you want to eat beef hot pot, you can go to downtown Shantou not far from Nan’ao Island. The taste is also very good.
When leaving, you can go to the shop called “Shantou Nan’ao Island Gifts” to buy souvenirs. There are local tea jelly, natural seaweed, mung bean cakes, dried fish and pork jerky, bamboo salt preserved fruit, Chaoshan fermented tofu cakes, authentic handmade Chaoshan beef balls, and very delicious Phoenix Dancong tea. Everything is available. They are all local specialty foods, clean and hygienic, and very suitable to buy for friends and family.
Nan’ao’s sea is not the delicate and refined kind of blue. It is a deep blue with a sense of strength. Waves push against the rocks layer by layer, and the sound is clean and direct.
Many people come to Nan’ao to watch the sunrise at Qing’ao Bay. Around five in the morning, the sky is still slightly gray, but the sea lights up first. The sun slowly rises from the horizon, and golden light fills the entire bay. The sand is soft, and the water is clear. It is not as noisy as popular islands. It quietly waits for you to sit down and watch a complete sunrise.
Driving along the island road, you can see rows of wind turbines standing on the mountain ridge. The white turbines rotate slowly against the backdrop of the rolling sea. The scene carries a sense of vast solitude. You suddenly realize how small humans are compared to nature, and that imbalance brings a sense of peace.
Nan’ao has not only scenery but also life.
Many islands give you the feeling of a vacation. Nan’ao feels more like letting go. It has no excessive packaging and no deliberately created check in spots. It is more about nature and time itself.
When you stand by the sea, watching the wind turbines turn and listening to the waves repeatedly hitting the shore, you will realize that anxiety is not that important.
The sea exists.
The wind exists.
And you can also feel your own existence.
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