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Article by | ShuShu
The internal friction of Erjiu made him envious of relaxation triggered by a Weibo post. In the face of traffic, he began to feel that his emotions were not his own. On the one hand, he kept complaining about whether his inner conflicts could be cured, while on the other hand, he put his hands together and told himself to relax. It turns out that being cured by the internet is also exhausting.
So, is it the public’s emotions that dominate the direction of traffic or is it the direction of traffic that dominates the public’s emotions? This sentence is like a tongue twister and reminds people of Matilda’s question to Léon: “Is life always this hard or is it just when you are a kid?” Léon answered: “Always like this.”
If you also have the above symptoms, facing life and what you see and hear, only talking nonsense, believe me, go to Shantou, Guangdong, cross the Nanao Bridge with a toll of 96 yuan, and stay on Nanao Island for two days. You will get a new perspective on life, at least better than now.
The day before yesterday, I and Geometric E arrived at this island. In the two months when I handed over my cat to an automatic litter box, I was calm for the first time because of a trip.
Stopping and going to Nanao is what I want to say to everyone who has unresolved or uneasy emotions now after staying here for two days.
Solitary trees grow in the sea here, and there are three lighthouses shining here, including the Qianao Bay Lighthouse with a white tower body and green glass windows standing near the Ocean Observatory Station on the reef, and the Changshantou Pier Area where the Changtailou Mountain Lighthouse and Nanao Bridge are adjacent.
The only lighthouse I approached was the Sancongya Lighthouse on the cliff, which is a lighthouse in the traditional sense and the most beautiful lighthouse I have ever seen in my memory.
Mountains and seas meet here. Perhaps out of safety concerns, the road that used to be able to go into the lighthouse has been blocked, but there is actually a seemingly blocked small door next to the highway. Walk in and you can see it.
Little Brave who is with me is a local. He said that two years ago, you could still drive up here. It has been so long since he came and he didn’t even know it was blocked.The difference between “sealed” and “unsealed” is not significant, mainly because it serves as a warning. Here’s how it’s sealed:
The road to Sanconya Lighthouse must have been trodden by countless people, as evidenced by the flatness of the land. It is a long way to walk, like climbing a small hill. Xiao Yong told me that I was the only one among the test-driving media who made it to this lighthouse.
I didn’t tell Xiao Yong that I arrived at the test drive event at seven o’clock in the morning, hoping to do something casual. Even the cliff by the seaside attracted me more than the lighthouse did.
When you don’t expect anything in the next second, you will receive more than expected. As we approached Sanconya, the sea breeze grew stronger and stronger, and when the huge lighthouse was just a stone’s throw away, I looked out at the world with only the sea in the distance, and in my heart there was only this sentence:
Solitary, it stands on the edge of the cliff, its red and white tower towering high.
I don’t understand the construction of the lighthouse, but as the most important navigation beacon for the channels between the north and south of South Australia Island, Chaozhou Port, and Shantou Port, I wonder how many times it has blinked a signal at night and guided people home.
This is what the sea looks like from Sanconya-
The seemingly small fishing boats sailing on the distant sea are actually huge, and the waves here are the most primitive. If you sit here for a day, you will get all the answers to your questions.
Because the sea breeze speaks without words and the waves surge endlessly, the sea stares at you, and every word in the sound of the tides is “Don’t need to worry”.
Purity, perhaps, is the best solution to the geometry problem of life. I sat on the edge of the cliff for a long time, looking far away at the endless sea and sky, and got this answer when Geometric E left Sanconya.
Equally pristine as this sea area are the whole island and the indigenous people living on it.
While Sanya’s beaches are crowded with tourists and surfing instructors, Qingdao’s beaches are filled with people picking up seashells, and Huizhou’s North Latitude 22.7 degrees beaches are all about coconuts salesmen and barefoot kids, and Xiamen’s beaches are full of hula hoop vendors, this beach, besides its crystal blue waters and loneliness, only has an occasional horn sound that says, “Sea Flower” from an unseen boss who stands far away from the horn.
This island seems to be unaware of how commercialized the world outside is. The boss who sells “Sea Flower” lies on a lounger far from the horn, sunbathing, as if he finds the horn too noisy.
Xiaoyong told me that on weekends, the people who sell “Sea Flower” usually come out to set up their stalls. But he doesn’t know why the boss is offering it today. “You must give it a try,” he said. “It’s unique to South Australia Island. Except for here, no one sells it in Shantou.”
I tried it, and it tasted quite similar to jelly noodles, but with a more intense taste of nature.
South Australia Island is the only island county in Guangdong Province. Although the overall area is not large and the development time is not long, there are still many places to visit, which are all bays.
For example, Qing’ao Bay, Qianjiang Bay, Zhuguotu Bay, Jiuxi Bay, Houjiang Bay, Chishi Bay, Qiana Bay, Tianzi Bay and the area around Ma’anbu. Except for the first two bays, which are usually crowded, almost all other bays are clear and calm, with hardly any people.
South Australia Island’s location is delicate. Further beyond South Australia Island is the Taiwan Strait, and the nearest point to Kaohsiung in South Australia County is only 162 nautical miles away. While I was driving here, I once wanted to drive all the way up to the mountain top, but Xiaoyong reminded me that the halfway point was my limit. Once I passed that, I would run into a military base. Not only would I not be allowed to enter, but taking photos would also be illegal.
Most of the island’s historical relics are closely related to border defense and war. The more well-known sites include the General’s Mansion, Qing’s Tomb, Xiongzhen Pass, Lu Xiufu Tomb, and Song Jing.
Inside the General’s Mansion, there is the Fujian and Guangdong Boundary Monument, as well as Zheng Chenggong’s statue and recruitment tree. They mainly showcase South Australia’s coastal defense construction and deeds during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This is because during that time, the eastern coast was rampant with pirates. In the third year of the Ming Wanli period, South Australia was named Fujian and Guangdong South Australia Town, and a deputy general was stationed there. In the Qing Dynasty, it was promoted to the rank of general and jointly administered by Guangdong and Fujian provinces throughout its history.
The story of the Song Well mainly tells us about Zhang Shijie, Lu Xiufu, and other people who, together with the young emperor and the empress dowager, fled to Guangdong to escape from the pursuit of the Yuan army in the late Southern Song dynasty. When passing through Nanao Island, they dug three wells, Dragon Well, Tiger Well and Horse Well, for the emperor, ministers, and soldiers to drink. Due to its long history and location near the beach, only one well has been discovered and displayed as a tourist attraction so far, which is called the Horse Well.
The most fascinating thing about the Song Well is that it is often flooded with seawater due to its location near the beach, but every time the tide goes out, the well water here still remains sweet and can be directly consumed, without any salty taste from the seawater.
On Nanao Island, there is hardly any issue of getting bad seafood at restaurants, as all seafood from any restaurant here is delicious, but of course, not cheap.
Xiaoyong told me that there is no need to cheat customers here, not only because it is unnecessary, but also because people here have the purest faith. If you, like me, were born and raised in the north of China and stayed here for two days, you might have some new thoughts about family and belief.
There are three towns and more than 30 villages on Nanao Island. Every town will worship the “Old Master” every year. As we are familiar with, “Old Master” is the respectful title for superiors or masters in the past. In the Chaoshan area, the worship of gods is called “Bai Lao Ye”, which refers specifically to the worship of various gods such as Grandfather Bo, Earth God, Kitchen God, and Mazu in the underworld. What I found through my research was that it also includes Jade Emperor, Heavenly God, Nine Heavenly Kings, San Mountain King, Kaizhang Shengwang, even Zheng He, and other real-life persons.
“Bai Lao Ye” cannot be held by any family whenever they wish to do so. On Nanao Island, it is carried out by village on rotation. As Xiaoyong told me, for example, if there are ten villages in a town, then each village will take turns worshipping. It means that a village only has the chance to worship once in every ten years.
“Bai Lao Ye” is also the most important day of the year for the village that takes its turn hosting it. Any villager who is away from the village must come back during this period, as on the one hand, the sacrificial rites are very complicated and require many helpers, especially young and strong men to carry the sedan chair to travel around. On the other hand, it is also a matter of belief and family rules, and anyone who is absent may be called out by name.
As people on Nanao Island rely heavily on the seafood from the sea, they hope more than anyone else for calm sea areas, safe sailing voyages and pray for the safe return of their family members who go out fishing, therefore, they are extremely devout.
When exploring Nanshao Island with the Geometry E, I was more curious about why, during the daytime when the sun was high, there were hardly any islanders in sight.
Xiaoyong told me that the islanders only leave their homes early in the morning when the fish market opens or during the 2-3 hours before the tide rises when they go to the seaside to catch fish.
As we passed by a harbor, Xiaoyong smiled and said, “It’s already 4 pm, who would sell fish at this time? These boats returned around 5 or 6 am. If you come here at 6 pm, you’ll see a lot of people. But if you come later than 8 am, everything will be sold out. Fish like Golden Drum fish, Yellow Croakers, Balang fish, Belt fish, White Prawn, crabs, and even some sharks will be snapped up quickly by the hotels and restaurants.”
The simplicity and authenticity of their busy lives, the visible and touchable process of selling and buying fish, made me envious of the fisherman’s life in this 7724 time difference.
So, I drove the Geometry E and passed by the lighthouse, the bay, the fishermen’s houses with fishing nets, and the electric bikes ridden by young lovers.
The sound of the waves, wave after wave, and there’s no need to set any destination here because it’s pure enough to only have the sea and the people watching it, pure enough to keep meeting and greeting the ocean.
Just like this island, the Geometry E that spent the day with me by the sea brought me some pure surprises.
In this age where even wet tissues are required to have cartoon patterns to appeal to young people and where young people face not only consumer traps but also harsh realities such as license plate restrictions and skyrocketing fuel prices, who has actually asked them what they truly want?
But the Geometry E knows, just like this sea, facing the young people’s complexity and diverse needs, it gives its rough and pure response that belongs to itself.
First of all, the Geometry E knows that most young people don’t really have that much money, especially when they don’t want to spend their parents’ money. Tens of thousands of yuan still need to be saved for a whole year. Therefore, it positions itself as the first car for young people, and it only sells for 86,800 yuan or more.
In September, ordering a car can still be offered a series of preferential policies and various financial plans, which can almost correspond to the current electricity price, and the average cost of driving 20,000 kilometers per year is less than one cent per kilometer. The “E” in Geometry E is really written for coming up with “so easy” for making a phone call.
Secondly, the Geometry E knows that although its value must be “so easy”, it cannot be too easy itself.
Therefore, it has worked hard to design its appearance. It may vary from person to person whether it looks good or not, but the materials used throughout the vehicle have made the Geometry E the first model in the industry to pass the “A-level Certification of Crashworthiness of Pure Electric Passenger Cars” and the only model in the same level equipped with front and rear anti-collision beams.
You should know that when the XC90 from the CMA platform was launched, it directly created an aluminum alloy front anti-collision beam with a thickness of 5.09 millimeters and a width covering 71.82% of the front of the car (folk data), which is like a walking small tank. Now, Geely has also continued this excellent tradition to new energy vehicles at the expense of local costs, and it is still a Geometric E model with a price of over 100,000 yuan.
The same dedication is also reflected in the interior of Geometry E. At this price point, its car has the following features:
Visible features: Geometry E’s cabin uses four special processes, including laser engraving, piano lacquer, crystal cutting, and texture etching, making the entire car full of advanced sense.
Touchable features: ultra-fiber leather anti-bacterial steering wheel, wash-free technology leather material, and high-transparency acrylic material outlet.
Comfortable features: ecological materials for baby-grade seats, fresh air systems, CN95-grade filter elements, and environmentally friendly advanced materials. All of them have a clear Volvo flavor and ensure healthy materials.
When life is troubled for too long, just go to South Australia to see the sea.Nothing here but the sea breeze and the lighthouse blinking the password to go home. I spent a day here, feeling bored and lovely, and now I just want to start over again when I think back.
If you have been brainwashed by “more, better, and expensive” for too long, maybe you can hit the road with this Geometry E, solving the geometry problem of life with the purest price and the easiest way.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.