Meizhou Island
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed
Meizhou Island (Template:Zh; Pu-Xian Min: Mî-ciu-doh), Meichow;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Meichou,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a small island close to the coast of China. Meizhou Town (Template:Lang) is an administrative unit of Xiuyu District, Putian, Fujian, China. It is known for being the birthplace of the goddess Mazu. Meizhou has 38,000 inhabitants, most of whom are involved in the fishing industry. The local language spoken is Pu-Xian Min.
History
An open provincial tourism economic region (Template:Lang) since June 1988, in April 1992 Meizhou Island introduced a landing visa policy for visitors from Taiwan. In October of the same year it became a national tourism-vacation region (Template:Lang). The island was formally opened to visitors from overseas in October 1999.Template:Cn
Annually, Taiwanese pilgrims come to Meizhou to see the place where Mazu once lived.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Under Xi Jinping, Mazu-related pilgrimages have become an avenue for Chinese Communist Party influence operations to promote Chinese unification.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>
Administration
Meizhou Island is administered by Meizhou Town, an area that is divided into 11 villages:
- Gaozhu (Template:Lang)
- Xiashan (Template:Lang) "Downhill"
- Lianche (Template:Lang) "Lotus Pond"
- Beidai (北埭 dài) "North Dam"
- Dongcai (Template:Lang) "The East Cais"
- Xiting (Template:Lang) "The Western Pavilion"
- Ganglou (Template:Lang) "The Tower by the Port"
- Zhaixia (Template:Lang) "Lower Village"
- Dayang (Template:Lang) "Great Ocean"
along with three others.Template:Cn
Geography
Located in the northern part of the mouth of Meizhou Bay, Meizhou Island covers an area of Template:Convert and measures Template:Convert north-south, and Template:Convert east-west. The beach runs for around Template:Convert.Template:Cn
Tourist attractions
The Heavenly Empress Palace-Meizhou Ancestral Temple (Template:Lang) began as a small shrine soon after Mazu's death in the 10th century. It has now been renovated and greatly enlarged to accommodate pilgrims.Template:Cn