Majia Dang

Majia Dang

Majia Dang is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Majia Dang is located in Majia Dang Township on the southwestern border of Funing County. It borders Jianhu County to the east, Huai’an City to the west, and faces Baoying County across the water to the south. It was once part of the ancient Sheyang Lake. Here, the Sheyang Dang, Shoucheng Dang, Shazhuang Dang, and Qinggou Dang converge, forming an expansive wetland area stretching over a hundred square li. The wetland covers nearly 30,000 mu and is an important production site for aquatic products and reeds, as well as a great destination for sightseeing and tourism.

Majia Dang is a beautiful place with both water and land. Its unique geographical conditions have created distinctive natural scenery. After years of development and construction, Majia Dang has become “a place of uniquely splendid scenery.” Here, crisscrossing waterways boast crystal-clear waters, blooming water chestnuts and lotuses, and wild ducks soaring through the air. A small boat drifting deep into the reed marshes reveals lush aquatic plants in spring, dense shade in summer, swaying reeds and cattails in autumn, and flying reed catkins in winter—like a paradise on earth. With its dense waterways and boundless reed marshes, it serves as an ideal habitat for fish, shrimp, and crabs, as well as a natural spot for poultry farming. It is suitable for growing water chestnuts, arrowhead, and even cultivating freshwater pearls. A 30-kilometer economic forest belt winds like a green ribbon across the picturesque landscape. The natural villages of Majia Dang are shaped like turtles in the water, commonly referred to as “turtle land,” and are said to never flood even after prolonged rain. Four fishing villages are situated by the water, with houses neatly arranged and complete amenities including schools, shops, and clinics. Each village has telephone, road, and tap water access. Vast fields of grain and square-shaped fish ponds stretch as far as the eye can see. In this watery countryside, golden rapeseed blossoms vie for attention, fragrant golden rice ears sway in the breeze, elderly farmers sow seeds under the morning moon, and young fishermen return with the evening tide. The scenery of the water town is enchanting and captivating.

The formation of Majia Dang is tied to a touching legend. It is said that during the Ming Dynasty, the Jinshan Temple in Zhenjiang collapsed, but no one was willing to repair it. At that time, a man from northern Jiangsu named Ma Liang passed by. He wrote on the temple’s “patronage book”: “Ma Liang alone will repair Jinshan Temple, without using half a shovel of soil from the south of the Yangtze.” True to his word, he organized tens of thousands of people to transport soil by boat from northern Jiangsu to the south, day after day, year after year. The temple was eventually restored, but the resulting excavation left behind a vast waterlogged area. To commemorate Ma Liang, locals named this waterlogged region “Majia Dang.”

Majia Dang is entirely covered by water, and throughout history, it has experienced numerous floods and droughts. “When the rains come, it becomes an endless expanse of water; in dry years, one can walk across it everywhere.” In 1774 (the 39th year of the Qianlong reign), the Huai River overflowed at Laobaokou in southern Huainan. In 1808 (the 13th year of the Jiaqing reign), the Huai River flooded the Hetang area. In 1835 (the 15th year of the Daoguang reign), a severe drought struck. In the spring of 1876 (the 2nd year of the Guangxu reign), saltwater intrusion occurred. These disasters displaced local residents, leaving them with barely any clothes to wear or food to eat. “The vast reeds in the marshes hold great potential, but they also become gathering grounds for bandits every summer and autumn.” In the summer of 1933, after looting Yilin, the bandit leader Zhang Zhigao from Sihong fled to Majia Dang. Government troops pursued and besieged the area, eventually breaching the makeshift defenses. The people of Majia Dang suffered greatly from the ravages of both soldiers and bandits. In January 1944, after the Nationalist anti-Japanese general Ma Yuren died in battle, his nephew Ji Yuting led over a thousand remaining troops to station there. In October of that year, they were incorporated into the forces led by Huang Kecheng, becoming an important anti-Japanese militia. In November 1949, a three-month campaign to suppress bandits commenced and ended successfully. From then on, Majia Dang was finally freed from natural disasters and banditry, marking a new chapter in its history.

“Of the sixty-four marshes, Majia Dang is the foremost.” Historically, Majia Dang has been a major base for fishery production. During the Republican era, there were already professional fishermen engaged in both offshore and inland fishing here. For a long time, these fishermen had no fixed residence on land and drifted year-round across rivers and lakes, leaving many children unable to attend school and entire fishing families remaining illiterate for generations. In 19引 (likely a typo; context suggests 1950s), the Funing County government initiated a pilot program for resettling fishermen on land in Majia Dang. Three hundred and seventy-eight fishing households formed the Hongliu Brigade, 280 houseboat families from the suburbs of Funing Town formed the Chengfeng Brigade, and 100 scattered houseboat families formed the Hongbin Brigade—all settling within the Majia Dang Aquatic Products Commune. The fishermen engaged in both collective and individual fishing operations, with county aquatic departments often dispatching personnel to accompany fishing boats, providing guidance while purchasing catches. Thanks to improved equipment, fishery yields continued to rise, and fishermen’s incomes steadily increased. In recent years, Majia Dang’s fishery industry has seen significant growth. The township now has over 1,000 professionals engaged in fishery production, 620 motorized fishing vessels with a total capacity of 3,115 tons, and a combined mechanical power of 4,335 horsepower. Annual marine catch totals 35,000 kilograms (including 2,400 kilograms of fish and 11,000 kilograms of other species), while freshwater catches amount to 2,227,000 kilograms (including 772,000 kilograms of fish, 181,000 kilograms of shrimp and crabs, and 1,274,000 kilograms of shellfish). Freshwater aquaculture spans 9,400 mu, yielding 988,000 kilograms (including 636,000 kilograms of fish and 352,000 kilograms of shrimp and crabs). Fishery revenue reaches 26.8 million yuan. Produced fish, crabs, and shrimp are continuously supplied to markets via the Yima Highway and the southern route of the Yanshui Waterway, meeting the needs of urban and rural residents.

As an ancient poem goes: “Chrysanthemums turn yellow, osmanthus fragrance drifts early—Huaiyang praises the lake crab.” The large crabs produced here, with their green shells, white bellies, rich roe, tender meat, and delicious flavor, have long been regarded as a delicacy fit for banquets. As early as the Ming and Qing dynasties, they were tributes to the imperial court. In the early years of the People’s Republic, Majia Dang crabs were abundant, with annual yields exceeding 500,000 kilograms. However, after sluices were built downstream on the Sheyang River and the North Jiangsu Irrigation Main Canal, the migratory routes for crabs and fish were blocked, leading to the disappearance of Majia Dang crabs. In the 1970s, the county’s diversified operations department bred crab larvae by the sea each year and released them, but with little success. Reform and opening-up gave the people of Majia Dang wings of gold, transforming barren marshes into golden and silver treasures. They renovated the township-run fish farm, reclaimed all abandoned ditches, ponds, wastelands, and low-lying farmland, converting them into fishponds of various sizes. The aquaculture area reached 14,500 mu, including 6,500 mu of intensive farming bases and 561 crab ponds. Climbing to the observation deck of Majia Dang’s small street, one can gaze out at the crab ponds nestled among the reed marshes—round, square, large, and small—scattered like stars in the sky, resembling an “Eight Trigrams formation” on the water. A 20-li-long flood prevention embankment, like a

In recent years, while focusing on promoting local fish and crab industries, the local government has also turned its attention to developing local resources and creating distinctive local landscapes. Without compromising flood prevention, water storage, or flood discharge functions, they have developed 5,000 acres of open water areas, cultivating lotus roots in expansive fields to form a picturesque scene of "ten miles of waterways, ten miles of lotus fragrance." In these waters, lotus leaves stand tall and graceful, glistening dewdrops sparkle like jade, and fragrant breezes waft through the air. The pristine white lotuses sway gracefully amidst endless green leaves, appearing particularly vibrant and elegant. Being there feels like stepping into a fairyland. The millennium-old Huaidong Ancient Temple—Dong’an Temple—has laid the foundation for its reconstruction project; construction has also commenced on the Malang Water Park in the heart of the reed marshes; a 50-acre fishing center is under development; along with a water resort that combines tourism, sightseeing, vacationing, and recuperation. Majia Dang will offer distinctive water town services to all its visitors.

“When the winds of the East blow, spring fills the eyes.” Majia Dang, this pearl of the water towns in northern Jiangsu, will become even more prosperous, beautiful, and desirable as it moves forward with the pace of reform and opening up.

Majia Dang Community: Located 4 kilometers south of Xingyang Community. … More details about the Majia Dang Community++