Former Site of Dongsha Market

Former Site of Dongsha Market

The former site of Dongsha Market is a cultural relic protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

The former site of Dongsha Market is located at No. 17 Yanhe Road, Dongsha Community, Dongsha Town, Daishan County. In ancient times, the nearby Daishan North’s Daquyang area was rich in large yellow croaker resources, attracting fishermen from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian to catch them. Dongsha Jiao became a bustling fishing harbor as fishing boats gathered here. With the rise of the fishing industry, people from all over and various craftsmen flocked in, leading to a population increase. Residents spontaneously gathered along both sides of the streets to set up stalls, forming the earliest free market, known as “Heng Jie Tou.” In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), the Heng Jie Tou market area of Dongsha was destroyed by fire. It was soon restored, and gradually makeshift theaters were erected, with over two hundred long bamboo chairs installed. During the day, acrobatics were performed, while in the evening, operas such as Yue Opera and Peking Opera were staged. Opposite was a venue called “Dali Company.” After the war, the makeshift theater collapsed. In 1953, the government built the Dongsha Market on the ruins of the makeshift theater, which remains to this day.

The current market building is 24.90 meters long and 23.20 meters wide, covering an area of 578 square meters. It is a single-story corridor-style structure forming a square layout, facing south. There is a corridor gate on each side of the north, with an exit at the south; two sheds stand in the central courtyard, featuring king post trusses and hip-and-gable roofs covered with small blue tiles.

The structure and architectural style of the former Dongsha Market site retain characteristics of buildings from the Republican era and are relatively well preserved. Within the current Daishan Island and the Zhoushan Archipelago, no similar buildings with the same function can be found, giving it significant historical and cultural value. It was designated as a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit in February 2011.

Dongsha Community: Dongsha Community is located at the northwest tip of Daishan Island. After an administrative adjustment in June 2005, it was formed by merging the former Dongsha Community and Nianmu Village. It covers a total area of 4 square kilometers with a population of 5,044 and 2,586 households. Among them, 1,836 residents are aged 60 or above, accounting for 36.4% of the total population. The community has one General Party Branch Committee, five Party Branches, 24 Party Groups, and 228 Party members. The main industry is manufacturing, with rapid growth seen in various small-scale family workshops, small enterprises in toys, packaging, and other industries below designated size, showing consecutive annual increases in output value. The area also includes shrimp farming… Dongsha Community Detailed Information++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units