Legend states that the capital city of the province, Guangzhou, was founded by five celestial beings who landed from the sky riding on the backs of five flying goats, each with a rice stem in it's mouth.  The five gods, wishing this area to be forever famine free, gave the ability to grow rice to the local peasants.

After the beings departed, the goats turned to stone.  In 1959, Guangzhou paid tribute to these benevolent goats and erected a granite statue in Yiexiu Park, Central district, as the city's symbol.  Today, there are many "goat statues" in the "Goat City", but perhaps, Yiexiu park has the most impressive.

Update - 2006:  Kentucky Fried Chicken has been available for a year or so now.  And Pizza Hut has moved 20 minutes away!  

Since 1976, I've lived in Korea, Taiwan and China more than fifteen years.  In 2002, I returned to mainland China to further research the origins, history and practice of Southern Praying Mantis Kungfu.  Little did I know then, where that quest would take me.  Some five years later now, I'm still living in Pingshan Town, Guangdong Province.

Pingshan is a bustling town that some consider a village.  Actually, its a non-stop, 24 hours a day, metropolis, comprised of some 125 smaller villages, most of them industrial.  In 2004, it was put on the map by the opening of the first McDonalds' franchise (according to McDonald's map). 

The closest Kentucky Fried Chicken is still 20 minutes away, but, I expect someone is looking to open a franchise here soon, especially, since, in all of the province, the local chickens are noted for their tasty meat and unique features of "three yellow spots and a beard," that is, yellow beak, yellow feathers, yellow feet and red beard.

Pingshan is located in the Longgang District of Shenzhen City, east Guangdong province.  Guangdong Province is situated in the southern most part of China and has a population of some one hundred million people comprised of 42 individual ethnic groups, one being the Hakka people.  Very fertile, with as little as 15% of it's land under cultivation, the province still produces twice the national average of rice.
 

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SURVEY HOME
THIS VOLUME HOME

PINGSHAN CELEBRATION QUICK LINKS
Guangdong
Longgang
Pingshan
East River
Wong Yook Gong
Written History
Wong Yao Fei
Wong Yao Hong
Wong Yao Hua
Ancestral Shrine
Addendum to History Unicorns Dancing
Youth Demonstrations Various Demonstrations Wong Yao Hong Demo Dinner Banquet
Local Hakka Culture

VOLUME TWO
China Mantis Reunion

VOLUME THREE
Iron Ox / Kwongsai Interviews

VOLUME FOUR
Chung Yel Chong / Som Dot's Trail

VOLUME FIVE
Chu Gar Praying Mantis

CONCLUSION

ADDENDUMS
Wong Yu Hua Interviews

Wong Yook Gong's Training Creed

Visit China Free

(c) Copyright 2002, RDH 
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MANTIS CELEBRATION