Chinese News: Cultural scholar Zhu Zhengming went to Central America to look for the Guandi Culture

World Guangong Culture Net News:According to the media reports from China News Service, China Daily and Hong Kong Phoenix News: In the early spring of February, Zhu Zhengming, Chinese photographer and cultural scholar, traveled to Panama, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico and other countries to visit and spread the Chinese Guandi culture, and explore the touching stories of Chinese development overseas.

●Guandi Temple in Panama Chinatown becomes a cultural exchange window.

Panama, which runs through the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, has only established diplomatic relations with China for more than six months. More than 100 years ago, the Chinese opened the railways and canals for Panama, with sweat and blood, receiving the love and esteem of the Panamanian government and people. Today, the world's famous Bridge of the Americas has a Sino-Panama Park, with the exotic" 150th Anniversary Monument for the Arrival of Chinese People at Panama” standing by the Panama Canal.

 In the Chinatown in the old city of Panama, the four characters of the "Guan Di Bao Dian" made by coloured glaze are vigorous and powerful, and are lined with the royal blue brick, which is particularly eye-catching. Up to the second floor, it is a quaint Guandi Hall, with the glazed dragon wall, Qing Dynasty plaque, affectionate couplet, incense burner of Guangxu Emperor, mahogany shrine…It can be seen that the Panamanian Chinese religiously respect the Guangong.

 Plaque of the 24th year of Guangxu Emperor of the Qing Dynasty in Panama Guandi Temple. (Photographed by Zhu Zhengming).

Zhu Zhengming presented the monograph of Guandi culture of Travel Around the World to Visit Guangong and the portrait of Guangong by the Chinese painter Kang Feng to Huang Weiwen, President of the Panama Chinese Merchants Association, Zhong Wenzhi, chairman of Guandi Temple, and other overseas Chinese community leaders. (Photographed by Ma Qiao)

 A Chinese girl photographed the inscription on the Chinese monument on the Panama Canal. (Photographed by Zhu Zhengming)

●The image of Guangong in Chinatown in the capital of Costa Rica.

There is no traditional Guandi Temple in Costa Rica. Walking into the Chinatown, you can see the image of Guangong everywhere. Guo Yilian, dean of the Confucius Institute in Costa Rica, drove along with Zhu Zhengming to the Confucius Institute. At the entrance, one side is a portrait of Confucius, and the other is a statue of Guangong.

In San Jose, Costa Rica, Zhu Zhengming presented the portraits of Guandi and the book"Travel Around the World to Visit Guangong" to  Mo Chunfa (the second from the right), Costa Rica's overseas Chinese community leader, Huang Huanxin (the first from the right), and Hugo Antonio Jimenez Bastos (middle), Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Communications of Costa Rica. (Photographed by Ge Qiao)

●Some of the Chinese descendants of Cuba enshrine the customs.

Cuba is a mysterious country. Many Chinese people have a complex with Cuba. There are three Guangong halls in the capital of Cuba, Havana, one in the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, one in the Longgang Assembly Building, and one in Chinese Freemasons headquarters. The oldest Guangong statue was built in Guangzhou in the 19th year of Emperor Guangxu of Qing Dynasty and was transported from Guangdong of China to Cuba.

In the old Chinatown, Zhu Zhengming visited the Hong Men Association. The Guan Gong, which is enshrined by Hongmen, is the God brought from China and continues the tradition of Chinese culture.

Xia Yuanhang, a young overseas Chinese of nearly 30 years old, was born in Heilongjiang in 1988. He came to Cuba six years ago and is now the general manager of a cultural tourism company. His wife, Karen Amadeor Vasallo, is a beautiful Cuban girl. She is an assistant professor of law at University of Havana and also an IT engineer. She has studied at Beijing Foreign Studies University. This “beauty super scholar” is good at four foreign languages and is fluent in Chinese. When Xia Yuanhang took Zhu Zhengming to visit the old city of Cuba, he said that we must inherit the long Chinese culture and also learn from the civilizations of the world.

Chinatown in Havana, Cuba

Guangong enshrined in the hall of the Headquarters of Chinese Freemasons in Cuba. (Photographed by Zhu Zhengming)

Zhu Zhengming talked about the world’s Guandi culture and customs to Jiang Zulian (middle), Chairman of the Chinese Freemasons General Association in Cuba, and Wu Guangsheng, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Freemasons General Association in Cuba. (Photographed by Xia Yuanhang)

 At the Confucius Institute of University of Havana, Cuba, Zhu Zhengming told the story of Guangong to the students and presented the calendar of Guangong's works by Mr. Kang Feng, a Chinese mainland painter. (Photographed by Xia Yuanhang)

●The Guangong statues in the shops of Mexican Chinatown all looked different.

Jin Jiachi, chairman of the Mexican Association of Chinese Enterprises, took Zhu Zhengming and visited the new and old overseas Chinese people in Chinatown. The HK Chinese Crafts Store, Shun Li Crafts Store and Lanting Gift Shop in Chinatown all enshrined Guangong. In the shop counter, the copper casting Guangong, golden Guangong and ceramic Guan Gong statues from Yiwu of Zhejiang province, Foshan of Guangdong province, and other places all looked different.

Golden Guangong enshrined in the HK Crafts Store in Chinatown, Mexico. (Photographed by Zhu Zhengming)

Zhu Zhengming presented the Guandi cultural gifts to President Jin Jiachi of the Mexican Overseas Chinese Community Leader (the third from the left). (Photographed by Anonymous)