IF you believe that Shenzhen is a city with a mere 26 years of history, you might be wrong. A new museum opened Thursday (May 25) at Xiasha community in Futian District, which shows that the city's history can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), roughly 800 years ago.

Ancient literature housed in the museum also shows that local residents in the community, most of whom share the same family name Huang, are descended from the Huang Kingdom in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC).

"It's common sense that Shenzhen is a city with only two decades' history. Actually, it refers to the period when Shenzhen was named one of China's special economic zones," said Zhang Litong, director of the Futian District, at the museum's opening.

With exhibits in both Chinese and English, the museum uses ancient literature, docudramas and relics to trace the history of the Huang clan, which arrived in Xiasha 800 years ago from Henan Province via Hubei, Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.

Ancestral temples and a tomb built during the Song Dynasty are preserved in the community, as evidence of the legend. Visitors can find small-scale models of the temples, tomb and ancient Hakka villages in the museum.

Tens of lifelike bronze statues around the museum recreate the life of local residents prior to 1980. Statues of human beings fishing, raising oysters and eating big basin dishes together are the most popular ones.

Prominent among those depicted in statues is the Xiasha-born Huang Yaoting, vice chief of staff during the Shanzhoutian Revolt in the Revolution of 1911. The revolution finally ended 2,000 years of imperialism in China, and Huang is respected as a patriotic hero.

"Construction on the museum began in 2002, and we collected numerous rare literature works and documents about the Huang clan. Some of them were written in the Song and Qing dynasties," said Huang Yingchao, spokesman of the project and head of a community-owned company.

"The community has invested millions of yuan on the museum, hoping that visitors could understand the local history and culture," he said.

Before the special economic zone was founded, the Xiasha community was made of six small villages. The community now owns a 400-millon-yuan (US$50 million) company and is one of the richest communities in the city.

Editor: Wing