Shatian Town is located in southwest Dongguan. It covers 111.5 square kilometers, a population of about 180,000 and a registered population of more than 40,000. Shatian is known as “A Land of Abundance” and was once awarded the name “National Advanced Agriculture Unit”. In 2000, the town was named the first “Town of Dragon Boats” by the state. In 2005, Shatian was named a “Top 1,000 Towns for Comprehensive Development.” Shatian Town has won many other honorary titles, such as Important Town of Chinese Port Logistics, Education Power Town of Guangdong Province, Hygiene Town of Guangdong Province and Landscape Town of Guangdong Province. In recent years, Shatian has established the strategic goal becoming a “port economy, coastal city, harmonious Shatian” to promote increased development and promote continued economic growth.
Shatian is known as “Town of Dragon Boats” and “A Land of Abundance.” Its Danjia culture and Xianshui Music are also part of the town’s unique cultural heritage. Shatian’s dragon boat team has participated in national competitions in Europe and Asia on behalf of China many times and won prizes for their excellent performance. The town was named the first “Town of Dragon Boats” in 2000 by the General Administration of Sports of China. By concentrating on the essence of Shatian’s water town culture, Danjia culture is influenced by the town’s aquatic traditions. In addition, Xianshui Music reflects the richness of local culture, recording the town’s history and was once popular in Hong Kong, Macao and even Vietnam. Xianshui Music has even been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong Province and Dongguan as a Class I intangible cultural heritage of Guangdong Province.