Mayu Island
Island in Guangdong, China
Mayu Island also known as Double Island is a strategically located island in Shantou(Swatow), Guangdong. It is unusual for having two Mazu temples on the same island. The island is located in the estuary of Shantou port, and has an area of 0.97 square kilometers, an elevation of 39 meters, and a coastline of 2.3 km. In the 19th century when Shantou was a treaty port, Mayu was the location of the British and American consulates and a customs house.
Names
The island was originally named Mǎyǔ (simplified Chinese: 马屿; traditional Chinese: 馬嶼; lit. 'horse isle') as it was thought to look like the front of a horse coming out of the water. Nowadays it is called Māyǔ (simplified Chinese: 妈屿; traditional Chinese: 媽嶼; lit. 'mother isle'). In imperial times, it was called the "mountain (or island) for letting chickens go" (simplified Chinese: 放鸡山; traditional Chinese: 放雞山; pinyin: Fàng Jī Shān; simplified Chinese: 放鸡岛; traditional Chinese: 放雞島; pinyin: Fàng Jī Dǎo) due to the tradition of fishers bringing live chickens to the island's Mazu temple and letting them go. It is also nicknamed "the key to customs" (simplified Chinese: 海关钥匙; traditional Chinese: 海關鑰匙; pinyin: hǎiguān yàoshi) due to its strategic location along an important waterway and its history of hosting customs houses.
The public source identifies “Mayu Island” as island in Guangdong, China. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Mayu, Island and Guangdong.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Mayu Island”, the useful work is to connect “island in Guangdong, China” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q10943000. Authority coordinates are 23.338, 116.748. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Mayu Island”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Mayu Island primary sources, Mayu Island archive and Mayu research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Mayu Island” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.