The world is as big as Potouwei. I believe everyone living in Zhanjiang has heard this sentence. However, I believe few people know what the real meaning of this sentence is and when it began to spread.

The world is as big as Potouwei. There are currently many versions of the origin and meaning of this sentence, and the Zhanjiang Evening News also has different interpretations, but they are all conjectures, far-fetched, and unconvincing.

I grew up in Potou, so I am very interested in this folk slang.

After years of investigation and understanding, we learned that this sentence originated from a joke spoken by students of Zhanjiang No. 2 Middle School in the 1970s.

Potouwei was built in the Ming Dynasty and is located in the center of Huangpo, Longtou, Qiantang, Nansan, and Masie. It has a unique geographical location and is in the traffic flow of Wuchuan and Dianbai to and from Guangzhou Bay, Leizhou, Xuwen, and Hainan.

On the road.

Before 1976, when the Shimen Bridge was not built, people traveling from Leizhou, Xuwen and Hainan to the provincial capital Guangzhou, the Pearl River Delta and other places passed through this bridge.

In Zhanjiang, Potouwei, Huangpowei and Mazhangwei in the Qing Dynasty are relatively famous.

Handicrafts and small commodities are relatively developed.

When the French colonists occupied Guangzhou Bay, they built the highest administrative institution at that time, the Minister's Hall, in Potouwe, as well as a French-Chinese school to train colonial administrators.

This shows the importance of Potouwei’s geographical location at that time.

Potou has been under the jurisdiction of Wuchuan since ancient times. Its folk customs, culture, and commerce are in the same vein as Wuchuan, and it has a strong sense of emphasizing culture and business.

During the colonial period, there were a number of wealthy businessmen such as Xu Aizhou, Chen Chuocai, and Liang Jun. In the old days, they owned half of the properties in Sanmin Road and Dongdi Road alone in Guangzhou Bay.

They also monopolized the entire shipping industry in Guangzhou Bay.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the French rulers established a post office in Potou. In the 1920s and 1930s, Potou had a private passenger station with four charcoal-burning passenger buses that ran between Meilu and Dongying (Maxie).

At that time, there were many oil shops, restaurants, hotels, shops, opium dens, casinos, and pawn shops, and industry and commerce were prosperous. There was also a local chamber of commerce established at that time.

During the 147th fair period, villagers from the surrounding areas of Huangpo, Longtou, Gantang, Nansan and Masie are attracted to take advantage of the fair.

It even attracted merchants from Huazhou, Lianjiang and other places to trade commodities.

The main commodities include salt, five grains, and three kinds of livestock.

Souvenirs, daily necessities, and even smuggled foreign yarn, foreign cloth, Western medicine, fire water, tungsten sand, etc.

There are all kinds of people in the world, including medicine sellers, fortune tellers, opera singers, jugglers, etc.

There are fruit, snacks, sweets, and porridge stalls, and the place is crowded and lively.

In March 1936, the French colonial rulers forcibly introduced the "Compulsory Public Service Law" in Potou, which aroused strong opposition from the people of Potou.

More than 30,000 people in Potou held a demonstration, demanding that the French ruling authorities withdraw this evil law. The rulers shot and suppressed the demonstrators. The people of Potou could not bear it anymore and rose up in resistance. They surrounded the French military camp, attacked the public bureau building, and seized the guns.

The armed struggle that lasted for more than a year forced the arrogant French rulers to bow their heads, revoked the "Compulsory Public Service Law", replaced the chief executive of Potou, and compensated the lives of those who were killed.

This was the "March 3rd" anti-French incident that shocked China and the world.

This incident shocked the Nanjing government and the authorities in Paris, France.

After liberation, during the people's commune period, the period of Potouwei was changed from 147 to 15.

In that era of material and cultural poverty, people regarded going to the market as a pleasure and an important day. Trade in farm products and by-products, and blind dates and friends were all chosen on the polder day.

Every polder day, people put down their farm work, call friends, and flock to Potouwei from all directions.

At that time, Potouwei was mainly composed of three ancient narrow streets built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The street, which is less than three or four meters wide, is occupied by stalls on both sides. There are many people on the narrow street, and the flow of people seems to be crowded.

It's the New Year's Day, and the water is blocked and the cannons can't be fired.

All kinds of transactions are dazzling.

Indeed, the polder day in Potouwei is famous far and wide.