Dongguan Spirit Animal Association (or “Kongshan Union”, Chinese: 东莞灵兽协会, 空山社), is the local spirit animal association of Dongguan City. It combines elements of clans, sub-district offices and cooperatives to provide social supports for spirit animals in Dongguan and nearby areas.
History
Kongshan Fair: In his later years, Wukong the Spirit Monkey of the Tang Dynasty retired to Shuilian Mountain in Dongguan. There, he discovered the spirit realm of Kongshan Valley and made one of its caves his home. Despite living deep in the mountains, spirit animals occasionally visited him for guidance, and Wukong welcomed them warmly. After his passing, more spirit animals came to pay their respects, leading to the formation of a small spirit animal fair in Kongshan Valley.
Fengtai Poets Society: The Fengtai Poets Society was a literature club founded in Guancheng during the Southern Song Dynasty, bringing together local spirit animals who enjoyed writing and painting. Its headquarters was inside the spirit realm of Fengtai Observatory on Taoist Temple Mountain in Guancheng. The society established lecture halls modeled after Dongguan Confucius Temple to educate school-age spirit animals and study ancient spirit animal literature. During the war when the Yuan Dynasty overthrew the Song Dynasty, it provided shelter for displaced spirit animals.
Shuilian Hideout: By the Ming Dynasty, as Guancheng expanded, Fengtai Observatory became part of its downtown, making spirit animal activities increasingly difficult. During the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Dongguan faced political and military turmoil. The Fengtai Poets Society relocated to Kongshan Valley in Shuilian Mountain. Many spirit animals lost their livelihoods due to the maritime ban and Qing government’s no farming near the sea policy, prompting them to move to Kongshan as well. The Kongshan Fair evolved into a village with farmland for economic crops like lychees, earning it the name “Outer Heaven Lychee Orchard behind the Waterfall (Chinese: 水濂洞天, 世外荔苑)” among spirit animals of nearby areas.
Fell apart in chaotic times: Since the Opium War in the late Qing Dynasty, China has faced repeated invasions by foreign powers. The strategically located Dongguan area has frequently been embroiled in conflict. Spirit animals lived in seclusion in Kongshan Valley left to join the revolution to save the country, one by another, but none had returned. The remaining spirit animals gradually perished as well, leaving the once bustling valley quiet and abandoned. Nature slowly reclaimed the deserted village, and the local spirit animal organization in Dongguan fell apart.
Spirit animal association: After China’s reform and opening up in the 90s, Dongguan‘s population grew rapidly. Spirit animals from both domestic and foreign places flocked to the city. Nonlocal spirit animals united with the locals ones to establish a local spirit animal association by following the examples of major cities. The headquarters was established in Guancheng.
In subsequent years, Dongguan Spirit Animal Association expanded by setting up branches across different towns, rediscovering Fengtai Observatory and Kongshan Valley while engaging in various businesses. It has since become one of the best-operated spirit animal associations in China.
Organization
Unique characteristics: The Dongguan Spirit Animal Association is unique among its kind. Firstly, it operates as a cooperative, ensuring stable funding through its own businesses, a model after Dongguan Confucius Temple in the old times. Secondly, influenced by local clan culture, its members maintain close-knit relationships like a large family. Finally, it draws experiences from the local sub-district office to provide various social services for its members.
Businesses: The Dongguan Spirit Animal Association operates various businesses in the city. Despite significant public welfare expenditures, it remains profitable as a cooperative complex. Profits primarily cover employee wages, volunteer subsidies, and production expansion. The remaining funds are used to support spirit animal associations in less developed areas.
Education: The association helps school-age spirit animals secure education placements. Recently, it has also coordinated many younglings from remote areas to study in Dongguan.
Members: About 200 spirit animals, nearly everyone in the City. The organization functions like a clan, fostering close-knit relationships like to a large family. The current president is Luoqi the Spirit Moth.
Operation
The Dongguan Spirit Animal Association operates publicly under the name of “Dongguan Kongshan Cooperative (or Kongshan Union, Chinese: 东莞市空山合作社 or 空山社)”, offers social support for spirit animals in the Dongguan area and operates various businesses, including but not limited to:
- Social services
- Local spirit animal member list management
- Meeting organization
- Collecting membership fees and funding management
- Collective household registration
- Housing arrangement
- Job Introduction
- School arrangement for youngling
- Punishment of bad actors
- Neighborhood watch organization
- Social support for spirit animals in need
- Construction and operation of spirit power fluctuation monitoring network
- Investigation of spirit realms and closure of dangerous entrances
- Storage and research of spirit animal cultural relics
- Supporting other spirit animal associations
- Businesses
- Guancheng
- Coconut Grove Inn: dining and accommodation
- Silky Workshop: designer dressmaking
- Nancheng
- Kongshan Valley: farm, orchard, dining, tourism of Wukong’s former residence
- Liaobu
- White Crane Machine Factory: machinery design and manufacturing, formerly the Xinfeng Diesel Engine Factory
- Songshan Lake
- Everest Semiconductor: semiconductor chip and electronics design and manufacturing, production of spirit power related devices
- Humen
- Rainbow Garment Factory: large-scale garment factory
- Mirage Floating Night Market: dining and market
- Guancheng
Guancheng Headquarters
The Guancheng headquarters of Dongguan Spirit Animal Association is located at the so-called 10,000-seat open-air stadium (formally: the Veteran Clubhouse of Guancheng) in the People’s Park of Guancheng. This stadium has been abandoned for years before it was leased, renovated and used by Dongguan Spirit Animal Association since around 2000. The headquarters includes an office and a storage room for spirit animal relics, operating publicly as the “Coconut Grove Inn.”
- See: Coconut Grove Inn
Kongshan Division
The Kongshan division of the Dongguan Spirit Animal Association is situated in the Kongshan Valley of Shuilian Mountain, Nancheng. This spirit realm was discovered by Wukong the Spirit Monkey during the Tang Dynasty and developed into a small village, but it was later abandoned after the local spirit animal organization dissolved.
Rediscovered around 2000 by the Dongguan Spirit Animal Association, it is now open to the public as the “Kongshan Farm,” offering tours of “Wukong’s Former Residence” for spirit animals.
- See: Kongshan Valley
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