In Jimei, during the Spring Festival every year, from the sixth day to the fifteenth day of the first month, there will be temple fairs in many places. For example, at the Suncuo Temple Fair on the sixth day of the first month, the statue of Sun Huiying, a famous doctor of the Song Dynasty who was given by Song Shenzong, will be carried out for a parade. There are also the Temple Fair named Li in Xiawu on the eighth day and the Temple Fair named Twenty-four Society in Zhang on the fifteenth day of the first month.
However, in Jimei Society, the hometown of overseas Chinese, the Lantern Festival religious and folk temple fair is the largest on the 11th day of the first month. When the parade passes through the streets and lanes of Jimei, firecrackers are deafening, and the thick smoke is suffocating. However, the spectacle and the large number of people gathered are rare. Folks at home and abroad and local people have paid homage to Wang Shenzhi, the "King of Fujian" and Chen Wenrui, the "ancestor of Jinshi", praying for a good weather, peace and prosperity in the new year.
Historical origin
Wang Shenzhi: According to historical records, Wang Shenzhi was originally an official in frontier defense. In the first year of Tang Jingfu, he was ordered by his brother Wang Chao to lead an army to attack Fuzhou and pacify all Fujian. Wang Shenzhi has been in charge of Fujian's military and political power for 29 years. He takes history as a mirror, takes the people as the foundation, adopts the policy of protecting the environment and benefiting the people, and despises taxes and encourages agriculture to promote learning. He appealed to exile, selected talents, and opened wider to the outside world. In particular, the eighteen surnames entered Fujian with Wang and settled a large number of refugees from the Central Plains. This was another climax after the Yongjia Rebellion. These Zhongyuan people who went south brought new cultures and new technologies from the north, which promoted the economic and cultural development of Fujian. In the situation of disputes between five dynasties and ten countries, Bamin not only avoided the suffering of war, but also politics, economy and culture. Wang Shenzhi thus became a rare king with outstanding achievements and far-reaching influence in the history of Bamin, and enjoyed the reputation of "King of Fujian". Song Taizu royal gift "ancestors of Bamin" horizontal plaque.
Wang Shenzhi manages Fujian, paying special attention to developing the coastal areas of Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou in southern Fujian. When developing Tongan House, he stayed in Tongan, went to Jiahe Island (now Jimei) in Xunwei, and died of illness in Chenshan, Tongan. At the end of Tang Dynasty and the beginning of Song Dynasty, the local people in southern Fujian built Guangli Temple in Beichen Mountain, and made a golden statue for it to worship the "King of Fujian". By the end of the Ming Dynasty, many people in Xiamen, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou followed Zheng Chenggong to recover Taiwan Province, bringing with them the gods of Wang Shenzhi and the incense of the mainland. There are still many people who have migrated overseas, most of whom are from Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and other places, and they have always worshipped Wang Shenzhi, the "King of Kaimin". More than 1111 years have passed. Although Wang Shenzhi's descendants are scattered all over the country, everyone is grateful for their ancestors' meritorious deeds.
Jimei belonged to Tong 'an House at that time, and Chen folks built Wang Shenzhi Temple in Zucuo, which attracted incense from Beichen Mountain, and honored it as "Ship Spirit Gong" and became the "Branch Furnace" of Beichen Mountain. Jimei Society, the hometown of overseas Chinese, has been worshipping this ancestor for hundreds of years. In 1913, when Mr. Chen Jiageng returned to Jimei Dashe's hometown from Nanyang to run a school, Chen Jiageng missed the "King of Kaimin" here, and built and expanded Chen's ancestral home to worship the "King of Kaimin". Nowadays, there are more than thousands of temples in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and southern Fujian. Wang Shenzhi has become one of the important sources of Fujian-Taiwan culture and a scenic spot of religious tourism in Fujian and Xiamen. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a grand sacrificial ceremony is held every year. On the one hand, it thanks Wang Shenzhi, the king of Fujian, for his achievements in developing Fujian, and on the other hand, it prays for good weather, peace and good luck in the coming year.
Chen Wenrui: A native of Erfangjiao, Jimei Dashe, whose birth name should be Wen Rui, and his nickname is the same in his later years. Born in the Wanli period of Ming Shenzong in 1573 AD, his family was poor, and his father died early. When he was young, he was very smart and calm, and rarely talked and laughed. Whenever he had a rest with his brother in farming, he always put it down. The loving mother felt that he was eager to learn and was ambitious, so she sent him to study in a school. In the Ming Dynasty Wanli Wuwu branch (AD 1618), Dai Guozhang was listed as a candidate in the public examination; Tomorrow, Yu Huang's list of B-Ugly Department (AD 1625) will be opened, and the order of Wu County in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province will be appointed. A late bloomer is one at the age of fifty. He became the first scholar in Jimei Dashe High School, and was called "Jinshi Zu".
During his term of office, he was honest, diligent, loving the people, not afraid of powerful people, impartial in law enforcement, and upright. "Five years of wearing a star to press the prison", "Don't dare to scratch it". His pleading for life and justice for the people attracted the jealousy of the local vested interests, regarded it as a thorn in the side and wanted to get rid of it quickly.
It is reported that after the expiration of his five-year term, Chen Wenrui took a leave of absence to visit relatives in his hometown, and took dozens of big boxes with him on his way home. The local tyrants and evil gentry in Wuxian thought that they were all filled with gold, silver and jewels, and gathered people to forcibly stop them, and jointly sued them for looting the people's fat and paste. The superior had to put a seal on the box and fly it to the court to send someone to investigate it. After unpacking inspection, I didn't expect that besides old clothes, cloth shoes and Tao Pan crock, there were bricks and gravel "pretending to be gold and silver". It turned out that during his tenure, Chen Wenrui was honest and self-disciplined, and he was not greedy for a penny. Therefore, he was unable to return home dressed in gold, fearing that people in the village would laugh, so he had to "confuse the real with the fake." In order to reward Chen Wenrui's incorruptibility, Emperor Xizong gave a plaque of "Zunqintang" and ordered sixteen officers to carry it out of the city horizontally. If the graves of houses get in the way, they will be allowed to dismantle the passage. In order not to disturb the people along the way, Chen Wenrui returned to his hometown by boat instead of by land, leaving a much-told story.
Because Chen Wenrui is upright and uncorrupted, he doesn't favor powerful people and offend eunuchs. The eunuch was impeccable in finding fault, so they called Chongzhen in person and transferred him to Beijing for appointment. Looking for opportunities to stab in the back in the future. After Chen Wenrui was unwell, it was not suitable to stay in office, and the emperor allowed him to play. In this way, Chen Wenrui was able to avoid disaster and return home to spend his old age.
when Chen wenrui returned to the club, he only built a humble shelter because he was short of money. During the Anti-Japanese War, Dashe was bombed by Japanese invaders, and the former residence was razed to the ground. Later, Mr. Chen Jiageng built it as it was in memory of the rural sages, so that the villagers could live there.
nowadays, the plaque of "Jinshi" and "Zunqintang", which show the highest glory, are proof of the prosperity of Dashe's humanities. However, it was burned down during the Cultural Revolution, and the plaque hanging in this ancestral temple is a copy. In order to commemorate and encourage the children of the clan to get ahead and learn, the villagers of Jimei Dashe also carried out his idol on the fifteenth day of the first month to worship and pray for the clan. ①②③
Brief introduction of the temple fair process
On the day before the Lantern Festival, merchants and homes along Jimei street prepared tributes and set up console tables along the street. Wealthy families prepared whole pigs and sheep, and ordinary families also prepared abundant tributes such as chicken, pork, fresh melons and fruits. No matter how many tributes, the pious mind was the same. At the same time, a bucket is placed under the eaves in front of the door, and soybeans, sweet potatoes, straw and other things are built in. According to the old man, this is not only to prepare food for "the soldiers and horses who opened the king of Fujian", but also to symbolize the people's good wishes for a bumper harvest in the coming year.
(Sacrifice scene in the ancestral square of Dashe on that day)
At 8 o'clock in the morning of Lantern Festival, the gods of five sages ("Kaimin King" Wang Shenzhi, Mrs. Wang Shenzhi, Wang Shenzhi's sister, "Jinshi Zu" Chen Wenrui, and the black-faced ancestor) were invited out by Eight Carriers, led by Dragon Dance Team, Waist Drum Team and flags at all corners for a whole day. For a time, drums and firecrackers exploded, and in the midst of drums and firecrackers, they turned lanes along the street and cruised along a fixed route. Believers followed them all the way, burning incense and praying, and the procession became longer and longer, stretching for miles. Merchants along the street are in high spirits and open the door to meet God.
The annual cruise route takes the ancestral hall at each corner as the connecting line, and the route will almost connect the main streets and alleys here in Jimei Cultural and Educational Zone. The specific route is roughly as follows: starting from Dashe Zucuo at 8: 11 in the morning, passing Dashe Road-Jicen Road-Centou Xiangdian (stopping at Jimei Department Store)-Cen West Road-Jiageng Road (the gate of Jingxue Village)-Guocuo. At 1: 11 p.m., the incense starts from Dashe Zucuo, and passes through Dashe Road-Dun South Road-South Gate of Monument-Shangting Fragrant Point (Fragrant Stop Point: Shangting Corner)-Huancheng Road-Jicen Road-Tang Qing Xiang Point (Fragrant Stop Point: Banyan Tree in Tang)-Huancheng Road-Tangpu Road-Shengguang Road (Fragrant Point in New District)-Shengguang Road. Stay at each incense spot for 31 minutes, so that people nearby have time to worship and pray.
("King Kaimin" Wang Shenzhi, Mrs. Wang Shenzhi and Wang Shenzhi's sister are seated)
The person who carries the Buddha statue requires a strong young man from the Chen clan. And those flags are not for everyone to raise. The flag bearer must be a young man who just got married last year or gave birth to a boy last year.
On the cruise, every time I go to a place of worship, I have to carry the idol around several times and swing from side to side. Wherever I go, there are crowds of people, firecrackers are even more deafening, and the scene is very lively. It is said that this is because these gods stay in the temple 365 days a year, and rarely come out once a year, so they are so excited that they dance with their hands and feet that sedan chair people can't hold back.
After the day's parade, Wang Shenzhi, the "King of Kaimin", and other gods returned to the square in front of the Chen Ancestral Hall of Jimei Society, where they were worshipped by Chen clan relatives, folks from home and abroad and local people. During the period, colorful folk activities such as dragon and lion dances, Taiwanese opera and puppet shows will be interspersed, which will become the most lively day in Jimei. On the 16th day of the first month, there will be an "attack on cannon city" in ancestral temple square, which is less lively than the 15th day of the first month.
According to the old people, this religious custom of Lantern Festival has existed since ancient times, but it stopped during the Cultural Revolution, and some ancestral halls were destroyed. After the reform and opening up, it was restored. About a few years ago, it was banned by the government as a superstitious activity. According to local people, one year on the day of the Lantern Festival parade, the police were dispatched to stop the Buddha statue from being carried out, and the long sticks for carrying the Buddha statue were also confiscated by the neighborhood Committee. The parade that morning didn't come true. However, it was still impossible to stop the devout faith of the local people. They sent old people to the neighborhood Committee to get back their long sticks, and in the afternoon, despite the resistance, they carried out the Buddha statue. Probably by the Spring Festival last year, this activity was allowed again, and the activities of that year were particularly grand and lively.
Nowadays, men, women and children of Jimei Club are very enthusiastic about this activity. Because, in the years when it was banned, there were ominous events in the local area, such as car accidents, which led the local people to believe in this activity. As a result, it has created a very lively custom of Jimei Lantern Festival every year.
detailed link of characters 1:
"Kaimin King" Wang Shenzhi ④
("Kaimin King" Wang Shenzhi (A.D. 862-925))
(Xiamen Beichen Mountain Kaimin King Wang Shenzhi statue)
"Kaimin King" Wang Shenzhi (A.D. 862-925), because of his great achievements during his stay in Fujian, On February 4th, 2117, the Fujian-Taiwan Wang Shenzhi Research Association, the first cultural research institution jointly organized by the two sides of the Taiwan Straits, was established in Fuzhou. The world knows more about Wang in Taiyuan, Shanxi. The following documents are listed for future collation, and at the same time, this platform is used to publicize the ancestors of Wang in Fujian and place their thoughts on them. Most of the descendants of Wang in Fujian were handed down by Wang Yanzheng, the fourth son of Wang Shenzhi, the king of Kaimin.
related literature (1)
"Kaimin King" was born in Wang Shenzhi (862-925), whose name was Xintong and Xiangqing, and whose name was Baima Saburo, from Gushi, Gwangju, Henan. From the first year of Guangqi (885) to his death, he worked in Fujian for 39 years, including in Fuzhou for 32 years, and successively served as Fuzhou observation assistant, Weijun stayed behind, proofreading the ministers of punishments, Weijun our time, proofreading the books in the same school, proofreading the right servant, proofreading the school, specially checking Stuart, proofreading Taibao, Langya Wang, Zhongshuling, etc.
Wang Shenzhi attaches importance to social security and stability. In August of the second year of Guangqi (886), Wang Shenzhi brothers led troops to attack Quanzhou and killed Liao Yanre, the Quanzhou assassin who was corrupt and committed all kinds of crimes. The observation in Fujian in Fuzhou forced Chen Yan to recognize the Wang brothers and asked the Tang court to appoint them as the secretariat of Quanzhou, and the appearance of Quanzhou quickly improved. In the second year of Dashun (891), Chen Yan died of illness, and his brother-in-law Fan Hui claimed to stay behind in Fuzhou. In the first year of Jingfu (892), Wang Shenzhi brothers made careful preparations for the unification of Fujian. After a year and three months of hard struggle, they finally laid the foundation of Fuzhou City on May 21st, the second year of Jingfu (893). After the Wang brothers entered the city, they personally "buried Chen Yan in plain clothes" and "cared for his family" to achieve stability. Later, the Wang brothers also set up Liu Xing's whole temple to worship it, which won great popularity and spread to all directions. Xu Guifan in Jianzhou and Zhong Quanmu in Tingzhou, as well as the scattered armed forces in mountainous areas and coastal areas, all of Fujian was unified. Wang Shenzhi has taken various measures to stabilize the social order in Fujian and create favorable conditions for Fujian's economic and cultural development.
Wang Shenzhi attaches great importance to economic development, mainly as follows: firstly, develop land and water transportation. In the year of Tianfuyuan (911), while he was building Luocheng, he dug and protected the city, and built Sisi Bridge and Jintongmen. In the third year of God bless (916), Wang Shenzhi built the Pearl-returning Gate in the south of Maoying Bridge in Fuzhou Main Street (now north of Dongjiekou), built Nanguan Bridge (now called Antai Bridge), and also opened the river to connect with Woqiao Pu, which led the tide through the city. In the second year of Houliang Kaiping (918), Shahe Bridge (also known as Jiuxian Bridge) was built. Second, expand domestic and foreign trade. When he was in power, he cancelled the checkpoints in the Minjiang River basin, so that goods could flow smoothly and materials could be exchanged between Baoshan District and coastal cities. At the same time, he opened a foreign trade port in Huang Qi Peninsula, which was called "Gan Tang Port" in history. Subsequently, Fuzhou and Korea, India, Sumatra and other countries, often have envoys and business trips, in Fuzhou and other places for economic and cultural trade activities. Imported products include ivory, rhinoceros horn, pearls, fragrant medicines and so on. Third, attach importance to the development of agricultural production. He appointed Yan Renyu, who has production experience, to manage agriculture, and sent effective officials to "patrol counties and counties and persuade farmers to teach mulberry", so as to recruit all the peasants who were exiled from various places because of the war to return home, give reasonable arrangements, and encourage them to reclaim land and develop production; In order to reduce farmers' tax burden, he decided to reduce farmers' tax burden by "tithing", "collecting without violence" and "there is no battle for war". He also encouraged farmers to plant tea trees and produce a large number of exported tea leaves to increase farmers' economic income. He attached great importance to the construction of water conservancy, such as repairing and dredging the West Lake in Fuzhou, expanding the original 21-mile West Lake to 41 miles, and irrigating the civilian fields in Min County and Houguan County; He built seawalls in Fuqing, protected fields from moisture and irrigated thousands of acres of civilian fields. Fourth, develop handicraft industry. For example, in the mountainous area of northern Fujian, there are many tea factories, including 38 official bakeries and 1336 private bakeries. In the southwest of Fuzhou, Wang Shenzhi has built 13 furnaces for casting. In Jianyang, the ceramic industry is also relatively developed. Set up a lead yard in Tingzhou to cast lead coins and copper coins. Later, he cast big iron money, with 511 articles as the penetration. At that time, handicraft production developed rapidly. During Wang Shenzhi's tenure, Fujian's economic construction has made great progress, and there has been a phenomenon of "good times and good years".
Wang Shenzhi attaches great importance to the development of culture and education. He attached great importance to the use of talents, and after he arrived in Fujian, he placed a large number of refugees from the Central Plains, especially cherishing the literati, and set up institutions such as recruiting scholars to receive them. He adopted Weng Chengzan's suggestion to "build four schools (institutions of higher learning) in Fuzhou to teach outstanding people in Fujian" and selected famous people such as Huang Tao as "four doctors". Under the advocacy of Wang Shenzhi, there was a state school in the state, a county school in the county, and a private school in a remote village. "Young people have been attached to teacher training, and the elderly have set up a country."