Liuhe is a pure Hakka county, located in Chaoshan dialect area, which has long formed a unique Hakka style. In terms of folk art, there are oral literature such as stories, jokes, proverbs, aphorisms, two-part allegorical sayings, legends and folk songs, as well as cultural performances such as waist encouragement, yangko, walking on stilts, lion dancing, playing with dragons, supporting scenery, moving scenery, puppet shows, acrobatic magic and eight-tone cards, as well as Chinese painting, oil painting, wood carving, clay sculpture and lighting. Hakka food culture is also very unique, such as smashing tea, cooking, making rice wine, making tofu, making pickles, making iron cakes, etc., which are quite famous.

Folk customs in mountainous areas have strong Hakka characteristics. There are many festivals in mountainous areas, all of which are related to farming. For example, when the "beginning of autumn" was sown in the seventh month of the lunar calendar, farmers harvested a bumper harvest to celebrate the early harvest and complete the late sowing task, so as to slaughter chickens and ducks, make bazan, thank the gods and thank relatives and friends for their mutual help; In some places, straw sheds are built on the "winter solstice" to make zanba and store winter feed for cattle. Thanks to the hard work of the old cows. When celebrating the New Year Lantern Festival, lion dance teams and folk art classes were organized to celebrate the New Year and visit villages to enhance the unity and friendship of villagers. There are young men and women in mountainous areas swinging and riding cars, and young men are distracted in the competition, which shows that the mountainous areas are tenacious and tenacious; Some rural women elaborately make "meters into hills" and "wells" more than one meter high to worship the gods to show their cleverness and dexterity; There are river fields, snail streams, estuaries, Don Juan's "high scenery" and Xintian's "landscape" to show the wisdom of the mountain people; And "Singing Elephant Song" and "Dancing Elephant Dance" in Nanwan Town. One of the more distinctive features is the "scenery" of the river field on the 20 th of the first month of each year. "Jing" is a beautiful and peculiar landscape, also known as "floating color on high platform", with a long history.

Luhe is an outstanding person and has always had many talents. Ye Mengxiong, Ye and other court officials appeared in the Ming Dynasty. After the founding of New China, a number of outstanding talents emerged in the political, military, cultural and commercial fields. Xie Fei, former member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress, is currently a lieutenant general and deputy commander of the military region. Lai Shaoqi, a famous master of calligraphy and painting, also grew up here. Mr. Peng, the king of Malaysian decks, was also born in Liuhe, where more than 300,000 overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan live.

The natural landscape of Luhe River is peculiar, with undulating mountains and overlapping mountains. Among them, Nangao Gorge Scenic Area not only has an eagle's beak on the top, but also has an eagle's beak on the bottom, such as two goshawks roaring in the sky, as well as grotesque boulders such as pomegranate flower stone, lion stone, bat stone and unicorn fire, which are vivid and lifelike. "Sanmenzhai" Waterfall, with three waterfalls in a row, is as high as four or five meters, which is very spectacular. There is a cave in the river bed of the canyon, which is called "the stone with beads". There is a ball the size of a volleyball in the cave. The water overflows the stone and never stops, but it can't be taken out. This is a unique miracle.

The "drought" of Shucun River in luo xi zhen is a peculiar landscape. Water came from the upper reaches of the river and suddenly disappeared in the "drought", while the water flowed under the rugged "drought" of strange rocks, and only after hundreds of meters did it see traces. Interesting people hit it with stones and made a sound like a drum.

The special geological landform makes Liuhe rich in hot spring resources. There are eight townships in the county, five of which have hot springs. The larger ones are Shang Hu Xia Long Hot Springs and Hotan Tangzili Hot Springs. Shang Hu hot springs belong to calcium carbonate type, and the temperature is between 44-56℃. Hotan hot spring is sulfur with high temperature. The water quality in both places is good. Regular bathing can treat chronic arthritis, myocarditis and various skin diseases.

There are nine halls and eighteen wells, cage house, Shangxian temple, five-star ancestral temple, "three generations and one product" temple, Shiyong building in Yongzheng period of Qing Dynasty and ancient castle participating in the construction of the city. There are some famous Buddhist temples such as Jianshan Temple, Juyun Temple, guangde temple, Huilongguan Temple, Ishikawa Temple and Nanci Temple, which prove that Hakka people seek spiritual sustenance.

There are many historical sites of the Luhe Revolution. Xintianwei Catholic Church was the former site where Zhou Enlai 1925 lived in March and 10/0 when he led the revolutionary army eastward. It was also the place where the joint meeting of party organizations and peasant associations in Hailufeng, Shantou and Huizhou counties was held during the Great Revolution1May, 927, and it was decided to set up the general headquarters of "Hui, Chao and Mei". 1929 former site of "Red Army Hospital" in Jishixi; There is the former site of the "Sanjiangkou" in Jishixi, and the first part of the "August 1st" Nanchang Uprising (namely the Red Second Division)1927; Jishixi has the former site of Gaogangzi, and the seat of the sea, land and air sub-county committee and county Soviet established by 1930.

1February, 949, hetian liberation. In March, the Frontier and Longitudinal Command, Dongyi Command, Jiangnan District Committee and Lufeng County Committee successively entered, and Hotan became the command center for the liberation of Guangzhou in Dongjiang Revolutionary Base.

Luhe County is almost 100% Hakka County. It is understood that some residents in Henglong District of xin tian zhen speak Hakka dialect and are familiar with the "Fulao" dialect. The ancestors of Liuhe originally lived in the Yellow River valley, and moved southward in batches due to famine in history, and successively arrived in Gulongchuan, Tingzhou, Fujian and even Jiangxi. Most of their customs and habits retain the color of the Central Plains people, but they are also influenced by the customs of the Fulao people in Fujian and Guangdong. However, traditional festivals have formed their own unique traditions. Now, describe the custom of Liuhe Festival separately.

Spring Festival is the biggest traditional festival of Hakka people in a year. Generally speaking, Liuhe people's Chinese New Year customs can be summarized as: pre-holiday preparation, ancestor worship on the afternoon of the 30th, New Year's Eve, setting off firecrackers (setting off firecrackers), fasting on the first day, opening the year on the second day, sending the poor on the third day, returning to parents' home on the fourth day, celebrating on the seventh day (eating seven kinds of vegetables and tea) and celebrating for fifteen and a half months (celebrating the Lantern Festival).

December 25th of the lunar calendar is called "annual price". On Wednesday afternoon, every family used the fattest capon, pork, eggs and rice wine to worship their ancestors in this ancestral hall or ancestral hall. This is a collective ancestor worship of Hakka people in the traditional Confucian ethics hall or ancestral temple. This is because the Hakka people, influenced by traditional Confucian ethics, have retained extremely solemn ancestor worship etiquette. Since ancient times, no one dares to ignore it and pass it on from generation to generation. After returning from ancestor worship, the whole family sat around a table for a reunion dinner, watched their old age around the stove and shared family happiness. On the first day of the first month, every household should carefully choose the opening time. As early as 11: 30 on New Year's Eve in spring, the slowest person will light a string of firecrackers after opening the door at four o'clock in the morning. This is exactly what firecrackers mean to destroy the old year and also indicates the beginning of the new year. Speaking of "string-burning cannon", it can be traced back to the legend of "burning bamboo to exorcise evil spirits" There is a history: Li Miao lived in the mountains, and her neighbors searched for the smell of jealous mountains. He ordered the bamboo to be thrown into the fire of the court on New Year's Eve, and the bamboo was heated and exploded in the fire, making a beep! Peep! Bang! Hey! " Noise and invisibility are surprises, and it will be safe at night. Later generations mistakenly thought that firecrackers could drive away evil spirits, and the legacy has been passed down to this day.

The custom of fasting on the first day is closely related to religion. In Hakka areas, there are many Buddhist beliefs among Xiao people, but many of them are monks. Even if they are not believers, they are influenced by Buddhism and Taoism. When they arrived, they formed a local custom. On the first day of the first lunar month, the people in charge of the family wash their mouths and faces devoutly, worship the gods and ancestors seriously, and have the first meal with the whole family. On the second day of the lunar new year, people call it "opening the year" Killing chickens and ducks at this time is the "New Year's Eve" before dawn.

On the third day of the first month of the "Third Day for the Poor", all the firecrackers, scraps of paper or other rubbish accumulated at home and outside the door are cleaned up, commonly known as "sending the poor". On this day, I neither go out as a guest nor welcome my family. This custom is out of date now.

Go back to my mother's house on the fourth day. After more than a month of intense activities from December to the third day of the first month, housewives have a little leisure until the fourth day, and go back to their parents' home (transfer to another home) for a few days with gifts, and go home at the latest on the sixth day. Because there is a custom in ancient times, it is called "seven don't go out, eight don't go back." If he doesn't come back on the sixth day, he will stay until the ninth day. If he doesn't come back on the ninth day, he will stay until the eleventh day. Because the local people call the 10th day "Xiaotian Wear", which is not conducive to going out.

On the seventh day of the first month, I eat seven vegetables and tea. "The seventh day of the first month is People's Day", as the name implies, People's Day is a person's birthday. It is said that at the beginning of the world, everything was conceived. Chickens are born one day, dogs are born two days, pigs are born three days, sheep are born four days, cows are born five days, horses are born six days, people are born seven days, and cereals are born eight days. Therefore, the seventh day is human day, which is the most spiritual day in the birth of all things. Liuhe people will cook "seven kinds of tea" as their staple food this morning. "Seven kinds of vegetables" are garlic, kale, peas, wheat, wormwood, fennel, mint and so on. If the family is rich, stir-fry shrimp, squid and mushrooms, and then put the brewed young tea (green tea), sesame seeds and peanuts into a ceramic bowl to make tea. Seven kinds of tea are soaked in tea, or rice is added, or fried rice is added, which is good for everyone. This kind of tea is mellow and delicious, and it also has the functions of clearing away heat, dispelling cold, expelling evil spirits and strengthening body resistance, and refreshing the brain. It is a unique folk food handed down from generation to generation by Hakkas in China.

Hakka tea smashing has a long history, which will be introduced in another chapter.

On the 13th day of the first month, we welcome God and make ding wine.

On the 13th day of the first month, the rural custom is called "Lights on Day". What is the source to test? This day is to greet God and make wine.

To meet the gods is to carry the "Lord" and "Emperor" from the mountain temple to the village in a sedan chair and put them in a tent set up in advance. This kind of house is called "light shed". Red couplets are posted at the door of the lamp shed, mostly praising Geely.

On the Day of Meeting God, at dawn, people gathered in front of the lamp shed to prepare for meeting God. Each host brought incense and lanterns and lined up in order. Leaders are responsible for greeting God. He was carrying a "reed" and a headlight, followed by a spear-wielding person (called Sanjing in other places), followed by dozens or even dozens of banners, people carrying sedan chairs and playing gongs and drums, and finally people attending the reception. After three heavy blows, the team set off in a mighty manner. Along the way, guns rumbled, gongs and drums roared, colorful flags fluttered, flames sparkled and it was very lively. Welcome God to the light shed. Dozens of tables of the Eight Immortals are full of sacrifices, which are very rich. After the worship is over, the welcome to God is over. At noon, puppets or China operas were performed on the stage in front of the lamp shed, and Balinese villagers from four towns gathered here to watch the performances with great interest.

In the afternoon, as a rule, everyone who married last year and gave birth to a boy will make ding wine in the light shed, which is to add joy. This custom is only popular in some villages and towns.

Lantern Festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first month. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is Shangyuan Festival, known as Lantern Festival, commonly known as "the fifth day of the first month". On this day, the food of rural and urban residents in Liuhe is mainly "Bao Xin Fan". Early in the morning, housewives will start preparing rice dishes. Generally, people use fresh garlic stalks to mash and diced tofu to make stuffing, while rice flour is mixed with appropriate amount of water and cooked with fire, which is called "boiled blank". Finally, the housewife asked her neighbors to wrap them up. Cooked uncooked rice is steamed in the pot in turn. The refreshing and delicious aroma of "reversal of cabbage and rice" came out. The more you eat, the more you want to eat. There is a local saying that "I am not afraid that my daughter-in-law will not twist her mouth for a day." Liuhe, an authentic snack, is famous far and near. People who come to Liuhe want to taste it themselves. More overseas Chinese and compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who have lived overseas for a long time should eat enough when they return home.

On the fifteenth day of the first month, according to previous customs, farmers should do three things: first, cut a thick green bamboo tail in the bamboo forest and insert it on the chicken habitat; Second, pick the four largest ears of wheat in the wheat field and insert them on both sides above the gate. What they do is that farmers pray for "good weather, abundant crops and prosperous livestock" in the new year.

In the evening, men, women and children take advantage of the moonlight to watch lanterns and celebrate the Lantern Festival in the light shed that has already been set up. Usually, lanterns are varied and colorful. It integrates artistry, knowledge, interest and nationality, and is well received by the masses. For example, the Goddess Chang'e flying to the moon, Shuanglong Play Pearl, Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea, Journey to the West, Mystery Lantern Festival, etc. It's really that the lamp shed is full of music, people sing all night, and the fire tree blooms all night.

In Luhe County, people can taste delicious food-pit snail, which is produced in a deep mountain stream, whether in the county or in the restaurant stalls in towns and villages.

Pit snail, also called stone snail by local people, is a famous specialty in Liuhe Mountain area. Its shell is hard, its color is dark, its figure is slightly longer and its abdomen is developed. Live in a sunny and clean mountain stream, lie down during the day and go out at night. Usually adsorbed on stones or pebbles in water. It has amphibious skills and feeds on stony microorganisms, small algae and mossy aquatic plants.

Pit snail is a delicious food with rich nutrition. Its meat is crisp, delicious, rich in protein, glucoside and other nutrients, without muddy taste and bitter taste. It is a popular mountain products, so it has become a delicacy on the table.

It is better to eat stone snails as big as fingers, and there are many ways to eat pit snails. The best way to eat is fresh frying. Usually, the pit snail is soaked in clear water for a day or so to drain the dirt, then the tail of the snail is clipped off, the snail body is washed, stir-fried in an oil pan with strong fire, and then some white wine and mint are added to stew for a while, so that it can be eaten. Boil the soup with pit snails, or it can be served with ribs and a small amount of kimchi, which will be delicious and refreshing. You can also steam the pit snail, pick out the snail meat and use it to make soup. If the clean snail and Rabdosia rubescens are mixed together and simmered in soup, it will have another flavor. You can not only taste the delicious soup with unique flavor, but also have the effects of clearing liver, improving eyesight, eliminating dampness and clearing heat.

In the extensive and profound altar tea art in China, "Hakka broken tea" can be said to be a wonderful flower. It sees wonders with simplicity and wonders with health care. For thousands of years, it has spread among the people and is famous at home and abroad. If you are a Hakka, the first thing a warm host will do for you is Hakka tea. When the host happily offers a cup (bowl) of fragrant tea, he will chat with you slowly and let you enjoy the tea slowly. The tea is sweet and delicious, with a refreshing fragrance. Drink a few more mouthfuls and penetrate into the heart and spleen, which is very enjoyable. When the host sees that you drink comfortably, he will add a spoonful to you, and you will feel very satisfied and happy.

Breaking tea is unique, but Hakka people are very skilled at breaking tea, especially Hakka women. Everyone is a master at breaking tea. Every Hakka family has a set of tea smashing tools-smashing and smashing sticks. Rolling pins are mostly made of pottery, with a diameter of about 1.5 feet, and the inner wall is engraved with exquisite fine lines, with beautiful appearance. The rolling pin is about 2 feet long and is made of the trunk of a first-class rolling tree or camellia oleifera. When smashing tea, first of all, it is the finest tea, such as young and old tea, lotus plumule tea and so on. , with fried sesame seeds, peanuts and other ingredients into a grinding bowl, holding a rolling pin and rotating rhythmically. Tea material in the village is ground into powder, then a little (proper amount) salt is added and poured into boiling water to make a cup (bowl) of delicious tea. When a cup (bowl) of tea is brought to you, you will feel a faint scent. When you take the first sip, you will feel that your mouth is full of saliva and the fragrance is still in your teeth. Take another sip, and you will feel refreshed and refreshed, and you will enjoy it slowly. There are many preparation methods and uses of tea, and different components have different uses. For example, adding a little pepper particles (or pepper powder) to ground tea will have the effect of warming the middle and dispelling cold. For the elderly with weak stomach and fear of frequent urination in cold nights, you can drink more times to sober up and keep out the cold and feel refreshed. Long-term drinking can prolong life. There are also fried rice seed tea, fried rice tea and so on. The preparation method is simple. Just stir-fry, spare rice and peanuts, grind with tea leaves, add less salt, make tea, and eat it with rice, which is not only sweet and delicious, but also can quench thirst and satisfy hunger.

With the progress of the times, the composition of Hakka tea is also improving. In addition to the best main raw materials such as tea, peanuts and sesame, modern tea making can also add different ingredients according to different seasons and needs. For example, in spring and summer, when the weather is hot and humid, tea is often accompanied by some fresh mugwort leaves, mint leaves, cloth leaves, bitter tea and other products that clear away heat, dry dampness and relieve summer heat; The weather is dry in autumn, and tea powder is mixed with moistening products such as chrysanthemum and honeysuckle. It is cold in winter, so cinnamon or cinnamon, cinnamon seeds, peppers and other products are added to the tea powder to warm the stomach and keep out the cold. We can also make all kinds of ground tea with suitable tea material according to everyone's physical condition, so that people can drink ground tea to refresh themselves and prevent diseases.

It is not a lie that Hakka people can prevent diseases by smashing tea. According to legend, during the Three Kingdoms period, Liu Bei led troops south to central Hunan. It was midsummer and the weather was hot. Many soldiers were infected with plague, which threatened their lives. Liu Bei was anxious like an ant in a hot nest, seeking medical advice everywhere. A hundred doctors can't understand it. At that time, a Hakka mother-in-law, out of pity, gave Liu Bei the secret recipe of tea-smashing. All the Hakka folks took out rolling rice and rolling pins to make Hakka tea for the soldiers and distributed it to all the soldiers. A few days later, the sick soldier recovered and all the soldiers were healthy. Hakka tea smashing has become a panacea in Liu Bei's army and has been passed down to this day.

Nowadays, it has become the most common and grand hospitality etiquette for Hakkas to invite guests to tea. Wedding birthday party, new house, friends visiting, adding children, children's college entrance examination, teacher's banquet, all with tea, a big bowl of toast and a small bowl of food. Even the enemies were reconciled, and they were treated with tea and shook hands. Smashing tea has become an important drink in Hakka social activities. As the folk song says, "There are two or three sheep houses by the roadside. When you see a guest smashing tea and spinning some tea, you will get a better pronunciation in the Central Plains, not Huai Shui, but Tianya."