Fuzhou dialect is commonly spoken in Fuzhou area. Fuzhou dialect is one of the eight major dialects of Chinese. It was finalized during the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties and occupies an important position among Fujian dialects.
Fuzhou dialect is the common language of the "Shi Yi" of the old Fuzhou Prefecture in the lower reaches of the Min River, and is the representative dialect of the entire eastern Fujian region. It is spoken in the 5 districts, 2 cities and 6 counties under the present-day Fuzhou City, and can also be understood in the 2 cities and 5 counties under the present-day Ningde District. Fuzhou dialect is also spoken in some towns and villages in Taishun County, Pingyang County, and Cangnan County in Zhejiang Province outside the Fujian dialect area. As for areas in northern Fujian, such as Youxi, Jianou, Shaxian, Shunchang, Jiangle, etc., Fuzhou dialect is the second dialect. Overseas Chinese from the eastern Fujian dialect area spread Fuzhou dialect to all parts of the world.
Fuzhou dialect has multiple origins. The bottom layer should be the language of the ancient Minyue people. The early immigrants before the Wei and Jin Dynasties brought the ancient Wu language and the ancient Chu language, and the ancient Chinese and middle Chinese also obviously survived in the Fuzhou dialect.
Fuzhou has numerous modern celebrities, including Li Gang, the famous patriotic prime minister of the Southern Song Dynasty, Lin Zexu, the modern national hero, Yan Fu, the enlightenment thinker, Lin Shu, the litterateur, Lin Juemin, the martyr of the Revolution of 1911, Sa Zhenbing, the veteran of the Navy, and the "February 7th" Revolution Martyr Lin Xiangqian, writer Gao Shiqi, mathematician Chen Jingrun, Chairman Lin Sen, writer Zheng Zhenduo, chemist Hou Debang, writer Bing Xin, overseas Chinese leader Huang Naishang, etc. are too numerous to mention. In the three dynasties of Song, Ming and Qing alone, there were 3,632 Jinshi from Fuzhou, including 7 champions, ranking at the forefront of all states in the country. There are countless celebrities in modern times. Fuzhou is also the cradle of China’s modern navy. From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, 13 navy chiefs, deputy chiefs and commanders-in-chief were all Fuzhou people. In 1991, according to national statistics on outstanding experts and scholars in modern China, there were 53 people from Fuzhou and 47 members and academicians from Fuzhou of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, all ranking among the best in cities across the country.
City logo - "Three Mountains and One Water" sculpture: The "Three Mountains" of Shan, Wushan and Pingshan stand side by side in Fuzhou City, with the Minjiang River passing through the city like a green belt. According to historical records, in the second year of Kaiping of Liang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties, Wang Shenzhi, the king of Fujian, expanded the city and surrounded the beautiful Yushan, Wushan and Pingshan mountains into the city, forming Fuzhou's unique style of "mountains in the city and city in the mountains". "Three mountains and one water" have become the main symbol of Rongcheng, so Fuzhou is also called "Three Mountains".
City tree—banyan tree: Planting banyan trees in Fuzhou has been a common practice since ancient times. Especially during the Northern Song Dynasty, the prefect Zhang Boyu advocated "planting banyan trees in each household" so that "the city is full of green shade and the roof is not open in the summer", which gave Fuzhou the reputation of "Rong City". The banyan tree is evergreen all year round, with luxuriant branches and leaves, majestic and tall, and full of vitality, symbolizing the spiritual outlook of Fuzhou city. There are nearly a thousand ancient banyan trees in Fuzhou urban area. This thousand-year-old banyan tree located in Fuzhou National Forest Park is known as the largest banyan tree in Fuzhou. It is 20 meters high and has a crown projection area of ??more than 1,330 square meters. It is spectacular. According to legend, during the Yeping period of the Northern Song Dynasty, three military officers planted this banyan tree while practicing martial arts here. Whenever spring returns to the earth, about half of the crown of the ancient banyan tree sprouts first. When the old leaves gradually fall off, the other half of the crown begins to sprout new leaves, forming a pleasant scene with distinct layers and different colors.
Municipal Fruit - Fu Orange: Fuzhou Basin is rich in citrus, especially oranges, which are thin-skinned, red in color, juicy, sweet and have a unique flavor, so they are called "Fu Orange". The ripening period of lucky oranges is at the end of the year. According to Fuzhou custom, "red" means good luck, and "orange" sounds similar to "auspicious", so it has become a folk mascot and New Year's gift.
City flower - jasmine: a specialty of Fuzhou, with its output and quality ranking first in the country. Jasmine blooms every year in late spring and early summer, and can be divided into single, double, single and compound leaves. The flower colors are red and white, with white flowers being the main color. Jasmine flowers have a delicate and elegant fragrance and can be used to make jasmine tea, refine spices, etc.
Folk handicrafts - "Three Treasures of Fuzhou" and "Three Wonders of Rongcheng": Traditional handicrafts such as bodiless lacquerware, horn combs and paper umbrellas are called the "Three Treasures of Fuzhou". Shoushan stone carvings, bodiless lacquerware, and cork paintings with a history of more than 1,500 years are known as the "Three Wonders of Rongcheng".
Cork paintings are made of soft cork bark and are hand-carved and carved into scenes of landscapes, gardens, flowers and birds, etc., which have a unique artistic style and strong national characteristics.
Paper umbrellas are made of exquisite materials, fine workmanship and various varieties. They have both practical value and decorative effect.
Bodiless lacquerware, together with Beijing cloisonne and Jiangxi Jingdezhen porcelain, is known as the "Three Treasures" of traditional Chinese crafts.
The horn comb is beautiful in shape, strong and durable, moisturizing without hanging hair, removing dirt without sticking, and relieving itching without pain. It is deeply loved by guests at home and abroad.
Food culture - Fujian cuisine, represented by Fuzhou cuisine, has a long history, various varieties, fine selection of ingredients, and rigorous production. It is one of the eight major cuisines in my country. It is unique in the culinary world and is well-known at home and abroad. . The first of Fujian cuisine, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, has precious raw materials, exquisite preparation, and thick and flavourful soup. The chicken soup with sea clams has a unique preparation method. The soup is clear and mellow, fresh and beautiful, and is known as the queen of hundreds of dishes. Famous Fuzhou dishes such as spicy snail slices, lychee meat, drunken marinated chicken, and fragrant taro duck are also unique. Flavored snacks are also an important part of Fuzhou’s food culture. According to the classification of raw materials, it can be divided into rice, flour, starch, dried fruits, meat and seafood, etc., especially those with rice, beans and sugar as the main raw materials are the most famous. The red and white rice cakes during the Spring Festival, the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the rice dumplings on the Dragon Boat Festival, and the rice dumplings on the Winter Solstice are traditional foods loved by the people in Fuzhou.
In recent years, the "Tai Chi Taro Paste" of Fuzhou Juchunyuan Hotel, the "Dingbian Paste", "Meat Balls", "Fish Balls", and "Bianrou Yan" of Antai Building and Food Park have won the "Chinese Famous Snacks" award. "title.
Traditional arts - Fujian Opera, Pinghua, Shifan: Fujian Opera is also called "Fuzhou Opera". In the Ming Dynasty, Kunshan tune, Yiyang tune, etc. were introduced to Fuzhou, and Fuzhou dialect opera gradually emerged. Around the time when Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty came to the Revolution of 1911, they were called "Fujian Class". In 1924, Mr. Zheng Zhenduo published the traditional play "Purple Jade Hairpin" and other traditional plays, officially replacing the title of "Fujian Troupe" with "Fujian Opera". Pinghua is the main folk art variety in Fuzhou area. It pays attention to singing, speaking, acting and performance. It has the reputation of "living fossil of humanities". The original name of Shifan is "Xie Huan", which means harmony of sounds creates joy. It is one of the main local music in Fuzhou. It evolved from the folk dragon lantern dance and has melodious and beautiful tunes.
Fuzhou folk customs can be divided into five categories: festival customs, wedding and funeral customs, local customs, food customs, and clothing customs. The main ones include making lanterns, walking on stilts, dragon lantern dance, lion dance, dragon boat racing, Climbing and other folk activities.
Folk customs evolve in succession
The fashions and customs that have been popular among the people for thousands of years basically reflect the traditional living habits, moral norms and spiritual outlook of the people in Fuzhou. They are An important part and distinctive symbol of Fujian custom culture. From the perspective of historical evolution, Fuzhou customs inherit the legacy of ancient Yue culture and are heavily influenced by ancient Central Plains culture. At the same time, they are influenced by religion, especially Buddhism and Taoism. In modern times, they have absorbed and integrated overseas cultural customs.
In Fuzhou’s traditional seasonal festivals and customs, the Spring Festival and New Year greetings vividly reflect the traces of ancient Yue customs; while the Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Double Ninth Festival, etc., as well as the traditional customs of weddings, funerals and birthdays, The intermarriage, betrothal, etc. and the folk customs such as Guan Gong's Birthday, Yingcheng God, Kuixing's Birthday, Tutu's Birthday, Luban's Birthday, etc. are obviously influenced by the Central Plains culture and are living fossils of ancient Central Plains culture.
Fuzhou people’s worship and belief in the sea goddess Lin Moniang (also known as Mazu, commonly known as Mazu) and the land goddess Chen Jinggu (namely Linshui Queen Mother Mrs. Chen, commonly known as Linshui Nai) illustrates the Taoist influence on Fuzhou The profound influence of folk customs, especially Linshui Milk, which has been revered as the protector of women and children for hundreds of years, has penetrated into almost every household.
The Guanyin Festival, Ksitigarbha Festival, etc. in folk beliefs fully demonstrate the penetration of Buddhism. Buddhism and Taoism are worshiped by believers in the folklore center of Fuzhou, and Buddhist and Taoist deities are often enshrined in the same temple. Relatively speaking, Islam has little influence on Fuzhou's customs.
In modern times, Fuzhou’s lifestyle has also been influenced by Catholicism and Christianity. Christmas, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, etc. vividly reflect the tradition of Fuzhou people being good at absorbing foreign cultural customs.
All folk customs are “passed down by the ancestors and passed on to future generations” (Fuzhou proverb). On the one hand, we inherit the folk cultural heritage of our ancestors, and on the other hand, we create new folk culture for the next generation. . In addition, various cultures, including folk culture, are unprecedentedly active today, and old and new folk customs are constantly changing. We in Fuzhou are no exception. For example: Taiping eggs get smaller the more you eat them. Because duck eggs are homophones for "pressing chaos", Fuzhou people call them "peace eggs". On occasions such as wedding banquets, birthdays, farewells, and celebrations of the ninth year (those who meet the ninth year of life when they are not old enough), they should eat too much. But with the improvement of living standards, people's appetite is getting smaller and smaller, and they feel that they can't swallow the "behemoth" Taiping eggs in the banquet. For this reason, the chefs racked their brains and finally replaced them with quail eggs and pigeon eggs. This was both elegant and original, and gradually became a new custom. Moreover, quail is a homophone for safety, which is quite meaningful and was quickly accepted by the masses.
The Bo Lai Festival invades the Traditional Festival. In recent years, imported festivals such as Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, and Christmas have become urban trends. There is a traditional "Aojiu Festival" in Fuzhou. Married daughters must cook "Aojiu porridge" on the 29th day of the first lunar month and send them back to their parents' homes as early as possible to honor their parents. So far, the suburban counties of Fuzhou still maintain this custom, but the "Aojiu Festival" in urban areas has gradually been replaced by "Mother's Day". On this festival, flower shop business is particularly good. Banquets for parents can also be seen in restaurants. In addition, Valentine’s Day and Christmas are also being invaded. Recently, Fuzhou Hotel is planning to hold a traditional Chinese Valentine's Day event on this year's Chinese Valentine's Day. I wonder if it will capture the hearts of lovers.
"One bit longer" needs to be turned into a regular employee. At traditional banquets, the eldest person sits "one elder". Take the Eight Immortals (table) banquet in the hall (front hall) of an old residential house as an example. The table on the left is a table, and the table on the left and inside is a table with one person, that is, the "eldest one". Only the eldest and senior person Only the person with the largest share is eligible to sit. But now the "longer one" has become a regular employee. No matter what kind of residence, whether it is an Eight Immortals table or a round table, the person on the middle table facing the door has the highest position. The person who sits in the highest seat is the host, the second is the person with the highest position, and the third is the "headman" among the distinguished guests. Those who sit in the "biggest seat" according to age and seniority are only found at family banquets and folk activities. From the table on the left to the one in the middle, it is easy for young people to understand. Of course, you have to go all the way.
Rebates replace wine packages. Fuzhou's traditional banquet has the custom of "bringing wine bags", that is, the host of the banquet not only makes the guests full and drunk (Fuzhou custom), but also asks you to bring back a large wine bag for your parents, wife and children to enjoy Enjoyment, which is very meaningful in an era of food scarcity.
But in today's Rich Day Festival (a common saying in Fuzhou), the wine bag has become a burden when going to the banquet. No one will eat it when you bring it back, so you have to throw it away. For this reason, people have come up with many reform methods. First, they replaced wine bags with aluminum buckets, thermos bottles, etc., which caused such wine bags to become a disaster in the homes of frequent banquet guests. However, the custom of wine packages cannot be abolished, so in desperation, we had to replace it with cash rebates. Now when you go to a wedding banquet, you give a big red envelope, and the host returns you a small red envelope, which contains 10 yuan or 30 yuan. The guest is freed from the burden of the old wine bag and has a "wine bag" that can be put in his pocket. Happy but not doing it? As a result, many new folk customs are replacing old folk customs, and there is a situation where old and new folk customs alternate and coexist, and many of them contain innovative content.