“May 5th is the Dragon Boat Festival; Ai is placed in the door, and the hall is full of incense; eat rice dumplings, sprinkle sugar, and the dragon boat is joyous in the water.” Amidst the brisk nursery rhymes, it is another year’s Dragon Boat Festival.
The Dragon Boat Festival is an important traditional festival in my country, with a long history and profound cultural heritage. During this festival, people from all corners of the country row dragon boats, make zongzi, hang calamus, insert mugwort, or participate in ancient book reading, cultural activities, tourist camps… In traditional or fashionable ways, people commemorate patriotic sages, inherit humanistic power, and cultivate Family and country feelings, showing national cultural confidence.
Reminiscing: Gaining strength in remembrance
In Xinyi Village, Quzici Town, Miluo City, Hunan Province, 55-year-old Li Feixi set up a bench at the door of his house, grabbed a handful of soaked local “three-grain-inch” glutinous rice, wrapped it in fresh reed leaves, pulled a section of colorful thread, and wrapped it three times in two. Around, a ox horn dumpling is ready.
According to legend, 2,300 years ago, Qu Yuan sank in the Huaisha of the Miluo River. After hearing the news, the people on both sides of the river rushed to rescue and salvage them. After several evolutions, dragon boat races, eating zongzi, hanging calamus, inserting mugwort, and tying sachets have become important ways for people to commemorate Qu Yuan.
On June 22, the dragon boat race in Boao Waters, Qionghai City, Hainan Province was underway (drone photo). Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Meng Zhongde)
Although it has spanned thousands of years, the feelings of the Miluo people for Qu Yuan have not weakened with the passage of time, but have become stronger. In the mouths of Miluo people, Qu Yuan is not called “Sanlu Doctor” or “Doctor Qu” with official connotations, but “Old Master Qu” who is very kind, and even “Daddy Qu” who is the elder in the family.
“We grew up listening to the stories of ‘Daddy Qu’ when we were young, and now we tell his stories to our children and grandchildren, hoping that they, like ‘Daddy Qu’, love the country, are upright and noble, and work hard.” Li Feixi said.
A dragon boat race is staged in Haiming Park, Shantou City, Guangdong Province. The sound of the drums was rapid, and the sailors swung their oars in unison, chopping the waves, and the dragon boats rushed to the finish line like arrows off the string. The sound of drums, slogans, and oars intertwined with the cheers of the audience on the shore, creating a lively scene.
“No dragon boat, no Dragon Boat Festival, dragon boat is the most special memory of my childhood.” Huang Wenyi, a famous rower from Shantou who made a special trip back to his hometown to watch the race, and the silver medalist of the 2012 London Olympics, said that his grandfather and father were both dragon boat racers. It is a cultural sport with a sense of ritual and great affinity, which requires everyone to work together for the same goal.
From the Miluo River to Zigui, Qu Yuan’s hometown, from the coast to the inland, the Dragon Boat Festival culture is like an invisible thread, bringing people together.
On June 22, in the Xincheng section of the Zhongtang River in Ruian City, Zhejiang Province, the dragon boat team competed fiercely (drone photo). Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Sun Lin)
“The Dragon Boat Festival culture is very special. People can feel the profoundness in the remembrance and remembrance, and can also feel the excitement in the dragon boat race. People can feel the humanistic concepts such as patriotism, compassion for the people, integrity, and pursuit in a subtle way, and get nourished by traditional Chinese culture.” Liu Shilin, an expert on Quxue who has worked and lived in Miluo Quzi Temple for more than 40 years, said.
Inheritance: Perpetuating the feelings of family and country in development
In the past few days, the Hubei Provincial Library is holding the “Dragon Boat Festival in Classics” cultural activity, inviting readers to read the collection of classics related to the Dragon Boat Festival.
“The empress is a beautiful tree, and the oranges are convincing. They are ordered not to move, but they are born in the south…” Liu Weicheng, director of the Hubei Provincial Library and director of the Hubei Provincial Ancient Books Protection Center, led the readers to recite Qu Yuan’s “Ode to Oranges”. “‘Su Shi is independent, horizontal but not intrusive’, Qu Yuan expressed his ambition to maintain a clean moral character and always be loyal to his homeland.” Liu Weicheng said.
The voluminous ancient literature and classics are an important embodiment of the achievements of Chinese civilization. The Hubei Provincial Library hopes to guide readers to read the classics and feel the charm of traditional culture. The participation of many readers, especially young readers, made Liu Weicheng very excited. Its cultivation is far away, and I will seek it up and down.” Perseverance is the inexhaustible driving force for personal struggle and the spiritual source of the Chinese nation.”
“Like many traditional festivals, the starting point of the Dragon Boat Festival is to seek good luck and ward off evil spirits in midsummer. Later, the theme became richer in commemoration of Wu Zixu and Cao E. But most importantly, because it is closely related to the legend of Qu Yuan, it became a A unique festival that gathers the ‘root’ and ‘soul’ of the Chinese nation.” Liu Shilin said.
On June 22, the dragon boats from Pantang greeted the four-mile and eight-township dragon boats who came to visit their relatives at Wuyue, Pantang, Lizhi Bay, Guangzhou.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei
“Singing the Dragon Boat Festival now, it has been rumored forever that Qu Yuan is the patriotic soul who regards death as his home, and he will pass it down from generation to generation after nine deaths…” Xiao Qiulin, the inheritor of ancient Hakka prose, is sitting in front of his chest at Lianhua Square in Yudu County, Jiangxi Province, playing the erhu with his hands, playing with rhythmic rhythms , telling the story of Qu Yuan in Hakka dialect. Tourists passing by stopped to listen.
“On the red land of Yudu, there are countless people who are as sincere and patriotic as Qu Yuan and sacrificed for it.” In order to write the lyrics for the Dragon Boat Festival, Xiao Qiulin, who is over 70 years old, spent half a month in the local cultural centers and museums every day. , wrote down a large notebook full of notes, and integrated the revolutionary stories of the Red Army into the ancient rap, hoping to take this opportunity to tell wonderful stories about the feelings of the ancestors.
“My great-grandfather was the Red Army. The sacrifices of the predecessors brought us happiness today. I want to study hard and become a useful talent for the country when I grow up.” After listening to Xiao Qiulin’s singing carefully, a student of Shengli School in Yudu County Xiao Zixun’s eyes were red.
“Dragon Boat Festival culture has been continuously enriched in the inheritance. Combining the resource endowment and cultural characteristics of different places, new cultural symbols have been developed, which can better penetrate into people’s production and life. Everyone is also invisibly continuing national emotions and family and country feelings. ” said Zou Weimin, curator of the Yudu County Cultural Center.
Carry forward: strengthen cultural self-confidence in communication
In the past few days, Dai Yunyi, the representative inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage project of “Miluo Sachet Making Skills”, has been very busy. She was planning to design a “Chu Ci sachet”. In order to ensure that the embroidery pattern conformed to the description in “Chu Ci”, she made a special trip to Miluo Quzi Temple to ask Liu Shilin, an expert on Qu Xue.
Qu Yuan wrote in “Chu Songs”: “Hu Jiangli and Pi Zhixi are admired by Ren Qiulan.” “Sachets were already a kind of ornament in the Warring States Period. It is a custom in our hometown to wear sachets during the Dragon Boat Festival.” Dai Yunyi said that the sachets made by her grandmother are full of traditional charm and exude a refreshing fragrance. good memories.
Dai Yunyi once studied in France and witnessed the popularity of French perfumes. She thought “the sachets in her hometown are more natural and have a longer lasting flavor. Can one day go global like French perfumes.” Six years ago, she gave up the opportunity to develop abroad and returned to her hometown to start a business. She went to the village to find the ancient techniques of sachets, developed more than 30 cultural and creative products of sachets, and went to various places for marketing. With the rise of national fashion culture, her sachets became popular, and some foreign tourists bought them and brought them back to their hometowns as gifts for friends.
On June 22, in the ancient city scenic area of Wudi County, Binzhou City, Shandong Province, children showed the sachets they bought. Published by Xinhua News Agency (photo by Chu Baorui)
In recent years, traditional cultures such as intangible cultural heritage, national trends, and national customs have been deeply loved and admired by young people, and national cultural confidence has continued to increase. At the same time, China’s excellent traditional culture is speeding up its “going out”, often performing amazingly to the world and enhancing cultural exchanges.
Luo Lane in the historical and cultural district of Wanshou Palace in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, is crowded with people. In an ancient small building called “Wanshou Palace Zongzi Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum”, there is a burst of fragrance of Zongzi leaves, and tourists who come to check in form a long line.
In order to make Yang Da Niang Zongzi with a history of more than 130 years, Yang Wenjun gave up his high-paying job along the coast and returned to his hometown to develop new products rich in “national trend” elements. This year, the Zongzi Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum he built in the historical and cultural district of Wanshou Palace officially opened. The museum is composed of an exhibition and experience area, a hot rice dumpling wrapping and cooking area, an intangible cultural heritage rice dumpling gift box, and a souvenir exhibition and sales area, vividly displaying the farming and rice culture in the Poyang Lake Basin, the history and culture of rice dumplings, and the intangible cultural heritage skills of rice dumpling making, etc. . Because of the blessing of culture, Zongzi has been upgraded from a common gourmet snack on the street to a rich experience that can be visited, felt, tasted and reminisced.
On June 22, in Xinyi Village, Quzici Town, Miluo City, Hunan Province, villagers were making rice dumplings.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Sihan
“You can not only taste the delicious rice dumplings, but also feel the profound Chinese historical and cultural heritage.” Tu Sijie, who is studying at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said with emotion.
In the past four years, Yang Wenjun has combined his online and offline advantages to make his annual turnover jump from more than 100,000 yuan to tens of millions of yuan. He said: “Our Dragon Boat Festival culture is not just eating rice dumplings and rowing dragon boats. The cultural connotations behind it are profound. More and more young people choose ‘Guochao’, which is an expression of confidence in traditional culture.”
“Dragon Boat Festival culture is closer to life by injecting appropriate contemporary elements on the basis of inheriting excellent traditional customs.” Peng Leiting, deputy dean of the National Cultural Development Research Institute of Wuhan University, said that the excellent traditional Chinese culture is extensive and profound, and promotes the creative transformation of Dragon Boat Festival customs. , Innovative development can more effectively enhance the influence of traditional culture among young people and internationally.
[Responsible editor: Shao Bingqi]