Folk customs in Taiyuan, Shanxi

The Yellow River and the heaven and the earth are endless,

Traveling throughout the Central Plains to restore strength.

As the sun and moon set in east and west,

The Yellow River will never stop.

The Yellow River is the great totem of the Chinese people, and the ancient loess land is the sun of Chinese civilization and the holy land of Chinese culture.

Chinese culture is extensive and profound, has its own system, has its own origins and flows, and has many forms. It has great tolerance and strong vitality, just like the Yellow River, which is endless and shines with the sun and the moon. However, the characteristics of regional culture are also obvious. Through the telescope of history, we can see the huge differences in geographical environment between east, west, north and south, the extremely uneven population distribution from dense to sparse, and the different influences of exotic sentiments and different ethnic groups, resulting in economic and natural advantages. The huge differences directly result in the different traditional habits, folk customs and personality psychology of people in different regions.

From the vast grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Jiangnan water towns, different natural conditions have given people in the two places completely different styles of life and customs. The young man, the other is a gentle girl under farming conditions.

Indeed, the northern peoples who mainly eat meat and the farming people who mainly eat grains belong to two different worlds in terms of customs and customs. In areas close to the equator, in hot climates, the human body matures earlier, and early marriage of women becomes a prominent feature. Russians like to drink, and some reasons can be found in the cold climate.

Women with small feet, Chinese women’s feet are bound. This has been the focus of many people’s attention to traditional Chinese women. However, working women living in the paddy fields in the south do not have their feet bound. The reason is very simple, because many people in the south do not have their feet bound. In the region, women are the main cultivators of the fields.

The mountain people living in the mountains under the white clouds may be more loyal and simple than the people in the plain areas with more developed transportation.

The ancients said: "The nature of water makes people connect, the nature of mountains makes people blocked, the nature of water makes people unite, and the nature of mountains makes people separate." This vividly illustrates that different folk customs are also different in different environments. Liang Qichao summarized the different customs and characteristics in my country's different geographical environments as: "The north is handsome and the south is luxuriant, the north is suave and the south is comfortable, the north is strong and the south is beautiful, the north is fortress and the south is Chinese." ("China Geography Theory") The differences between the north and the south of China are not only There are great differences in people's height, weight and appearance, as well as in language, personality, eating habits, clothing, architectural style, etc.

Lin Yutang divided China into the "rough and bold north" and the "gentle and gentle south". He believes that although the south and north of China are connected by different main cultural ties and become one nation, in fact, their differences in character, physique, and customs are no less different than those of the Mediterranean people in southern Europe. Differences from the Nordic Germans. On the one hand, we see the Chinese people in the north, who are accustomed to simple and plain thinking and hard life. They are tall and strong, with warm and humorous personalities. On the other hand, south of the Yangtze River, people will see another kind of people who love literature, are diligent in self-cultivation, are sophisticated in the world, have developed minds, and degenerate bodies. ("The Chinese") Obviously this is a very insightful summary.

The Yellow River Basin is a huge history book, which records the history of ancient human activities. Every site is a monument to the development of civilization. Shanxi is located in the Yellow River Basin and the Loess Plateau. The area along the Yellow River and Fen River Valley in the south is the birthplace of traditional Chinese culture. There is a cultural accumulation here that lasts for thousands of years. There are ancient monuments everywhere, and every monument seems to have its own unique charm. Telling the world about the splendid civilization and tragic destiny of an ancient nation.

Big rivers are often the cradle of civilization. The Yellow River Basin has resounded with the toddling footsteps of human ancestors as early as the Tai Huang era. The remains of "Dayu's Flood Control" in the southernmost part of Shanxi Province show that the Yellow River Basin entered an agricultural society as early as 6,000 years ago. What is recorded in historical records Legends about "Yu and Ji brought crops to the world," "Emperor Jun gave birth to Hou Ji, and Ji brought down hundreds of grains," and "Hou Ji taught the people to farm crops, cultivated trees and cultivated hundreds of grains, and the grains were ripe and the people were educated." Southern Shanxi. In the rural areas of southern Shanxi, there are still many folk customs about Dayu's flood control, Yao and Hou Ji in the land of Hedong in the past. Undoubtedly, this is a huge humanistic resource.

Shanxi once had a glorious history. In many cases, it was the center of China’s economy and culture. From Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty to Sima Guang, from the mighty and majestic Guan Yunchang to the sad and moving hometown of The West Chamber, this There are many outstanding people on this yellow land.

However, after the great Han and Tang Dynasties, as China's economic and cultural center moved to the southeast, Shanxi began to fall behind. Because it is located inland, transportation is inconvenient, the economy is backward, and communities are closed. The dissemination of various modern information is limited by time and space. Customs and value tendencies show a serious sedimentation and solidification. People's psychology, spirit and behavior are firmly entrenched. Locked firmly in the valley of history.

Just as today’s southeastern coastal areas of China are close to Southeast Asia and face maritime civilization, the Silk Road was once a major Eurasian channel for ancient China to communicate, interact, and engage with the world. The Northwest also enriched its own civilization through interactions with the Western Regions and the Mediterranean. However, since the interruption of the Silk Road, Shanxi has been far away from the center of international exchanges for a long time. It has been isolated in a corner and cannot directly contact with foreign cultures. As a result, the changes and updates of folk culture have been greatly restricted, which makes its folk customs The style is more traditional.

"Liao Kuo dreams of a great river." The folk customs on the loess land have their own charm and characteristics.

Like the Han nationality, the main part of Shanxi folklore is directly related to agricultural production in terms of both its form and content. The folk customs of the Han nation are based on the unique experience of agricultural society. The self-sufficient small farmers have little economic mobility and underdeveloped social interactions. "The valley of trees is the hemp of art. They have a good life, have no cars, and have nothing to ask for from others." Although they hear the sounds of chickens and dogs, they do not interact with each other until old age and death. . The folk values ??of "living and working in peace and contentment", "rather death than moving", "contentment", emphasizing family and ethics have been formed, and they have accumulated wealth, accumulated money, and lived frugally. Advocating frugality has become a core value in consumer folk customs.

Advocating frugality is a common custom among the Han people under natural economic conditions, but it is particularly prominent in Shanxi. Shanxi is located in the Loess Plateau, with low rainfall, mountains and inconvenient transportation. It has barren land, poor vegetation, and frequent natural disasters. It is a relatively poor province. When open source efforts are limited to a small piece of land and cannot be implemented, cutting expenditures becomes a natural choice for people. Frugality is a companion of poverty and a negative way to deal with poverty. As recorded in historical records: "Since the land is barren, the people work hard and become poor. Since the Three Emperors and Three Kings, the custom of diligence and thrift has not changed." The customs of Tang and Yu are frugal and frugal. It is particularly worth mentioning that on the basis of frugality, Shanxi people have formed a strong saving custom. "Shanxi people are good at saving and have hoards at home." The awareness of frugality and savings is not limited to remote areas of hometown, but is also the same in Taiyuan, Datong, Linfen, Shangdang and other former common capitals. The important thing is that thrift, especially the folk custom of saving, has created a soil and an atmosphere. It is on this basis that Shanxi people developed the financial awareness that they once dominated in China, and fully demonstrated their wisdom. , started a financial business, invented the ticket number, and made it unique in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

As a tradition and custom, the habit of frugality and savings still dominates the consumer psychology and behavior of Shanxi people. Currently, the per capita income of Shanxi people ranks among the lower reaches of the country, but the per capita savings ranks second. At the forefront. Shanxi people's customs of frugality and savings are widely documented in a large number of local chronicles.