Why is Chaoshan said to be the great refrigerator of ancient Central Plains culture? What evidence is there?

It should be said that Chaoshan has preserved relatively complete ancient Central Plains culture.

Chaozhou was known as the "Land of the Southern Barbarians" in ancient times. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Chaoshan was known as the Southern Barbarians and Baiyue. It was the residence of the ancient Yue people (Minyue people). With the many wars that occurred in history, such as the "Yongjia Rebellion", "Anshi Rebellion", "Jingkang Rebellion", etc., the Central Plains Han people migrated south on a large scale, and the Central Plains culture also spread with the continuous spread. During the long process of assimilation between the Chaoshan ancestors and the Central Plains Han people, they gradually integrated into the Han family, accelerating the mutual penetration and integration of the Central Plains culture and the Chaoshan indigenous culture.

From the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the Central Plains culture was established in the Chaoshan area. It spread rapidly and had a great impact because during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, a large number of officials, civilians, and common people came to the Central Plains. These Central Plains people who frequently entered the tide directly brought the Central Plains culture of the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Chaoshan area, causing it to spread rapidly. To this day, some folk customs in the Chaoshan area still retain many cultural relics of the Central Plains during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

The performance style of Chaozhou music is similar to that of Tang Dynasty opera. This shows that the formation and development of Chao music were influenced by the culture of the Central Plains during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.

Chaoshan Gongfu tea is famous for its exquisite cooking method, meticulous tea ceremony and rich philosophy. Chaoshan Gongfu Tea inherits the tradition of drinking tea created by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty.

In the past, every New Year, every Chao family would put portraits of Qin Qiong and Yu Chigong on the door as gatekeepers to ward off ghosts and avoid evil spirits. This custom originated from the Tang Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong were able to exorcise the ghost of the Dragon King of Jinghe River, so that they would not ask for their lives from Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Since then, the people have used Qin Qiong and Yuchi Gong as the door gods, replacing the original door gods Yu Lei and Shen Cha.

The Lantern Festival is a custom of setting off and viewing lanterns in various places. It is said that the custom of appreciating lanterns has been around since the Han Dynasty, but according to "Book of Sui·Music Chronicles", officially setting off lanterns during the Lantern Festival began in the Sui Dynasty. It can be seen that this Chaoshan folk custom comes from the Central Plains culture of the Sui Dynasty.

The 19th day of the third lunar month is the birthday of the Sun God. It is the custom of fashionable people to worship the Sun God with offerings such as noodles and brown sugar. The birthday of the Sun God is actually the Zhonghe Festival in ancient times to worship the birthday of the sun god. According to the "Book of Tang" records, the Zhonghe Festival was a festival initiated by Tang Dezong himself, indicating that this custom was created in the Tang Dynasty and later spread to Chaoshan.

The souls of the dead crossing the bridge on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month is an interesting sacrificial custom that is very popular in Chaoshan area. This custom is said to have evolved from the folklore of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty traveling to the underworld and Liu Jin entering melons. It shows that this trendy custom was also influenced by the Central Plains culture during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.