Basic situation of eighteen eccentrics in Chaoshan

When northerners come to Chaoshan, the first sentence they learn is probably "sipping tea". No wonder, there are seven things to open the door, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar tea, so few people in China don't drink tea, while Cantonese people prefer to drink tea, especially Chaoshan people. However, Chaoshan people drink tea differently from us.

In order to meet the needs of different people, China tea has developed into red, green, white, yellow and black tea. In essence, it can be divided into three types: fermented type, non-fermented type and semi-fermented type. Most of the tea we usually drink is green tea, which belongs to non-fermented tea, while Chaoshan drinks black tea. Black tea refers to oolong tea, which belongs to semi-fermented tea. It has both the nutrition of fermented tea and the fragrance of non-fermented tea. Oolong tea is characterized by bitterness and fragrance. Because of its functions of resisting dampness, relieving summer heat, warming stomach and benefiting water, it is produced in the southeast coast, and its main planting bases are also in Taiwan Province Province, southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong. However, in Chaoshan area, it has developed to the extreme. From the quantity and quality of drinking tea, to the way of making tea and the function of drinking tea, a special model has been formed, which is called kungfu tea and also written kungfu tea. Therefore, it is regarded as the biggest feature of Chaoshan by foreigners, so it is called strange.

First, the strange thing is that the drinking utensils are quite special. Except Yixing teapot, others are mostly Kung Fu tea sets produced in Fengxi District of Chaozhou: small charcoal stove, teapot, tea bowl and small cup. Someone concluded: northerners drink with big tea bowls, while Chaoshan people drink with small wine glasses. There is only one mouthful of water in a small cup of tea. You have to finish it in three processes, see its color, smell its fragrance and taste it three times. You have to smell the fragrance left in the empty cup. You see, drinking a small cup of tea is so complicated that you can't do it without kung fu.

Second, blame it. When pouring tea, it is often necessary to fill the spout before rushing out three small cups. Strong color and strong taste. When foreigners first taste it, they feel miserable. But after all the hardships, it can eliminate fire and benefit qi.

Third, the process of making tea is complicated. Anyone who knows a little about tea art knows that Japanese tea ceremony is very particular. In fact, Japanese tea ceremony was developed on the basis of Chaoshan tea ceremony. The process of making tea is roughly as follows: hot cup and hot pot, high-flushing and low-sprinkling, foam scraping and lid spraying, Guan Gong touring the city, and Han Xin commanding troops. Every step is exquisite. Repeated scalding of cups aims at increasing their temperature and fully dispersing theanine; Scraping foam, washing tea and removing head are for cleaning; High rushing and low sprinkling are for taste; Guan Gong toured the city and stationed troops in Han Xin in order to make the tea juice even; Let tea, is to show humility and courtesy. If you want to make every step very skillful, you can't do it without some effort. The tea name "Kung Fu" means that it takes both time and skill.

Four strange it has been drinking, not drinking anywhere. Kung fu tea has become an important social etiquette in Chaoshan area, and its function is far more than "quenching thirst". If you are really thirsty, you can't solve it. Boil a small pot of boiling water, pour a cup and wash a cup, etc. , "wasted" more than half, only three small cups were rushed out, and more guests had to take turns. It will take you a long time to finish that small glass. How can I quench my thirst? So drink it anytime, anywhere. Moreover, because the quality wins, the thirst disappears after a few drinks, which is especially suitable for fishing boats at sea, saving fresh water without increasing the burden on the kidneys, so it is accepted by subtropical people. When Chaoshan people are away on business, they should also bring kung fu tea sets and tea, and start performing everywhere on trains, hotels and even on the way up the mountain, becoming silent advertisements for hipsters.

In fact, the core of Kung Fu tea still embodies the word "harmony", which is the core of China's cultural spirit, also known as the golden mean. The round place of kungfu tea symbolizes the harmony between man and nature; Three first, highlight the sum of interpersonal relationships; Scientifically dealing with the relationship between water, fire, tea and utensils is the pursuit of material.

And; Tea enters the body, blends everything in the diet and dominates the sum of life; Tea ceremony performance, step by step, orderly, emphasizing the sum of living atmosphere. Compared with our savage persuasion, the hipsters' eating habit of "persuading tea but not alcohol" makes people feel relaxed, peaceful and casual, so tea is a gentleman.

Chaoshan kungfu tea makes people suffer, and the way of a gentleman is also. Chaoshan people know kungfu tea, and the whole world knows it. Chaoshan people are good at worshipping God, and they are also famous all over the world. In Chaoshan area, temples or churches can be seen everywhere, and Buddhism and Taoism worship together. Not only do Buddhism and Taoism live on the same mountain, some even live in the same room, and even stand side by side under unified management and accept people's worship together. Do you find it strange?

Buddhism and Taoism were originally two completely different religious beliefs. Buddhism is a foreign religion, Taoism is created locally, Buddhism dies again, Taoism is reborn, Buddhism is monotheism, and Taoism is polytheism. The objects, goals and ways of worship of the two are different, so since ancient times, ice and charcoal have different stoves, and Buddhism and Taoism have different mountains, such as Qingcheng Mountain and Emei Mountain in Sichuan, which are not far apart. One is Taoism and the other is Buddhism, and they do not interfere with each other. But in Chaoshan, all the rules have changed.

In the Qingyun Rock of Shantou Dahao, there are both Buddhist Heroes Hall and Xuanwu Hall dedicated to Xuanwu God. Panlong Pavilion in Puning is a Taoist temple, and the Buddhist temple next to it is called Panlong Pavilion, which is equivalent to working together. Xuanwu Temple in Lufeng is an orthodox Taoist temple dedicated to the Northern Emperor Xuanwu, but a Buddha statue was placed in front of Xuanwu God, and its name became "Yuanshan Temple".

There are many reasons for the strange phenomenon that Buddhism and Taoism worship together. The most important thing is the openness and indifference of Chaoshan people's religious concepts. There are the most temples and incense in Chaoshan, but after investigation, few people really believe in religion. The so-called true religious belief means not only believing in the teachings of this religion, but also observing the rituals of this religion and undertaking relevant obligations. Chaoshan's huge superstitious army believes in everything, not only Buddhism, but also God and Christ. They don't want to be limited by one religion. Because of the danger and instability of marine production methods, believers (mostly women) are not pursuing their own buddhas and immortals, but praying for men to go to sea safely. Therefore, they should worship where they think there is a god. In Chaoshan, it is an important job for women to offer sacrifices to gods. They must go to church on the first and fifteenth day of each month. Usually, they walk from east to west with sacrifices. As long as there is a temple, they have to go in and pray, no matter what god the object is. This is not so much superstition as popular belief, not so much worship of God as buying "mental safety insurance".

Chaoshan also has a statue dedicated to * * *. However, this is not a continuation of the cult of personality during the Cultural Revolution, but a sincere hope in the hearts of ordinary people: the happy life in the past was given by * *, and I hope to continue to bless peace in the future. This is not completely superstition, but an expression of the inner wishes of ordinary people.

Where there is market demand, there is market supply. Temple streets have been formed in many places in Chaoshan, such as Dongshan in Chaoyang. As long as you can imagine the immortals, there are Li Bai, the Monkey King, Lu Ban and Water Fairy. Most people in charge can't say anything, just an investment behavior called good things.

It is not a bad thing that Buddhism and Taoism worship together, dilute religion and reconcile religious contradictions. Some scholars believe that Chaoshan people should be ethnic minorities after arriving in Chaoshan, because they have their own unique eating habits, culture and language.

Indeed, Chaoshan dialect has nothing to do with Zhongyuan Mandarin, and it is difficult for foreigners to integrate into the local society in Chaoshan. The most difficult thing is probably the language. Listening to Chaoshan dialect is like listening to mars language. If people who speak Mandarin listen to Chaoshan dialect according to their own understanding, they will make many jokes, some of which are even diametrically opposite.

For example, in the street, a vendor sells it to you: Do you want a suit? Do you need electrical appliances? Thinking ┄ ┄ is really annoying. If you want it, you have to say "love"; If not, say "buy". In Chaoshan dialect, "don't" means "buy", "want" and "love". Do you find it strange?

It's also interesting: when you go to the store to buy something and ask if it is available, if the boss answers "no", you must never go away. It just means "yes".

There are "nothing" and "nothing" It is really strange that the two most important words in life should be reversed in black and white.

In fact, Chaoshan dialect is not difficult to understand. According to experts' research, Chaoshan dialect is the dialect with the most original sounds in ancient times. Although it belongs to the Minnan language family, it spread from the ancient Central Plains through Zhejiang and Fujian, and it has great variation, which is naturally very different from today's Central Plains Mandarin. However, there are traces to follow. For example, reading "don't" as "buy" is actually the pronunciation of ancient Chinese characters. There are some such pronunciations in modern Chinese, such as "mi" and "bie". Isn't "don't" pronounced "Biao" in our dialect? It is normal to understand this truth.

But Chaoshan dialect is really difficult to learn, just like learning Mandarin in Chaoshan. Chaoshan people think that they are fearless and afraid to learn Mandarin. What's the difference between Chaoshan dialect and Mandarin? Chaoshan is now vigorously promoting Putonghua, and I believe it is also creating a good investment environment. It's just that we may never hear this strange Chaoshan dialect again. Chaoshan language is very different from the mainland, and the diet is also very different. Take breakfast as an example. We are porridge, fried dough sticks, noodles and vermicelli, and Chaoshan people mainly eat porridge. Porridge is the favorite of Chaoshan people.

Eating porridge used to be because of poverty, Chaoshan and poems about eating porridge in Qing Dynasty:

Cooking is not as good as cooking porridge. You can discuss it with your children.

One liter can be used for three liters, and two days can be regarded as six diets.

If there are guests, just add fire and water. If you have no money, you don't have to make soup.

Don't be too indifferent and taste less, but taste it in indifference for a long time.

This is a thing of the past. Now Chaoshan people eat porridge for three meals, which is chosen from the perspective of nutrition. The porridge in Chaoshan is different from the porridge in the north. Rice and water are separated. More different from Shanghai's bubble rice, the leftovers are added with water, and the rice is hard and clear; Chaoshan is to cook the crushed rice and reach the realm of blending water and rice. This is the remains of ancient Chiyi in China.

We cook porridge, mostly white rice porridge, with some dishes at most, which is what Chaoshan people do.

No, they can add whatever they want, so if you go to Chaoshan, you will find that their porridge is varied, such as eel porridge, preserved egg porridge, beef porridge and lean meat porridge. Isn't this a bit like our soup rice? But their porridge is not soup rice, because theirs has been boiled into slurry and turned into mixed rice, which is the most easily absorbed and nutritious diet for human beings. Therefore, Lu You once praised: "Only eat porridge for the gods." Walking on Chaoshan street, porridge stalls and porridge shops can be seen everywhere.

If you have a chance to walk into Chaozhou-Shantou vegetable market, you will also be surprised. There are not only all kinds of vegetables in the market, but also all kinds of grass for sale. Housewives who buy vegetables will also buy these grasses home like vegetables. What's going on here? These grasses are just herbs, and housewives buy them home to make herbal tea.

Well, it's not surprising at all. Chaoshan is located on the tropic of cancer, at the junction of subtropical zone and temperate zone, with no winter and long rain in summer and hot climate. At the same time, it is located along the coast and the air is humid. This hot and humid air is what the ancients called miasma, which is the enemy of mankind. When Han Yu was demoted to Chaozhou, he told his nephew to "collect my bones by the river."

Chaoshan people live in such an environment, and after long-term practice, they have accumulated rich experience, the most fundamental of which is to master the cold and hot diet and constantly adjust the medicinal diet in the diet. Herbal medicine is warm, and it is not easy to master, unlike Chinese patent medicine and western medicine. Therefore, boiling water with fresh herbs has become the most important health care work for Chaoshan housewives. Chaoshan people also like to drink this.

Plant cold water cooked with herbs. Shops selling cold water can be seen everywhere in Chaoshan urban and rural areas. This cold water is not what we call "raw water", but that its medicinal properties are warm and cool. This custom of drinking cold water has become popular in some high-end hotels.

It is located 7.5 kilometers south of Huilai County, bordering the South China Sea in the west and Wenchang Mountain in the back. Shenquan Port is one of the important ports in eastern Guangdong. It was built in the thirty-third year of Jiajing in Ming Dynasty (1554), with a history of more than 400 years. There are many scenic spots, such as "Three Wonders" and "Eight Scenes". (The "three wonders" are wonders-the golden bell is covered with silk thread, the strange fish worships the fish, and the strange water is sweet spring. "Eight Scenery" refers to a mirage, a promontory spring, a smoke pier looking at the sea, a jade toad, a high standard of writing, returning to the sail at sunset, pine trees in the academy, and ancient wells leading to the sea. )

Ganquan Cape is located in the southeast corner of Shenquan Town. Songxiu is a fresh water spring on the beach, which was built in the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Chaoshan prodigy Fu Su wrote a unique couplet for it, "How to take (fast) brine, soak it, salt it and steam it to make it dull", which became absolute for a while, expanded the influence of this spring and was invented, making this spring evolve into a "divine spring". Grace Wai Wong, a magistrate of a county in Qianlong period of Qing Dynasty, built a pavilion by the well, carved Fu Su's couplet on the pavilion column and wrote an article on the tablet. There is a phrase in the poems praising God Springs in Qing Dynasty, "Where there is no wonder in the end of the world, where there is no sweet spring in the end of the world", which gives rise to the elegant name "Where there is no sweet spring in the end of the world".

Narcissus Palace, one of the monuments of Shenquan, was built in the eighth year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty (1803) and dedicated to the King of Yu Xia. There are a main hall, a bright room, a secondary room, a pavilion, a hard peak and a "boat-watching stage" in the palace.

Yuhua Tower, located at the southern end of Shenquan Port, was originally a navigation mark for fishing boats. It was built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. It is a seven-story octagonal solid tower with a height of 26.4 meters, which is a "high-level writing" of the ancient eight scenes.

Mirages often appear in the southwest waters of Shenquan Port, mostly at the turn of spring and summer and on the eve of heavy rain. The appearance of "mirage" varies from time to time. From ancient pavilions to modern high-rise buildings, there have also been war scenes of Japanese invasion of China. Similarly, a mirage is unpredictable, and there are thousands of scenes: sometimes warriors insist on taxes, and thousands of people rush, and sometimes gardens, wine flags and ladies swim, either hidden or present, and if they are far away, they are spectacular. Mirages appear once a year or several years, twice a year. It lasts for hours, as short as ten minutes, or even fleeting. 1957 March 19 Mirage appeared and disappeared from/kloc-0 pm to 6: 45 pm, which was the longest in history. Local fishermen summed up their experience in observing the climate, saying that "the scenery is far from the wind and the scenery is close to the rain". Speaking of Chaoshan diet, people will first think of eating raw seafood. Indeed, Chaoshan people entertain guests, and this first dish is often a duel for foreigners: a pot of raw clams is served just after scalding with boiling water, each as big as a coin, opened to reveal fresh meat and blood, dipped in some hot sauce and sent to the mouth. Master will advise you: even drink blood! Will you be surprised at this time? This blood of eating, drinking and drinking really shocked people in mainland culture. Didn't Lu Xun praise the first person who ate crabs? But that's how strange we are. This way of eating by Chaoshan people only retains the oldest tradition of marine civilization. In Chaoshan, it is to the coastal areas.

Are very common.

For example, crabs, the small ones are marinated in shrimp oil, and the whole body is put on a small plate to eat porridge. It is chaotic when eaten, cool when inhaled, and has a special taste. As for raw salty crabs, they are delicious and the crab paste is translucent, which is very attractive.

It is not surprising that chilled oysters (oysters) and drunken shrimps are commonplace in western food. Strangely enough, Chaoshan people eat these raw things without a bad stomach, but foreigners can't. They should get used to it. Don't eat too much at first. After a long time, the food intake will increase day by day and it will not stop. Because of the word "fresh" Freshness is the biggest feature of Chaozhou cuisine. Freshness comes from "life". Northerners pay attention to a "temperature" in cooking, while Chaoshan people pay attention to a "temperature" in cooking-all seafood is disinfected with boiling water. This "water weather" is not easy to master. The scalded meat is dead, the blood is gone, and the umami is gone. Too raw. It's not without cracks This is the same as the steak in western food. It's all kung fu.

Live crabs and raw cockroaches are not bad to eat, and an important guarantee condition is seasoning. There are many special condiments in Chaozhou cuisine, such as sand tea sauce, southern flour, Puning tofu, olive vegetables and so on. This way of eating was formed at least in the Tang Dynasty. When Han Yu arrived in Chaozhou, he wrote in a poem: "Mix with salt and acid, and mix with pepper and orange. The smell of jealousy is getting heavier and heavier, and you swallow and sweat in your mouth. " When we go to Chaoshan, do as the Romans do.