About Chaoshan folklore stories

1. The legend of "Lao Re" in Houlong Mountain, Fengtang, Chaozhou

In ancient times, there was a man named Lao Bogong in Fengtang Town, Chaozhou City, who lived alone in Houlong In the mountains, poverty leads to happiness. Once, an emperor was in trouble and fled to Houlong Mountain in embarrassment. At this time, he had not eaten for many days and was starving. The old uncle was heartbroken to see him like this. It's a pity that his family was so poor that they really couldn't give the emperor anything decent to eat. In desperation, he had to get some sweet potato leaves and boil them for the emperor to eat.

The emperor later made a comeback and returned to the capital to ascend the throne again. This emperor is very emotional. After settling down, he remembered what happened in Fengtang and was very grateful to his old uncle. So he sent someone to Fengtang Houlongshan in Chaozhou to pick up the old uncle, intending to invite him to the capital to enjoy his life. The officers and soldiers who received the order came to Houlong Mountain in a hurry. The old uncle was frightened. He thought that the emperor thought he didn't greet him well, so he even brought cheap food to the emperor, so he sent people to arrest him and take him back for punishment. .

So he hid in the mountain and refused to come out. The officers and soldiers knew that he was hiding in the mountain, so they went up the mountain to look for him. But I could never find him, so I thought to myself, I might as well set the mountain on fire to force him out. But when the whole mountain was burned down, the old uncle still didn't come out. The officers and soldiers felt puzzled and went up the mountain to search. It turned out that the old uncle was burned to death while holding a tree. The emperor who was far away in the capital was very sad after hearing this. He ordered the tree to be carved into a statue of the old uncle and worshiped the old uncle as a god.

The day when the old uncle died was the first day of the second lunar month. In order to commemorate this old uncle, to this day, five villages in Houlongshan, Fengtang Town, worship the old uncle together on the first day of February every year, and hold the traditional festival of Chaoshan area - "Lao Re".

2. The legend of Yuhu Temple in Jieyang

At a three-way intersection in Yulian Village, Yuhu Town, Jiedong County, Jieyang City, there is a large banyan tree. Under the banyan tree, there are A small temple. According to legend, this banyan tree was planted by Jigong. Back then, Jigong was traveling around, flying leisurely in the sky. When passing by Yulian Village, the wine bottle in his hand accidentally shook, and a small seed fell from the sky, and it landed at this three-way intersection.

Soon after, the seed received the nourishment of heaven and earth and grew into a towering tree. The villagers believed that this big tree was planted by Jigong and that it would have spiritual energy and could keep them safe. So, they built a small temple under the tree and worshiped this master inside. To this day, this small temple is still very popular, and there is an endless stream of people coming to worship.

Extended information

The Chaoshan area is located at the junction of Guangdong Province and Fujian Province. It is located on the southeast coast of China. It has always been the commodity distribution center for eastern Guangdong, southeastern Jiangxi, and southwestern Fujian. Chaoshan People call it "the corner of the country at the end of the province".

The Chaoshan area borders Zhangzhou to the east, Huizhou to the west, the South China Sea to the south, and Meizhou and Longyan to the north. It is backed by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side. The climate is pleasant, and although there is a fertile Chaoshan Plain within the territory, there are frequent threats of typhoons and earthquakes.

It has the reputation of "farming is like embroidery", and has the "Three Treasures of Chaoshan": the Chaoshan girl (locally called "Ziniang") who "can go to the hall and the kitchen", "elegant, delicate and exquisite" Chaoshan handicrafts and Chaozhou cuisine, which is known as "China's most high-end cuisine", etc.

"Chaoshan" has been called "Chaozhou" for nearly 2000 years in history, such as being called "Chaozhou" ( Sui, Tang and Song dynasties), "Chaozhou Road" (Yuan Dynasty), "Chaozhou Prefecture" (Ming and Qing Dynasties), etc., the name "Chaoshan" did not appear until 1904.

In 1904, today. Zhang Yunan, a native of Songkou Town, Meixian District, Meizhou City, Guangdong Province, and others saw the huge development potential here and set up the Chaoshan Railway Co., Ltd. to build the railway from Chaozhou Fucheng to Shantou Port. In 1906, the Chaoshan Line Railway was completed and equipped. The "Chaoshan" locomotive was put into service and the word "Chaoshan" began to spread.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Chaoshan