Shanxi’s customs, geographical environment, history and culture

Geographical environment:

Shanxi Province is located on the eastern flank of the Loess Plateau in western North China. The geographical coordinates are 34°34'～40°43' north latitude and 110°14'～114°33' east longitude. It is about 290 kilometers wide from east to west and 550 kilometers long from north to south. The province's total area is 156,300 square kilometers, accounting for about 1.6% of the country's total area. Shanxi is located inland on the east coast of the mainland. The outer edge is surrounded by mountains. Therefore, it is difficult to be affected by sea breeze, forming a relatively strong continental climate. At the same time, due to the cold air mass in Inner Mongolia in winter, the north is relatively cold, thus forming the climate characteristics of Shanxi; winter is long, cold and dry; summer is short, hot and rainy; spring has a large daily temperature difference and is windy and sandy; autumn is short and the climate is mild. It has a temperate continental monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of 3 to 14°C, a large temperature difference between day and night, and a large temperature difference between north and south. The average temperature in the Yellow River Valley in the west, the Taiyuan Basin and most areas in southeastern Shanxi is between 8 and 10°C. The average annual temperature in Linfen and Yuncheng basins reaches 12 to 14°C. The temperature in the province is below 0℃ in winter, and the temperature is generally high in the province in summer, with the temperature in July ranging from 21 to 26℃. The frost-free period in Shanxi is long in the south and short in the north, with long plains and short mountains. It takes 110 to 140 days in the Datong Basin, only 85 days in the Wutai Mountains, 135 to 155 days in the mountainous areas to the north and east of the Xinzhou Basin, and 200 to 220 days in the Linfen and Yuncheng basins. The annual precipitation in the province ranges from 400 to 650 mm, but the seasonal distribution is uneven. In summer, precipitation is highly concentrated and rainy from June to August, accounting for more than 60% of the entire year. Precipitation in the province is greatly affected by topography, with more mountainous areas and fewer basins. There are three rainy areas in Shanxi, one is the Taihang Mountains and Zhongtiao Mountains in southeastern Shanxi, the other is the Wutai Mountains, and the third is the Luliang Mountains.

History and Culture

Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation. On this land, humans lived and multiplied 100,000 years ago. The Xihoudu Culture and Dingcun Cultural Sites show that humans have multiplied and multiplied here as early as the Paleolithic Age. During the Zhou Dynasty, Shanxi was the territory of the Tang State. Later, Tang Shuyu's son Xiefu changed the country's name to Jin because the Tang Dynasty was near the Jin River. In the Spring and Autumn Period, Shanxi was one of the Five Hegemons of Jin. In 403 BC, Han Kangzi, Wei Huanzi, and Zhao Xiangzi divided the three kingdoms into Jin. The three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei that were separated from Jin were called the Seven Heroes of the Warring States Period together with Qin, Chu, Qi, and Yan. After Qin Shihuang unified China, he established five counties in Shanxi, including Taiyuan, Shangdang, Hedong, Yanmen and Daijun. By the Sui Dynasty, Taiyuan was the third largest city in the Yellow River Basin after Chang'an and Luoyang. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan and his son raised troops in Taiyuan. After establishing the capital in Chang'an, they regarded Taiyuan as the "Northern Capital", which means "other capital". Therefore, Gu Zuyu of the Qing Dynasty pointed out in "Minutes of Reading History Fangyu": The situation in the world must be based on Shanxi. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Shanxi's economy and culture took a leading position in northern China. In the Ming Dynasty, Shanxi Xingzhongshu Province was established in Taiyuan. Later it was changed to Chengxuanzheng Envoy Department, which took charge of the five prefectures and three states of Shanxi. In the Qing Dynasty, it began to be called Shanxi. Shanxi has a long history, a rich collection of people, and rich historical and cultural heritage. So far, it has a recorded history of three thousand years. It is known as the "Museum of Ancient Chinese Culture" and is also known as the "Cradle of Chinese Civilization." The legends of "Jingwei reclaiming the sea", "Nuwa mending the sky" and "Yu chiseling the Mengmen" happened in Shanxi. The three emperors of ancient China, Yao, Shun and Yu, all established their capitals in southern Shanxi, namely "Yao's capital Pingyang (now Linfen City)", "Shun's capital Puban (now Yongji City)", "Yu's capital Anyi (now Linfen City)" This summer county)". During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Wen of Jin Chong'er was one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Datong (then known as Pingcheng) was once the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and later served as the companion capital in the Liao, Jin and early Yuan Dynasties. It was known as the "Beijing of the Three Dynasties". Taiyuan, the provincial capital, is known as the location of the "Dragon Vein" and has always been a battleground for military strategists. Shanxi has emigrated more than a dozen times. Dahuaishu in Hongdong County was a major immigration station at that time. This is where the saying "Ask me where my ancestors are, the big locust tree in Hongdong, Shanxi" spread in many places across the country comes from. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rise of Shanxi merchants and Shanxi bank accounts, which emphasized integrity and non-deception, became famous both at home and abroad. The Yellow River flows through Shanxi and has given birth to countless heroes and people with lofty ideals. In various historical periods of China, Shanxi has produced many politicians, strategists, scientists, writers, and historians.

The most famous ones include Chong'er, one of the overlords of the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Wen of Jin, Wu Zetian, China's only female emperor and an outstanding politician in the Tang Dynasty, Xue Rengui, the white-robed general, Guan Yu and Zhang Liao, China's "Martial Saints" and famous generals during the Three Kingdoms period, There are Di Renjie and Pei Du, the famous prime ministers of the Tang Dynasty, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, the famous generals of the Han Dynasty who fought against the Xiongnu and went down in history, Pei Xiu, the cartographer of the Western Jin Dynasty who founded the "Six-body Cartography", and "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", one of the four famous works in ancient China. The author Luo Guanzhong includes the famous poets Bai Juyi, Wang Bo, Wang Zhihuan, Wang Wei, and Wang Changling of the Tang Dynasty; the famous writer, philosopher, and political reformer Liu Zongyuan of the Tang Dynasty; the famous politician Sima Guang of the Song Dynasty; and the writers and poets of the Jin Dynasty. Yuan Haowen included Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu, and Zheng Guangzu, three famous dramatists among the four great masters of Yuan opera, and Fu Shan, a thinker, writer, medical scientist, calligrapher and painter in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, who was praised by Emperor Jiajing as "the direct minister of the world". "Gao Jin, Yang Shenxiu, one of the Six Gentlemen of the Reform Movement of 1898 in the late Qing Dynasty, Xu Xiangqian, Fu Zuoyi, etc. among the top ten famous generals. Shanxi is full of outstanding people, and there is no shortage of people from generation to generation.

Folk customs

Marriage: People in Shuozhou generally get married according to the words of the matchmaker and the orders of their parents, just like other places. Although times have changed and customs have changed, they still generally follow the old customs, especially in rural areas. The important etiquette procedures remain rigid and have not changed to this day. They generally require four steps: blind date, engagement, marriage, and return home. Blind date: The matchmaker proposes marriage to a man and a woman and introduces the situation of both parties, such as age, zodiac sign, birth date, character, appearance, family economic status and parents, etc. After the two families weigh the conditions and gather everyone for discussion, if they are interested in getting married, the man will go with the matchmaker to the woman's house to see them. Both parties agree to make an appointment, and then invite the woman to the groom's house to see each other. The one he likes will stay at the groom's house for dinner and silently agree to discuss marriage. If he doesn't like the date, he will leave. Engagement: After many discussions between the couple, the matchmaker determines the bride price and dowry. The woman exchanges the birth dates of her children and chooses an auspicious day to hold the engagement ceremony. The man sends a "food box" and part of the bride price to the woman, and holds a banquet to celebrate. The next day the woman hosted a banquet for the man. After that, they choose a day to receive their marriage certificate, and some even go out for a trip. After getting married, men and women give each other some clothes, which is called exchanging for summer or exchanging for winter. Marriage: A betrothal gift is given one month before the wedding, commonly known as "tea service". The groom has a matchmaker deliver the clothes (underwear) and "water gifts" (rice, noodles, meat) that the bride wore when she was hired to the bride's family, and Notify the marriage date. Afterwards, the close relatives of the man and woman invite the future groom and bride to their homes for dinner, which is called "the wedding meal". On the day before the wedding, all relatives and friends come, which is commonly known as "treating people". Some invite "drummers" to join in the fun, so it is also called "angu". In the evening, men and women eat "turning cakes" at their own homes. On the wedding day, the couple's families eat fried cakes early in the morning, which is called "eating wedding cakes." After breakfast, the man plays drums and carries a sedan chair (some use a horse-drawn carriage or a mule to carry the sedan chair, but now they basically use a car) to the bride's house to marry her. Generally, the groom's uncle and concubine marry. The groom should bring a red trouser belt to the bride, which is called "happy marriage"; a bottle with an onion in it, which is called "rooting and establishing a queen"; and a piece of pork or mutton with five ribs. , called "Li Niang Meat" and "Five Party Joy". When returning from the wedding, the man will bring back two of the ribs to show the harmony between the couple after marriage. It is called "the bones and muscles are inseparable". The woman will provide tea, candies, and pastries. Waiting to entertain the bride. The bride puts on the clothes brought by the groom (usually red cotton clothes and cotton trousers). After bidding farewell to her parents, her sisters help her get into the sedan. Some of her companions present new ones and open boxes. The "He Tang" (also known as Yuanfan) person will accompany you and enter the groom's house at the time chosen in advance. After arriving at the groom's house, the bride is led by her groomsmen, steps on the "red carpet" into the bridal chamber, and "burns tea" for the "greeters" and eats the "entry-in meal." At noon, the groom and the bride worship the heaven and the earth, and the banquet begins immediately after the ceremony. , the name is: "Sitting". During the banquet, the bride and groom should toast, salute, and recognize the guests. In the evening, the groom's brother-in-law presides over the wedding ceremony, commonly known as "pouring the treasure pot". The bride and groom are asked to tell tongue twisters, guess riddles, and tell jokes. Afterwards, the couple eats opposite each other until late at night. Early the next morning, the bride and groom salute their relatives and friends, saying "Bow someone" (in some places, it is held after worshiping heaven and earth), and the party receiving the worship will give money as a congratulation. Funeral: The funeral rituals in Shuozhou in ancient times were extremely complicated and can generally be divided into small gatherings, large gatherings, burning paper, sending lights, saying goodbye, performing funerals, and resuming the ceremony. In 2006, the "China's First Yellow River and Loess Plateau Liulin Mengmen New Year Customs and Culture Festival" was grandly held in Mengmen Town, Liulin County. Together with hundreds of folklore experts and scholars, the "Menmen Declaration on the Protection of Traditional Chinese New Year Customs and Culture" was unanimously adopted.