What are the customs and customs of Changde like?

Changde, formerly known as Wuling, is a municipality under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province. It is located in the northwest of Hunan Province, bordering Dongting to the east, Changsha to the south, Zhangjiajie to the west, and western Hubei to the north. Since ancient times, it has been known as the "throat of Qianchuan, Yunnan and Guizhou" The reputation of "Gateway". It is 150 kilometers away from the provincial capital Changsha and 195 kilometers away from the world-famous scenic spot Zhangjiajie. With a total area of ??18,200 square kilometers, 440,000 hectares of cultivated land, and a total population of 6 million, Changde is the transportation, energy, circulation, and cultural center of northwestern Hunan. Changde has been awarded the title of National Sanitary City, China's Excellent Tourism City, and National Garden City by relevant national departments. , National Traffic Management Model City, International Garden City, City of Chinese Poetry, Chinese Charming City and other honorary titles. According to the "Changde City Master Plan from 2001 to 2020" approved by the State Council, by 2020, Changde City will be built into a large city with a population of 800,000 to 1 million and an urban area of ??100 square kilometers.

Changde has a long history and outstanding people. As far back as 3,000 years ago during the Xia and Shang dynasties, cities and counties were built and it was one of the cradle of Xiang-Chu culture. Qu Yuan, Song Yu, Tao Yuanming, Liu Yuxi and other sages have left many famous works; modern people with lofty ideals such as Lin Xiumei, Jiang Yiwu, Song Jiaoren, Liu Fuji were nurtured and grown up here. The founding father of New China Lin Boqu, the writer Ding Ling, the historian Jian Bozan was also born in this hot land.

Historical books call Changde “a country of scenery and a country of cultural relics”. The territory has beautiful lakes and mountains and many places of interest. The fairyland on earth, Peach Blossom Spring, is a quiet place with its peaceful forest and ravines and a gathering of humanities. It has been a tourist attraction in ancient and modern times. Traces of South China tigers were found in the original secondary forest of Huping Mountain, and the canyon rafting was not dangerous. Huayan Creek has beautiful mountains and rivers, charming scenery, and tens of thousands of egrets living in it. Jiashan Temple, an ancient Tang temple in front of Shimen, is a thousand-year-old Buddhist holy site and the source of the Japanese tea ceremony. The tomb of Monk Fengtian Jade next to the temple is recognized by Ming history experts as the final site of Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising in the late Ming Dynasty, who was defeated and retreated to Zen. The Chengtoushan ancient city ruins in Li County are a microcosm of ancient human life 7,000 years ago. The West Dongting Lake Internationally Important Wetland Reserve, Liuye Lake Tourist Resort, and national key protected cultural relics units such as Chengtou Mountain and Tiejingzhuang are all well-known.

Changde has diverse landforms and a pleasant climate. There are 2,703 species of higher plants identified in the territory, and 39 species of plants listed under national protection include Davidia involucrata, Ginkgo biloba, Eucommia ulmoides, Solitary orchid, and Yellow fir. There are 410 species of various types of wild animals, and 60 species of rare animals listed as key protected species include South China tiger, clouded leopard, golden leopard, golden cat, white crane, and Chinese sturgeon. The main mineral deposits include more than 50 kinds of androsulfonate, gold, diamond, rock salt, phosphorus, gypsum, limestone, sepiolite, barite, marble, coal, silica sand, etc. Among them, the toronesulfone mine ranks first in Asia, and the diamond placer, The reserves of stone coal mines rank first in the country, and the reserves of phosphate ore, gypsum mine, silica sand mine, and bentonite mine rank first in the province, and it is known as the "Hometown of Non-Metallic Minerals."

Since the reform and opening up, the city's economy has continued to grow rapidly, the total economic volume has expanded significantly, fiscal revenue has increased significantly, and the economic structure has been continuously optimized. The regional GDP increased from 41.8 billion yuan in 2002 to 86 billion yuan in 2007 (estimated figures, the same below), with an average annual growth rate of 12.2%, 2.8 percentage points faster than the previous five years; general fiscal budget revenue increased from 16 billion, increased to 3.8 billion yuan, with an average annual growth of 18.9%; the three industrial structures were adjusted from 27.2:39.1:33.7 to 22.7:43.6:33.7.

Lifestyle customs:

1. Clothing customs

People in the county are very particular about what they wear, especially young men and women, especially in the 1980s. The styles, colors, etc. of their clothing, scarves, hats, footwear, and jewelry vary according to era, gender, age, occupation, season, and region. This article only records the clothing customs of young men and women in counties and rural areas.

(1) Clothing

In the early years of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty, there was not much difference between the clothing of young men and women in urban and rural areas. Men were divided into long and short clothes, and women wore short clothes. The tops were short and the sleeves were 3 inches narrow. . In the early years of Tongzhi, the jackets were long and the sleeves were wide and full. During the Guangxu period, it was restored to the Xianfeng style. Men prefer green, gray and blue colors, while women prefer a combination of red and green. During the Republic of China, male public officials in county towns liked to wear Chinese tunic suits and suits, while women liked to wear cheongsams and skirts, and the countryside remained the same. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, clothing lengths were different, and new short clothing was gradually adopted, and urban and rural areas were basically integrated. In the 1960s and 1970s, young men and women in urban and rural areas liked to wear military uniforms. In the 1980s, young men and women in the county liked to wear fashionable clothes, with different lengths and new colors, and so did most young men and women in the countryside.

(2) Headgear

During the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, women (rich households) wore earrings. In winter, men in county towns like to wear hats with various styles, while men in rural areas like to wear long turbans, black and white. Not much changed in the 1950s. In the 1960s, fewer and fewer rural men wore turbans, while more and more men wore hats. In the 1960s and 1970s, urban and rural men liked to wear military caps. In the 1980s, there were many styles of hats, and earrings were widely worn by women in the county.

(3) Foot ornaments

Before the 1950s, young men and women in both urban and rural areas wore cloth shoes, and young women mostly embroidered the uppers. After the 1960s, men and women in county towns liked to wear sandals, slippers, and socks. In the late 1970s, men and women in rural areas also wore sandals and slippers, but generally without socks. In the 1980s, young men and women in urban and rural areas liked to wear leather shoes. Young women preferred flat shoes at first, and later medium-heeled shoes and high-heeled shoes.

2. Food customs

County people take rice as their staple food and usually have three meals a day. During the slack season, rural residents eat two more meals.

Meals are mainly dry rice, and poor people also have a meal of porridge.

County people eat vegetarian dishes as staple food and meat dishes as supplementary food. Before the 1970s, turtle, fish and dog meat were rarely eaten. In the 1980s it became a delicacy.

Condiments are mainly peppers, onions, garlic and ginger. After the 1970s, soy sauce and MSG were gradually added for seasoning.

Meal time is usually breakfast at eight or nine o'clock, lunch at one or two o'clock in the afternoon, and dinner at night.

The banquet for guests is extremely elaborate, with mainly meat dishes and very few vegetarian dishes, ranging from 8 or 10 bowls to 12 or 18 bowls. It is most taboo for guests to finish the dishes.

When dining in the morning, no matter how many people there are, sit around the same table. But when entertaining guests, it used to be a table of 8 people (now it is a table of 10 people). The arrangement of the table, the seating of the guests, and the order of serving dishes are very particular. Generally speaking, the dining table faces the front door, and guests sit at the top of the table. The first course is chowder, the six courses are fishless, and the last course is soup. In the 1980s, banquets were often held on garden tables in cities and towns, with 10 people per table. Guests could sit wherever they pleased, regardless of whether they were sitting at the upper or lower seats.

Seasonal food includes eating rice, vegetables and boiled eggs on the third day of March, eating rice dumplings on the fifth day of May, eating moon cakes on August 15th, and making cakes during the Spring Festival. As the saying goes, "March 3rd, the snake comes out of the mountain". Boiled eggs with rice and vegetables are eaten, or fried rice dumplings are eaten to "collapse the snake"; rice dumplings are eaten to pay tribute to Qu Yuan; and the dumplings are reunited to celebrate the reunion of the family in the New Year.

3. Living customs

People in the county like to live in scattered places, with single homes and courtyards, and few conjoined houses are built.

Houses are mainly facing south and usually have two (or three) rooms, one on one side and one on the side, with very few windows.

Building a house is one of the "three major events in life" and is extremely particular. Please consult with Feng Shui practitioners in advance to select a homestead site and choose an auspicious day to start construction. During the construction of the house, there should be no quarrels, fights, or unlucky words, and it should be peaceful and lively. When serving Liangguo, you need to throw the cakes and sing "Song of Throwing Pancakes", "Song of Shangliang" and "Song of Praise for Liang".