Chu culture

Chu culture is named after Chu people and Chu state. It is a regional culture formed in the Zhou Dynasty and originated from the Central Plains culture. She first came into being in Jianghan area, and it is a culture formed by taking the Shang and Zhou civilizations in the Central Plains as the core and absorbing certain southern indigenous cultures. At first, the level was not high, but with the growing strength of Chu State, the martial arts attack opened the world for Wen Zhi, and Wen Zhi laid the foundation for the martial arts attack. Especially after Chu destroyed Chen, Chu forces firmly controlled Chen and its surrounding areas. Chu culture went north to the Central Plains, where it exchanged and merged with Dongyi culture, Qilu culture and Central Plains culture, forming the backbone of Chinese culture and the matrix of Chinese culture. The costumes, songs and dances, literature, philosophy and music of the Han Dynasty were mainly copied from the Chu people.

"Shrinking wine in bud" is the most important sacrificial ceremony of Chu people, and it can even be the cause of war. "Zuo Zhuan Xi Gong Four Years" records the reconciliation of governors and the attack on Chu in the name of cutting Cai. The messenger of Chu asked, "You are in the North Sea and I am in the South China Sea. It's just irrelevant. I don't care if you are involved in our land. Why? " Guan Zhong, the prime minister of Qi State, said in reply to the envoy of Chu: "If you don't spend 20 cents, you can't cut down on wine if you don't sacrifice to the king. I am a levy. " One of the reasons for asking questions is that Chu people don't pay tribute to Zhou, and Zhou can't shrink his wine. "Everything is done by Han Feizi, and the foreign reserve says left" also says: "Chu Zhi Mao Jing has not offered the son of heaven for three years." It seems that the Zhou royal family has always been sacrificed by the tribute of Chu.

The legacy of "shrinking wine in the bud" is vividly displayed in the Duangong dance in Hubei Province today. Duangong Dance is a witchcraft ritual dance preserved in Nanzhang, Baokang and Gucheng of Xiangfan, which was handed down from the ancient State of Chu.

Zi Gu is Ce Shen. China's oldest folkloric annals, The Chronicle of Jingchu's Age, records that the Southern Dynasties had the custom of welcoming Zigu in Jingchu on the fifteenth night of the first month. Liu quoted "Different Gardens" (about 390-470 AD) to explain this custom: "An aunt was jealous by her eldest daughter and died in gratitude on the fifteenth day of the first month, so the world welcomed her. Curse cloud:' Zi Xu (cloud is her husband) is not here, but Mrs. Cao (cloud is her menstruation) has gone, and my sister-in-law can go out.' It's a great feeling to meet it in the toilet or pigsty, and it's also a kind of god to catch it. "It is said that ZiGu turned out to be a family's little wife. Because he was jealous of his first wife, he died in anger on the fifteenth day of the first month, so people made the image of Zi Gu to welcome her. Zhu Gao said, "Zixu (said to be Zigu's husband) is not at home, and Mrs. Cao (said to be the eldest wife Cao Shi) has gone back to her family. Zigu, you can come out. "Meet in the toilet or pigsty. If Zi Gu's image is heavier, it is Ce Shen. According to legend, toilets and pigsty must be quiet to attract my aunt.

In terms of staple food, Chu people mainly rely on rice. In terms of non-staple food, Chu people mainly focus on animal husbandry, hunting and collecting products, supplemented by garden plants. Among them, fish soup and baked snail clams are the main daily non-staple foods and dishes.

It has a history of more than 7,000 years in the south of China. For residents in the Central Plains, rice is not a common food. Although included in the five grains, the order of arrangement is: millet, millet, wheat, rice and rice. In addition to rice, Chu people also grow other dry land crops, and there are some food varieties in the north, but rice is the first in the order of eating.

The basic non-staple foods of Chu people are mainly meat and vegetables except fish. These two kinds of non-staple foods are obtained from animal husbandry, hunting, garden planting and collection. During the Warring States period, there were many remains of cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens. There are also many chicken thigh bones in rectangular bamboo tubes in the bronze tripod unearthed from the No.1 tomb of Wangshan in Jiangling. In addition to the sacrifices of emperors and generals, the sacrifices of Qing, doctors and scholars are all livestock. Although meat is not used for sacrifice and diet in Shu Ren, domestic animals and poultry are usually raised. The official livestock of Chu are mainly horses, cows, pigs and other large and medium-sized livestock. Chu was also one of the earliest countries in pond culture in the pre-Qin period. In addition to pond farming, fish farming in rice fields also exists. However, for the Chu people who regard fish as their daily treasure, artificial fish farming is only a supplementary way compared with catching wild fish, and the Chu people mainly meet the needs of eating fish through the latter way.

In terms of vegetables and fruits, there are melons, that is, sweet potatoes, and the seasonings are ginger and fennel. Vegetables include taro, sunflower (winter sunflower, winter amaranth), mustard, fermented grains (Chinese cabbage) and so on. Chu people have more kinds of fruits than vegetables. The original taste of Lu Chunqiu records that Chu has "the orange of Jiangpu and the grapefruit of Yunmeng". There are chestnuts, oranges, spiny dates, cherries, plums, pears and persimmons.

Hunting and gathering are also two important ways for Chu people to seek food. The fish they often eat are: tortoise, carp, crucian carp and so on. The birds they eat are snipe, swan (wild goose), pheasant, quail, owl and so on. Many animals eaten by Chu people are rare and delicious that northerners generally can't eat. Some of the animals and fish captured by Chu people were used for early tasting, and some were made into dried meat (or bacon) and dried fish for emergencies.

There are quite a few kinds of natural plant non-staple foods collected by Chu people, such as bitter vegetables, water chestnuts, Yunmeng (Chukui) celery, cinnamon, mushrooms, etc., all of which belong to condiments.

The most traditional wine in Chu is citronella wine. Chu people used citronella wine to pay homage to Zhou Tianzi and worship the gods. Chu people have two ways to drink, "frozen drink" and "cold drink". "Frozen drink" is to put ice cubes outside the hip flask to make frozen wine. "Eight Liang Qing" is to immerse the hip flask in cold water and make it cold wine. These are the drinking methods of Chu people in summer. 1978, two ice (warm) wine vessels were unearthed from the tomb of Zeng Houyi in Sui County, Hubei Province. These containers consist of two kinds of containers. The inner square jar container is used to hold wine, and each square jar has a copper spoon. The external square detector is used to hold ice or cold water in summer and hot water in winter.

The architectural style and life customs of Chu people show rich and colorful characteristics. The organizational system and layout of the capital of Chu, like the north, basically adopts the twin-city system of big cities and small cities. The south city of Jinan, the capital of Chu (figure 1, the former site of Jinan, the capital of Chu) is rectangular, with a wall circumference of15560m. There are 84 abutments in the palace area in the southeast of the city, and the ruins of the city wall and the ancient river channel of the moat are found. The ruins of handicraft workshops in the north of the palace area, and further north, that is, the northeast of the city, are commercial areas. One of the main doors of the palace of Chu State is called Maomen. After Maomen, it is the court where the King of Chu ruled the dynasty. There are spacious "high halls" and winding "curved houses" in the palace, deep and quiet "deep houses" and small and exquisite "south rooms". These palace buildings with different sizes, heights, lengths, floors, structures and complexity are combined to form a magnificent and patchwork building complex. What best reflects the architectural characteristics and technical level of Chu people is not the palace buildings in Beijing, but the palaces and high-rise buildings in the tourist park. Wang Chujian has a large number of palaces for them to enjoy. King Chu Cheng built the "Zhu Gong", a palace built on state-owned land in the waters south of the capital. Zhanghuatai built by King Chu Ling is an outstanding representative of terraced buildings in Chu State.

If you want to know more, you can refer to the book "Customs of Chu State". Chu Zhuangwang once swore to the world: "If you don't become famous for three years, you will fly into the sky; If you don't sing for three years, the song will be amazing. " It embodies the national spirit of Chu people. Chu people were originally descendants of Zhu Rong, the leader of Huaxia tribe, and Zhu Rong was descendants of the Yellow Emperor. Later, they moved to Jianghan area, mixed with the local "Sanmiao" aborigines, and then expanded and rose. According to the order of country change, they are called Jingchu, Chen Chu and Wu Chu. According to geographical location, it is divided into southern Chu, eastern Chu and western Chu. "Historical Records of Chu Family" said: "The ancestors of Chu people came from Emperor Levin of Zhuan Xu. Levin is the grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the son of Changyi. " Qu Yuan's Lisao begins: "The Miao nationality of Emperor Levin is Xi, and my emperor's name is Bo Yong." When he arrived in Zhou Chengwang, Xiong Yi, the great grandson of Xiong Ji, was sealed on the land of Chu people, and the official name of Chu began to be recorded in the history books. Xiong Yi is considered as the founding father of Chu State. Xiong Yi V spread to Xiong Qubing, who was famous for his bravery and won the hearts of Jianghan people. During the period of Zhou Yiwang, taking advantage of the chaos in the Central Plains, he swept the barbarians and expanded the territory of Chu, which opened the prelude to absorbing the barbarian culture and the Central Plains culture. Historical Records of Chu Family: "Xiong went to the hospital and said,' I am a barbarian, not the name of China'". It is precisely because the Chu people have been in a special position for a long time that their national prejudice is relatively weak and they are easy to get along with other nationalities. For example, in the war, Zhu Xia often captured and plundered the enemy's population as slaves, especially keen on capturing and plundering Rong Di as slaves. However, the Chu people were not interested in catching slaves. For the destroyed country, the Chu people have always been relocating, guarding ancestral temples, setting up territory, caring for their subjects and using talents. Therefore, the national thought of Chu people is most helpful to national unity, social development and national unity. These national characteristics were well inherited and carried forward by Liu Bang, the later Chu people, which was the fundamental reason why the Han Dynasty developed rapidly and became a civilized and prosperous country.

Secondly, Chu people have indomitable and indomitable national spirit. Chu people lived in Jianghan first, but hundreds of miles away, and the surrounding countries occupied all the fertile land. Chu people can only make a living in the corner between mountains and rivers. "Zuo Zhuan" contains the words of Chu Ling Wang You Yin Zige: "In the past, my first king Xiong Yi was founded in Jingshan Road, a land of grass and a blue road." It is this spirit of struggle that has made the Chu people's spirit of struggle. The Book of Jin says, "Take the road from the blue and use Zhang Chu." This national spirit has been passed down from generation to generation, and has been integrated into the blood of Chu people, which has become a powerful driving force for Chu people to constantly strive for self-improvement and seize the Central Plains. Chu Zhuangwang "was not famous for three years and soared; If you don't sing for three years, the song will be amazing. Bian He's persistent spirit of offering jade twice; Qu Yuan's patriotic feelings of "loyalty and abandoning his son, worrying about the country and mountains and rivers, and dying of his soul"; Liu Bang's consciousness of "sharing father's soup" shows the persistent and enterprising national soul of Chu people. In the spring of 2 1 year (278 BC), in the final decisive battle of Qin Chu, General Bai Qi of the State of Qin led the most powerful army to capture Ying City, the capital of Chu. He never imagined that all he got was an empty city. In this fierce battle, some Chu people fled and died, but no one defected to the enemy to flatter. Two of the captured soldiers would rather bite off their tongues and set themselves on fire than disclose the burial place of Zhong Ding and Zun. Therefore, the Chu people left the immortal spirit of "life is worse than death". Until the end, Chu was killed by Qin, and the Chu people still stubbornly issued a solemn and stirring oath that "although Chu has three households, Qin will die." "If he didn't break his word, Liu Bang, a Chu man, realized his ancestors' last words after 16 years, defeated the powerful Qin Dynasty, established the Han Empire to unify the whole country, and realized his grand long-cherished wish of winning the Central Plains and dominating the world. "Yanzi Chunqiu Neipian Question" said: "The ancients are different in a hundred miles, and thousands of miles are different." Chu people are between China and barbarians, standing in the southeast and northwest. Their customs are different from those of barbarians, but they are similar to those of China and have strong compatibility. The Chu people are convinced that they are descendants of the distant ancestors of the sun god and immediate successor of Vulcan, thus forming a unique fashion-respecting the red and the east and the left. Because Zhu Rong comes from the east of sunrise and is the fire of Di Ku. Live as a fire officer and die as a fire officer. "Mandarin Zheng Yu": "Liv is the fire of Gao Xin, brilliant, knowing it with virtue and shining all over the world, so it is called' Zhu Rong', which makes a great contribution!" The sunrise in the east and the fire that started a prairie fire in Shan Ye are the sources of confidence and strength for the ancients to conquer nature, and they are the original beliefs combining the nature worship of Chu people and ancestors. It is precisely because the sun and fire are red, full of passion and vitality that Chu people respect red, forming a fashion of respecting red, so that some people call Chu civilization "red civilization."

"In the past, Chu Zhuangwang's first official tied a tassel and wore a crimson robe to govern the country." The popularity of Chu people is closely related to their harsh environment. Because, with fire, we can burn wasteland, drive wolves and chase leopards, and even drive away cold and dampness. Therefore, in the early primitive ecological environment, having fire means having the conditions and strength for survival. With fire, there will be "good luck" and "profit", so that Mozi actually linked Chu Zhuangwang's success with his "crimson robe". We Han people still like to use red for celebrations, flags, decorations and costumes, which shows that the wind of Han people is the wind of Chu people. Liu Bang rebelled and wanted to be emperor, so he named himself "Chi Di Zi", fabricated a sensational story of "Chi Di Zi" beheading "Bai Dizi" and called himself "Zi Chu" to call on Chu people to overthrow the king of Qin and realize the goal of "destroying Qin and Chu". Like Xiang Yu's army, Liu Bang's army is a "red flag". "Historical Records and Almanac" records that after Liu Bangli became Hanwang, "in October of the first year, the color was red." This is to follow the calendar of Chu and the customs of Chu people.

In addition, the Chu people sit in the east for the most respect and sit in the south for the second respect. The tombs of the Duke of Chu also came from the east, and the direction of the tombs is the same as that of the heads, and they also came from the east. Implication: First, as a distant descendant of the sun god, he should face the east at sunrise. Second, as the direct heir of Vulcan, we must also face the East where Vulcan lived. In addition to the east, south, west and north, there are what the ancients called left and right directions. The south is on the left of the east, and the rest of the wind comes from here. The custom of the Zhou dynasty was still south and right, which was counterproductive. "Confucius' Family Language and Courtesy": "Those who sit in the south and die in the north all start from the beginning. "What is said is the practice of Zhou people. Chu officials are divided into left and right, left and right, and right are deputy. Its habits follow the Han Dynasty, and then the official system of the Han people in the Tang, Song and Ming Dynasties, all of which are left-oriented, right-oriented, literary left and martial right, male left and female right, long left and second right, and so on. It can be seen that sinology is Chuxue. Records of Historical Records of Xiang Yu: "At the Hongmen Banquet, Wang Xiang and Xiang Bo sat in the east, Yapu sat in the south, Pei Gong sat in the north, and Sean waited on the west. "Four of the five people are Chu people, and only Sean is Korean. The seats are arranged according to the custom of Chu people: Xiang Yu and Xiang Bo sit in the easternmost part and are the most respected; Father Fan Zeng, sitting in the south, the second honour; Pei Gong Liu Bang sits in the north, ranking second; Sean is waiting in the west, sitting at the bottom. Tai Shigong's notes can be described as subtle in plain. Liao Liao made the Chu people and Chu customs clear in a few words, and portrayed Xiang Yu's arrogance and Liu Bang's humiliation incisively and vividly, without adding a word of praise or criticism.

Liu Bang loves Chu clothes, and usually likes to wear short clothes, stand-up collars, right-handed and straight-handed, which are casual clothes that civilians and nobles can often wear. Therefore, Biography of Historian Liu describes that when uncle saw Liu Bang, he took off his robe and put on his jacket to please Liu Bang. Liu Bang loved Chu Guan since he was a child. It was a long and narrow board with beautiful bamboo on it. Because of his poor family background, Liu Bang himself often wears a crown made of reeds or bamboo skin, which is a typical crown of Chu State and later called "Liu's Crown". After Liu Bang proclaimed himself emperor, he placed the jade beads before and after the long-board Chu crown, which became the special crown for the emperor and called it the "Pingtianguan". It shows that Liu Bang loves Chu Customs as soon as possible, and it also shows that Handi Customs is often quoted from Chu Customs. Like Xiang Yu, Liu Bang loves songs and dances of Chu Ci, and often sings loudly to express his feelings, such as Song of the Wind and Song of Yu Hong. "History of Rites and Music in Han Dynasty" says: "Gao Zu takes the sound of Chu as his joy, so the chamber music takes the sound of Chu as its joy". Although the title of Han Yuefu is Zhou, the tune belongs to Nanyin. "Dragon and phoenix are auspicious" is the admiration and aspiration of Chu people and Han people. Chu people are based on ancestor worship and take birds as totems (totem: Indian language, meaning "his relatives"). In the eyes of Chu people, Phoenix is a firebird in Japan and China, the spirit of Zhu Rong, the ancestor of the ancestors, so it is a divine bird. "White Tiger Tong Wuxing" said Zhu Rong: "Its essence is a bird, and it is a phoenix." Luan is a phoenix. They like to compare people with phoenix birds, and call the people they like and admire phoenix birds. For example, after Chu Zhuangwang acceded to the throne, he played all day without asking about state affairs. Minister Wu Ju remonstrated, saying, "There are birds in the hills. If it doesn't fly for three years, what bird is it? " King Zhuang said to him, "If you don't become famous for three years, you will fly into the sky;" If you don't sing for three years, the song will be amazing. " Here, Wu Ju uses birds to compare people, and Zhuang Wang also uses birds to compare himself. Li Sao, Nine Chapters, Journey, etc. Qu Yuan repeatedly eulogized "Phoenix Bird", "Phoenix Bird" and "Heron Bird" as a symbol of beauty and looked for it under its guidance. Until now, Han people still like to use the word "phoenix" to name it. For example, Fengxian County, called "Fengcheng" in ancient times, is said to be named after a phoenix. Now most of them are named after the word "Phoenix", such as Feng Ming Tower, Fengcheng Town, Fengcheng Hotel and Feng Ming Hotel.

Chu people like phoenix, and then like dragon, which is a typical symbol of Chu culture expansion and compatibility. The prototype of "dragon" in totem image is snake; The second kind is crocodile, which is a conjoined behemoth with no tail at the beginning and no tail at the end. It is made up of horse's head, antlers, snake body, scales, fish tail, animal's feet, eagle's claws and other special shapes. This collection of all kinds of animals is a symbol of the totem nation's integration into a new joint group and a star of the Chinese nation's big family. In the fifth chapter of Ancient Culture in the Central Plains, Xu Shunzhan sorted out 33 main totem clans in the Yanhuang period. By the time the Yao, Shun and Yu tribes formed an alliance, there were only seven national totems left, indicating that the tribes absorbed and merged through continuous expansion and compatibility, which was in line with the law of social development. Wen Yiduo pointed out in the article Fuxi Kao: "Dragon is a synthesis of many different totems, which is a mixed totem produced by the merger of tribes." The image of the dragon was formed from the late Warring States to the Qin and Han Dynasties. This period was the expansion of Chu to the north, and Chu culture went northward, blending with Central Plains culture, Qilu culture and Sanqin culture. Therefore, the formation of the "dragon" totem symbolizes the convergence of the main blood of the Chinese nation and the foundation of Chinese culture. From then on, people in China all over the world have a * * * same name-"Descendants of the Dragon". It indicates the dawn of the East, the soaring of Huanglong and the arrival of the great era of Chinese civilization.

Precautions:

⑧ Historical Records Chu Family

9 Chu Song Yu: Soul Evocation

Attending "Historical Records of Xiang Yu"

Mozi Meng Gong tablets