What is the tourism value of architectural folk customs?

Folklore is the habitual phenomena of behavior and thought formed by specific groups of people in a certain region in the process of production, life and survival and development. As an important folk phenomenon, folk houses occupy an increasingly important position in today's tourism.

Some areas that do not have certain advantages in natural scenery, such as Tonghai, Jianshui, Shiping and other places in Yunnan, can pay attention to the important tourism resources of folk customs and be good at developing them. . Folk customs are uniquely charming with their rich humanistic connotations and architectural aesthetics, thus forming an increasingly large-scale folk customs tourism.

In ancient China, which had a vast territory and was in a feudal society for a long time, many residential buildings in various places formed the distinctive characteristics of the region and the nation. The same is true for us in Yunnan, from the "one seal" in central Yunnan to the western Yunnan The typical houses of the Bai and Naxi people, as well as the traditional houses in Jianshui, Tonghai and Shiping in southern Yunnan, show rich diversity in terms of architectural appearance and structural form. Among them, the traditional houses in Tonghai, Jianshui and The folk houses in southern Yunnan in and around Shiping are unique for their rich wood carving decoration content and superb craftsmanship.

Since most of my country's ancient buildings are wooden buildings, due to the characteristics of the building materials themselves, most of the buildings that have been completely preserved are from the Ming and Qing dynasties and a small number of buildings from the Republic of China period. Each part of these residential buildings is an independent decorative object. Wood carving involves almost all building components, including various main halls, wing rooms, gate towers, archways, and ancestral halls. Wood carving technology is widely used in buildings such as upper beams, columns, brackets, doors, windows, etc. Decorative carvings on hangings, darts, cornices, wood carvings, lintel carvings, railings, and on furniture and furnishings such as incense tables, canopy beds, etc. This article does not discuss the beauty of architecture and craftsmanship here. It just wants to find its rich and colorful folk culture by interpreting the theme of wood carving decoration, that is, the goodness of wood carving patterns themselves and the connotation of their inheritance.

Most of the themes of folk wood carving decoration reflect the inheritance of folk culture. This inheritance determines the formatting of folk craft shapes, the widespread adoption of various types and standardization, forming a complete and rigorous set of The inheritance method and craft system passed down from master to apprentice show the established format and different regional and national styles. For example, popular decorative themes among the people are widely used, and traditional techniques such as metonymy, metaphor, comparison, and homophonic combination are used to convey auspiciousness and wealth. For example, borrowing peach means longevity, borrowing peony means wealth, and borrowing pomegranate means having many children. Metaphor: using years to hide filial piety, using the "dark eight immortals" as a metaphor to celebrate birthdays, etc. Comparison: Plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum are used to compare the knot of a gentleman. Use Dutch to compare with integrity, etc. Homophony: Deer is homophonic to "Lu", monkey is homophonic to "Hou", and chicken is homophonic to "吉". Combination is the comprehensive application of the above four techniques in a decorative theme, using sounds, meanings, and shapes together to form a pattern that expresses accurate auspicious terms, such as three more, that is: using Buddha, peach, and pomegranate It represents many blessings, many lives, many children. The five blessings and longevity are the word "shou" in the middle, surrounded by five frames, and so on.

Due to the changes in our own living environment and the erosion of modern culture, today we are deeply unfamiliar with these traditional wood carving patterns. We need to crack the mystery of traditional wood carving patterns and reveal their folklore content and cultural meanings. It will be deciphered and form an important tourism resource that allows people to enjoy the natural scenery while also inheriting and understanding the ideas, culture, religion, and etiquette that our ancestors wanted to pass on. By making good use of it, new tourism products can be developed. , to increase the added value of specialty tourism.

The author once visited residential wood carvings in Tonghai, Jianshui, Shiping and other places, and saw a large number of residential wood carvings with exquisite craftsmanship and rich content. Looking at the decorative themes and contents of these residential wood carvings, it can be summarized It is divided into three categories: praying for blessings and good luck, humanistic ethics, and exorcising evil spirits.

Prayers for blessings and good luck are the most widely used themes in folk wood carving decorations. Folks summarize them as blessing, wealth, longevity, happiness, wealth, etc. Their main contents include: sexual intercourse and education, fame and wealth, and attracting wealth. , longevity, etc. These themes are closest to people's lives. They use simple language to express people's concern for the value of life, their hope for family prosperity, their yearning for wealth and a happy life, and their pursuit of their own social status. Commonly used themes of intercourse and education include: Avalokitesvara sending children, a house full of wealth, squirrels and grapes, unicorns sending children, etc. The themes of longevity include: pine and crane inviting age, immortals wishing birthdays, and five blessings offering longevity. The themes of attracting wealth and bringing good fortune include: attracting wealth and treasure, happiness on the brows, good fortune before your eyes, gold and jade, etc. Themes about fame, fortune and wealth include: winning the imperial examination all the way, being happy with three yuan, becoming a marquis immediately, five sons passing the imperial examination, etc.

Picture 1:

Tonghai County

In the picture, a pair of figures wear official hats. One person on the right is holding an official uniform and hat, and the other is holding an osmanthus flower. , represents winning the imperial examination and being promoted to the palace. A unicorn and a phoenix at the top of the picture form an auspicious lin and majestic phoenix. The unicorn, phoenix, dragon and tortoise are the four ancient spirits. In the Yuan Dynasty Wufeng poem: "xianglin mawei" "The phoenix cannot be summoned, and the crows are extinguished when the sun sets," which is also a metaphor for a very rare talent. There are three animals at the bottom of the picture besides the "lucky luck" "luck". A bee facing a monkey means "conferring a prince", while an elephant making a bow to an elephant means "obeisance to the prime minister". Together, it means "conferring a prince and worshiping the prime minister".

Humanistic ethics is the most spiritually enlightening theme in folk wood carvings. It often uses historical allusions, religious legends, life scenes and other forms of content to combine Confucian loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, as well as the level of social class. The decorative phenomenon of respect and inferiority, as well as moral norms based on the living environment, subtly educate people morally, which strengthens the spiritual and cultural functions of folk residences. Common ethical education themes include: Twenty-Four Filial Piety, Taoyuan Stakeholdership, Zhui Gengdu, etc. Of course, among them There are also opera stories from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and Water Margin.

Picture 2,

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Picture 5

Drive away evil spirits and avoid disasters, bring happiness and good fortune It is a topic that people have paid attention to for generations. Therefore, this kind of wood carving patterns are most widely used in residential buildings. For example, the hanging fish on the top of the building is a prayer to avoid fire and prevent disasters. The three stars of Tunkou, Bagua, Baxian, Fu, Lu and Shou are all considered to have the function of avoiding disasters.

Figure 6

"Eight Immortals", "Eight Auspiciousness", etc., take the Jianshui map as an example.