A composition about the folk customs of Jiaozuo

Spring Festival

The first to third day of the first lunar month of the lunar calendar was called Luduan and New Year's Day in ancient times. Now it is called Spring Festival, and Fuzhou people call it "Zuo Nian". It is the most solemn and most popular holiday of the year. long folk festival. At dawn, every house opens its doors, burns incense and fires cannons to welcome the New Year. There are many taboos in this festival. The first words and things you say and do are all about good fortune, hoping for a safe year. At the beginning of the new year, the first thing you say to anyone you meet is "congratulations", "get rich", "peace" and other auspicious words, and the other person will respond with corresponding kind words. On that day, there will be no sweeping, fetching water, carrying burdens, chopping firewood, washing clothes, bathing, haircuts, or saying unlucky words. After the whole family gets up, they put on new clothes or clothes of the best quality. For breakfast, some people eat noodles (noodles, chicken, duck eggs) to wish for peace and longevity; some eat rice cakes (brown sugar cakes) to wish for good fortune every year; some elderly people eat vegetarian food to pray for a safe year for their family and grandchildren. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the younger generation pays New Year greetings to their elders, and the elders give them lucky money or candies or oranges.

On the first day of the lunar month, people are not allowed to travel far. On the second and third days of the lunar month, people can visit relatives and friends and wish each other the New Year. Just as Wu Jiyun, a native of the Qing Dynasty, said in "The Bamboo Branch Poems of Fuzhou Years": "New clothes of the tribe come to people, and the etiquette is modest and joyful; when they meet on the road, they bow to each other, and they get rich and congratulate them on the new year." This is the new custom of Fuzhou in ancient times. landscape. Families with married daughters will hold spring banquets and invite their daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren back to their parents' homes for a banquet and reunion. The women of the boatmen (folks) on the water, wearing red flowers on their heads, blue shirts, blue trousers, and blue shoes with cloth soles, go ashore together, visit each house, and sing New Year greetings in Fuzhou dialect: "Aunts and sisters-in-law both wish the New Year, and red umbrellas and lanterns hang in front of the hall; OK "Good cakes are sent to the slaves, and the gold plate is standing in front of the door." "The old year is over and the new year is coming, business is prosperous and you make a lot of money; I wish you good fortune and peace, and you are sending slaves to the door." This is called. "Poetry for asking?" is also a New Year's greeting. Asking for "Poetry for New Year's greetings" shows good luck. During the Spring Festival, the streets and alleys of Fuzhou are decorated with lanterns, fireworks, and laughter, creating a festive atmosphere everywhere.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, party and government leaders at all levels brought gifts to the residences of military martyrs, retired cadres and old model workers before or during the holidays to pay New Year's greetings. Relevant departments organize Spring Festival garden tours, parties from all walks of life, cultural evenings and other activities. Those old superstitious customs gradually disappeared. In the early 1990s, most homes were equipped with telephones. Relatives and friends generally used the phone to send New Year greetings to each other to reduce holiday traffic congestion.

On the early morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, every household burns incense to "receive the gods" and welcome the Stove King back to Luan to take charge of matters. All walks of life have holidays, firecrackers are set off, shops are open for business, factories start working, and agencies start working. After the 1990s, the homework time was adjusted, and now I work on the eighth day of the lunar month. Some service industries are still open during the Spring Festival.

Lantern Festival

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival. Fuzhou Lantern Festival lanterns began in the Han Dynasty and were listed as the top products of the Kyoto Lantern Festival in the Song Dynasty. "Old Wulin Stories" records that the lanterns from Fuzhou that came to Beijing were "purely made of white jade, which is dazzling, like a clear ice jade pot, refreshing the mind." Fuzhou's orange lanterns, cabbage lanterns, lotus lanterns, etc. are unique in shape, bright in color, and unique. The local life in Fuzhou is eye-catching.

拗九节

The 29th day of the first lunar month is a unique traditional folk festival in Fuzhou. "拗〔ōu〕九节" is also known as "Latter Nine Festival" and "Filial Piety Festival". Early this morning, every household uses glutinous rice, brown sugar, peanuts, red dates, water chestnuts, sesame, longan and other raw materials to cook sweet porridge, called "Yujiu porridge", which is used to worship ancestors or give gifts to relatives and friends. Married daughters must also send a bowl of "Aojiu porridge", some with Taiping, eggs, pig's trotters, etc., back to their parents' home to honor their parents. In addition, any person whose age is nine, such as nine, nineteen, twenty-nine... (called "Ming Jiu"), or a multiple of nine, such as eighteen, twenty-seven, thirty-six. When you are on your birthday... (called "Dark Nine"), you should eat a bowl of "Taiping" just like your birthday, in order to seek peace and health.

The "Aojiu Festival" comes from the legend of "Mulian saved his mother". It is said that in ancient times, there was a man named Mulian whose mother was evil during her lifetime and was imprisoned in a cell in the underworld after her death. When he visited the prison, he often brought food to his mother, but all the food was eaten by the guards who guarded her. Later, he thought of a way to mix water chestnuts, peanuts, red dates, longan, brown sugar and other raw materials with glutinous rice to cook sweet porridge. After serving it in a bowl, he sprinkled a handful of black sesame seeds and gave it to his mother. When the guard saw the porridge, It was dark and asked: "What is this?" Mulian replied casually: "This is Aozu porridge." ("Nine" in Fuzhou dialect is a homophony of "Zu"). The guard believed it and thought the porridge was very dirty. Dare to eat. Therefore, "Aojiu Porridge" was delivered to Mulian's mother. This day happens to be the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month, and Mulian's mother is also twenty-nine years old that year. According to Fujian custom, the first month is divided into "three nines", the ninth day of the first lunar month is called "the upper ninth month", and the nineteenth day is called the "zhongjiu" , the twenty-nine are called "the last nine", so this porridge is called the "the last nine porridge". Later, because the color of the porridge was dark, it was called "Aojiu porridge", and because Mulian was filial to his mother, it was also called "Xiaojiu porridge." No matter it is the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month or the twenty-nine year old, it is the day when Mulian's mother was in trouble. Therefore, Fuzhou people have taboos on the ninth day of the first lunar month, thinking that "nine" is the year of misfortune. Daughters who eat too little and get married should also send "nine" to their parents to pray for their safety and health.

Qingming Festival

Qingming is an important folk festival in Fuzhou. Tomb-Sweeping Day falls 15 days after the Spring Equinox every year.

On or around the Qingming Festival, every household goes for an outing in the countryside and goes to the mountains to pay homage to ancestors and sweep their tombs. Grave sweeping is also called paper pressing, which means weeding the grave and pressing money paper on the head of the grave to show that the tomb will be swept by descendants. Bringing offerings is also very simple, including light cakes, tofu, noodles and spinach cakes, also called Qingming cakes. It is a unique Qingming Festival offering in Fuzhou. It is made of spinach (a wild vegetable growing in the south, edible and sweet). , cool in nature, mashed and pressed into a green-green juice), squeezed into juice, soaked into rice milk and kneaded into kueh skin, kneaded with jujube paste, bean paste, shredded radish, etc. as filling. Before and after Qingming Festival, Fuzhou restaurants are making and selling it. Many wealthy families make their own spinach cakes, but they do not use hand-made shapes. Instead, they use wooden molds with the clan name engraved inside. The printed spinach cakes are particularly beautiful and are given to relatives and friends as gifts.

After sweeping the tomb, you should break off a pine branch or a willow stick and insert it at the door of your home to show that the family has paid tribute to the ancestor's tomb.

Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon Boat Festival, commonly known as the Five-Day Festival and May Festival in Fuzhou. Because the family feast of the festival is at noon, it is called the Dragon Boat Festival. According to legend, it is a festival to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan.

Dragon Boat Festival begins on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Every family cleans up and hangs cattails and moxa moxa in front of the door to ward off evil spirits and disinfect. During the Dragon Boat Festival, we eat rice dumplings and purses, drink realgar wine, and light realgar cannons. Children wear new clothes, hang sachets, wear red bellybands, and paint their mouths and noses with realgar, which is said to prevent sores and rashes and repel snakes and scorpions.

After the festive meal, families and their children went to Fuzhou West Lake, Nantai Wanshou Bridge, and both sides of the Minjiang River to watch the dragon boat races. Some boats are painted as fish, and some are painted as shrimps, both of which are aquatic symbols. Dragon boat racing is held from the first to the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, but in the afternoon of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, there is a competition to compete for the championship, which attracts a large number of spectators.

Today, the excellent traditional customs of the Dragon Boat Festival are still inherited, such as general cleaning and summer hygiene campaigns. Dragon boat racing is included in the water sports events, and activities are organized every year. Fuzhou dragon boats also participated in international dragon boat competitions and won honors.

Qiqiao Festival

On the Chinese Valentine's Day of the seventh lunar month, Fuzhou is called the Qiqiao Festival, also known as the Fate Festival. The Chinese Valentine's Day is the time when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet on the Magpie Bridge in mythology.

On Qixi Festival, women use the seven characters as a symbol of skill. When begging for skill from the Milky Way Vega in the sky, they display seven plates of melons and fruits, seven teacups, seven pillars of incense, prepare seven needles, and seven colors of silk thread. After bowing seven times, he would sit cross-legged and, under the dim moonlight, compete with threading needles and threads. Whoever threads threads faster and more will have the most luck. "Sanshan Zhi" written by Kejia of Song Dynasty and Liang Dynasty records: "How much do you know about begging for cleverness in a colorful building? It's not until late at night that you are about to die." This custom is mostly carried out by the ladies of the government and wealthy families. Folks engage in activities of dividing beans and forming relationships. Families cook broad beans and give each other gifts, gnaw beans and chat to eliminate past mistakes and promote harmony in the family, deep ties between relatives and friends, and harmony in the neighborhood. Children learn to divide beans and form friendships, cross fingers and make peace, which is full of childlike fun.

Hungry Ghost Festival

The fifteenth day of the seventh month in the lunar calendar is commonly known as "July and a Half", or half-section. During the Hungry Ghost Festival, activities are available every day throughout July. Legend has it that in order to alleviate his mother's sins, Maud Lian invited monks from all over the world to hold a Ullama gathering every day to purify his mother.

During the Ghost Festival, every family holds family sacrifice activities. In addition to general offerings, paper clothes must also be burned for the ghosts of ancestors to enjoy in the afterlife.

The Ghost Festival falls shortly after the harvest of early rice in rural areas. People use their slack time to worship their fields and celebrate the harvest. Therefore, the suburban counties of Fuzhou still retain the custom of doing "half section" in "half-July" (meaning that half of the year has passed), but the time differs from village to village. It is often done in one village and then in another village. The village takes turns. During the "half section", every family has to entertain many relatives and friends. Some villages invite theater troupes to perform, comment, sing and other activities to show their joy of harvest.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on August 15th, commonly known as the Reunion Festival.

There is a saying about the origin of eating mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival: In the late Yuan Dynasty, in order to consolidate their rule, the Mongolian aristocratic rulers did not allow the people to use iron knives, and stipulated that ten families share one kitchen knife. He does no evil and is hated by the people. Zhang Shicheng of Gaoyou secretly linked up and put a small note of rebellion in the mooncakes. On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, every family broke open the mooncakes, saw the leaflets, grabbed kitchen knives one after another, and staged an uprising against the rulers of the Yuan Dynasty. From then on, people eat mooncakes every Mid-Autumn Festival to commemorate this people's struggle festival.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, people in Fuzhou prepare offerings and burn paper clothes to worship their ancestors. A family banquet is held at night, the whole family gathers together, drinks wine and admires the moon. During this festival, there is also a folk custom of respecting the old and loving the young. The younger generations give large mooncakes (ie gift cakes) to the elders, and the elders give small mooncakes to the younger ones to express their best wishes to each other during the festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival customs are slightly different in various places in Fujian, according to the records of "Fujian General Chronicles? Customs". In Fuzhou City, "ladies and gentlemen go to Wushi Mountain to offer incense during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and light the divine light tower lanterns at night. Women go out with arms at night, which is called 'walking away from all diseases'"; in Yongtai County, "looking at the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and gentlemen wishing Kuixing"; in Minqing County, "Mid-Autumn Festival created Moon cakes are served to enjoy the moon, chestnuts and taro are eaten, and children prepare rice cakes and build towers with tiles to worship each other." "Channgle County Chronicle" states that "the Mid-Autumn Festival is omitted, and each family only has a drink."

< p> "Putting up towers" during the Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the great joys of the festival. Farmers gathered tiles and built tile towers. At night, they lit firewood and the fire shone everywhere. They composed poems, admired the moon, and entertained each other. People in the city buy clay or ceramic figures, including historical figures from "Journey to the West", "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Water Margin", etc. There are also candlesticks, vases, incense burners, etc. on display for people to watch.

Some wealthy families set up a "pendulum" in the hall, with at least three tiers of tables and as many as ten tiers of tables. A mud or iron tower was placed on the top floor, and a pair of seedling pots were displayed on the lower floor, which were green and green to show a good harvest. The middle floors are lined with celebrities and opera figures from past dynasties, and the entire courtyard is brightly lit, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Double Ninth Festival

The ninth day of the ninth month of the lunar calendar is the Double Ninth Festival. Because nine is the number of Yang and the sun and moon are both important, it is called "Double Ninth Festival", also called Double Ninth Festival. The Double Ninth Festival comes from the story of Huanjing in the Later Han Dynasty who climbed high to avoid disaster. According to the "Three Mountains Chronicles": Jiuxian Mountain (Yu Mountain) in Fuzhou is the place where Wu Zhu, the king of Han and Minyue, climbed high. Wu Zhu was a contemporary of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Man, 200 years earlier than Huan Jing. "Bamin Tongzhi" records: "On the Double Ninth Festival, the people of the county will climb high on this day, drink chrysanthemum wine to prolong life, and plant dogwood to avoid evil." (Cornus is a traditional Chinese medicine with a bitter taste and warm nature. It can dispel cold, warm the body, It has medicinal effects such as relieving pain and eliminating evil.) It is said that the big stone bottle used to hold chrysanthemum wine by the King of Minyue was still in Yushan during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. It disappeared later, but the remains of the "Nine Days Terrace" can still be found. On September 9th in Fuzhou, in addition to climbing, drinking chrysanthemum wine, planting dogwood, etc., there is also the custom of flying paper harriers ([tsai ieu] kites). It is said that flying paper harriers also comes from the story of Huan Jing and Fei Changfang. Once, Huan Jing asked Fei Changfang to get some medicine to remove evil spirits and plague. He walked on a lost mountain road and found Fei after being guided by a pigeon. To commemorate this event, later generations took paper doves to the mountains and released them. As time passed, the custom of flying paper harriers developed.

In the old days, the main places for climbing and flying paper harriers in Fuzhou were mountains, Wushan, Damiao Mountain, etc. At that time, there was a climbing stone in Damiao Mountain, which was said to have fallen from the sky and was called "the star falling to the ground". At nine o'clock in September, adults take their children to Damiao Mountain. Once they climb the climbing stone mountain, they will grow taller. Therefore, it attracts people from the four gates of Fuzhou to run here. Every Double Ninth Festival, leading to Damiao Mountain The two stone steps were packed to the brim.

On the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, "Gao" and "cake" are homophones for climbing high. Therefore, during the festival, Fuzhou also has a special pastry called "Nine Chong Kueh", which means that the Kueh has nine layers with seven layers in between. The sugar-colored layers symbolize heightening and climbing high to eliminate disasters.

I miss my loved ones even more during the festive season. During the Double Ninth Festival in Fuzhou, there is also the activity of sweeping and worshiping ancestral graves. This and the Tomb Sweeping Festival are collectively called the Spring and Autumn Festival. Nowadays, in the suburbs or counties of Fuzhou, the custom of sweeping tombs on September 9th is still retained.

As the Double Ninth Festival has developed to this day, people have given it richer cultural connotations, combining climbing with national fitness exercises, combining worshiping ancestral graves with the traditional virtue of respecting and loving the elderly, and some even combine it with the traditional virtues of respecting and loving the elderly. It is combined with overseas Chinese to build connections and attract investment. The National People's Congress also passed the decision to designate the Double Ninth Festival as the Senior Citizen's Day every year. During the festival, various units and groups also held various forms of mountain climbing, fitness and other sports activities

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice is one of the 24 solar terms in the lunar calendar. In the old days, on the eve of this festival, young and old gathered in the hall, sitting around the desk and rubbing rice. Grind the glutinous rice until it is semi-dry and roll it into balls, cook it in a pot, remove it and coat it with sugar bean powder to form "?". On the desk are placed a few red tangerines, a bunch of red chopsticks, a pair of paper flowers, a clay sculpture of a boy, girl and child (Tongerzi), and red chrysanthemums in a vase. During the rubbing, incense and candles were burned, and the children sang nursery rhymes in Fuzhou dialect: "Rou? Ya rub rub, my mother loves my brother, my brother pleases my sister-in-law, my brother is single. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and my parents are both happy." . When the child falls down under the bucket, Yi Ge will immediately become a father. "Winter solstice rubbing means praying for a child and increased blessings." What was rubbed that night? Wait for breakfast the next morning on the day of the winter solstice.

Sacrifice to the Stove

Sacrifice to the Stove, the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month. According to Fuzhou custom, the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month is the day for officials to offer sacrifices to meat stoves, the 24th is the day for ordinary people to offer sacrifices to plain stoves, and the residents on the water (?miners) offer sacrifices to the stoves on the 25th.

Sacrificing the stove was originally a ritual of offering sacrifices to fire in ancient summer. The emergence of fire has separated mankind from the era of eating hair and drinking blood, which is worthy of great commemoration. However, later generations turned worshiping the stove into the worship of the "Kitchen God", saying that the Kitchen God is the "god of command" who can "go to heaven to pray for blessings and come down to earth to bless the people." This evolution process probably began in the Han Dynasty. According to the "Book of the Later Han Dynasty? The Biography of Yin Chou", there was a filial son named Yin Zixing who drank early on the twelfth lunar month (December 23). When he saw the Kitchen God appear, he quickly prayed to him and slaughtered the yellow sheep in his family as a sacrifice. "Since then, he has become extremely rich...so he often sacrifices to the stove during the twelfth lunar month and recommends the yellow sheep." As time goes by, this legend becomes more and more divine, saying that the Kitchen God is a "resident" sent to the human world by the Jade Emperor. ambassador". Once a year, on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, the Kitchen God goes to heaven to report to the Jade Emperor about the good and evil of the household head. He goes to heaven for ten days and descends to earth on the fourth day of the first lunar month of the next year. Before the Kitchen God leaves, every household must bid farewell to him. Chickens, ducks, fish, meat, stove sugar, stove cakes, wine, etc. are offered as sacrifices to the meat stove; in addition to stove sugar cakes, sugar cane, water chestnuts, red dates, peanuts, daylilies, fungus, etc. are also offered to the vegetarian stove. During the sacrifice, the children sang nursery rhymes: "Sacrifice to the Kitchen God to Muddleheaded (a satire on the Stove God's confused official). There is a copper incense burner in front of the stove. The ingot is Nongfu, and the gold trousers are Nongmu. The Kitchen God speaks good words from heaven, and the Kitchen God falls to the ground. Bless Nong, bless Nong's father to make money, bless Nong's mother to have money and grow up, bless brother Nong to marry his brother and sister-in-law, and bless Nong to become smart when he studies." After the sacrifice, the old picture of the Kitchen God was torn off and cremated, and the new picture of the Kitchen God was affixed to it. The picture shows farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Before the Stove Sacrifice Festival, grandparents will give stove sugar stove cakes to their male and female grandchildren. How many male and female grandsons there are, they have to give a few packages. Each package will also come with a "flower dough shell" (mask). There are Tang Monk, Sha Monk, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, etc., the children had fun eating and playing.

Nowadays, some people still have the old custom of offering sacrifices to the stove. Zao Tang Zao Cake was renamed Nian Tang New Year Cake and became one of the New Year products in Fuzhou Spring Festival market.

New Year's Eve

According to legend, "Nian" is a demon who comes out to play tricks on people every New Year's Eve. Therefore, on New Year's Eve, every household puts up new talismans (Spring Festival couplets) and sets off firecrackers to drive away the "year". Fuzhou also imitates the old custom of burning cannons in Zheng and Tang Dynasties to drive away disasters in the "New Year".

In December, people are busy making wine and preparing New Year's goods. Fifteen days later, the house cleaning begins, which is called sweeping the hall and cleaning the hall. Relatives who were away from home returned one after another to reunite with their families. After the twenty-fifth day, rice cakes are steamed, chickens, ducks, fish, meat, wine, etc. are prepared to offer sacrifices to ancestors and gods of heaven and earth, which is called dividing the year. The son-in-law sends New Year's gifts to his parents-in-law, which is called New Year's Eve. On New Year's Eve, the red candles are burning high, the whole family is happy, and they have a dinner party, which is called New Year's Eve. It's night again to sweep the hall, set off firecrackers, and cook the next year's meal. The next year's meal is served in a wooden rice steamer, surrounded by ten pairs of vermilion chopsticks, pasted with red paper, tied with red rope, and sprinkled with "five seeds" (red dates, peanuts, melon seeds, longan seeds, chestnuts), and placed on the table in the hall. superior. The main doors, curtains, cage furniture, and valuable utensils and objects in the home are stamped with "gold and silver paper foil", which means that the home has so much gold and silver that it will overflow from the cracks in the door, symbolizing a fortune next year.

On New Year's Eve, elders still have the custom of giving "lunar New Year money" to their children, and they can pay New Year greetings from the first to the fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year. The song "Wish you a happy New Year, even if you don't have oranges, you still need money." The income is quite a lot during the Spring Festival!

In the old days, the thirtieth night (thirtieth night) was the most important day for creditors to collect debts and for debtors to hide their debts. . You can't celebrate the New Year if you owe old debts, that is, you can't celebrate the 30th night. The debtors who lived outside the city went to Houzhou Shangshu Temple, while those who lived in the city went to the Chenghuang Temple to watch a play to avoid debts. After the 1950s, people's living standards improved significantly, and debt extortion has long since disappeared. New Year's goods are now available in all kinds of designs and colors. Offices, factories, and shops were decorated with lights and colorful decorations. Thousands of colorful lanterns and fireworks lined both sides of the streets. Everyone happily welcomed the arrival of the new year.

Life Customs

Clothes

Clothes

From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, men in Fuzhou mostly wore long robes and gowns. The robe extends from the shoulders to the soles of the feet. It opens to the right and has buttons on the front and back panels. There is a small piece of cloth inside the front and a small pocket in the middle seam, called a secret pocket, which can hide a small amount of items. As an outer garment, the long gown is casual clothing for middle-aged and elderly men. It is often changed and washed, and is mostly made of cotton. Common colors include blue, gray and moon white. People with status often wear linen or silk gowns in summer. Short shirt refers to women's outer clothing, and the one worn on top of the coat is called a coat wheel. Long gowns should be simple and elegant, while short gowns should be novel and colorful.

The mandarin jacket is a short coat for men, worn over a robe or gown, with a collar, waist-length placket, and 5 buttons. The mandarin jacket does not use fabric but is mostly made of blue and white. Later, a small pocket was sewn on the left side of the lapel to hide the watch, which was called a watch pocket. Another kind of "jiazai" that can replace the mandarin jacket is also called a backpack or a vest. It is a sleeveless short coat that is worn outside a robe or gown, so it is also called a vest. After the Anti-Japanese War, the number of people wearing long robes and gowns gradually decreased, and even fewer wore long gowns and jackets. The Zhongshan jacket created by Sun Yat-sen took its place and became widely popular.

Middle-aged officials and nobles, when going out in the cold winter, wear a coat in addition to their robes. The coat is long from the shoulders to the back of the knees, with no collar or sleeves, and is tied around the neck with a belt. This is called " Cloak", also called "cloak". From the Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China, urban and rural workers, both men and women, wore short shirts and short coats with double lapels and knee length. The shirt is a single garment, while the coat is sewn in two or more layers. There are jackets, cotton-padded jackets, and leather jackets, which are changed according to the season. The materials used for men's jackets are mostly cotton, while women's jackets are mostly made of silk. In the old days, women's dresses were coats and skirts, collectively called skirts and coats. When a woman gets married, she has to wear a bright red python skirt and jacket, and a set of underwear, called tights, as part of her dowry. In the past, women wore green skirts as casual clothes, red skirts as formal wear, and white skirts as mourning clothes. During festivals, family celebrations, or attending banquets with relatives and friends, you must wear a red dress even when you are old. After the husband dies, he will no longer wear red skirts for the rest of his life, and women who remarry are not allowed to wear red skirts. Widows can wear green or light green embroidered skirts until their children grow up and become independent. General skirts can reach the shin length, and are mostly made of silk fabrics or embroidered with colorful patterns. The one with more folds is the most popular, which is the so-called pleated skirt. Rural women wear red skirts when working in the fields to show their happiness. After the Republic of China, fewer and fewer people wore skirts. But when men and women are engaged in work, they use cloth as a scarf and tie it in front of their lapels to prevent stains on their clothes and pants, which is called an apron. In the Qing Dynasty, it was popular for middle- and upper-class women to wear cheongsam, which consisted of upper and lower garments, shaped like a robe. By the time of the Republic of China, the styles of cheongsam had changed from time to time, including high-collared ones, low-collared ones, and hard-collared ones; long ones that trailed to the ground, some that reached the shins, some that were as short as just above the knees, and some that even went below the knees; There are long-sleeved ones, half-sleeved ones, and sleeveless ones like vests. From the 1950s to the 1970s, cheongsam almost disappeared. It became popular again after the 1980s, and its styles tended to be Westernized.

The lower garments for men and women are called pants. There are trousers, shorts, outer trousers, and underwear. Old-style trousers don't have bags. The upper part is collectively called trousers, also called trousers. They are usually made of white cloth about half a foot high and sewn together. When wearing trousers, another belt is used to tie the trousers to the waist, which is called a trousers belt. The leg tubes are not divided into front and rear widths, and can be used on both left and right sides. The culottes are commonly called trousers. They are usually seamed, and the two trouser legs are connected into one body, which is called a trousers.

In the middle of the Republic of China, civil servants and middle- and high-level intellectuals were popular in wearing Mao Zedong coats and suits; middle school boys wore yellow and black student uniforms, and girls wore blue shirts and green skirts; young farmers were in fashion with casual clothes in green and black. Mainly gray and white. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, among public officials, Mao suits were popular among men and Lining suits among women. In winter, they wear Lenin-style short cotton-padded jackets, mostly in gray or light blue. In 1954, it was advocated to learn from the Soviet Union and pay attention to dress. Young women wore flowered dresses (called "Braj"). Young and middle-aged farmers in rural areas still wore plain clothes, and only wore Chinese tunic suits when going out for guests or doing business; women wore "19 blue" in fashion. , a large-breasted short coat made of "foreign flower cloth".

During the "Cultural Revolution", military uniforms were popular among young men and women. The colors of clothes for middle-aged and elderly people were still mainly black, gray, and blue, and the majority of styles were Mao suits.

After the 1980s, clothing has changed greatly. Young men and women are well-dressed, with novel styles and improved quality. There is no certain standard for clothing styles, which may be long, short, wide, narrow, plain, or plain. They can be either gorgeous or gorgeous; sometimes the trouser legs are narrow, sometimes wide, sometimes long, sometimes short, and they vary from person to person. Young women's clothing is colorful and changes all the time. Sometimes they wear long skirts, sometimes short skirts, sometimes miniskirts, and sometimes bodybuilding pants. Clothing materials have evolved from chemical fibers to high-end products such as wool, feathers, leather, and leather. Middle-aged and elderly men are switching from tunic suits to jackets and suits, and the materials are gradually becoming more high-end.

Shoes and socks

Before and after the Republic of China, men, women, old and young wore more shoes. Men's shoes have black round or pointed mouths, double noses or no noses, round toes and low tops. In summer, clogs and slippers are often worn at home. Women's shoes are mostly made of red cloth, with pointed toes and upturned noses, embroidered uppers, and thick heels, resembling high heels. After foot binding was banned in the Republic of China, women's shoes were similar to men's shoes, with horizontal straps added to the uppers. After the 1920s and 1930s, the number of people wearing leather-soled cloth shoes, rubber shoes, and leather shoes increased day by day, and most women wore high-heeled leather shoes. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, rubber-soled cloth shoes, military shoes and leather shoes were the main products in the 1950s. In the 1960s, with the development of the plastics industry, various plastic shoes and plastic slippers entered the market. In summer and autumn, people mainly wore plastic slippers, and clogs were gradually eliminated. In the 1980s, most young men and women, cadres, and employees wore leather shoes with novel styles and various colors.

In the old days, both men and women wore cloth socks. Women with bound feet used ramie woven into a foot-binding cloth (commonly known as "foot straps") that was five to six centimeters wide and about two meters long. After the 1940s and 1950s, knitted socks, stockings, and nylon socks replaced cloth socks.

Hat

The popular hat among the people in modern times is the small hat, also called melon skin hat and bowl hat, which is a men's hat. Six braids are joined together to form a circle, with flat tops and pointed tops. The material of the hat is satin in spring and winter, and gauze in summer and autumn. Both are black. The top of the hat is decorated with a knot made of braided silk, which is like the stem of a flower or fruit, round and short. The rich used coral or agate as a knot, and some decorated it with a small square jadeite in the middle of the front of the hat brim. By the time of the Anti-Japanese War, this had disappeared. The high hat was introduced from abroad along with the suit in the 1920s and 1930s. Public officials and intellectuals often wear high hats when wearing suits, and some wear long shirts and robes as well as high hats. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, gray military caps became popular in the 1950s. During the "Cultural Revolution", yellow military caps became popular, and some young women also wore them. After the 1980s, the elderly and children wore various hats made of wool, yarn or wool to keep out the cold. A few people wore peaked caps when traveling.

Jewelry

Hairpins, hairpins, earrings, rings, and bracelets were the main jewelry for women in the old days. Hairpins, hairpins, and earrings are made of gold for rich people, usually silver, and for poor people, they are made of copper. Rings are generally made of gold, and bracelets are mostly made of jade, but also silver and copper. Unmarried women don’t have much jewelry, usually only earrings and bracelets. Students generally do not wear jewelry. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, people generally did not wear jewelry except in some rural areas. After the 1980s, women began to wear rings, necklaces, earrings, etc. in all kinds of styles.

Hair Accessories

In the Qing Dynasty, men wore long braids, married women wore their hair in a bun, and child brides wore "grasshopper buns" on both sides. Wearing flowers is popular among women in both urban and rural areas. It is said that wearing flowers can not only bring out the beauty of the face, but also embody the "benefit of wearing flowers", which is a symbol of good luck. The flowers worn mainly include fresh flowers and grass flowers. Tongcaohua is made from the traditional Chinese medicine Tongcaohua. It is referred to as caohua and commonly known as elephant flower. The flowers worn are mostly inserted in the bun, or sandwiched between the gaps on the forehead, or tied into the braids hanging back. Flowers are available all year round, and common flowers are chosen at any time, either for their color or their fragrance. During festivals or family celebrations, wear "red smile" (brightly colored) flowers instead of plain flowers.

Fuzhou has many jasmine flowers, a long flowering season, and a strong fragrance, which is loved by women. White magnolia flowers are also often picked and worn. Some flowers are taboo for most people not to wear, such as peach blossoms and oleanders. Although they are beautiful, they are regarded as frivolous and coquettish. According to customs, no one wears them. Women cannot wear flowers during their mourning period. It is even more taboo for young widows, but those who wait until their children have grown up can wear plain flowers. During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Lianggong, the envoy of Fujian Province, mentioned the custom of wearing flowers in "Min Xiaoji? Min Women". This shows that Fuzhou women's dress with flowers 300 years ago still retains the simple folk customs.

Tongcaohua is one of Fuzhou's handicrafts and arts. It is an unfailing flower made of Tongcao and colorful silk, velvet and cloth. Middle-aged and elderly women should wear "Four Seasons Flower" or "Children's Periwinkle" on New Year's Day or festive occasions.

The four-season flower combines flowers of different seasons into one, taking the meaning of everlasting spring in all seasons; the baby periwinkle is a naked baby boy made of paper sitting on a flower bush, which means that the house is full of children and grandchildren. Women in some villages in the suburbs of Fuzhou wear three sword-shaped hairpins in the middle of their buns, called three hairpins or casual hairpins. The three hairpins are mostly made of silver or white copper, each weighing about seven to eight qian to one tael. Poor women in remote mountainous areas cut grass to make them. The shape of the hairpin is flat like a sword, with a pointed top, and the sword body is engraved with patterns. The middle hairpin has a sword blade pointing upward, and the two hairpins on the side are crossed to the left and right, with the blades pointing outwards, and are inserted between the buns. When an unmarried woman leaves her hair hanging down below her forehead, it is called a "shawl"; when she is married, her hair is styled into a bun with three hairpins. In the 19th year of the Republic of China (1930), Fang Shengtao, the acting chairman of the Fujian Provincial Government, regarded the three-striped hairpin as a "barbaric custom", ordered a strict ban, and enforced it, so it ceased to exist. It is the most unique headdress worn by rural women in Fuzhou with the longest history.

After the Revolution of 1911 (1911), fewer women wore buns, more girls cut their hair short, and the custom of wearing flowers became out of fashion. Men began to cut their braids, some had short hair, and some shaved their heads. People with short hair are mostly parted in half, and some are parted in a 40-60 or 37-part style, usually more on the left and more on the right. After the May 4th Movement, women in intellectual circles also began to cut their hair short. In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, most men wore their hair parted, while women mostly wore shoulder-length double braids. During the "Cultural Revolution", it was fashionable for young and middle-aged men to have short hair and a crew cut, while it was fashionable for women to wear a braid. After the 1980s, women basically kept their hair long, and young and middle-aged women mostly had their hair permed. Later, young women gradually became fashionable to tie their hair in a ponytail style, or hang it behind their head, or tilt it from side to side. A few young men also have shoulder-length hair and mustaches.

Fuzhou, also known as Rongcheng, is located in the eastern part of Fujian Province and the lower reaches of the Min River. It is the capital of Fujian Province. Fuzhou is a famous cultural city with a long history of more than 2,000 years, and it is also an important port on the southeast coast of China. It is now the political, economic and cultural center of Fujian Province. The city has a total area of ??11,968 square kilometers and a total population of more than 5 million. It governs eight counties and cities: Gulou, Taijiang, Changle, Luoyuan, Pingtan, Minqing and Yongtai. The residents are mainly Han, and there are more than 20 ethnic minorities such as Manchu, Miao and Hui.

Fuzhou is surrounded by mountains and rivers and faces the sea. It has a pleasant climate and a superior geographical environment. It is known as the Banyan City and the Hot Spring City, and is also known as the "Jiangnan Resort". It has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 19 degrees. The best tourist season is from April to November every year.