●Before filling in the application, I’m busy arranging the banquet ●Receiving six invitations a day, rushing for two or three sessions
Crazy entrance banquet
Residents of Basuo Town in the East: When is this kind of human contact?
School banquet dishes include shrimp, duck, etc.
Basuo Town’s University Promotion Banquet Menu
From our newspaper in August, the scorching sun was scorching the earth, and pedestrians on the road looked hurried. Many hotels in the town have launched a publicity at the door: "The entrance banquet is as low as 688 yuan/seat, hot reservations..." And the nearby villages are also a scene of joy, and the villagers set up round tables on the open space for banquets. , For a time, the crowd was full of friends and lively. "Just ask on the road, 8 out of 10 people went to the banquet." The owner of a department store in Basuo Town told reporters that during this period of time, the college entrance examination has been released one after another, mainly for college entrance banquets, wedding banquets, housewarming banquets, etc. It was held together, and some people even received 6 invitations a day. It is said that people are refreshed during happy occasions, but some families who go to banquets because of favors are miserable: after the excitement, their wallets dwindled and family expenditures soared, so they had to tighten their belts to live. They complained that the red envelopes for the banquet were getting bigger and bigger, and at the same time they had to add some kind of "wood" to the "fire" of the banquet. "This is how local customs are. When will the favors you come and go with will be the head?" a resident of the Eighth Institute said with emotion.
Reporter Cao Baoxin Text/Picture
1 reporter interview
Hotel entrance banquet reservations are hot, and there are tables in the village
On August 16, "it is suitable to marry, enter the house, and open." Orientals who plan to host a banquet will naturally not miss this "auspicious day." On an open space in Dazhanpo Village, Basuo Town, a college entrance banquet is going on lively, and the host passes cigarettes, toasts, and greets and greets the guests. Different from the exquisite decoration in the hotel, the banquet in the village is more casual. Invite a chef to set up a stove on the open space, set up more than 30 round tables (10 people per table), and set up a decent banquet. The villagers told reporters that this vacant land is a public land in the village, which is specially used for hosting various banquets. The banquet dishes in the village are also rich. After each table guests have finished eating, there will be some leftovers. To avoid waste, most people will take them home.
In Basuo Town, a hotel has launched two sets of entrance banquet packages, which are 588 yuan/seat and 688 yuan/seat respectively. Each table banquet is based on 10 people, and each table has 13 dishes. The main dishes include garlic steamed suckling pig, white sliced duck in salt water, golden flatbread, sweet and sour longevity fish, white seared shrimp and so on. "Almost every time these dishes are the same, the dishes in the hotel are generally monotonous and there are not many portions, so everyone will have a lively meal." A crowd at the banquet told reporters.
The reporter learned from the hotel’s sales manager that reservations for college banquets have been hot recently, and there is still time from the 19th to 24th. You can take as many tables as you want, but the more difficult it is to book in the future. The other hotel in the town put out the propaganda of the thank-you banquet at the door. The reporter saw that the "Golden List Title Banquet" was 796 yuan/seat, the "Prospect Banquet" was 896 yuan/seat, and the "Great Exhibition Banquet" was 996 yuan. / Seats.
"It doesn't matter which school you are admitted to, as long as the gift money arrives"
“It’s not more than half of this month. I have eaten five or six college entrance banquets. It’s really hard to eat like this.” Li Wen, a villager in Dazhanpo, told reporters that the college entrance examination list was released at the end of July. As soon as the results of candidates came out at home, the volunteers had not yet started to fill in , It's already a college entrance banquet. "If you don't do it, others will do it too. Everyone is squeezing the day. At this moment, anyone who wants to get married has to lean back." Li Wen said that although he has a good relationship with the host, he also does it. It is not clear which child got how many points and which school he attended.
"The important thing is that the favors and gifts are in place, and everyone doesn't care about other things." Li Wen told reporters that according to local customs, banqueters usually have a special bookkeeping book that records the name and name of each guest in detail. Gift money, in case I have a "number" in my heart next time I go to a banquet. The amount of gift money for guests mainly depends on the closeness of the relationship and the "number" of gift exchanges, mostly ranging from 200 yuan to 5,000 yuan.
"Now I'm too embarrassed to take out 200 yuan. Classmates and friends usually start at 300 yuan. In private, there is still some psychology of comparison. This trend should really be changed." Li Wen told reporters that this In the past half month, he has spent five to six thousand yuan on large and small banquets, which is equivalent to his monthly salary. "This is just the beginning. After the college entrance banquet is the National Day wedding banquet, the gift money has become a fixed expenditure of the family."
2 The masses complain
The human touch is getting weaker and the money is getting stronger
Fu Tonggang, a villager in Xiaoling Village, Basuo Town, received an invitation from a friend in the same village on WeChat. What Ling Fu was dumbfounded was that the event of celebration was "the joy of entering college for our sisters". "It's really an impossible relationship, and I got in touch with every turn." Fu Tong said that he would normally seal a red envelope to buy a personal account for such invitations.
"During this period of time, I have been gathering together to host college entrance banquets. Someone around me received 6 invitations a day. It is normal to catch two or three invitations a day. When I can't make it, I will send a red envelope to someone." Fu Tong told reporters If the relationship is good, he will go to hold a field, and the relationship is generally accompanied by a red envelope. It is not a good feeling to come and go like this. "For so many years, the only banquet I have organized is the wedding wine. At that time, we only invited good relatives and friends, and everyone gave 100 yuan in red envelopes. Now that we count it, it is really a big loss." Said with a smile, these gifts can only be "earned" back when the children grow up.
Lin Fei, who works in Haikou, told reporters that the most recent return to the East was to attend college banquets. "It feels like the children of relatives, friends and classmates are going to university all of a sudden, and the invitations are sent one after another. I paid more than 10,000 yuan in cash in half a month, and I turned down a few for the excuse of going to work. Lin Fei revealed that the salary was overdrawn in advance before the salary was paid this month. During the period, he asked his friend to help seal the red envelope of two to three thousand yuan, and prepared to pay the salary back.
"When I was a child, it was a very happy event to attend the college entrance banquet. Basically, my relatives and friends are the mainstay. The host will personally cook a table of meals to greet everyone and celebrate the child’s title on the gold list. The gift is a kind of heartfelt expression. Help each other and give the children some money to go to school. But now, as long as you pay a fee, the banquet is organized by a dedicated chef or hotel, and the banquet and dishes are produced in an assembly line." Lin Fei said, the energy of the banqueters is now used In terms of attracting customers and receiving gifts, the human touch is getting weaker and weaker, but the money taste is getting stronger.
Just post an invitation if you have a relationship, even the name is wrong
The reporter learned that with the development of social software, the method of inviting guests has become more convenient, and invitations have gradually changed from offline to online. “Now it’s very sincere to send invitations to your door in person. Most people send and forward the invitations in WeChat groups, or call to notify them directly, and even save the cost of invitations. We are worried about forgetting the date, so we have to take it specially. Write it down.” Xiaoli, who works in Yulong Village, Donghe Township, Donghe, casually clicked on a remake invitation sent by WeChat, with the time and location written on it, and the column for presenting guests was empty. In order to forward it to the next person.
"Regardless of the estrangement and distance, anyone who has been in the village is considered to have a relationship. Some people who have met once or twice at a party exchange names, WeChat and phone numbers, and send an invitation in a month or two. , And some people ask mutual friends to help make an appointment. Orientals value favors, and they can’t afford to shirk their face.” Xiaoli said, the most exaggerated thing is that some invitations even got their own names wrong.
Chen Jun, a teacher in a middle school in eight towns, told reporters: “As a teacher, you cannot organize or participate in the promotion banquet according to the regulations, but some people still send us invitations. Sometimes due to love, even if people are not present, they have to trust someone. Give a red envelope." In Chen Jun's opinion, organizing a school entrance banquet can help children go to college. It should be a matter of mutual help between relatives and friends, but some people use the name of the banquet to earn money. He said that the university admission notice has not yet come down, and many parents just write a school on the invitation in order to rush to the banquet. "I've seen the most outrageous. Some parents wrote on invitations that their children were admitted to the'Chinese University', and some parents were doing banquets, but their children did not pass the exams. They went to travel outside and then re-entered them. It was just a change. Make money."
Chen Jun said that the normal process should be to start the banquet after his child has been admitted to the university or received the admission notice, but now due to the influence of the social atmosphere, everyone is pushing the entrance banquet.
3 Calculate an account
How much gift money can I get back for a college entrance banquet?
How much gift money can be recovered after a college entrance banquet? Last year, Wu Kai, who hosted a college entrance banquet for his son in Basuo Town, calculated an account for the reporter. If it is held in a hotel or restaurant, it usually costs 700 to 800 yuan per table, plus tobacco and alcohol, which is about 1,000. Yuan/table. If you do it in the village, you can save 200-300 yuan per table. "Where to do it and what grade it is depends on who is invited. If the guests invited are all "good-looking", then the environment of the banquet will be more particular, the dining standard will also be upgraded, and the cost will be relatively higher."
Wu Kai said that there are generally 10 guests per table. With the minimum standard of 200 yuan per person, each table receives at least 2,000 yuan. "A good relationship usually starts from 300 yuan to 500 yuan. The cost per table is fixed, but the gift money collected fluctuates upward. The larger the scale of the operation, the more gift money will be collected. After a banquet, remove the cost. , Can earn at least 30,000 to 40,000 yuan."
Wu Kai told reporters that the original intention of hosting the entrance banquet was mainly to raise some money for the children to go to school, and secondly to strengthen the friendship between friends. “When it’s the turn of someone else’s home to host a school promotion banquet, we also have to join in and give money as gifts. It sounds like a courtesy exchange, but in fact, it’s not enough to make ends meet, and I don’t know where the problem is.”
4 People expect
Changing customs and customs requires government departments to issue policies
Lin Tai, a villager in Shisuo Village, Basuo Town, told reporters that in the eyes of the oriental people, the scale of the wedding banquets to some extent symbolizes the social connections and status of the banqueters. Generally speaking, the scale of the banquets is generally 10 tables to 30 tables. table. "In recent years, with the expansion of social interpersonal relationships, my family's gift money is almost too much to eat. A few years ago, my eldest brother got married, and the family invited a group of relatives and friends without any gift money. This is actually a signal: next time. If your family holds a banquet, you don't need to send us invitations, or we don't need to attend the ceremony, so that everyone can reduce some of the financial burden." Lin Tai said, but this method doesn't work, the invitations are still sent. Especially the recent college entrance banquet has been overwhelming.
"Affected by the epidemic this year, everyone’s income is not as good as before, but there is really no need to spend a sum of money to cope with this kind of human relationship. On the surface, everyone went to the banquet in a friendly manner, but in fact they complained in private. "Lin Tai said that the efforts of individuals or families alone cannot promote local customs and customs. Government departments are required to introduce policies to promote social climate change.
“In the past, every holiday, the sound of firecrackers was constant, which was a waste of resources and polluted the environment. Now that the firecrackers are basically banned in the village. Therefore, as long as there is a socially agreed rule, I believe everyone can take it seriously. Change your concept and stop this unhealthy trend."
Departmental action
The East organizes open and unannounced visits
Strictly control violations and organize participation in college entrance banquets
The reporter learned that on August 18, the Oriental Commission for Discipline Inspection issued the "Notice on Carrying out Party Members and Cadres, State Public Officials, and Participating in the Special Rectification of the "Study Banquet"". The notice stated that as the annual college entrance examination and high school entrance examination entered the admission stage, the problem of party members and cadres in Dongfang City, illegal operations or participation in "promotion banquets" showed a resurgence and resurgence.
"Some party members and cadres and public officials blatantly organized college entrance banquets for their children; some were broken up into pieces, divided into parts, in batches and in different locations, to collect money in the name of celebrating relatives and friends; In the persuasion, they gradually lost the bottom line and took the lead in violating rules and disciplines; some could not withstand repeated invitations from colleagues and students, and illegally participated in'promotion feasts' outside the scope of direct blood relatives." The notice pointed out that the disciplinary inspection and supervision agencies will remind through conversations. , Accept reports and open and unannounced visits, strengthen the supervision and inspection of the illegal conduct of school promotion banquets, and conduct random inspections in major hotels, restaurants and villages in the city from time to time. Resolutely discover and investigate together.
The reporter noted that the notice is mainly aimed at party members and cadres and public officials, and it still lacks clear binding force on the general public. Fu Wei, director of the spiritual civilization construction office of Dongfang City Civilization Office, told reporters that there has never been a special supervision department for the management of celebrations and celebrations. The Civilization Office can only advocate the change of customs by proposing to the society, and its binding force on the people is limited. "Issuing an initiative lacks certain legal binding and regulatory means, and often has little effect."
On August 22, the Supervisory Committee of the Eastern Commission for Discipline Inspection paid close attention to the entry points for the entrance examination for high school and college entrance examination, conducted open and unannounced visits to illegal operations and participation in "promotion banquets," digging into clues about party members and cadres' violations of discipline, and strictly controlling illegal practices such as "promotion banquets". .
Reporter observation
Expect the village regulations and the people’s agreement to be binding
During the reporter's visit, it was discovered that during the high school entrance examination release season, some villages did not "join in the fun". The villages of Hoorui, Benlian, Yuanxing, and Baoli, led by the village committee, voluntarily formulated the Xinxiang rules and conventions. "Funny events" are simple to do, and "red events" do not exceed twice per household to eliminate waste. Wind forces the villagers to concentrate their financial resources to develop production and build their homes.
Wang Jinbin, secretary of the Party branch and director of the village committee of Haorui Village, Banqiao Town, Dongfang City, said that in the past, the villagers were burdened with heavy economic burdens due to the large-scale celebration of celebrations in the village. In response to villagers’ suggestions, Haorui Village has successively completed the reforms of red and white customs since 2014, and stipulated in the township regulations and folk agreements that each family shall not hold more than two wedding banquets for their immediate family members, and they shall not be allowed to enter school. The funeral should be handled sparingly. Children must also save money when they get married, and the guests at the banquet can only eat at the host’s house.
Wang Jinbin introduced to reporters that there is a "Registration Book for Banqiao Haorui Village's Catering Services (Original)", which contains a list of the villagers who have run "red events" since 2014, and signed by the head of the household. Just note it yourself. "Creative events" include children's marriage, house celebrations, university celebrations, and so on.
Under the constraints of township regulations and folk agreements, the villagers will register with the village committee when they hold banquets. Every time before the Spring Festival, the village committee will put up a notice to announce to the villagers that the people who hold the banquet this year will write on one side for twice and the other side for less than twice. In order to prevent loss, the original copy is also set up, and they are kept in the village committee.
"Recently, other towns and villages have been holding college entrance banquets, but our village has almost none. A family only has two opportunities to host banquets. Of course, they have to be used on more important days. But we also have distress. Some villagers complain that college drinks are required. Giving gifts to relatives and friends is a disadvantage. Therefore, we also hope that other villages can advocate such a civilized village style and do not want to run banquets."
"The village can be restricted by village rules and people's agreements, and the atmosphere in the town must also be regulated. Otherwise, when will this kind of human exchange be the biggest?" Many residents in a teahouse in Basuo Town expressed emotion to reporters.
(Some interviewees in the text are pseudonyms)