As the Spring Festival approaches, the "Kilometer-long Banquet" that has been passed down for thousands of years is bustling in Zhongshan Ancient Town, Chongqing. The ancient town holds a banquet on the more than 1,000-meter-long old street to entertain local residents and tourists, allowing everyone to share a special New Year's Eve dinner.
The reporter saw at the scene that festive red lanterns were hung at the door of every house, and the old streets were packed with people. The food was fragrant and the laughter was endless.
With the sound of "Let's open the banquet", the "playing pot" performance officially began. "Pan-making" is a local way of serving dishes. The 67-year-old "Pan-making" performer Yang Guangxiang, wearing a red double-breasted coat and straw sandals, showed off his unique skill-"Pan-making and serving dishes." He placed 10 steamed vegetable dishes in a rectangular wooden tray about 2 meters long and 20 centimeters wide, and then placed it on his head. Yang Guangxiang performs various movements on the table while steaming vegetables on his head, and finally delivers these dishes to various tables for guests to taste.
Yang Guangxiang told reporters that "making pots" during the reunion dinner was lively and festive. He hoped that through their performance, more people would learn about this skill.
It is understood that the "thousand-meter-long banquet" is a traditional folk custom in Zhongshan Ancient Town, Jiangjin, Chongqing, which first originated in the Song Dynasty. During major traditional festivals such as the Spring Festival, vendors, tourists, porters, etc. in the ancient town cannot reunite with their relatives because they are far away from home. Therefore, the residents of the ancient town hold banquets along the streets and provide them with free food and accommodation. Because the length of the ancient town’s streets exceeds one kilometer, the “Kilometer Long Banquet” is named after it. (Jing Shiyan)
Editor in charge: [Luo Pan]