China News Service, Foshan, February 9th: Title: The flavor of the New Year in the old arcade: young people in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are keen on handwriting to express the Spring Festival
Author Zeng Yue
Walking into Chancheng District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, in the old neighborhood connected by Kuaizi Road, Jinhua Road, and Gongzheng Road, there is an old arcade that has been vacated long ago. Every year on the eve of the Spring Festival, a group of calligraphy enthusiasts, retired workers, and neighbors gather here and decorate the first floor of the arcade as a handwriting Huichun stall, hence the name Huichun Street.
When the mottled walls are covered with all kinds of Huichun, this old street is revitalized under the decoration of red paper and gold ink, attracting more and more young people to come and "check in". Huichun Street and Huichun are rejuvenating between the collision of tradition and newness.
On February 7, on Huichun Street, "Wen Hao Xuan" attracted young people to stop and take photos. In Cantonese, Hui Chun means Spring Festival couplets. Photo by Zeng Yue
"I'm back to write Hui Chun with you again this year!" Ms. Huang from Macau placed an order for "American Happening" at "Wenhao Xuan". After a moment of waiting, the handwritten Hui Chun with red background and gold letters appeared on the "Xuanzhu" Ou Jie The writing of the article is "freshly baked". Ms. Huang took the calligraphy treasure and said with a smile, "I hope good things will happen in the coming year."
With the arrival of the Year of the Dragon in Jiachen, despite the continuous cooling and rainfall in the Pearl River Delta, the atmosphere of the prosperous New Year in Huichun Street has not diminished. On this Huichun Street, which was once jokingly said that "the total number of Huichun people is a thousand years old", most of the Huichun masters who paint brushes and splashes of ink are over fifty years old. Nowadays, most of the customers on Huichun Street taking photos with their cellphone cameras, waiting in line to write gold letters, and walking around to watch and admire, are young faces around the same age as Ms. Huang.
Ms. Huo and two companions are one of the "squad". After seeing the popularity of Huichun Street on social platforms, three photography enthusiasts suddenly decided to "sweep the streets" and take photos together, "because the New Year atmosphere here is stronger."
There are also many young people driving their cars to "write gold letters". Ms. Ou from Jiangmen drove here with her friends. “I saw it online and thought it was very interesting and interesting.”
After they selected the template for the words "Weighing Lu Cane" (which means things are going very smoothly), Master Huichun held gold ink in his left hand and a brush in his right hand, writing on the rear windshield. After writing, Ms. Ou held up an umbrella for the "calligraphy treasure" and waited for it to dry. "Handwritten is more traditional and meaningful. We also want to experience the traditional Chinese New Year flavor."
On February 7, Ms. Ou from Jiangmen held an umbrella for the calligraphy "Weighing Cane Cane" on the rear windshield of her car and waited for it to dry. Photo by Zeng Yue
"Nowadays, many young people come to 'write cars', including cars, motorcycles, electric scooters, and even bicycles." In front of the stall with the words "Foshan Wu Yi Hua Chun" written on it, the stall owner Wu Youxiang was busy writing letters for cars.
After running a stall on Huichun Street for more than 20 years, he admitted that the street has changed a lot. "There weren't so many stalls here before, but then there were more and more stalls year by year, and now it's a 'market'. This year is especially lively, and there are many more young people writing couplets and writing on red paper."
Not long ago, Hong Kong actor Ko Hai-ning visited Huichun Street and stopped at Ng Yau-cheung's stall for interaction. Since then, more young customers from other places, including Hong Kong and Macao, have come here. In Ou Jiewen's memory, there are also many "old regulars" and "new faces" who came to Huichun Street from Hong Kong and Macau to visit relatives and celebrate the New Year.
It’s not just Huichun Street that is “becoming younger”, but also Huichun itself.
Ou Jiewen started writing with his master at the age of 16. He has been writing for 40 years now. He said that in recent years, young customers have become the main force, and the content and format have also changed accordingly. "From the earliest traditional Hui Chun, to the Cantonese combination characters that have emerged in recent years, to various buzzwords, we now also design (font combinations) on-site according to customer needs."
The New Year of the Year of the Dragon is approaching, and many dragon elements have been added to Huichun. Wu Youxiang said that this year, the combination of "dragon-horse spirit" and "dragon spirit and tiger fierceness" was written the most. Ou Jiewen also said that there are a lot of "dragon writing" this year, and some young people will also put forward the demand to use gold paint to draw dragon totems on the body of motorcycles.
On February 7, Ou Jiewen was writing the combination of "dragon and horse spirit". Photo by Zeng Yue
"There are new changes here every year." Ms. Lin, now 25, followed her elders to buy handwritten Huichun when she was a child. Now she comes here with her friends. "There are many 'flower lords' (meaning new flowers) on this street now." (Flowers), which are not only representative of Cantonese culture, but also innovative and beautiful, and at the same time, you can feel the flavor of the New Year.”
Ms. Lin believes that both Huichun Street and handwritten Huichun are unique manifestations of the local New Year flavor. "The printed couplets are basically the same, but the handwritten Huichun is even more unique. I think it has become a custom to buy Huichun on Huichun Street, which has the significance of inheriting local culture." (End)