China News Service, Zhangzhou, February 21st: Title: The ancient city of Zhangzhou "fires" out of the circle and "comes together with joy" cross-strait sentiments
Author Zhang Jinchuan and Liao Zhenmei
The Eight Immortals tour the ancient city on stilts, the Five Dynasties Hanfu check-in, the Dragon's Age and the Hongquan lion dance... In the New Year of the Dragon, the ancient city of Zhangzhou, Fujian, with a history of more than 1,000 years, goes out of the circle. Various folk customs are performed every day, attracting tourists from home and abroad. "Joy comes here" (meaning "all joy comes" in Hokkien dialect).
"The ancient city of the Tang and Song Dynasties, the neighborhoods of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the style of the Republic of China, the charm of southern Fujian, and the glory of overseas Chinese and Taiwan" are the best summary of the characteristics of the ancient city of Zhangzhou, which was founded in the Tang Dynasty. Official data shows that more than 1.15 million people visited the ancient city of Zhangzhou during the Spring Festival holiday, an increase of 121% over last year’s Spring Festival holiday. Behind the boom in cultural tourism during the Year of the Dragon in the ancient city of Zhangzhou are Taiwanese compatriots, and Taiwanese elements are particularly eye-catching.
On February 16, the "Dragon's Auspicious Year" Zhangtai folk custom parade was staged in the ancient city of Zhangzhou. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Jinchuan
The Liudao Ancient Rhythm Hanfu Experience Center, which consists of 11 stores and covers an area of 680 square meters, is located on Xiuwen East Road in the ancient city of Zhangzhou. Li Hongwen and his son from Chiayi, Taiwan are one of the owners of this Hanfu Experience Center. As an entrepreneurial project of Taiwan youth, Liudao Ancient Rhythm Hanfu Experience Center has been providing costume manufacturing services for folk parades, Hanfu shows, etc. since its soft opening on February 5.
"The trial operation is a great success, which makes me full of confidence in the future." Li Hongwen, wearing Hanfu, told a reporter from China News Service that the Hanfu Experience Center integrates six aspects, including piano art, tea art, calligraphy, decoration, performance, and training. I hope to carry forward Chinese traditional culture.
After "landing" in early 2007, Li Hongwen traveled all over the country. As a native of Quanzhou, he chose to settle in Zhangzhou, another southern Fujian city, "because I met the Zhangzhou girl I like, and because the strong southern Fujian cultural atmosphere gave me the warmth of home." He said that like this Zhangzhou girl, he is a "Hanfu control", and he is a fan of Taiwanese Gezi opera, which was first introduced from Zhangzhou.
On the evening of February 19, the "Dragon's Auspicious Year" Zhangtai folk custom parade met with tourists again as scheduled. At the parade site, intangible cultural heritage folk customs such as ancient Nuo music, Nezha drum music, and big drum parasols were walked through the streets to pray for businesses and people, ward off evil spirits, and ensure safety, attracting many tourists to follow and take photos, and the atmosphere was very lively.
Lin Jimin, the 78-year-old president of the Guandi Temple in Wenhengdian, Zhangzhou, is the organizer of the parade. According to him, this year's intangible cultural heritage parades are particularly popular. "I'm glad that more and more people like them."
As the inheritor of the Nezha drum music intangible cultural heritage project in Zhangzhou, Lin Jimin has been invited many times and led groups to perform and communicate at temples such as the Guandi Temple in Dongzhaoshan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and the Sihu Temple in Yunlin County. "The same movements and singing tunes made the exchanges between the two palaces and temples extremely pleasant, and left many good stories."
Zhangzhou Nezha drum music uses the Minnan dialect as the singing method, and has performance formations such as opening the altar, stepping on the fire, biting the flag, and playing the drum, which means to ward off evil spirits, bring good fortune and ensure peace. This traditional music was introduced to Zhangzhou during the Ming Dynasty, and later to areas where overseas Chinese live in Taiwan and Southeast Asia. It has a history of more than 600 years.
What Lin Jimin talks about is that Zhangzhou Wenheng Temple and six temples in Yunlin, Taiwan jointly applied for the Zhangzhou Nezha Drumming Music to be included in the third batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage representative projects in Fujian Province in 2009.
On February 19, tourists bought popsicles at the "Creative Handmade Popsicles" shop in the ancient town of Zhangzhou. Photo by Liao Zhenmei
At the junction of Yan'an South Road and Fanghua Road in the ancient city of Zhangzhou, the "Creative Handmade Popsicles" shop also took advantage of the "popularity" of the ancient city of Zhangzhou. During the Spring Festival, it sold 1,000 to 1,300 popsicles every day.
"Last year's Spring Festival sales were one-third more than the year before, and this year's Spring Festival is one-third more than last year." The "Creative Handmade Popsicle" opened by Taiwan compatriot Yang Mu'en and his wife in 2019 now has a good reputation in the ancient city of Zhangzhou. Yang Muen is quite satisfied with this growth rate and plans to build this small store into a flagship store, attract franchisees, and allow people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to share the delicious popsicles originating from Taiwan.
"The Spring Festival folk activities here are almost exactly the same as those in Taiwan." As Yang Mu'en said, the "Dragon's Auspicious Year" Zhangtai folk custom parade, "Songs with the same tune and good voices from both sides of the Taiwan Strait" Hokkien singing club, lantern riddles competition, and literary battles Various New Year cultural and tourism activities such as this allow visitors to the ancient city of Zhangzhou to feel the same roots and origins on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. (over)