Live Your Best Lives
The Lunar New Year is less than a month away. But when the holiday finally arrives, we're faced with closed shopping malls, long lines at the cinema, and pressure from relatives to get married... Still figuring out how to spend the 2020 Spring Festival? What new ways to spend New Year's Eve? We recommend 13 small places brimming with festive cheer.
The "Ban Bench Dragon," also known as the "Plum and Bamboo Lantern," is a dragon dance that is said to have originated during the Han Dynasty, evolving from the religious practice of "dancing the dragon to pray for rain." Legend has it that long ago, during a severe drought, a water dragon from the East China Sea leaped out of the water, bringing down a torrential downpour. However, this dragon, violating divine laws, was chopped into pieces and scattered across the earth. People placed the dragon's body on a bench and connected it together (known as a "Ban Bench Dragon"). People spread the news day and night, hoping it would survive, and thus the custom of the "Ban Bench Dragon" dance arose. Dragon dances are divided into "dry dragon" and "wet dragon" dances. "Dry dragon" dances are mostly performed for entertainment, while "wet dragon" dances pray for rain. Wherever the "dragon" appears, people splash water to cheer it on, leaving the dancers drenched.
The "One Noodle" of Panzhoujia Village is more than just a dish; it's a cultural offering. It's also known as longevity noodles because it retains the characteristic "long" (long) character of longevity noodles. Ancient people ate longevity noodles on birthdays, symbolizing longevity and longevity. To bring good luck, the longer the noodles, the better. While modern people still enjoy longevity noodles, a simple bowl of noodles often feels a bit lacking. Panzhoujia Village's "One Noodle" fully preserves the cultural connotations of "long" (long) longevity noodles.
Every autumn and winter, Panzhoujia Village celebrates noodle season. When the weather is nice, the village's central square becomes a place where villagers prepare noodles. Strings of silky, thread-like noodles are lined up in rows. A single pound of flour can be stretched over a hundred meters, and the noodles are so resilient that they hold up even when used for skipping rope, creating a unique village scene.
The founder of Zhujia Village is Zhu Dan, the fourth-generation grandson of the Southern Song Dynasty scholar Zhu Xi. His descendants continue the over 800-year-old custom of offering pig heads in homage to their ancestors, Zhu Xi and Zhu Dan. According to the Zhu Family Genealogy, Zhu Dan, the fourth-generation descendant of Zhu Xi, fled from Jiangxi to the source of Jinkeng in Chun'an to escape persecution by Yuan soldiers. Enchanted by the lush green mountains and clear waters, he settled there and raised his descendants, naming the village Zhujia Village. To remember his ancestors' merits, Zhu Dan offered pig heads as ancestral offerings every New Year, a custom passed down from generation to generation without interruption.
Every year at 3:00 a.m. on the sixth day of the first lunar month, the sound of gongs fills Zhujia Village. Household heads, carrying carefully decorated pig heads on trays, gather at the brightly lit Zhu Family Ancestral Hall and place them before portraits of their ancestors. They then burn incense, light candles, set off firecrackers, and bow in homage to their ancestors. Following the ceremony, a band plays traditional Chinese music, banging gongs and drums, creating a lively atmosphere. After breakfast, respected elders in the village evaluate the performance of each household's pig heads.
The family with the largest and best-decorated pig's head demonstrates their devotion to their ancestors, and the host rewards them with red envelopes and New Year pictures. After lunch, each family takes the pig's head to their ancestral grave for worship. They then take it home and place it horizontally in front of the main hall until the Lantern Festival. From the 13th to the 15th day of the first lunar month, the village celebrates with opera performances, bamboo horse dances, lion dances, and dragon lanterns, creating a lively atmosphere. The Zhujia Village "Pig Head Competition" has become a distinctive rural tourism attraction in Chun'an.
Every year on the fifth day of the first lunar month, "Xiao Zhixian's Tour" has developed into an important folk cultural festival in the village that goes beyond the traditional Spring Festival.
In the eighth year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, Jianglingshang Village brought a dispute to the county government. The then-magistrate ruled against the village without investigating the facts, leaving the villagers furious and unable to redress their grievances. On the fifth day of the first lunar month in the ninth year of the Wanli reign (1581), upon learning that the newly appointed magistrate, Xiao Yuangang, was about to arrive, the villagers immediately organized over 30 young and middle-aged villagers to carry Xiao Yuangang's official sedan chair, nearly hijacking it, to the forest where the dispute had arisen. They then appealed to the magistrate on the spot, claiming their injustice. After carefully examining the forest boundary markers and historical records, Xiao overturned the verdict at dusk, redressing the injustice. To express their gratitude, the villagers, holding torches, hurriedly carried Xiao Yuangang's sedan chair to the village ancestral hall, offering the highest thanks to the magistrate who had intervened. On the tenth day of the first lunar month, Xiao Yuangang was finally carried back to the county capital. For over 400 years, the villagers of Jianglingshang Village have practiced the "seizing the county magistrate" ritual, embodying the timeless virtue of gratitude: "A drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of water."
Anchang Ancient Town, originally built during the Northern Song Dynasty, burned down several times due to wars and rebuilt during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, retains the architectural style typical of a Jiangnan water town, nestled alongside a narrow strip of water and boasting a simple and elegant aesthetic. Its specialty Anchang sausages and pulled white sugar are renowned, and its waterside weddings, steeped in the charm of this water town, are also unique. Anchang is known as the hometown of Shaoxing lawyers, and its most distinctive feature is its small bridge. The annual Layue Festival draws large numbers of visitors.
Anchang is also a paradise for foodies, with local sausages, Shaoxing duck, dried fish with pulled sugar, honey cake, Shaoxing fragrant cake, wine-flavored mooncake, osmanthus fragrant cake, osmanthus fried rice cake, fish skin wonton, heavy crispy sesame cake, pine nut cake, fried crispy fish, cream-filled pancake, xiangling, fragrant cake and many other snacks that cannot be named. Just hearing the names is enough to make your mouth water. They look tempting, smell mouth-watering and taste even more delicious when you eat them.
The towering Tianmu Mountain winds its way eastward, culminating in Yuhang. A path leads to the main peak, hence the name Jingshan. Nestled among the five peaks of Jingshan Mountain lies Jingshan Zen Temple, hailed as the "First of the Five Mountains of the Song Dynasty." Founded in the Tang Dynasty, Jingshan Zen Temple boasts a history spanning over 1,200 years, passing on the teachings of the Dharma to over 100 generations. Despite the rise and fall of worldly dharma, the Dharma remains unwavering.
During the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Faqin came to Jingshan to cultivate his mind. Impressed by his virtue and Buddhist teachings, Emperor Daizong ordered him to come to Beijing to preach Buddhism, bestowing upon him the title "National Zen Master." He also ordered the construction of a temple for him, naming it "Jingshan Zen Temple." During the Song Dynasty, Jingshan produced many eminent monks. After the Southern Song Dynasty eminent monk Dahui Zonggao presided over the Jingshan Dharma seat, the area reached its peak of prosperity, with monks flocking to seek Zen enlightenment, and over 1,700 monks resident. Emperor Xiaozong of Song inscribed the inscription "Jingshan Xingsheng Wanshou Zen Temple," designating Jingshan as the premier of the "Five Mountains and Ten Temples" and hailing it as the "First Zen Temple in Southeast China."
Lingyin Temple, founded in the first year of the Xianhe reign of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (326 AD), boasts a history of approximately 1,700 years and is Hangzhou's oldest famous temple. Located west of Hangzhou's West Lake, Lingyin Temple is nestled against Beigao Peak and faces Feilai Peak. The two peaks, nestled between them, offer breathtaking views of towering trees, the ancient temple nestled deep in the mountains, and a shroud of clouds and mist. The temple's founder was Huili, a Western Indian monk. During the early Xianhe reign of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, he traveled from the Central Plains to Zhejiang. Upon reaching Wulin (present-day Hangzhou), he observed a peak and exclaimed, "This is a small ridge from Mount Lingjiu in Central India. I wonder when it arrived here? When the Buddha was alive, it was often hidden by immortals." He then built a temple in front of the peak, naming it Lingyin. Since its founding, Lingyin has been a gathering place for eminent monks and scholars, where Confucianism and Buddhism intertwined, discussions of Zen and Taoism took place, and poetry and recitation have become a cultural spectacle. In addition, there are many ancient Buddha statues, ritual instruments, sutra pillars, stone pagodas, imperial steles, calligraphy and paintings and other historical relics in the temple, which are precious Buddhist cultural heritage of Lingyin Temple.
Water Lantern Festival
From the eve of the Chinese New Year to the Lantern Festival (January 28th - February 19th), seven groups of lively and playful large-scale lanterns with a total of more than 300 lanterns were carefully arranged in Yuanbao Lake, Andufang, Longxingtian and Yuelao Temple near the wooden plank road: Flying Together, Abundance Year After Year, Dragon Soaring in the Prosperous Era, Twelve Folk Customs of Wuzhen, Bajie Getting Married, Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix and Dragons and Phoenixes Spreading the Sea. The lanterns are as their names suggest, lifelike, with a strong New Year atmosphere and graceful water village charm.
Long Street Banquet
From the first to the fifth day of the first lunar month (February 5th to 9th), Wuzhen was once known as "a neighborhood with a hundred households, a market with ten thousand households," a term that derives from this. During the Spring Festival, wealthy families would host banquets in the neighborhood, inviting neighbors, friends, and passersby to share in the year's blessings and good fortune. Tables and chairs would be set up along the street, along with fine wine, dishes, and bowls, creating a steaming street feast. The Ming Dynasty poet Zhao Huan, in his poem "Wuqing Town Alleys," described the street as "a long street stretching two or three miles, with fragrant dust rising daily from the streets."
Floating Market
From the Little New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival (January 28th to February 19th), Xizha's floating market, traditionally known as a "market," attracts farmers from all over the country, bringing their fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, and aged Wuzhen wine to trade on their boats. The shouts of the villagers and the bustling crowd create a lively atmosphere. Once the floating market opens, visitors flock from all directions. Besides the agricultural products available for trade, the market also boasts a wide variety of snacks, delicacies, fun activities, and other novelties.
Fried spring rolls, sweet potato eggs, stewed lotus root, roasted sweet potato, fried eight-treasure rice, osmanthus sesame dumplings, fried glutinous rice cakes, fried rice cakes and other New Year delicacies with Jiangnan characteristics can be found in the market.
New Year's parade, "Welcome to you for the New Year"
Time: January-February 2019
Location: China She Village Scenic Area Line, Yunzhong Daliang Scenic Area Line, Fengjin Mountain Scenic Area Line
Special New Year rural experience
Date: January 12-13, 2019 (the seventh to eighth day of the twelfth lunar month)
Location: Yingchuan Village, Yingchuan Town, Wubu Village, Zhengkeng Township
Activities such as intangible cultural heritage exhibitions, film screenings, Indian opera performances, song requests and blessings will be showcased.
Date: February 6-18, 2019 (the second to the fourteenth day of the first lunar month)
Location: Various locations in the county
Celebrate the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month
Date: February 19, 2019 (the 15th day of the first lunar month)
Location: Various locations in the county
Gaochun Old Street, known as the "Second Confucius Temple of Jinling" and the "First Ancient Street of Jinling," stretches over 800 meters, with shoulder-to-shoulder residential houses, their wooden doors unpainted, preserving the natural wood texture. Shops lining the street rarely sell the tourist souvenirs common in other ancient towns, instead selling local Gaochun specialties, free from the flamboyant commercial atmosphere. During the Spring Festival, when plum blossoms are in full bloom, take the whole family to an authentic New Year market. Then, visit Plum Blossom Hill at the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, one of the four major plum blossom areas in Nanjing, and experience the former prosperity of the "Ten Miles of Qinhuai River." Savor Huaiyang cuisine, one of China's four famous dishes, and soak in Nanjing's Tangshan Hot Springs, one of China's finest hot spring hot springs. Stay in a high-end duplex hotel with hot spring-themed amenities, where you can soak in the hot springs from your room.
The New Year atmosphere in the city is not very strong, so during the Spring Festival holiday, choose a place to take your parents to enjoy it and have a comfortable New Year.
