Hui Zhou Folk Customs

Author: Bian Li
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Folklore is a living cultural phenomenon that gradually emerges and forms in the long course of a nation or ethnic group's historical development, repeatedly appearing, being passed down through generations, and becoming ingrained customs. Folklore is a collective habit in language, behavior, thought, and social psychology of a social group. It has evolved from ancient times to the present, from its creation to its inheritance, and continues to undergo variations. The development, inheritance, and variation of folklore are the main and core components of the cultural history of the people's life. Folklore emerged with the birth of humans and developed along with human progress. Folklore possesses basic characteristics such as regionalism, practicality, collectivism, utility, inheritance, and variability. After forming, folklore maintains relative stability for a certain period. We chose Huizhou folklore as our research topic for two reasons: First, Huizhou folklore is extremely rich in regional characteristics. Huizhou is located in the southern mountainous area of Anhui Province, bordering Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces. It is surrounded by mountains and valleys, with rugged rivers like the Xin'an River and the Changjiang River connecting it to neighboring provinces like Zhejiang and Jiangxi, forming a relatively closed geographical unit. Another reason for choosing Huizhou folklore as a research topic is to explore how to bridge the gap between tradition and contemporary life, as well as between history and reality. Through this case study of Huizhou folklore, we attempt to build a bridge of understanding and communication between tradition and contemporary life, as well as between history and reality. We know that folklore has strong inheritability. We often say that the Chinese nation has many time-honored traditional virtues, and to some extent, these virtues are the excellent parts of folklore, known as "excellent customs and fine traditions." Customs like respecting the elderly and cherishing the young, virtues of diligence and frugality, and acts of mutual support in times of hardship and unity against oppression are still flowing in the blood of the descendants of Yan and Huang.