Start Japanese Accelerated Learning From Zero (Set of Two Books)

Author: Chief Editor: Xu Jiesun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-02-01
Features:
Fragment: In the area around Taoyuan, Hunan, during the rice planting season, a local custom involves eating zhaba meat, which is large chunks of pork (about 4 taels each) mixed with a mixture of fried rice flour, red glutinous rice powder, star anise powder, and salt. The seasoned pork is then placed in a pot and sealed with mud. After a few months, it can be eaten. It has a slightly sour taste when eaten raw and is both fragrant and spicy; when cooked, it only needs to be steamed. It is said that this custom originated with the Tang general Yu Lizhong.
Legend has it that one year, Yu Lizhong came to the jurisdiction of Taoyuan County and heard that the villagers were holding the "Opening of the Ridge" ceremony, which was very lively. Not knowing what the "Opening of the Ridge" was, he asked the farmers. The farmers explained that it was when the rice planters helped wealthy households pull the ridges of their paddy fields, opening the entire field like a gate. During the "Opening of the Ridge," they would beat drums, gongs, and set off firecrackers. After pulling the last bundle of rice seedlings, the planters would smear mud at each other in the field, calling it "smearing the granary," symbolizing a full granary and a bountiful harvest.
After hearing the explanation, Yu Lizhong found it quite interesting and decided to see it for himself. Upon witnessing the great excitement, he asked the people nearby, "Why are you working so hard planting rice? Are you getting meat to eat?" Upon inquiry, he found that not only were they not getting meat, but they hadn't even eaten enough rice. Enraged, Yu Lizhong returned to the county seat and ordered the magistrate to issue a notice: all households that planted rice must feed the farmers well, providing each with four taels of meat per day. After issuing the notice, he also went down to inspect. Faced with this demand, the wealthy households had no choice but to comply. Unable to slaughter pigs in time, they used preserved fish meat (zha meat) from after the Winter Solstice as an emergency measure. Over time, eating preserved fish meat during rice planting became a custom.
As mentioned earlier, Taoyuan has a custom of "smearing the granary" during rice planting, and coincidentally, in Jin Tan County, Jiangsu, there is a similar custom called "beating the paddy field." The "beating the paddy field" in Jin Tan is even livelier than Taoyuan's "smearing the granary." Every year on the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, regardless of age or gender, a few people start by throwing the sticky mud from the paddy fields at each other, covering themselves and their clothes. Then, everyone chases and throws mud at each other until everyone is covered in mud, turning into mud people, before happily finishing work and going home to clean up.
This peculiar custom is said to have originated during the Taiping Rebellion. Once, a subordinate of King Xiu of the Taiping Movement, Liu Guofang, was sent to scout enemy positions. However, he was discovered by the Gordon Army and chased relentlessly. As Liu Guofang fled, he saw many farmers planting rice and, in a moment of inspiration, ran into the field, smearing mud on his face and body while telling the farmers, "I am a subordinate of Li Xiucong, and the Gordon Army is chasing me. Please save me!" The farmers then began smearing mud on themselves, some helping each other, turning everyone into "mud-faced" figures. Everyone found it funny and decided to throw mud at each other. When the Gordon Army arrived, they saw the scene and assumed Liu Guofang had run far away, so they continued chasing without looking back. Thus, the act of throwing mud saved Liu Guofang's life. This day happened to be the fourth day of the sixth lunar month, and to commemorate this event, the farmers of Jin Tan have been throwing mud every year on this day, which has become a custom.
Rice planting is a seasonal agricultural task, and in many places, there is a custom of mutual assistance. In Jiangsu, this is called "joining partners." According to custom, joining partners is voluntary, with groups of three to five or seven to eight people. Generally, the order of work is determined by the "pulling firewood" method, with the older people going first and the younger ones following. In the folk, it is said that "if you can get along, you can join partners, saving both labor and food" is called an "excellent partner," while "if you can't get along, the partners will fall apart" is called a "poor partner." Therefore, many rural areas have the custom of "joining partners for planting rice and selling grain together."
In Dongyang, Zhejiang, during the "Opening of the Ridge," neighbors and relatives all help plant for a while to show their congratulations. That night, the host hosts a banquet, with dishes often including sweet plums, glutinous rice cakes, and rice flour. Those who helped but couldn't attend the banquet are given gifts to show their gratitude.
In Longyou, the helpers are called "farming tigers" or "farming teachers." The amount of work is fixed, usually planting and transplanting themselves, with each worker responsible for one stone (two and a half mu) in the past when planting was sparse. During lunch and dinner, the farming teachers are treated to "farming meat," with each person receiving four pieces, each weighing four taels or half a catty. Some customs specify that it can only be eaten and cannot be taken away, while others allow it to be brought home to share with family. During meals, the farming teachers are always seated at the head of the table. However, in some areas of Kaihua, children who herd cattle are seated at the head, as the saying goes, "A cowherd is great for a day," and even the youngest must sit at the head of the table.
Postscript: The weather in Nanning suddenly turned cold. A few days ago, it was so hot that I couldn't even wear a shirt, but the past two days have been so cold that I had to put on my winter clothes. It was during this sudden change in weather that I finally completed the revision of the book "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality." Looking at the stack of manuscript in front of me, which is over a foot high, I finally felt a sense of relief.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but recall the "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" writing conference held in Guilin in April 1988, a place known as "the land of mountains and water." That time, I went to Guilin in a shirt, but unexpectedly, the weather turned cold, and I had to buy clothes in Guilin. At that conference, in addition to Xu Guilan and Hu Min from Guangxi, there were Zhou Yaoming, Chen Shunxuan, and Mo Gaoyuan, who traveled from Hangzhou and Jinhua in Zhejiang. Since 1984, when we first met while writing "A Brief History of Zhejiang Folk Customs," we have all developed a strong interest in folk customs. Gathering in the beautiful Guilin to discuss the writing of "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" was extremely exciting, and the atmosphere was.
During the discussion, everyone agreed that as the largest ethnic group in the world, the Han Nationality not only has a long history but also an exceptionally rich and diverse set of folk customs. However, since the introduction of folk studies in China at the beginning of the 20th century, although many studies and articles on Han folk customs have been published, they have largely remained scattered. If we are to gain a comprehensive and systematic understanding of Han folk customs, it is necessary to conduct a thorough review of them.
On this common understanding, at the conclusion meeting held in the conference room of Guangxi People's Publishing House, where the initiative was first proposed, we divided tasks. Everyone was serious and hardworking. In July 1989, Xu Guilan, Hu Min, Chen Shunxuan, and I submitted our drafts, but unexpectedly, the publishing house that originally organized us also faced sudden changes. As a result, the publication plan for the "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" series was shelved. What should we do? At that time, I firmly believed that folk customs are a fascinating world of colorful charm. In this enchanting world, Han folk customs are charming due to their long history of transmission, their rich connotations, and their unique charm in terms of dialect, sentiment, and the sense of belonging to the homeland. Our series, which comprehensively collects folk customs from all over the Han Nationality, would surely find a publisher.
Just as we were in a difficult situation, Mr. Zheng Miaochang, then the president of Guangxi Education Publishing House, and Mr. Li Renfan, the deputy editor-in-chief, showed great interest in our series. After reviewing the manuscripts, they decided to publish them. Thus, the first volume of the "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" series— "Folk Economic Customs of the Han Nationality," "Folk Red and White Customs of the Han Nationality," "Folk Four Seasons and Eight Festivals Customs of the Han Nationality," and "Folk Birth and Longevity Customs of the Han Nationality"—was finally published in June 1990. The second volume— "Folk Leisure Customs of the Han Nationality," "Folk Social Customs of the Han Nationality," "Folk Food, Clothing, Housing, and Transportation Customs of the Han Nationality," and "Folk Belief Customs of the Han Nationality"—was published in 1994. The entire series, with a total of 1.36 million words, was finally completed.
After its publication, the series received widespread praise in the field of folk studies. Periodicals such as "Folk Studies" published review articles by folk scholars like Professor Lü Hongnian and Dr. Wan Jianzhong. Especially, Mr. Zhong Jingwen, the "father of Chinese folk studies," highly evaluated the series after reading it. He said, "The Han Nationality is vast, and its folk customs are extensive and diverse. To vividly present the customs of the Yangtze River and the Yellow River regions through the arrangement of words, is indeed no easy task. However, the basic connotations and forms of Han folk customs are largely consistent or identical. Following this approach, the selection of entries in each book of the series is based on whether the folk custom is representative. Those customs that are only popular in a small area or have a limited influence are mostly excluded. For example, Xu Jiesun's own edited "Folk Economic Customs of the Han Nationality" is divided into four parts: "Agriculture, Forestry, Fishery, and Hunting," "Silkworm Rearing and Livestock Farming," "Crafts and Trades," and "Commerce and Trade." It covers all aspects of the economic field, and the folk customs included in each part are practiced by a certain group of people, or even by the entire Han Nationality. Therefore, owning this book allows you to get a comprehensive view of the overall picture of Han economic customs and accurately grasp the distinctive characteristics of different behaviors, times, and spaces in production and trade. Each volume of the series has a different scope of influence, and the folk customs within each volume are mostly depicted clearly and vividly. When the eight scopes of influence are combined, they form a colorful and attractive panorama of Han folk customs."
This was undoubtedly a great encouragement to us. However, because the series was published in two volumes, the print runs of the individual volumes varied greatly, and due to various reasons, the printing quality was not ideal. Some pictures were even printed incorrectly, making it difficult for people to collect a complete set. In recent years, readers have occasionally written to ask for help in purchasing a complete set or completing the series. Thus, we sincerely hope that the publishing house can merge the series into one book for publication. On the one hand, we can revise the manuscript comprehensively to improve the quality; on the other hand, it will be more convenient for readers to systematically preserve the materials.
However, as the saying goes, "in this world, there are always those with sharp eyes to recognize jade." Just as we were struggling to fulfill our dreams, the Central University of Nationalities Press showed great interest. With the support of President Ding Wenlou, Zheng Yuqin reviewed the entire manuscript and submitted the topic for publication, deciding to revise and reprint it. This truly brought us great joy. Zheng Yuqin and Li Suxing served as the chief editors of this book. After reviewing the manuscript, they proposed detailed revisions and decided to keep the entire book within 800,000 words. Therefore, I rushed to revise the manuscript comprehensively.
This revision, as it is no longer divided into volumes, was renamed "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality." Based on the editors' suggestions, the overall structure of the book was adjusted, and the 1.36 million words were compressed to 800,000. The preface, "A Set of Recommended Folk Custom Series" written by Mr. Zhong Jingwen, was included as the preface to this book.
After more than a month of day and night work, when I finally finalized the last page of the manuscript, I naturally felt a sense of relief. Not only did I meet the publisher's deadline, but I also fulfilled our dream of publishing a comprehensive collection, allowing us to present a systematic and complete "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" to the readers. How could I not feel relieved?
At this moment, a strong desire to express gratitude arose in my heart: First, I want to thank the tens of thousands of folk scholars and folk workers across the country. Like bees, they have collected countless nectar from the "field" and published numerous articles on folk customs in magazines such as "Folklore," "Folk Customs," "Folklore Illustrated," and "Folk Studies." They have also published works on folk customs such as "A Brief History of Zhejiang Folk Customs," "Shandong Folk Customs," "A Grand View of Sichuan Folk Customs," "Chinese Folk Gods," "Chinese Gods," "Taiwan Folk Customs," "Qinghai Folk Customs," "A Grand View of Chinese Folk Customs," and "A Grand View of Guangdong Folk Customs." Without their hard work, our "Folk Customs of the Han Nationality" would never have been possible. Although only a few names are listed as authors, the actual authors are countless.
Second, I want to thank Guangxi People's Publishing House. Without their initial proposal, our research on Han folk customs would not have been possible.