In the 5,000 years of China's long history, there are poems and poems of literati and scholars; there are also a variety of cuisines, from mountain treasures and seafood to street snacks and pastries, countless. Among them, the most famous among the pastries is the Dingsheng cake.
As a traditional snack in Hangzhou, Dingsheng Cake originated in the Southern Song Dynasty and has been loved by the people of Hangzhou for thousands of years, and the people of the whole country and even all over the country are in love with it. In modern times, people's love for Dingsheng cake is still undiminished, and whenever there is an examination to promote officials and a new home, they will always buy one or two pieces of Dingsheng cake to increase morale and good luck.
The shape of the cake is silver ingot-shaped, and the outer layer is refined fragrant rice and glutinous rice flour, the rice flour is fine and uniform, and the inside is bean paste filling, mixed with a small amount of sugar and osmanthus flowers in the middle. The taste is also very unique, sticky and delicious, sweet but not greasy. It is precisely because of this that it can be deeply loved by the people of the Southern Song Dynasty.
Speaking of the origin of Dingsheng Cake, there are also many interesting legends in the world. Among them, there are two most common explanations: one is that the Dingsheng cake was specially customized for the Han family army to encourage the soldiers during the Southern Song Dynasty to ensure a safe return; the other legend is that Yue Fei led the expedition many times to protect the land, and after the great destruction of the Golden Army, when the triumphant return, the people of Hangzhou were deeply moved by their sacrifice to defend their homeland, and they welcomed it and sent their own snacks and snacks. In order to celebrate the victory of the Yue family army, this cake was named "Dingsheng Cake". This is also recorded in the Southern Song Dynasty document "Dream Liang Record".
But the meaning of the name Dingsheng Cake is far more than that, and it is also closely related to its background of the Southern Song Dynasty.
After the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao zhao established the capital Nanjing Ying tianfu, re-established the Song Dynasty, and used the name of the "Song" state, because the territory was relative to the southern position of the Northern Song Dynasty, and the history was called the Southern Song Dynasty.
The Southern Song Dynasty was a very special dynasty, it had long been in harmony with the Western Xia and Jin Dynasties, and for a long time it was a vassal state of the Jin Dynasty. It was one of the most economically and technologically advanced dynasties in Chinese history, but relatively weak militarily, and the darkest political era in Chinese history.
Therefore, the Southern Song Dynasty did not escape the fate of sorrow, and during the reign of Emperor Xiaozong of Song and Emperor Ningzong of Song, they were greedy for a while, and after Emperor Ningzong of Song, the country declined day by day. After the defeat at the Battle of Yashan, the desperate Southern Song Dynasty finally perished in 1279 with Lu Xiufu's death by jumping into the sea at the age of eight, ending this turbulent imperial dynasty.
Although the Southern Song Dynasty was deeply troubled by foreign countries and the rulers were in a corner of peace, their economic and foreign trade were highly developed, and their center of gravity completed a historic southward shift; Ideological scholarship, culture and art were highly developed, and the formation of science established an orthodox position and spread overseas, forming the "Confucian cultural circle" in East Asia. The Southern Song Dynasty ushered in the process of democratization of Chinese society, and some characteristics of europe before modern times appeared: the formation of the citizen class, employment relations, urbanization, and also promoted the great integration of the Chinese nation. In the development of Chinese civilization, it has the significance of the Renaissance and economic revolution, and has an important position in the process of world history. The culture of the Southern Song Dynasty also more or less influenced the modern era and greatly promoted the development of modern culture.
It can be seen that the word "definite victory" also has a deep meaning. In this piece of fragrant pastry, what is contained is the sincere yearning of the people living in the depths of the water during the Southern Song Dynasty for a better life.
There is also an expectation of the country's "victory". It is the people who long for the arrival of peaceful and ordinary days, which has created this piece of Dingsheng cake, which contains endless patriotic feelings and patriotic hearts.
Although our current life has long been comfortable, there will always be rough waves under the calm of the wind and waves, and there is no lack of suffering and difficulties. But don't let go, you should show courage. Therefore, I wish you all that in the new year, we can all win in the Year of the Tiger and move forward bravely.
