Text/Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Wu Anqi
Photo / Yangcheng Evening News all-media reporter Ouyang Zhiqiang Wu Anqi
"A good year is the time when orange, yellow, orange and green." "Orange, yellow, orange and green", this is the beauty in Su Shi's heart. Chencun Town, Shunde District, Foshan City, is known as the "Hometown of Flowers and Trees". Chencun Town has a long history, known as Longjin in the Western Han Dynasty, and renamed Chencun in the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is the "Northern Gate" of Shunde. Here, there are not only flowers such as phalaenopsis orchids, daffodils, and roses, but also proud frosts such as rich bamboo and Luo Han pine. Today, the waxing moon is coming, the cold wind is accustomed, and the oranges are not afraid of the cold winter, and are shining in the cold wind.
The thick culture of the little orange
Lingnan, with a humid and warm climate, is the best place to enjoy flowers. Soil, light, moisture... Together, it has shaped the rare treasures of Lingnan flowers. Located in Chencun Town, Shunde District, Foshan City, Xianyong Village, relying on the unique geographical environment, has become an "amusement park" for many "flower fairies", in this many flowers and plants, the annual orange is unique, proudly standing in the kaleidoscope.
Chencun has a long history of planting flowers and trees, in 111 BC, has begun to cultivate flowers, as early as the Ming and Qing Dynasties, has been "household flowers for the industry". In the "Shunde County Chronicle" compiled during the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, it is introduced: "Chen Cun sold flowers and fruits to the counties, and since the Han Dynasty has offered longan, lychee, Song Gong Yihui, gai has been ancient. According to this record, the annual orange may also be included in the flowers and fruits that Chen Cun pays tribute to every year.
The annual orange includes several categories of four-season orange, cinnabar orange, kumquat and kumberrant orange, which can form its own unique culture, not only because of the long planting time of Chen Village, which has formed a perfect industrial system, but also because people's affirmation of the culture it contains.
In Guangdong, people usually talk about doing things and talk about a "meaning". In Cantonese, the word "orange" is pronounced the same as the word "ji", and it is consistent with the good color head of the folk good intentions, and has been a representative of good luck and auspiciousness over the years. The accumulated golden fruit symbolizes the meaning of "bright lights", so the orange tree has unsurprisingly become the preferred choice for thousands of families to decorate their houses. Especially at the beginning of the year, basically every household will put oranges in the most conspicuous parts to convey the auspicious new year.
The orange symbolizes great luck
The climatic and soil hydrological conditions of Chen Village are very suitable for the cultivation of oranges, and the unique language and customs and culture of Guangdong have gradually incubated the orange industry. At present, nearly 80% of the annual oranges in the domestic market are produced in Chen Village, and the quality is good, so Chen Village is known as the hometown of Nian Oranges. "Chen Cun Nian Orange" also successfully obtained the national geographical indication registration in 2018. The honorary title of "National Character Head" was crowned, and chencun phalaenopsis orchid oranges won the main stage seat, which is one of the top flower queens in this "land of flowers and trees"!
The "spark" of traditional oranges and modern technology
In the Nian Orange Characteristic Cultural Center in Xianyong Village, Chencun Town, Shunde District, a tall orange tree has been planted for more than 100 years. Time passes, and it and this land have witnessed the changes of the years.
Orange Culture Exhibition Hall
The orange branches are slender and beautifully shaped, but they are not born like this. Originally, it was mainly pruned to make the branches even. In order to make the orange more stylish, on the basis of the traditional cultivation technique of the orange in Chen Village, the three people of Chen Village Liang Liqi and other three people innovated and developed the unique orange hanging fruit modeling technology of Chen Village. At present, the shape of the orange includes natural type, spherical shape, column dragon shape, bonsai type and so on. The unique modeling technology and planting technology have achieved the important position of the New Year Orange today.2
With modern planting technology, it is more convenient to grow oranges. According to the staff of the Nian Orange Cultural Center, a pot of Nian Orange needs to go through eight steps from grafting to listing, the most important of which is the step of "making water and promoting flowers". In the period from the end of July to the beginning of August, the formation of orange buds is promoted by controlling water, so that the orange can achieve the best ornamental effect at the end of the year and the beginning of the year.
In addition, the current cultivation method of orange also uses more and more environmentally friendly technologies such as drip irrigation and off-site cultivation, which reduces soil-borne diseases and insect pests while saving water resources, and can also prepare for the second year of potting and save land space.
Although the orange is an ornamental plant, its fruit is edible like that of ordinary oranges, and the way of eating the orange is constantly improving. However, under its "splendid" appearance, there is a heart like a "vinegar jar". Among the annual oranges, especially the four seasons orange, the flesh is extremely sour, and it is difficult to eat it directly raw. Wise people think that they can pickle oranges, make preserved fruits or jams, and filter out the unacceptable sour taste; now they can also process the oranges into cans, so that its unique taste will not be reduced while maintaining the taste for a long time.
One branch and one orange, to help rural revitalization
The Orange symbolizes great luck and is a best-selling potted plant that southerners must buy for the New Year. The annual orange is the auspicious tree of the Chinese Spring Festival, and also the hope tree of the orange farmers in Chen Village, and each pot of oranges condenses the planting efforts of the orange farmers for two years or more. This pot of oranges is an important card in rural revitalization.
Orange farmers are watering the oranges
Nowadays, concepts such as "cloud shopping" and "cloud tourism" are very popular. In this era when all things can "cloud", Chen Cunnian Orange is not left behind, and has embarked on his own "muscle fighting cloud". With the popularity of smartphones and platform software, the stage for Nian Orange to show his "posture" has expanded from offline to online. Chen Cun actively launched a number of measures such as live streaming with oranges and "Yunhua City" to expand sales channels for orange farmers, open up markets around the world, and promote the growth of annual orange sales.
In order to combine the current social and economic environment, Chen Cun also held the "Nian Orange Culture Promotion Month" activity, covering 6 surrounding villages, through the "Internet +" empowerment, to achieve the deepening and upgrading of the connotation of the activity and the display method; through the "Media Fusion Competition", "Nian Orange Creation Contest", "Mobile Phone Photography Contest" and other major events to increase the attention and participation of the whole society to "Chen Cun Nian Orange".
In addition, according to He Yongjian, the first secretary of the Party Committee of Xianyong Village, at present, Xianyong Village is exploring the road of diversified development of Nian Orange, not limited to basic planting and sales, "because of the meaning of Nian Orange is red and prosperous, full of happiness, so we are using the nian orange plantation to develop a wedding photography base with the theme of 'Nian Orange'." In addition, related cultural and creative, perfume, aromatherapy oil and other "Orange" products were launched together. Xianyong Village promotes the transformation and upgrading of the sales of new year flowers represented by the new year orange, and leads the revitalization of the countryside with industrial revitalization.
The golden yellow fruit of the year, the meaning of "blossoming and rich", can bring a touch of warmth in the cold winter. Plates of green branches and leaves, fruitful oranges not only decorate the New Year, but also look forward to good luck at the beginning of the year. Therefore, to buy a New Year orange in the New Year is to invite the "glorious, rich and well-intentioned head" home. This is a beautiful expectation for the new year, and it is also the recognition and inheritance of traditional folk culture by the people of Lingnan.
【Reporter's Note】
Tao Yuan Caritas Ju, Zhou Dunyi loves Lotus, and Su Shi even said that "you can't live without bamboo". Since ancient times, people have liked to rely on flowers and trees. Today, Nian Orange is closely linked to Xian Chung Village and is part of this land, and it is also an indelible color in its culture. One side of the water and soil to support the other side, Nian Orange breastfed the side of Chen Cun Town, is the "hero" here, but also the eternal spiritual totem of this land.