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Jiangmen Heshan New Year Customs: Writing spring leagues

Author: He Zhiqiang

Editor's note: "In addition to the sound of firecrackers, the spring breeze sends warmth into tusu, thousands of households dawn day, always replace the new peach with the old charm." This is an ancient poem that Wang Anshi mentioned when describing the Spring Festival, and the Spring League that everyone is familiar with originated from the ancient peach rune. Chunlian belongs to one of the kinds of Yanglian, paying attention to conciseness and deep meaning, neat and tidy, coordinating with peace and servants, depicting a beautiful image with concise and exquisite words, and expressing good wishes. Chunlian has a long history, as a unique literary form in China, starting from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, flourishing in the Ming and Qing dynasties, and has developed for more than a thousand years.

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On the eve of the Spring Festival, in the first alley near Zhongshan Road opposite the former Xinhua Bookstore in Shaping, Feng Fengsheng, an eighty-three-year-old villager from Dafu Village in Yayao Town, was busy, and the ground of the narrow alley was red. The eighty-three-year-old Feng Bo, who earns a small amount of money for writing The Spring Festival for his neighbors before the Spring Festival, supports himself and does not change the wind and rain, and has insisted on it for decades. Feng Bo is of medium stature, has thick hands, is dressed simply and cleanly, treats people gently, and looks a bit bookish. Seeing the long and short camera shooting at himself, Feng Bo shyly said: "I am a farmer, I have only read books for five years, and writing is just my hobby." ”

Jiangmen Heshan New Year Customs: Writing spring leagues

"MaLuo Street" (real name Center Road, also known as "Sloppy Street"),a street that has disappeared for decades in Heshan Shaping and is often talked about. After the reform and opening up, every year before the Spring Festival, there is always a group of people in Maluo Street who write spring festivals to help make up for their livelihoods, among which the teacher surnamed Shi from Taoyuan Zhuyuan is widely known because of the large number of groups, as well as farmers from Yayao, Taoyuan and other places, and Feng Bo is one of the witnesses. Shi Guanghong, Shi Jing, Lao He, and Li Zhenbi, an old calligrapher who was now nearly 100 years old as a teacher, such as several family treasures, Feng Bo clearly remembered the names of every colleague who had written the Spring League together in Ma Lu Street.

At that time, the Spring Festival stalls on Ma luo street were very tense, and there was no "advantageous" position when it was late, and it was necessary to occupy the seat very early. "At that time, Chunlian sold more than a dime and a pair, because there was no printed Chunlian, and everyone's business was good at that time." Feng Bo relished that at the peak, he could sell more than 100 pairs during the day, and occasionally stayed up for four consecutive nights to write the Spring Festival, which was a tired and happy thing.

Jiangmen Heshan New Year Customs: Writing spring leagues

Since the transformation of "Ma Xiao Street" began, Feng Bo moved to the current alley with "tile covered head", and over time, he became acquainted with the nearby neighbors. "I have never followed a master in writing, but through daily self-study and hard practice." Feng Bo said: "The art is endless, and now I am still learning, through reading books, learning calligraphy theory, learning the couplet content of the famous yang, understanding more knowledge, enriching myself, learning makes me happy and progressive." ”

"Especially when the Spring Festival is approaching, there is basically no idle time, and every moment there are people who come to the door to write the Spring Festival, and sometimes there is a long queue." Zhang Boshu's unfolded face was full of pride. "We, the people of Heshan, the taboo family New Year is not posted on the Spring Festival, and the people who come to write the Spring Festival are happy, which means that their family has lived a year in peace and security."

Jiangmen Heshan New Year Customs: Writing spring leagues

In Heshan, chunlian is called pairs. In my memory, the deepest impression is to post the Spring Festival on the day of the Chinese New Year's Eve every year. When I was very young, because I was not tall enough, the task of pasting couplets in my family was taken care of by my uncle who was eight years older than me; when I grew taller, the task of pasting couplets every year was "passed" to me; when my son grew up, since teaching him to read the upper and lower couplets, I "passed" the task to him. Spring League is definitely a strong New Year's flavor, the New Year to write pairs is a top priority for every household, first calculate how many doors and sizes there are in the home, and then determine how many pairs are needed, and then choose the content you like according to your New Year's career, studies or marriage wishes. At present, the market is full of a large number of printed Spring Leagues, only the handwritten Spring League has a sense of heaviness, and the handwritten Spring League has a stronger flavor. The Spring Festival League written by Feng Bo is not only the masses' blessings for the New Year, but also the praise of the current happy and beautiful life. Through study, Feng Bo realized from it that he must be kind, sincere and moral in his treatment of others. "Good people are kind and kind, and decai deli is safe", this is the self-written Spring Festival League that Feng Bo's family uses every year.

Jiangmen Heshan New Year Customs: Writing spring leagues

In recent years, the groups of people writing the Spring Festival League in various places have mainly been young and middle-aged calligraphers, and many old calligraphers have been active, especially in Heshan. Over the years, the City Book Association has organized the city's calligraphers to go to the countryside or enter the community many times a year to carry out public welfare activities to encourage the people to write the Spring Festival and send the Spring Festival, leading the new wind of the times and rejuvenating the traditional Chinese Spring Festival culture. When asked if he was willing to participate in the activities to benefit the people organized by the Municipal Book Association, Lao Feng firmly replied: "I do!" ”

About the Author:

He Zhiqiang, writer, screen name: Heyizhi, Dazhi Ruoyu, Dazhi, Deputy Secretary-General of Jiangmen Writers Association, Director of Jiangmen Overseas Chinese Historical Society, Advisor of Heshan Geographical Names Committee, Vice Chairman of Heshan Writers Association, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of Heshan Folk Writers Association.

Photography, video: He Zhiqiang, Yuan Yejun

Editor-in-charge: Heyi Wenyuan

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