Many people are not unfamiliar with Putian. Putian is mentioned in the popular "Mountains and Seas". Maybe when it comes to Putian, your mind flashes through: the overwhelming "Putian shoes", the famous "Putian" hospital...
That's right! But you may not know that in Putian, a Spring Festival can be spent twice in a row, a Lantern Festival can pass through the "longest in the country", a piece of wood can carve out patterns, and a dynasty can produce many yuan - in fact, the most primitive and natural style of Putian is still "mountain" and "sea". There is a style behind the mountain and the sea, which is putian's own "Mountain and Sea Situation".
▲ Putian "backs the mountains and faces the sea", and has its own endless "mountain and sea feelings". Image source/network
<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" > one Spring Festival and two New Year's Festivals</h1>
It is the Spring Festival, and unlike elsewhere, in Putian, the Spring Festival is twice in a row: one is the standard Lunar New Year like the people of the whole country; the other time, it is the fourth or fifth day of the Chinese New Year and then "make up" once. The Putian people call these two "New Year" "Big Year" and "Little Year" respectively, not "Big Year" and "Little Year".
This custom is related to the Wukou who have been attacked by the sea since the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the southeast coast had been invaded by the Wokou. Wu Kou, who has found out the way, knows that during the Spring Festival, every household has "the most material", there is food and drink, there are New Year goods, robbery will inevitably have gains, and it is not wrong to grab it in the New Year. This made the people of Putian uneasy about the New Year, so they could only hide in the mountains to avoid Kou, and then go home to "make up" for the New Year. Over time, Putian formed a two-year custom. "Big Year" is the same as the Lunar New Year, "Little Year" from the third day of the New Year to the fifth day of the New Year, each family is different. At that time, the Wokou also agreed that all the people who had plundered would light a lamp as a mark; in the Area of Putian Pinghai, in order to avoid the Wokou, everyone would light the lamp all night Chinese New Year's Eve night, forming a custom. In addition, the Putian people will not visit friends on the second day of the Chinese New Year.
▲ Twice New Year, super long Lantern Festival, Putian Spring Festival set two "national maximums". Image source/network
There is also a very new point in putian new customs, that is, the Lantern Festival span can be called "the longest in the country". The Lantern Festival in different villages and towns can pass from the sixth day of the first lunar month to the twenty-ninth day of the first lunar month, and it is more than 20 days to pinch your fingers! Of course, the fourteenth, fifteenth and sixteenth days of the first month are the most lively, and the twenty-ninth is the last night of the Lantern Festival, also known as the "tail night".
The Lantern Festival in Putian is a particularly solemn ceremony. The flower lantern projects represented by the Fengting Lantern are similar to the whole country, but many township folk customs are breathtaking: such as "sand flowers to greet the gods", using bamboo pieces to hit the high-temperature molten iron on the fruit trees, a good piece of "fire trees and silver flowers never sleep"; for example, the barefoot charcoal fire in the villages and towns of Hanjiang, and "Bodhisattva Chong Hua", bare-chested through the fireworks, let the sparks splash around - red and red fire, and there are skills that can make people smirk.
▲ During the Putian Lantern Festival, the lively "sand flowers greet the gods", and the fire trees and silver flowers do not sleep. Image source/network
<h1 class= "pgc-h-center-line" > "Mazu" hometown, coastal style</h1>
The invasion of the Wokou sea brought a different custom to Putian. In fact, the origin of Putian is related to the "sea". According to legend, Putian used to be a vast ocean, and the Mars in the Taishang Laojun Alchemy Furnace were scattered and landed on the back of the "ground cattle" that landed on the land, causing geological changes and floating out of the land. People call it "floating field", and then perhaps it is a pronunciation problem, it is written by the imperial court as "Kamata"; and in order to avoid the outbreak of floods, remove the three points of water, called "Putian" - the legend belongs to the legend, more in line with the characteristics of putian landform, Putian is on the edge of the coastline, there are many swamps, there are many grasses, people in order to create a good living environment, weeding grass, draining seawater, creating good fields, hence the name.
The total area of putian sea area is 11,000 square kilometers, and there are three major characteristics: First, the total coastline in Putian is 443 kilometers, of which the mainland shoreline is 336 kilometers, and the island shoreline is 107 kilometers, accounting for about one-tenth of the total coastline of Fujian Province; the second is that the coastline is tortuous and there are many bays, Xinghua Bay, Ping Bay, and Meizhou Bay are the three natural bays of Putian; the third is that there are many islands, and within the three bay areas, Meizhou Island, Nanri Island and other large and small islands are lined up.
▲The "three bays" of Meizhou Bay, Ping Bay and Xinghua Bay have built a sea full of style in Putian. Image source/figureworm creative
Such rich coastal conditions make the sea in Putian full of style, even with mythological colors. As we all know, "Mazu" is the "sea god" worshipped by people in the southeast coastal area. Mazu Linmo was born on Meizhou Island in Putian, born in the first year of Song Jianlong (960 AD) in March 23, died in the fourth year of Song Yongxi (987 AD) on the ninth day of September, and never married. Throughout his life, he did good deeds and accumulated virtue, saved suffering and rescued difficulties, and gradually formed a "Mazu culture" in the world. Nearly 200 million people in more than 20 countries and regions in the world worship Mazu, and various Mazu temples and Tianhou Temples with the theme of Mazu can be described as blooming everywhere. The Mazu Temple on Meizhou Island attracts millions of people every year.
Mazu Pudu sentient beings, people in Putian Pinghai Town, which is separated from Meizhou Island by a river, built the world's oldest and most complete Preservation of the Song Dynasty palace-style original Mazu Palace, and it is also the first Mazu Fenling Palace Temple. The Pinghai Tianhou Temple enshrines 5 Mazu statues, and legend has it that Mazu incarnated as five maidens to protect Zhu Yuanzhang, who came to rectify coastal defense, to cross the sea safely.
▲ Mazu Temple attracts worship from people all over the world, which can be called "Mecca of the East". Image source/network
Pinghai history is called "South Whistle", has always been an important town on the front line of coastal defense. Zhu Yuanzhang saw that the wind and waves were calm here, so he ordered it to be named "Pinghai", and in order to prevent the Wokou, he set up a peaceful sea guard and built an acropolis, called "Pinghai City". Shi Lang, a great general of the Qing Dynasty who recovered Taiwan, was stationed in Pinghaiwei in the twenty-second year of the Qing Dynasty (1683 AD), encountered the dilemma of insufficient fresh water supply, and did not expect to dig a dry well near the Tianhou Temple, obtaining valuable water sources. Today, this shiquan well is still telling the historical legend.
Every year on the ninth day of the first lunar month, the Pinghai City God Temple also holds a parade of city gods in honor of Zhou Dexing, a Ming Dynasty military expert who consolidated southeast coastal defense.
▲ The "ShiQuan" written by Shi Lang tells the historical legend of finding fresh water in the Mazu Temple. Image source/network
In the bay of Putian, people can feel the solemnity of history and easily enjoy the beautiful natural scenery. The golden beach on Meizhou Island is known as the "first beach in the world"; the coastline of Ping bay is 21 kilometers long, known as the "end of the world in Putian"; the Houhai fishing village has the reputation of "little Maldives"; Hujiao Beach has a stone bridge shaped like the Parthenon, which together with the surrounding strange reefs, construct a unique sea rock style.
Every summer, putian's coastline is the same as the southeast coast, there will be a charming "blue tears" phenomenon, that is, a glowing bay plankton "sea fireflies", when stimulated, emit blue light, "light up" the sea - putian bay, always full of history and nature.
▲ "Houhai Fishing Village" quietly exudes the atmosphere of seaside leisure life. Image source/figureworm creative
<h1 class = "pgc-h-center-line" > city of wood carving, exquisitely transparent carving</h1>
Corresponding to the beautiful coastal scenery in the southeast are the mountains in the northwest of Putian. Putian also has a nickname "Putian", the ancients to "mountains south of the water north for the yang" to position, putian north is the mountains, hence the name.
From the topographic point of view, there are mountains in the northwest of Putian and hilly areas in the middle, which are not far from the Tropic of Cancer, and the subtropical climate is warm, which is very suitable for planting mountain crops, especially fruits. Longan, lychee, loquat and Wendan grapefruit are the "four famous fruits" of Putian, and they can make people salivate when they listen.
▲Yuzu is one of the four major fruit specialties of Putian. Image source/figureworm creative
Guo Moruo once said, "Licheng is everywhere lychee", "Licheng" is also another name for Putian, which is enough to describe the lychee grand scenery of Putian. However, perhaps the literati and inkers describe putian lychees with too few words, and the fame of the lychees here is a bit inferior to that of concubines. In the hit drama "Mountains and Seas", Ma Debao came to Putian to find white wheat seedlings, and this northwestern man just arrived in Putian with a large number of longan to eat - but in Putian, the value of longan is not only to eat, but to have a greater effect.
The people of Putian found that longan wood, as a kind of hardwood, is very suitable for sculpture and has the potential to turn decay into magic. Because wood carving requires wood with strong texture and delicate texture, some longan wood roots form natural branches with unique shapes, so from the Tang Dynasty, Putian longan wood carving began to rise, and it was more popular in the Ming and Qing dynasties, becoming the "four major wood carvings in China" with the same name as Yueqing boxwood carving, Chaozhou golden lacquer wood carving, and Zhejiang Dongyang wood carving. In 2008, Putian was awarded the title of "City of Chinese Wood Carving".
▲Buddha statue art provides a stage for Putian wood carving to display their talents. Image source/network
Speaking of which, Putian wood carving has an indissoluble relationship with the "mountain" and "sea" of Putian. "Mountain" provides wood carving with good materials such as longan wood. One of the most important uses of wood carving is Buddha carving. The prevalence of local Mazu culture has led to the vigorous development of the art of idol carving and promoted the flourishing of wood carving techniques. To this day, not only in Putian, but also in other regions and even abroad, there are still wooden statues of Mazu and related utensils. The rise of trade along the "sea" provided other raw materials such as Philippine rosewood and chicken wing wood from overseas. Putian wood carving is in this collision between the mountains and the sea, and gradually polished its own fame.
"Fine carving", see kung fu in the subtleties, which is the biggest feature of Putian wood carving. Even tiny pieces of wood can be carved into delicate patterns, even with multiple layers of hollowing. The Palace Museum in Beijing preserves a number of "gold-engraved flower lamps" and "relief flower windows" carved by "Putian workers". Throughout the dynasties, putian has emerged wood carving masters. Lin Jianjun, the inheritor of the intangible cultural heritage Putian wood carving and a Chinese carving artist, created "Five Hundred Arhats" on a single piece of wood after 5 years; Zheng Chunhui, a master of arts and crafts in Fujian, carved two versions of "Qingming on the River Map" on the giant wood carving after 4 years, and was named the "Great Country Craftsman of the Year" in 2019, and this carving set the Guinness World Record of "the world's longest wood carving".
▲ The wood carving "Qingming Upper River Map" shows the delicacy and superbness of putian wood carving "fine carving" technique. Image source/network
Matching the wood carving, the Putian furniture craft is rising. During the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty, putian keju flourished and there were many titles. Many five-son dengke people have become high-ranking officials and nobles, decorating their homes, choosing wood carving artworks in terms of furniture and furnishings, and to some extent pushing wood carving art to a new height. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the putian immortal tourist Cai Jing, "Feng Da Yu Heng", let the hometown craftsmen combine the palace utensils and calligraphy and painting techniques in the capital to create very chic wood carved furniture. The piano table of the famous Song Dynasty painting "Listening to the Qintu" collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing is a fine piece of wood carved furniture presented by Cai Jing to Emperor Huizong of Song. The Red Cuowa Chen Family Residence in Wudun, Nanxi Village, Putian Xianyou, can be called a representative of the wood carving skills of the whole house. Xianyou County was thus rated as "the capital of classical Chinese craft furniture".
<h1 class = "pgc-h-center-line" > shrewd, comparable to Jews</h1>
The wood carving technique shows the ingenuity and ingenuity of the Putian people. To use one word to describe the putian people, I am afraid that it is not "shrewd".
The geographical pattern of "back to the mountains and the sea" may look beautiful, but the subtext is "more people and less land". Putian is the second-smallest prefecture-level city in Fujian, and is only a little larger than Xiamen in Fujian. On the one hand, the water and soil nourish one side, and more people and less land make people learn to bear hardships and stand hard work and dare to work the one hand; on the other hand, they also aim at the outside world, and many Putian people choose to go out to start a business and do business. According to incomplete statistics, there are 1 million people in Putian who are out all year round and engaged in various commercial activities.
▲ "Putian shoes" is the deepest impression of most people on Putian. Image source/network
In the early 1990s, Putian was the main generation site of the world's famous brand shoes, which formed a unique "Putian shoes" phenomenon. Some Putian people who do not like to abide by the rules "play a little clever" and create high imitation shoes that can be faked and real, and it is said that some high imitation shoes are "more genuine than genuine". After more than 20 years of sand and sand, the footwear industry is still an important industrial pillar in Putian.
In many commercial fields, according to unofficial statistics, more than 70% of the country's wood processing market is operated by Putian people, which brings national wood resources to the wood carving industry; followed by the jewelry industry, which is also unofficial statistics, it is said that more than 50% of the country's jewelry market is operated by Putian people, 8 of the 10 Fujian people who operate jewelry are Putian people; of course, there are hospitals, "Putian" hospitals have long been famous throughout the country - unofficial data may not be authoritative, but Putian people have business acumen and are very good at business. It is an indisputable fact, and it is even known as the "Jews of China". The ancestral home of Mr. Li Ka-shing, a rich man in Hong Kong, is Putian, Fujian Province.
▲ Almost half of the jewelry industry is run by Putian people. Image source/network
Perhaps, "little smart" is also a manifestation of "high IQ". As a "coastal Zoulu" and "literary state", Putian is rich in history. According to the statistics of Putian experts, there have been 21 Zhuangyuan in the past dynasties here, including 9 Zhengzhuangyuan, 2 Zhengzhuangyuan, 8 special zhuangyuan, and 2 Shi brown zhuangyuan; 7 people in the past dynasty; 5 people in the past dynasty Tanhua; 17 people in the past Zaifu (including gifts); and 2482 jinshi from putian in the past. This is among the best in the country.
Respecting teachers and re-teaching, coupled with a good study style, Putian has produced many talents in history. One of Tang Xuanzong's early favorite concubines, Princess Meijiang Caiping, and Cai Xiang of the Song Dynasty, were all from Putian; in modern times, Lin Lanying, the mother of Chinese semiconductors, dr. Chen Zhangliang, who was once vice president of Peking University and president of China Agricultural University, were all Putian people.
<h1 class = "pgc-h-center-line" > to eat the mountains and the sea to eat the sea</h1>
Huang Gongdu, a native of Putian in the Southern Song Dynasty, once said at the time of the temple trial court: "The only fish produced in Puzhong, seaweed, lychee, and oyster house." ”
Facing the sea, Putian has both mountain goods and seafood, "the mackerel in the sea, the partridge in the mountain", the skillful chefs put all kinds of ingredients to make a unique flavor of local cuisine. "Putian City Chronicle" records that Xinghua's more famous delicacies include: fried Xinghua rice noodles, lychee meat, braised tofu, jumping fish wearing tofu, dried stewed lamb, protein flat food and so on.
▲Putian rice noodles are delicate and have a good taste, and are integrated with the taste of various ingredients to become delicious in their own right. Image source/network
Coming to Putian and not eating a bowl of Xinghua rice noodles is equivalent to not having come to Putian. But in a strict sense, Xinghua rice noodles are not a local specialty of Putian. It is said that during the Northern Song Dynasty, the Cantonese Li Pi was relegated to Xinghua as the main bookkeeper, in order to let the old mother eat the rice noodles in her hometown, The Li main book introduced the practice of rice noodles in its entirety; there is also a saying that In order to solve the problem of the meals of the migrant workers who built Mulan Pi, Li Li invited the chefs of Boluo, Guangdong, to make rice noodles and solve the problem of eating in the form of fast food. But either way, Xinghua rice noodles have become the label of Putian.
Every important holiday, especially when the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival comes, there will be a plate of fried rice noodles at the Putian people's banquet, which is a must-have for the Mid-Autumn Festival "sending autumn" customs, which means that "eating rice noodles is that people can eat beards, hair is as white as rice noodles", that is, "high life". Therefore, Xinghua rice noodles are very fine, fried rice noodles are also called fried silver wire, so that the fine powder "Hai Na Bai Chuan", absorb the taste of peanuts, leeks, mushrooms, shrimp and other auxiliary materials. When Xinghua rice noodles are stir-fried with the gifts of those seas, they not only absorb the taste of seafood, but also release the energy of starch, making people full and satisfied. Soybean milk fried rice noodles are rare products elsewhere.
▲Red tuan is an indispensable delicacy in the festival of Putian people, pinning on the expectation of the future. Image source/figureworm creative
In addition to rice noodles, many Putian people who go out will say: "Back in Putian, what I want most is that bowl of brine noodles." "Brine noodles are another kind of nostalgia for putian people. In the hit drama "Mountains and Seas", the locals warmly greeted the Haiji female workers: "Let's eat some red balls." "Putian red dough takes glutinous rice flour as the main raw material, makes a good skin and various fillings, and then engraves the words Fu, Lu, Shou, Xi, Cai, Ding, and Gui, and eats it when it is steamed. During the New Year, every family must do it, which means festive and auspicious.
"It is better to have no meat for three days than to eat without fish", putian people who are at the seaside prefer seafood. Whether it is sea oysters, clams, abalone, eels, shrimp, barracuda crabs, etc., they are all presented on the daily table of the Putian people. In particular, the Nanri abalone on Nanri Island is known for its thick flesh, delicate taste and rich nutrition, and the abalone meat will not shrink significantly after cooking, which is favored by people and has now become a national geographical indication protection product. The Putian people also prefer braised mackerel, similar to "braised pork", and you can taste the sea in one bite. In addition, Jiangshan Village, located on the north shore of Meizhou Bay, has become the famous "Nori First Village".
▲ Putian people's beloved mackerel, a gift from the ocean. Image source/network
"Back to the mountains and facing the sea", eat the mountains and eat the sea. Rich mountain and sea resources, so that the food industry has become another pillar industry with the fastest development in Putian. In recent years, Putian has put forward the idea of building a "marine ranch", which will build the largest marine ranch on the southeast coast.
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line" > "mountain" and "sea" are connected, a new blueprint</h1>
Few cities can "face the mountains and the sea" like Putian. This natural pattern of Putian has created a very unique spatial beauty: "One Heart" ("Ecological Green Heart" along the banks of Mulan Creek for about 56 square kilometers), "Two Islands" (Meizhou Island, Nanri Island), "Three Bays" (Meizhou Bay, Xinghua Bay, Ping Bay), "Four Waters" (Mulan Creek, Hagi Luxi, Yanshou Creek and Nanbeiyang River Network Water System), "Five Mountains" (Nangshan, Jiuhuashan, TianmaShan, Fenghuangshan, Hugongshan) - "Mountains, Cities, Fields, Seas", the spatial pattern is vast and staggered. Putian is creating a beautiful pattern of "five mountains surrounded by", "four waters dependent on each other", "surrounded by three bays", "two islands adding brilliance" and "one heart as the source".
▲The staggered spatial pattern creates new opportunities for the development of Putian. Image source/network
The mountains and seas are connected, which is a new blueprint that the putian people are building.
"Three bays go hand in hand" to move towards a broader blue ocean of development. Meizhou Bay as a deep-water natural port, deep, wide, smooth, straight, non-freezing and non-silt, 18 nautical miles deep semi-enclosed narrow bay, perennial calm wind and waves, can build more than 150 berths of more than 10,000 tons, currently with 29 countries and regions more than 50 ports navigation, is listed as China's four long-term development planning of the international deep-water transit port, the future will focus on the development of new energy, petrochemical, steel, shipbuilding, forest processing and other port industries, built into a heavy industry chemical base; although the Ping Bay is not a deep-water port, but the waters are wide, Pleasant scenery, is a beautiful coastal leisure resort, the surrounding beach is very suitable for coastal aquaculture, transformed into a "marine ranch"; xinghua bay although the start is late, but can be developed area is large, and only 72 nautical miles away from Taichung Port, is the mainland from Taiwan the shortest straight-line distance port, here will be built large equipment manufacturing, new energy, new materials and other industrial bases, become the future of the new economic growth pole.
▲Deep-water good port opens up a new blue ocean for the development of Putian. Image source/network
Crossing the barrier of mountains and opening up the passage to the sea, the "communication between mountains and seas" has gradually taken shape. At present, the Putian Expressway transportation network has realized the docking with the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta; the Fuzhou-Xiamen Railway and the Xiangpu Railway connect the surrounding provinces and cities, and the Meizhou Bay Port Railway Branch Line has been put into use; and the Putian Airport has put on the planning agenda - the comprehensive three-dimensional pattern of port, transportation, supporting facilities, logistics and shipping, so that Putian people have reason to expect that "back mountains and seas" will soon write a new chapter of "Mountains and Seas".
▲ Mountains and seas are connected, and Putian people are building a new blueprint for development. Image source/network
Resources
• "Analysis of Wood Carving statues in Putian and Research on Industrial Transformation and Innovation", China Papers Network/Political Papers, Xingzhi Tribal https://www.xzbu.com/1/view-14994736.htm
• "Putian Port: A 100-Million-Ton Port under Construction on the Southeast Coast", Chen Xuewei, China Papers Network/Economic Papers, Xingzhi Tribal https://www.xzbu.com/2/view-502428.htm
• Putian Culture Network, http://www.ptwhw.com/
• Yanhuang Customs Network, http://www.fengsuwang.com/
• Where will Putian develop in the future? Putian Network, http://www.ptxw.com/fcw/dczx/201911/t20191112_236683.htm
• "Pinghai Tojiao, Putian's new Internet celebrity treasure land", Putian Tourism Network WeChat public account
• "Back to the mountains and facing the sea, feel the "Putian Wind"" Wu Zhifei, Wang Zhao, Ma Junjie, Straits Metropolis Daily, January 23, 2013, http://dzb.hxnews.com/2013-01/23/content_88236.htm
<h1 class="pgc-h-center-line">END -</h1>
Written by/Huang Qibing Editor/Yang Yalin
Photo Editor/Zhou Honglei Trial Hair/Lu Weibin
Image credit/Figureworm Creative Network, etc
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