"Rolling Immortals" is a living inheritance of Wu culture for thousands of years, and is known as "Suzhou people's own carnival". Yesterday was the first day of the annual "Rolling Immortals" event. Although it is raining, in the stone road business circle of Jinchang Street in Gusu District, "Immortal Flowers and Grasses", "Immortal Cakes" and "Immortal Sachets"... Still let many citizens feel the lively atmosphere of "rolling immortals".
"Immortal Flowers and Grasses" is still the favorite of "Old Suzhou"
Whenever the "rolling immortals", old Suzhou used to buy several pots of "immortal flowers and grasses" to bring home the "immortal qi". Yesterday, in the Suzhou Performing Arts Center Square, nearly 80 stalls selling "immortal flowers and grasses" were put out early in the morning.
Fresh and elegant small bonsai, small and cute succulents, potted flowers of different colors, all attract people's attention. "Old Suzhou" Wang Qiaozhen usually likes to plant flowers and raise grass, and she feels that the flowers and grass bought by the "Rolling Immortal" these days are particularly reiki and fairy, and can please a good head. Yesterday, although it was raining, she still pushed the cart early to "roll the fierce", bought 4 pots of jasmine flowers with buds to be released in one go, ready to give to her son and daughter-in-law, they just moved to a new home, hoping that these pots of jasmine flowers can bring some aura to the family. ”
Bonsai represented by red pomegranates and white pomegranates are also popular choices in the market. "The red pomegranate is not only beautiful in shape, but also symbolizes the red fire, which has a good meaning in the home." Stall owner Wu Guohua said that red pomegranates sold the most popular, selling 5 pots in one morning.
The charm of "Fairy Cake" and "Fairy Sachet" has not diminished
"Old Suzhou" to "roll the immortals", it is inevitable to buy a piece of "immortal cake" to taste. Yesterday morning, Ms. Wu, a citizen, bought more than 70 yuan of "immortal cake" at once, "every year I have to buy some to taste and dip into the immortal qi." According to Mu Lan, the person in charge of Suzhou Huangtianyuan Food Co., Ltd., in order to meet the needs of the public, the cake dumpling master made nearly 2,000 cakes at 4 a.m. on the same day, including 8 varieties of special cakes such as immortal cake, "rolled" word cake, hundred fruit honey cake, mint cake, red bean cake, etc., and the price of each cake ranged from 2.5 yuan to 4 yuan. The reporter saw at the scene that the fairy cake and the "rolling" word cake were particularly popular with the public. It is reported that in 2019, Jinchang Street in Gusu District jointly with "Huang Tianyuan" applied the logo of the registered trademark of "Rolling Immortal" to "Immortal Cake".
The display of Chinese medicine culture is also a traditional project in the annual "Rolling Immortals" activities, which embodies the spirit of "Puji Sentient Beings, Great Doctors have Souls" of "Rolling Immortals". Yesterday, in the Stone Road Galaxy Square, the long-established "Lei Yunshang" not only launched a traditional Chinese medicine consulting service activity, but also displayed more than ten kinds of fairy sachets, and launched on-site experience activities, and also launched various tea drinks such as red adzuki bean coix kernel poria tea and chrysanthemum cassia tea for young people. In front of the Chinese herbal medicine bonsai display table, citizen Cheng Xiaoda stared at the orange stem, purple flower diding, along the step grass, amaranth, gardenia and other Chinese herbal bonsai carefully studied, "I did not expect that these plants have medicinal effects, can be used in medicine, really learned a lot of traditional Chinese medicine knowledge." ”
Cultural and creative products inject vitality into the "Rolling Immortal"
Visiting the market is a traditional custom of the "Rolling Immortals" activity. This year, the cultural and creative product stalls of the "Immortal Market" are favored by the public. Exquisite silk scarves, small pen holders, delicate brass bookmarks... Although it rains, from time to time, citizens who pass by with umbrellas are attracted by the small and beautiful cultural and creative products on the stalls.
"I sold 5 'rolled' brass bookmarks in the morning." Zhang Yewen, head of the R&D center of Suzhou Craftsman Park, said that this year they designed a brass bookmark with the theme of "Rolling Immortals". "The word 'rolling' is too meaningful to the people of Suzhou, which means getting rich and making good luck." Zhang Yewen said that the theme of "Rolling Immortals" is integrated into a variety of practical special supplies and jewelry, on the one hand, it is easier to attract young people to consume, and at the same time, it can also allow them to take the initiative to understand traditional culture and feel the charm of "Rolling Immortals".
In addition, rice dumpling gift boxes, rice wine, fruit wine, cups, hairpins, bracelets, tea sets and other good things can be found in the "Fairy Market". "'Rolling immortals' is rolling a hilarity." Mr. Cui, a citizen, said that although it was raining, he still came to "roll" on the first day as in previous years, feeling the happiness of traditional folk culture life.
Excerpted from Hu Yujing, a reporter of Gusu Evening News on May 24, 2021