论文部分内容阅读
Xinshi is an ancient river town in northern Zhejiang, a coastal province in eastern China. Like many other river towns in this part of the province and neighboring Jiangsu Province in the north, it has a long history, a distinct lifestyle, architecture, gourmet food, and river scenic views. It boasts a few celebrities of national renown such as Wu Qian, a cosmopolitan graduate in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Shen Quan, a painter of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and modern scholar Zhao Zichen and his translator daughter Zhao Luorui. Today, it still shines quietly on the Grand Canal that connects Hangzhou in the south and Beijing in the north.
Silk Worm Flower Festival
Qingming Festival, which usually falls on the fifth day of April, is the most important celebration in the river town, for on that day, sink-worm farmers from neighboring villages several kilometers away all flock to town and attend a temple affair, conducting ceremonies and paying homage to the goddess of silk worm. On that day, the whole town abounds with hustle and bustle. Spectators vie each other in getting the flowers thrown to crowds by the goddess in a noisy parade through the streets. Those who are not lucky enough to receive blessing flowers from the goddess buy silk flowers from folk artists. Most of these silk flowers are in the shape of butterflies and in fresh colors. Women insert the flowers slantingly in their hair.
The big day is also an occasion to celebrate love. Young men and girls from all over the area gather in town to find each other and date. On the day, young lovers are allowed to touch each other in broad sunlight in a lane by a temple.
The festival was first called off during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the late 1930s and the 1940s. After the founding of New China in 1949, it did not stage its come back until 1999. Since then the annual festival has been celebrated with a wide range of events such as paying homage to the silk goddess, street parades, dragon lantern dances, singing and dancing competition, and farming skill contests.
Gourmet Food
Another big attraction Xinshi offers is its gourmet food. “Go to Xinshi and enjoy yummy food there” is common knowledge around Deqing County. On the top of the long list of local delicacies are spiced mutton, rice cake stuffed with minced meat and vegetable, wheat dumpling, duck noodle, and sheep tail in sweetened bean paste.
The best is spiced mutton. Local people call it mutton dumpling because chopped mutton looks like dumplings in boiled soup. On the 28th day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar, restaurants in Xinshi begin to sell the spiced mutton. Eaters flock to the town to have an annual bite. The first thing in the morning of that day, many local residents also flock to their favorite wine shops. They order spiced mutton and a pot of rice wine, and begin to enjoy the spicy meat. The morning feast usually ends with a bowl of noodle. Local residents sometimes entertain guests with a sheep banquet, a feast of more than 20 dishes all made with a part of sheep.
It is said the local mutton tradition started in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). A grandson of a prime minister came to town and set up a mutton restaurant. When Shanghai became a port city in modern times, Xinshi acted as a supplier of sheep skin and wool for overseas trade. In those days, the town abounded with mutton restaurants. The best known restaurant was called Zhang Yipin. The restaurant also sold its brand mutton in big cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou. Nowadays, Xinshi Mutton and Rice Wine Festival takes place every autumn.
Compared with more famous river towns in the river area such as Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen and Tongli, which are celebrated tourist destinations, Xinshi is fortunately not fully commercialized. The town sits on rivers: the main streets are markets and all the markets are on rivers. The town proper used to boast 72 bridges and 36 lanes. Eleven bridges remain today. Some houses in the architectural style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties can still be seen on riversides. There are roofed walkways along the rivers in which people come and go without the need to worry about rain or wind. Rivers are still a place of busy activities in the morning: people do laundries there; boats arrive and depart against a background of houses and bridges. Thanks to its typical river town features, two films were shot in Xinshi.
Xinshi is now a certified town of history and culture at the national level. Since 2003, the town has been spending two million yuan a year maintaining its ancient folksy look. The funds are used to restore and refurbish ancient architectures such as residences of ancient celebrities and bridges, set up museums, dredge the rivers across the town, and repair flagstone walks. Early in 2011, Xinshi joined a provincial project designed to turn small rural towns into small new urban centers. Local residents regard this participation as a good opportunity for further growth and economic prosperity. □
Silk Worm Flower Festival
Qingming Festival, which usually falls on the fifth day of April, is the most important celebration in the river town, for on that day, sink-worm farmers from neighboring villages several kilometers away all flock to town and attend a temple affair, conducting ceremonies and paying homage to the goddess of silk worm. On that day, the whole town abounds with hustle and bustle. Spectators vie each other in getting the flowers thrown to crowds by the goddess in a noisy parade through the streets. Those who are not lucky enough to receive blessing flowers from the goddess buy silk flowers from folk artists. Most of these silk flowers are in the shape of butterflies and in fresh colors. Women insert the flowers slantingly in their hair.
The big day is also an occasion to celebrate love. Young men and girls from all over the area gather in town to find each other and date. On the day, young lovers are allowed to touch each other in broad sunlight in a lane by a temple.
The festival was first called off during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in the late 1930s and the 1940s. After the founding of New China in 1949, it did not stage its come back until 1999. Since then the annual festival has been celebrated with a wide range of events such as paying homage to the silk goddess, street parades, dragon lantern dances, singing and dancing competition, and farming skill contests.
Gourmet Food
Another big attraction Xinshi offers is its gourmet food. “Go to Xinshi and enjoy yummy food there” is common knowledge around Deqing County. On the top of the long list of local delicacies are spiced mutton, rice cake stuffed with minced meat and vegetable, wheat dumpling, duck noodle, and sheep tail in sweetened bean paste.
The best is spiced mutton. Local people call it mutton dumpling because chopped mutton looks like dumplings in boiled soup. On the 28th day of the ninth month on the lunar calendar, restaurants in Xinshi begin to sell the spiced mutton. Eaters flock to the town to have an annual bite. The first thing in the morning of that day, many local residents also flock to their favorite wine shops. They order spiced mutton and a pot of rice wine, and begin to enjoy the spicy meat. The morning feast usually ends with a bowl of noodle. Local residents sometimes entertain guests with a sheep banquet, a feast of more than 20 dishes all made with a part of sheep.
It is said the local mutton tradition started in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). A grandson of a prime minister came to town and set up a mutton restaurant. When Shanghai became a port city in modern times, Xinshi acted as a supplier of sheep skin and wool for overseas trade. In those days, the town abounded with mutton restaurants. The best known restaurant was called Zhang Yipin. The restaurant also sold its brand mutton in big cities such as Shanghai and Hangzhou. Nowadays, Xinshi Mutton and Rice Wine Festival takes place every autumn.
Compared with more famous river towns in the river area such as Zhouzhuang, Wuzhen and Tongli, which are celebrated tourist destinations, Xinshi is fortunately not fully commercialized. The town sits on rivers: the main streets are markets and all the markets are on rivers. The town proper used to boast 72 bridges and 36 lanes. Eleven bridges remain today. Some houses in the architectural style of the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasties can still be seen on riversides. There are roofed walkways along the rivers in which people come and go without the need to worry about rain or wind. Rivers are still a place of busy activities in the morning: people do laundries there; boats arrive and depart against a background of houses and bridges. Thanks to its typical river town features, two films were shot in Xinshi.
Xinshi is now a certified town of history and culture at the national level. Since 2003, the town has been spending two million yuan a year maintaining its ancient folksy look. The funds are used to restore and refurbish ancient architectures such as residences of ancient celebrities and bridges, set up museums, dredge the rivers across the town, and repair flagstone walks. Early in 2011, Xinshi joined a provincial project designed to turn small rural towns into small new urban centers. Local residents regard this participation as a good opportunity for further growth and economic prosperity. □