What are the historical cultures in Shanxi?

When it comes to Shanxi culture, the first thing to mention is Sanjin culture. Shanxi's history began in the Paleolithic Age, and went through the Zhou Dynasty.

Thousands of years of evolution, to the Jin State and Sanjin period, has formed a distinctive feature different from other regional cultures.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Shanxi became the birthplace of legalists, strategists, famous debaters and military strategists in the Warring States Period, and it was also an important branch of Confucianism in the early pre-Qin period, thus forming the magnificent Confucianism in Sanjin. These progressive ideas are in the era of a hundred schools of thought contending, which not only encourage and agitate each other, but also complement and promote each other. * * * created the Sanjin culture with progressive characteristics.

Shanxi merchant culture was born in Sanjin culture. Shanxi merchants refer to merchants in Shanxi (a province in the Central Plains of China), which is called "Jin" for short. Shanxi merchants are the pioneers of banks in the history of China. "Draft number" was a way for merchants to trade at that time. The trade road is far away and connected with the world. It once stood out in the history of China. Up to now, there is a saying that "Shanxi people are good at doing business and managing money".

Food culture, mainly pasta.

History and culture

Shanxi is one of the birthplaces of the Chinese nation. 654.38 million+years ago, human beings thrived on this land. Xihoudu and Ding Cun cultural sites show that human beings lived and multiplied here as early as the Paleolithic. During the Zhou Dynasty, Shanxi was the territory of the Tang Dynasty. Later, his son Xie's father changed his surname to Jin because Tang was close to Jinjiang. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Shanxi was one of the five tyrants. In 403 BC, Han Kang and Wei were divided into Jin, and the three kingdoms of Korea, Zhao and Wei, which were separated from Jin, and Qin, Chu, Qi and Yan were called the Seven Heroes of the Warring States. After Qin Shihuang unified China, there were five counties in Shaanxi: Taiyuan, Shangdang, Hedong, Yanmen and Dai Jun. By the Sui Dynasty, Taiyuan was the third largest city in the Yellow River valley, next only to Chang 'an and Luoyang. At the end of Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan and his son set out for Taiyuan. After establishing Chang 'an as their capital, they respected Taiyuan as the "northern capital", which means "other capital". During the Five Dynasties, the later Tang Dynasty, the later Jin Dynasty, the later Han Dynasty and the northern Han Dynasty all started from Shanxi. In the feudal society of China, Shanxi played an important role, and because of its special geographical position, the more troubled times it was, the more important it was. Whoever owns Shanxi is the best in the world. Therefore, Gu Zuyu, a Qing man, pointed out in the Minutes of Reading Historical Records that the trend of the world must be taken from Shaanxi. During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Shanxi's economy and culture were in a leading position in northern China. In the Ming Dynasty, Shanxi Province set up a secretariat in Taiyuan, and later changed to a company, which was in charge of five states and three states in Shanxi. In the Qing dynasty, it began to be called Shanxi. Shanxi has a long history and rich cultural heritage. Up to now, it has a written history of 3,000 years, and is known as "China Museum of Ancient Culture" and "Cradle of Chinese Civilization". Legends such as "Jing Wei fills the sea", "Goddess fills the sky" and "Yu chisels Meng Men" all happened in Shanxi. Three ancient emperors of China, Yao, Shun and Yu, all established their capitals in the south of Shanxi, namely Pingyang (now Linfen), Puban (now yongji city) and Anyi (this summer county). During the Spring and Autumn Period, Zhong Er, Jin Wengong was one of the five tyrants in the Spring and Autumn Period. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Datong (then called Pingcheng) was the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Taiyuan, the provincial capital, is known as "Long Mai" and has always been a battleground for military strategists. At the end of Sui Dynasty, Li Yuan and his son rose up in Jinyang (now Taiyuan), then seized Chang 'an, established the Tang Dynasty, and later designated Taiyuan as the northern capital of the Tang Dynasty Empire. At the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, there were wars and famines in the Central Plains for years, and Shanxi, especially the southern part of Shanxi, became the main area of immigrants in the early Ming Dynasty because of its economic prosperity and dense population. Over the past half century, Shanxi has immigrated more than a dozen times. The pagoda tree in Hongtong County was a major immigration station at that time. This is where the phrase "Ask where my ancestors are, Sophora japonica in Hongdong, Shanxi" circulated in many parts of the country comes from. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rise of Shanxi merchants and Shanxi merchants banks was famous at home and abroad. After China entered the semi-colonial and semi-feudal society, Shanxi's economic and cultural development was seriously damaged. However, Shanxi people bravely resisted foreign aggression. Especially during War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, Shanxi people fought more tenaciously and wrote countless heroic stories in the land of Sanjin. The great victories of Pingxingguan, Hundred Regiments War and Shangdang Campaign will go down in history forever. 1April 949, the whole province was liberated. In September, the People's Government of Shanxi Province was established, which opened a new chapter in the history of Shanxi's socialist revolution and construction. For decades, Shanxi people have made great contributions to the cause of socialist construction throughout the country. The Yellow River flows through Shanxi, giving birth to countless heroes and people with lofty ideals. In various historical periods of China, many politicians, strategists, scientists, writers and historians emerged in Shanxi. The most famous are Jin Wengong Zhong Er, one of the overlords in the Spring and Autumn Period, the only female emperor in China, Wu Zetian, an outstanding politician in the Tang Dynasty, Xue, a general in white robes, a "warrior saint" in China, famous figures in the Tang Dynasty, Guan Yu, Zhang Liao, Di and Pei Du, famous Han Dynasty figures Wei Qing and Huo Qubing who fought against Xiongnu, Pei Xiu, a cartographer in the Western Jin Dynasty who founded the "Cartography Six Bodies", and one of the four famous works in ancient China. There are famous poets Bai Juyi, Wang Bo, Wang Zhihuan, Wang Wei and Wang Changling in the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zongyuan, a famous writer, philosopher and political reformer in the Tang Dynasty, Sima Guang, a famous politician in the Song Dynasty, and Yuan Haowen, a poet. There are three famous dramatists Guan Hanqing, Bai Pu and Zheng Guangzu among the four masters of Yuan Qu, and Fu Shan, a thinker, writer, physician and painter in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, is Jiajing. Shanxi has outstanding people and outstanding talents. Among them, Shanxi merchants have traveled all over China, enjoying a world-renowned reputation.

folk custom

Marriage: The marriage of Shuozhou people, like other places, is generally the words of a matchmaker and the fate of parents. Although times have changed and customs have changed, on the whole, they still follow old habits, especially in rural areas, and important etiquette procedures have not changed so far. Generally, there are four steps: blind date, engagement, marriage and returning to China. Blind date: the matchmaker proposes marriage for both men and women, and introduces the situation of both parties, such as age, zodiac, date of birth, personality, appearance, family economic situation, parents, etc. The two families weighed the conditions, called everyone to discuss, and if they planned to get married, the man took the matchmaker to visit the woman's house. The two sides agreed to make an appointment, and then invited the woman to the man's house to sit up and take notice. The one you like will stay at the man's house for dinner, and the marriage will be negotiated silently. Leave if you don't like it. Engagement: The bride price and dowry are decided by the matchmakers of both men and women many times. The woman exchanged her children's birthdays and set a wedding date. The man gave her a "box" and part of the bride price, and held a banquet to celebrate. The next day, the woman hosted a banquet for the man. After that, they got a marriage certificate one day, and some of them traveled abroad. After marriage, men and women give each other some clothes, which is called changing summer or winter. Marriage: One month before the wedding, a betrothal gift, commonly known as "tea", should be given. The man asked the matchmaker to send the clothes (underwear) and "water ceremony" (rice, noodles and meat) worn by the "bride" to the woman's home and told her the wedding date. After that, the close relatives of both men and women invite the future bride and groom home for dinner, which is called "having a happy meal". The day before the wedding, relatives and friends all come, commonly known as "treat guests", and some invite "drummers" to entertain them, so it is also called "playing drums". In the evening, men and women eat "turning cakes" at home. On the wedding day, men and women fry oil cakes early in the morning, which is called "eating wedding cakes". After breakfast, the man plays drum music and lifts the sedan chair (some use carriages or mules to lift the sedan chair, but now they basically use cars) to marry the woman. Generally speaking, the man's uncle and nephew gets married. The groom will bring the bride a red ribbon called "tie the knot"; Take a bottle and put an onion in it, which is called "after taking root"; A piece of pork or mutton with five tendons is called "keeping the mother's meat" and "celebrating the five parties". When the wedding comes back, the man should bring back two of the ribs to show the harmony between husband and wife after marriage. This is called "inseparable bones and muscles". The woman provides tea, candy, cakes, etc. to entertain the guests attending the wedding. The bride puts on the clothes brought by the man (usually red cotton-padded clothes and trousers), and after saying goodbye to her parents, her sister gets into the sedan chair (car). Some companions send new ones, open the boxes, and those who accompany "Tang He" (also known as reunion dinner) enter the man's house at a pre-selected time. After arriving at the husband's house, the bride, led by her relatives, walked into the new house on the red carpet to "cook tea" and eat "in-house meals" for the "lotus pond". At noon, the bride and groom worship heaven and earth, and the banquet begins immediately after the ceremony, which is called "sitting at the table". During the dinner, the bride and groom should toast, salute and recognize the guests. In the evening, the bride and groom's brother-in-law officiate at the wedding ceremony, commonly known as "pouring the pot", and let the bride and groom say tongue twisters, solve riddles on the lanterns and tell jokes and make fun of each other. After that, the couple ate the opposite meal until late at night. The next morning, the bride and groom bowed to their relatives and friends and said "worship" (in some places, it was held after worshipping heaven and earth), and the worshiped party presented gifts to congratulate them. Returning home: Generally, on the second day after the wedding, the woman's family sends people and cars to invite the bride and groom to return home, and holds a banquet for the bride and groom and their relatives and friends. During the dinner, they toasted the guests, saluted them, recognized their size and came back that night or the next day. On the fourth day after marriage, a woman marries her husband, which is called "born on the moon" or "born in April and June". In recent years, with the progress of society and the development of the times, the marriage customs in Shuozhou have also undergone great changes, and the etiquette is simple. Funeral: The funeral etiquette procedure in ancient Shuozhou is extremely complicated, which can be generally divided into small episodes, large episodes, burning paper, sending lanterns, parting spirits, mourning and recovery. After death, some people wear shroud, break window paper, support door panels, stop in Houhang, kill "upside-down chickens", burn paper, lamps and incense as sacrifices under their heads, and their children wail aloud. This is a small collection. Then post a "disaster" and hang a "notice paper" outside the street gate to inform the village. The younger generation and the dutiful son wear them to the host's home to pay their respects. The next night, the body was moved into the coffin, commonly known as "folding." The body was covered with red cloth, the coffin lid was unlocked, and the coffin was parked in the hall, with offerings and ever-burning lamps. Relatives, friends, clansmen and neighbors all went to Lingqian to burn paper to express their condolences.