Characteristics of Beihai Dialect

1 Dialect words reflecting specific geographical environment and landforms and their meanings

Beihai city is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with low terrain, high in the north and low in the south, and gradually inclines. Its northwest is cut by a bay, and its south is characterized by bay siltation and river deposition. Many place names in Beihai reflect these geographical features of Beihai. For example, the "corner of the ground" in the west of the city is named after the triangular terrain that extends into the sea. Another example is "Waisha", which is located in the northwest of the city. It was originally a sandbank piled up along the seashore, so it was named because it was located outside the urban area. Another example is the "Dadun Sea", which is named because it has big sand piers and faces the sea.

There are also some place names in Beihai that reflect the surrounding environment characteristics or village scale when the place was first built. For example, the "single root" used to be a hilly area with only one big tree around it, called the "single root". Although it is now densely populated with trees, place names still exist and have long been a cultural phenomenon, telling future generations about the desolation there. Another example is Zodiac. According to reports, the village was built in 58 years in Qingganlong. When Wu, Wang and Zhu settled here, * * * set up twelve huts, hence the name. Now the area has developed into a small-scale village, and the "Twelve Houses" have lost their original meaning, leaving only traces of history.

Some place names reflect the historical track of social development in Beihai. "Beihai Village" is easy to remind people that Beihai used to be just a small fishing village. The Annals of Beihai Place Names contains: "Beihai was originally an ancient fishing village, named Beihai Village, and the urban area gradually developed eastward on this basis ..." [5] Huang's Beihai Literature and History also records that "Beihai ... saw its current name in the early Qing Dynasty. Beihai is named after the ancient village in the city, and its north faces the sea ... "[6] Whether Beihai is named after the north faces the sea is not mentioned for the time being, but Beihai is developed on the basis of Beihai Village, which has become a * * * knowledge, and we have also got clues from the word" Beihai Village ".

In addition to place names, there are some daily expressions in Beihai vernacular vocabulary that reflect the topography of Beihai. For example, the phrase "the sun goes down" in Mandarin and "the hot head falls into the water" in Beihai dialect are all because there are mountains in the north, only the sun goes down, while Beihai is surrounded by the sea on three sides and has a low terrain. What people see is that the sun rises from the horizon and sinks from it. Some words reflect the harsh natural environment. For example, "ghost" now refers to swearing, and this word has a history. According to Mr. Huang's textual research, the word originated from the plague epidemic in Beihai during the Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty. Until the early 1930s, many people in Beihai died of plague every year. According to J·H· Lowry, a famous foreign doctor and expert on plague research, the patient suffered from "bubonic plague", which was called "bubonic plague" by Beihai people. [7] Later, although the plague no longer appeared in Beihai, the word has been circulated as a vicious swear word so far, which shows people's fear of the plague.

Dialect vocabulary restricted by specific material and living conditions

Liang Hongxun's Miscellaneous Notes on Beihai in Qing Dynasty said: "Beihai Port is offshore. It used to be Zeguo, and later it was made of sand. According to legend, this place, formerly known as Gulizhai, is also a shopping mall. Visiting elders, some people can tell their stories. Generally, there are ports in the south first, and the ports in the south are scattered before the North Sea is formed. Beihai City was built in the middle of Daoguang. It is a business, but it is just a fishing boat. " [8] The North Sea faces the sea and is rich in marine resources. At first, most residents made a living by fishing. After liberation, the fishery in Beihai developed rapidly, and many seafood products were sold at home and abroad, which greatly improved the material life and spiritual life of fishermen. Until today, fishery is still one of the pillars of Beihai industry. This specific state of material life will also be reflected in Beihai vernacular vocabulary.

First of all, there are a large number of words related to fishery and seafood in Beihai, such as building sea (fishing), opening sea (closed fishing period) and closing sea (closed fishing period). There are many names of seafood: from the fishing way, there are "fishing net fish" and "fish mouth fish", and from the farming way, there are "salt water fish" and "freshwater fish". The specific names of fish are divided into very fine parts: shark, red fish, preserved fish, blind bull fish (skinless fish), Longli fish, sand diamond fish, boned fish, white sail fish, sand horn fish, crucian carp, big-eyed chicken and so on. All kinds of seafood are: squid, cuttlefish, red fish (dry goods), fish fillets, shrimp, crab meat, seahorse and so on. There are many seafood products in Beihai, and quite a few people are engaged in seafood processing industry, so a number of related words have appeared, such as: making crabs, snails and dried fish. Among them, the words related to shrimp processing are: removing intestines, leaving phoenix tails, and classifying (dividing shrimps into several categories according to size, such as "three or five shrimps" and "two or three shrimps"). In Beihai, there are many private bosses engaged in this kind of seafood processing, concentrated in Waisha, Beihai Village and du cun Root.

Secondly, many words in daily life are related to sea water and fish. For example, those who finally get it are called "waiting for the end of the water", those who are the pioneers are called "throwing waves", those who are fashionable are called "dividing water" and those who are old are called "old water". [9] After "old water" means "self-reliance, conceit or relying on the old to sell the old". "Go out to sea" means "get into the water", "water ring" means "dare not move or say anything", and it is also used to describe the depth of behavior. "Catch the water crab" means "cheat". Such proverbs and allegorical sayings are endless. Because common sayings and two-part allegorical sayings are beyond the scope of this article, here are just a few examples.

A flowing water, first-class fish-once every emperor and courtier;

Mackerel-hard mouth and brittle bones (meaning: hard mouth and soft heart);

Put the fish in the sea-disperse;

Pull a boat on the beach-one step at a time;

Play on a fishing boat-you can walk away;

Catch fish through the water arrow hole-you can catch fish in your ass by wading, which means good luck.

3 Dialect vocabulary reflecting the living habits and customs of Beihai.

As the saying goes: a thousand miles is different from the wind, and a hundred miles is different from the customs. Every place has its own unique folk customs and living habits, which are often closely linked with local dialect vocabulary, showing the characteristics of local regional culture. For example, "family boat" reflects the life customs of egg fishermen. According to Beihai local chronicles, the ancestors of the Egg Family were boatmen along the coast of Guangdong. Fishermen often live with their families when working in the deep sea, and livestock and poultry are mixed with people in the same boat, commonly known as "family boats." [ 10]

Many customs in Beihai are related to superstition. According to Liang Hongxun's Miscellaneous Notes on Beihai, "Superstition of theocracy is a common problem in China, while Beihai natives are quite superstitious. There are temples such as Sanlao Lady, Wang San, Wen Wudi, Wang Long, Huaguang and Purdue Gong Zhen in the harbor, and there is the Dragon Mother Temple outside the sand. " He also said that Beihai people can't live without "God" in their daily lives, and even when they are sick, they ask God to see them: "About three miles west of the port, there is the Huaguang Temple. The locals have always believed that if there is any disease, they must ask God. Take a prescription and drink it before God. Listening to God is increasing. Or take Shenhua Guang home to see a doctor, and then take God to the city to visit the pharmacy. It depends on what medicine people refer to, and eating is undoubtedly taboo. When he came to the street, he banged the gong loudly, and then it was a few days and nights ... People who didn't know the custom were shocked and suspected that it was an unexpected warning, but the aborigines were used to it. They believed in God but didn't believe in doctors, and so on ... There is also a proverb in Beihai called' starve doctors and eat witches'. " [1 1] These customs can be seen from some words in Beihai vernacular.

"Cooperation" is a common custom in Beihai. People think that every village has a village ancestor, also known as "social prince". Therefore, "every village has a social altar." Every year on the second day of February and the solstice of winter, villagers will collect money from families to buy back some pigs and worship the princes in society with raw chickens. After the worship, all the sacrifices were distributed equally by households. It is said that every household can get the blessing of the villagers after eating the pork returned that night.

"Jumping ghosts and gods" In Beihai, if a family member is sick, a Taoist priest is invited to fast, commonly known as jumping ghosts and gods. Liang Hongxun's "Miscellanies of Beihai" contains: "Witches are confused, and their skills are different ... One is jumping ghosts. There are also two kinds, Liulang and six niang. According to legend, Er Shen can curse, and when a woman gets sick, she thinks that Liulang is special, and when a man gets sick, she thinks that six niang is special, so they are all postponed. Every time there is a ghost jump, the witch wants money, up to 2000. " [13] In order to make the patient recover as soon as possible, the family members spared no expense. However, contrary to expectations, patients often die without timely treatment. This shows that the local people in Beihai are superstitious and ignorant.

There is a custom in Beihai called "cutting off life". The child fell and got hurt, or was frightened for some reason. When he got home, he didn't want to sleep. He was silent and his eyes were glazed over. People thought that the child's soul was taken away by a lonely soul, so the old people took the clothes worn by the child and went to the accident site to burn incense to evoke the soul. When I walked home, I raised my clothes and shouted the child's name, "Come back, come back!" " When I get home, I will bring back the clothes of my soul and put them on my children. At the same time, put a plate beside the child's bed, with a piece of red paper and a mirror in it, and wipe the blood of the rooster on the child's forehead, palm and feet to prevent the wild ghost from coming back. This custom is very similar to a folk custom called "Shouling Spirit" in Shanwei. Mr Chen Jianmin thinks this is the evolution of ancient "evocation". [14] He added, "Calling for souls is said to be a way for Duke Zhou and Peach Blossom Niang to save their children. It is a kind of telepathy and related to witchcraft." [ 15]

In some places in Beihai, there is a strange tendency to call father "brother" or "uncle" and mother "sister", "sister-in-law" or "aunt". It is said that this is because parents are afraid of their bad luck, and this kind of bad luck will be passed on to their children, or some people ask for flowers (fortune-telling) to know that they are not compatible with their children, and the solution is to call them by their names in a general way. Some parents come up with this idea because they are too young to support their children. The above behavior may be due to the psychology that if the appellation is biased, the relationship between oneself and children will not be the relationship between father (mother) and son (daughter), so all unlucky things can be avoided. This kind of psychology seems ridiculous to us, especially in today's highly developed technology. However, according to Chen Jianmin's "China Language and China Society", "this phenomenon of partial symmetry has existed since ancient times, but it is particularly prevalent in Minnan-speaking areas where traffic is blocked, the economy is backward and superstitions are prevalent." [16] This custom may have been brought by Fujian people when they moved to Beihai.

"You's" originally refers to an activity of Ghost Festival (July 14). On Halloween, people often worship their ancestors and burn paper clothes, paper shoes and paper money. In the evening, rural people usually sacrifice the ghosts with grace and mung bean sprouts, and then scatter the sacrifices on the ground. This is called "giving seclusion". Later, the word was extended to "going out late at night", which contained derogatory meaning.

The word "stepping on dregs" is also widely used in Beihai vernacular. Some people are sick. After frying Chinese medicine, they often pour the dregs in the street in front of the door, thinking that as long as passers-by step on the dregs, they can take the disease away and let themselves recover soon. Superstitious passers-by saw the dregs of medicine as a plague, so they quickly made a detour. If they accidentally step on it, it will be like a catastrophe, and they will inevitably swear and accuse the person who poured medicine dregs of cruelty. When they got home, they were afraid that they were really sick, so they did the same thing again. Until the end of1980s, the author saw this phenomenon from time to time.

Dialect vocabulary reflecting people's educational level and psychology

Mr. Luo Changpei once said in the book Language and Culture: "From idioms or slang in many languages, we can often get a glimpse of the psychological process of word-making and the cultural level of that nation." [ 17]

Due to the lack of cultural and scientific knowledge, it is difficult for ordinary people to make reasonable explanations for some natural phenomena, so they often make mysterious guesses. For example, solar eclipse and lunar eclipse are very common natural phenomena. Beihai is called "Tengu eats the sun" and "Tengu eats the moon". Another example is solar rain, which is also a common natural phenomenon, but Beihai people think that it is an unusual phenomenon and an ominous omen when the sun is shining. Because it is called "ghost rain", it is said that "the sun is shining and the ghost rain is falling".

"dustpan" was originally a kind of agricultural appliance, which was mostly used to pick manure. In the past, there was a custom in Beihai. When the baby died, the body was wrapped in cloth and put in a dustpan. One end of the pole was used to pick it up and bury it. [18] This custom is rare now, but this word has become a curse of women on their children, with a vicious meaning.

In Beihai, there are many swearing words similar to "dustpan", such as "short-lived ghost", "creepy ghost" (which also curses people's short life), "long mourning ghost", "old woman" (who introduces women who collect referral fees for prostitution) and "longevity". These words are abusive, vicious and hurtful. However, many people in Beihai are handy at swearing, which is a bit vulgar and barbaric. Now with the improvement of people's cultural quality, these vicious words have gradually withdrawn from people's mantra, but they can still be heard from time to time.

In addition, there are some symbolic words in Beihai vernacular vocabulary, which reflect people's cultural mentality consistent with the whole Chinese nation. The traditional philosophy of the Chinese nation is the unity of subject and object, the unity of heaven and man, the inward exploration and self-realization, so it tends to be implicit and visual in expression. Among these words, many words describing characters are related to animals, which vividly describe people with certain characteristics of animals, but most of them are derogatory. Let's take this as an example to briefly explain.

A crying cat. People often hear cats meowing at midnight. At first glance, it looks like a baby crying. So people use a rotten crying cat as a metaphor for crying children. Such as: "rotten crying cat, stealing money to buy sugar gum."

Bad chicken swimming. As we all know, hens can be desperate to protect their "children", and that bold look often makes "enemies" flinch. Later, people used the word "bad chicken" to describe those shrewish bitches, which is equivalent to "tigress" in Mandarin.

Horse essence. Monkeys have a very close relationship with humans, and their characteristics are thin, so people use this word to describe thin people.

Follow the dog. Dogs are the most faithful companions of human beings, and they will follow their owners wherever they go. Therefore, this word describes those who always follow others' ass or do whatever others tell them to do, and they have no ideas themselves. The meaning of sarcasm is obvious.

Male duck head. It is extremely ugly to satirize those who are hoarse or sing out of tune.

Big fat pig laughs at those fat people.

According to this, we can see that when people create these words, they often use some unpleasant characteristics of animals as metaphors, which shows that people are negative, disgusted or contemptuous of the above-mentioned people.

Some words in Beihai vernacular reflect the accumulation of ancient culture.

Language (or dialect) is hereditary. Language (or dialect) is also the carrier of culture, so it inherits some elements of the old saying and records some cultural phenomena in ancient times. "... but since then, any literature can prove or imply that dialects are at least as old as human history. [19] It can be said that any dialect contains the accumulation of some ancient cultures. Beihai people think sneezing is a sign that someone is chanting, maybe someone is gossiping behind their backs or cursing themselves, so they say, "I see through you!" " "Thought sneezing is someone gossiping. This custom is not new now, but has a long history. It is recorded in The Book of Songs The Last Wind: "I can't sleep if I talk about it, but I feel embarrassed if I want to talk about it. "It means that it is difficult for a person to sleep in the middle of the night. May he sneeze and know what I think. [20] Cheng Junying wrote the Book of Songs on page 52 Note 1 1: In ancient times, there was a proverb called "someone wanted to sneeze". In Song Dynasty, Hong Mai also mentioned this custom in the article "Sneezing" in Volume 4 of Rongzhai Essays: "Those who sneeze more than today will spit out the clouds:' Someone said me', especially women. "[2 1] Accordingly, this custom has existed since ancient times and is still in use today. Beihai also said: "I see through you! "After encountering unlucky things or others saying unlucky things.

Climb ash. Beihai vernacular generally refers to the infidelity of parents and daughters-in-law, and later refers to all obscene acts. This word is also an ancient Chinese character. According to China's dictionary, "stealing daughter-in-law's code word. Wang Qingyouguang's Wu Lian Ba Hui:' Weng privately married his daughter-in-law, commonly known as Ba Hui, whose meaning is little known. It is said that there used to be a temple, incense was very strong, tin foil was burned in the furnace, and ashes accumulated over time. It is common to find out its tin. Picking up dust and stealing tin. Tin, like a daughter-in-law, is a code word. "Press, pick up the ash, also known as' crawling ash'. One is the code word of "dirty daughter-in-law" in the seventh episode of A Dream of Red Mansions: "Stealing dogs and playing tricks on chickens every day, climbing the ashes by yourself, and raising brother-in-law's adopted brother-in-law". Guo Moruo's Zhuo Wenjun Scene 3:' What are you doing holding me like this? "You old bastard who wants to climb the ashes!" "[22] This word has always been used in Beihai dialect.

6 Dialect vocabulary reflecting military and commercial activities

6. 1 reflects military activities, mainly some local terms.

6. 1. 1 gulizhai. A village refers to a fence or camp for defense. [23] According to the Records of the Place Names of Beihai City, "In the early Ming Dynasty, the coastal areas were invaded by the Japanese. During the Hongwu period, eight villages were set up in Hepu coastal area ... including Chuanjiang Village, Diaobu Village, Longjiang Village, Zhuchang Village, Baisha Village, Wudao Village, Longtan Village and Guli Village. They are all named after their villages. Because Zhuchang Village is located in the center and is the resident of Zhuchang Inspection, it is collectively called Zhuchang Eight Villages. " [24][ Chongzhen] There is also a record in Lianzhou County Records Jingzhi Haizhai: "Gulizhai: near Guantouling. Twenty miles to Qingying Pool, eleven guards. " Regarding the responsibilities of the village, Mr. Huang Nanjin elaborated as follows: "Because of the frequent pearl picking in the Ming Dynasty and the location of Bazhai is suitable for the pearl pond, the function of preventing the enemy has long been replaced by the function of guarding the pearl pond. The role of Gulizhai in the middle and late Ming Dynasty was just as Chongzhen said after listing coastal villages:' Divide troops to patrol the sentry to prevent theft.' He added, "In the first year of Emperor Kangxi of Qing Dynasty (1662), in order to prevent the interaction between coastal residents and Taiwan Province Province, coastal residents were ordered to move inland for 50 miles, which was called" moving to the sea "in history. At that time, the task of coastal villages naturally became to monitor residents and pirates. " [25] It can be seen that Beihai was once a military stronghold in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

6. 1.2 Dongbao and Xibao. According to the records of place names in Beihai City, Dongbao is located in the east of the city, that is, under a banyan tree in Beihai Customs Courtyard, while Xibao is outside the cinnamon warehouse of foreign trade on Cape Avenue, and there are no two sites. [26] People won't forget: in the 11th year of Guangxu (1885), after the French invading army was defeated in Nanguan Town, the French army attacked Nanning by Qin Lian, in order to break the rear road of Feng Zicai's army. The east of the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi urgently dispatched soldiers from Gaozhou Town to transfer troops in the North Sea, and ordered Li Chi, the commander-in-chief of Hepu, to be brave and defend in coordination, and strengthen the land and water alert of the North Sea; On the 29th of the same month, two French ships invaded Beihai Port successively and fired more than ten shots at Guantouling. Fortunately, our army was prepared, and the French ship had no chance to take advantage of it. After a few days, I went. In addition, the Kuomintang government also used the site of the West Fort as an execution ground for killing people, killing more than 40 people, including party member Zhong and the Peasant Self-Defense Force.

6. 1.3 Dijiao Fort. The three forts are located at the main peak of Dijiaoling in the west of the city and the top of the two mountains in the northeast and southwest. The major historical events in this fort are as follows: In the 11th year of Guangxu (1885), the French invading army was forced by Qin Lian to cut off the back road of Nanguan Town, and the situation was urgent. At this time, besides Liang and Li, a fortress was built on the ground in the corner. When the French ship invaded on the 29th, this battery was the fire point of the front line at that time. 1On September 3rd, 939, the troops stationed in Beihai assassinated the Japanese spy Shunzo Nakano, which was known as the "Beihai Incident". Afterwards, Weng Zhaotan, the 60th Division of the 19th Route Army stationed in Beihai, placed heavy artillery on the battery to prevent the Japanese from picking fights. On September 12, the Japanese ship "Cragginess" arrived unexpectedly and was placed outside Guantouling in an attempt to stir up trouble. Our army is United with the broad masses and is heavily guarded. The Japanese army failed. On the 25th, under the pretext of "investigating the North Sea incident", six Japanese ships demanded an armed landing, which was strongly protested by the masses. The Nanjing government was intimidated by the pressure and did not dare to act rashly. After negotiation, we allowed the Japanese to land for investigation, but the personnel and scope of the investigation were limited. With the joint efforts of the broad masses of officers and men and the masses, the Japanese army finally failed and left angrily.

Although the above-mentioned place names have become historical relics, they are deeply imprinted in the hearts of the people in Beihai, reminding people that the stirring history is full of bitterness, blood and tears and the joy of victory. They are the living fossil of language and historical testimony of the people in Beihai who fought bravely against imperialism.

6.2 Dialect vocabulary reflecting business activities and economic conditions

During the Daoguang period (182 1 year-1850), the prototype of Beihai Port was formed. [27] From Tongzhi to the early years of Guangxu (1862- 1884), Beihai Port opened, and a large number of foreign businessmen poured into Beihai. Since then, Beihai business has flourished. Especially after the Revolution of 1911, "Beihai economy experienced social changes and turbulence, and then regained its glory" [28]. Guangshang followed, starting a business in the old city of Beihai, forming the early prosperity of Beihai. According to old people's memories, Beihai Old Town is bustling during the day, with frequent transactions, brightly lit at night and crowing everywhere, which is quite "little shanghai". These are all reflected in Beihai vernacular vocabulary. There were various store names that reflected the commercial prosperity at that time: sugar store, rice store, pig store, Jiuba store, brokerage store, cloth store, grocery store, medicine store, Jinpu store and so on. The specific store names are: Su's, "Wide Signal", "Great Life" and "Harmony with People"; Donghua Company and Guangyichang in the department store industry; There are "Guangzhenxiang", "Shiyutai" and "Tongfeng" who operate the seafood grocery industry; The old shop that runs suitcases has "Xitai". There are "five halls" that reflect the prosperity of the consumer industry, namely, pubs, hotels, smoking halls, gambling halls and prostitutes' halls. "Flower offering" refers to the tax paid by prostitutes to the government, "pimp" refers to women who introduce prostitution to earn agency fees, "pimp" and "three-legged stool" refer to prostitutes, and "turtle woman" refers to pimp. "Cross-bed biting clouds" is a metaphor for smoking opium. Such words have long been lost in the tide of history, and even if the chapter of history is turned, people are reluctant to touch this disgraceful page again.

7 Beihai geographical names reflect population migration.

Throughout history, the culture created by human beings is colorful. Due to geography, race or other factors, these cultures are very different. With the development of history and the communication and infiltration between cultures, these differences are absorbed and integrated with each other, and their boundaries are no longer so clear. Relatively speaking, place names, as a special part of language, change slowly. "Their tenacious delay and stability better preserve the true colors of some cultural history." [29] These place names provide some clues for us to explore the origin of immigrants.

There are many cases of immigrants in history for various reasons. Many people left their homes and moved to other places. Because of their attachment to their homeland, they often use the names of their hometown counties to name the places where they live and work in peace and contentment after moving. From these place names, we can see the traces of immigrants from all over the world. "Dianbailiao", according to the record of Beihai place name page 1 13, was built in Qingganlong for five years (1740). The earliest people who settled here were Dianbailiao people. Most of them take fishing as their occupation and wool as their residence, so they are called "electric white materials".

"Baishaliao", as the name implies, the earliest villagers in this village moved here from Baisha, Hepu, hence the name.

"Xinliao", the villagers in this village mostly moved from the Xinliao area of Hepu Baisha, so it is called "Xinliao".

"Longtan", according to Hepu County Records, became a village in Tianshun period of Ming Dynasty (1457- 1464), and most villagers moved to Beihai from Longtan area in Fujian, so it was named after their ancestral home.

Some residents were named after their surnames after they moved to other places. On the one hand, they did not forget the meaning of their ancestors, on the other hand, they also reflected the traces of their collective migration.

"Zhangwu", according to the place name of Beihai 120, was built in Tongzhi of Qing Dynasty for four years (1865). Most villagers are surnamed Zhang and moved from Jiaqing County, Guangdong Province.

"Wu Li", according to the place name of Beihai 120, was built at the same time as Zhangwu, and most of the villagers were surnamed Li, who also moved from Jiaqing, Guangdong.

"Wu Mi", according to the Beihai place name 1 14, the villagers were originally from Guangdong, so they were named Wu Mi.

There is another situation, that is, after a considerable number of businessmen in a certain place settled in Beihai to do business, in order to facilitate the exchange of fellow villagers, some groups such as fellow villagers' organizations were established, which is another evidence of the collective migration of immigrants.

Guangzhou Guild Hall, a fellow organization of Guangfu people living in this city, is actually a Guangfu Merchants Association. According to "Beihai Toponymy", at that time, in the commercial economy of Beihai Port, wide merchants accounted for about 60%. Therefore, Guangfu businessmen play an important role in Beihai business community. This is also an important reason why Guangfu dialect can be deeply rooted in Beihai.

Gaozhou Guild Hall, built in the seventh year of Tongzhi (1868), is a fellow organization of Gaozhou travelers going north. After Gaozhou people came to Beihai, they mostly engaged in small businesses or coolies. The purpose of the establishment of the guild hall is not only to provide a place for Gaozhou travelers to gather and socialize, but also to safeguard and solve the economic interests of Gaozhou gang.