Shaoxing Folk Customs Folk Customs

Shaoxing Folkways and Customs

Sacrificial fields and rituals

Feudal land system, the landlord leases the land and collects rent every year, and the tenant farmers plant the landlord's fields, and have to pay rent to the landlord every year (mainly for food). There were also school fields and sacrificial fields. The owner of Guanjutang Taimen was a middle-ranking official in the Qianlong period, who not only built this Taimen, but also bought more than 100 mu of land, half of which was used as school fields and half as sacrificial fields. That is to say, the rent collected from the school field was used to run an elementary school for free enrollment of children and grandchildren, and the rent collected from the festival field was used for sacrificial purposes. The school field was managed by the school master; the festival field was managed by the first, second, and third houses, which took turns collecting rent and offering sacrifices every year.

The ancestor of the first five generations was He Da Ming, who was recorded in the family tree, but as the descendants of the children and grandchildren who did not look into it, only knew that his old man was buried in Taojia Dai, known as "Taojia Dai Old Master". It is said that his old man looked at the history, once prominent family, over several generations almost all successive decline, lack of ancestor, so he left sixty acres of land as a sacrificial field, not worried about future generations of descendants do not compete for ancestor.

There are two main ancestor worship activities in a year. The first is the Qingming Festival, where the officiating family hires a large boat to send the men of the clan (including schoolchildren) to the grave, where the head of the clan officiates and reads out the sacrificial text, which is solemn and dignified. There is a fixed format for the ritual text, beginning with "Vi age times ......" and ending with "Fuwei Shangxiang", about more than a hundred Yu's ritual text are in ancient Chinese, praising the virtues of the ancestors and expressing the admiration of the descendants, and if the descendants have great wealth and prosperity, then the ritual text will be read out. If the descendants are rich and powerful, they will be mentioned in the rituals. At that time, there were "10,000 ink faces", but there was no mention of the recent situation of the descendants in the rituals. According to the elders said, in the future victory in the war of resistance against Japan, the text should be written seriously, read aloud, in order to let the ancestors know that the ground, heard of the joy. I grew up and remembered, Lu You "show children" in the poem, "the king's division in the north of the Central Plains day, the family sacrifices do not forget to tell Naiweng" line, probably the old days of the rituals inherent in the routine. In general, the rituals are conventional, but if there are important events in the country and the family, they should be enriched in the rituals and reported to the ancestors, which is probably the change in the unchanged. After the festival, all the people on board return to the ancestral hall to eat the "graveyard wine" (still only men can enjoy it, and women are not allowed to join in, so men are favored over women). According to the traditional rules, "ten bowls of head", that is, ten bowls of dishes, such as buckled meat, buckled chicken, steamed fish, braised fish, meat rounds, fish rounds, sweet and sour taro soup, bean curd soup with capers, fried shrimp and so on. Rice full, each person has two Ai dumplings, four pretzels, usually quietly brought home to their mothers and sisters to share. In a normal year, there is a verbal evaluation of whether or not the family has had a good year. If the word of mouth is not good, the group attacked, there is no face to see the clan, so the festival is generally not treated poorly. The turn of the festival (locally known as "that year") is a big gain, sixty acres of sacrificial field can be harvested about seventeen or eighteen stone rice, do on the grave wine and incense and candles on the boat money to go to about three stone rice, can be a net profit of fourteen or fifteen stone of rice, so such a beautiful job are scrambling to do, this year, the second house of a family, next year, three houses of a certain person have been scheduled as early as possible. During the war, the family of the year to the family greetings: this year, the situation is special, the dishes are a little worse, to be peace and then make up for it. People will also be understood, then said: "I know, counting."

Another ancestor worship is in the first month of the year, from the twenty-third of the year to send the God of the stove to the New Year's Lantern Festival during the period of time, hanging out in the door of the ancestor's portrait, lighting incense and candles. Almost all of the ancestral statues are official robes and uniforms, are they all officials? This is not the case, but only to beautify the ancestors, it is a customary convention, not contrary to the rituals. Ancestor's appearance is not as cool as the person? The old people said: "Like, like." One day, I saw a painter was painting a life portrait of an old man in the clan, concentrating on tracing, fine brushwork, detailed scrutiny, realistic image, surrounded by young and old eyebrows, all said: "like through like through."

Don't think that the township has no talent, there are professionals scattered everywhere, it is said that the painter, since childhood, good at drawing characters, pen portraits, there is no lack of God and shape of the masterpieces, and then specialize in the painting of the old man's life for the industry. I think, thousands of years ago, when there is no photography, the image of the ancient emperors and generals, literati, probably rely on generations of painters to pass down.

In the ritual activities, but also very concerned about the generation in the family, according to the generation size before and after. On one occasion, an adult of about 50 years of age called me "uncle" and led me to the front row, just a few steps away from the gray-haired patriarch. I was still a child, and my father was away on business, so I did not know the rules of the clan at all, and bowed as I was instructed. Afterwards, someone in the clan told me: "Although you are small, but seniority, someone in the clan is older, but seniority is small, he saw you still have to call you Gong Li!" Our area, Ni surname about hundreds, generation is passed down from the ancestors, with a poem to do different generations in the name of the embedded words: also began to show the rule of literature, Chengzheng seek family show. Before or after what generation is unknown, I was told that belongs to the "rule" generation, lower

in the "Wen" Yu generation, higher than the "sincerity" generation. Previously, I thought that the ten Yu generation probably only our Shaoxing Ma Shan this hundreds of people in the Ni family used, confined to a corner, who knows a number of years in the newspaper found, signed Ni Wenmou, Ni Zhimou, Ni Chengmou, Ni Zhengmou, all over a number of provinces, and even Hong Kong, Taiwan people, see the distribution of the very wide. Perhaps it is the same family, descendants multiply, many branches. The time change, now in addition to the family order, and the same people have met very little to speak of seniority.

Study - a small official

"All things are inferior, only the book is high". The traditional concept of studying to be an official in feudal society is y rooted. Shaoxing because of reading and become an official, history is numerous. The boys of the bookish family, known as "small official", that is, the future "official". The "little official" is both an honorific and a term of endearment.

Shaoxing this place, the reading atmosphere is very strong, daybreak, riverside, under the tree, school-age children holding books in silent reading, recitation, in addition to the prescribed textbooks, there are many extracurricular reading materials, such as Tang poetry, Song lyrics, "young learning Qionglin", "three scriptures," "Guwen Guanzhi", "Qiu Shui Xuan Shakuhou" and so on, recite the Tang poetry as a stream, seem to understand, not to understand, hazily, as the proverb says: "The young monk recites the scriptures, with mouth but no heart." But many people afterward savor, the books read in early childhood, often can stay in the mind for a long time, as if the computer's storage. "Read the book a hundred times, its reason to see." When I was young, I do not know its deep pseudo-meaning, grown-ups, through the vicissitudes of life, the ups and downs of the twists and turns, and gradually comprehend the meaning of the book, "history of a thousand years, the view of 10,000 miles", sudden contemplation, a clear understanding. The book will never be read in vain, there are seeds, only to have harvest.

Shaoxing people reading and practicing calligraphy into one. Five or six-year-old children began to recognize the square Yu, then practice words, from writing "on the adult, Kong Yiji, three thousand, seventy words" to start, followed by copying "the beginning of man, the nature of goodness", "heaven and earth, the universe is flooded! ". The more I wrote, the better I got at writing, and the more I was able to memorize the books I had read. While practicing calligraphy, the mind is also quiet, the book is also more read into, complement each other. In the countryside of the readers home, randomly find a few people, almost all can write a handful of good characters, Yan, Liu, Mi, Wang each body have, can be said to be wildly talented.

Shaoxing people talk about reading to read out of fun. First, read aloud, not only read out the tone of voice flavor, but also read out the beginning and end, the article momentum. The sound of the book, as if singing a song of unforgettable and beautiful music. When read to the "Tengwangge Preface" in the "sunset and rustling, autumn water *** long sky a color", the schoolchildren, one by one, shaking their heads and immersed in the text of the mood. The second is to pay attention to the battle, Du Fu's lines "two yellow oriole song cuiliu, a line of egrets on the blue sky. The window contains a thousand snowy autumns in the West Ridge, and the door is moored to a ten-thousand-mile boat in the East Wu." "Two orioles" and "a line of egrets", "window on the West Ridge" and "door on the East Wu". "Thousands of Autumn Snow" and "Ten Thousand Miles of Boats" is a neat pairing, which inspires people to learn from the teacher, and this kind of study makes people interested in it. At the same time to promote the class between students, such as "small river bridge, the bridge is round, round as a mirror, the mirror will be two counties of the mountain." On the day: "Dashanta, tower head pointed, pointed as a pen, pen drawing five lakes and all over the world." "Xiaojiang Bridge" and "Dashanta" are the names of places and attractions in Shaoxing County. Thirdly, the couplets correspond to each other. Student A chanted the first line "Good rain knows the time of the year, when spring is happening." Student B continued, "With the wind into the night, moistening things silently." Student B chanted, "The colorful clouds of the Baidi are a day's journey away from the river." Student C continued, "The apes on both sides of the river can't stop crying, and the light boat has already crossed ten thousand mountains." The student who got it right was praised, and he had the right to ask questions to any students, including male and female students can ask each other questions, when the feudal ideological confinement, male and female students do not ask each other questions. This kind of questioning is also a kind of competition, it doesn't matter if you can't answer it, others can pick it up, one after another, and there is a lot of laughter. Motivate students to see more, read more, become a big fun.

The teachers are also good at using stories about famous people in local history to motivate students. The teacher said, "Children, do you know what is most famous in Shaoxing?" A student said: "Yellow wine." The teacher smiled and said, "You're right, but there are more important things." Another student said, "Shaoxing Master Teacher." The teacher said, "Close enough, think again. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, there were no Master Teachers Ja."

"Talent." The teacher's eyebrows shot up, "Right ya, right ya." The teacher then sent a paragraph of discussion: "Our Shaoxing this place, since ancient times, can be said to be rich in material and natural treasures, outstanding people, the land of fish and rice, brewing capital, tourist attractions, Yu Wang Mausoleum, Orchid Pavilion, known throughout the country, the poet He Zhizhang, Lu You, the painter Xu Wei (Wen Chang), Chen Laolian are celebrities, the Qing dynasty for more than 200 years to create a large number of Shaoxing master teachers, most of them are to defend the feudal society, the literati The majority of them were literati who defended the feudal society. The defeat of feudal society, they sense the most keen, get the wind of the first. Around the time of the 1911 Revolution and the May Fourth Movement, the earliest to awaken were the intellectuals, who were the descendants of the Shaoxing masters and had wisdom and courage. Many of them had studied abroad and were able to keep up with world trends. This period then emerged the revolutionaries Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao Zhencheng, literary Lu Xun, educator Cai Yuanpei, economist Ma Yinchu ......"

Students one by one look concentrated gaze and listen.

The teacher said he took the time to tell their stories in detail.

At that time, about half of the teachers in the school were not full-time elementary school teachers, but very educated people working in foreign countries, such as managers and assistants of money changers and banks, engineers of factories, editors of newspapers and publishing houses, and even university faculty members, who returned to their hometowns to take refuge and act as teachers in their hometowns' elementary school on a temporary basis, with different experiences and broadened perspectives, and their lectures were lively and rich in content.

"Do you know about the May Fourth Movement?" "Oh, no." The teacher will talk about the ins and outs of the May Fourth Movement causes and consequences of the May Fourth Movement, the May Fourth Movement roaring, magnificent, the main proposition: to democracy, science, which is a good recipe for national salvation; China from the Opium War, accumulated poverty and weakness, the imperialist invasion of China, the Qing Dynasty corruption, ceded the land to pay reparations, loss of power and humiliation of the country. Beiyang warlords mixed war, to the imperialists slavishly, to sign the treaty of sale of the country at the Paris Peace Conference, the May Fourth Movement broke out, thwarted the knee-jerk surrender activities. The May Fourth Movement was a patriotic movement of the Chinese people with far-reaching influence, rejecting the powers outside and punishing the traitors inside. Cai Yuanpei, then president of Peking University, is our Shaoxing people. Teacher said: "Cai Yuanpei is an educator and a scholar. If we want to learn from Cai Yuanpei, to be as brilliant as him, and to be a scholar who loves the country and the people, we must set our minds on it from a young age and study hard."

"Do you know Lu Xun?" "Yes." Lu Xun is a thinker, writer, wrote the novel "Q Zhengzhuan", "Blessing", "Kong Yijie", etc., miscellaneous essays, about a few million words, well-written articles, a fierce attack on feudalism, to let the mind break through the cage. Lu Xun is also a Shaoxing people, studying in Japan, studying medicine, and then from the movie to see the Japanese kill the Chinese head, the Chinese people are still gathered around to watch the fun, numbness of the mind to such a point, Lu Xun was furious, decided to go back to his home country, felt that healing the Chinese people's thinking is more important than healing the physical ailments, and so write miscellaneous essays, novels, to wake up the people. "Should we learn from Lu Xun?"

"Yes!" The students responded in unison.

Lu Xun was also a descendant of a Shaoxing master teacher, but he had good ideas about being a man for the happiness of the common people. One to survive, two to feed and three to develop. Now all the children, we all call you are "small official", big up (grown-ups) whether or not to do the official, in short, to love the country and the people, to be morally upright, well learned people, that is to have a future. The teacher was also excited to tell the story of Ma Yinchu, who sold his oxen to study abroad when he was a young man. In the accumulation of time, the teachers listed the local celebrities worried about the country and the people, the story of diligence and learning, enlightenment, in the hearts of students sowing the seeds of moral learning, which is not far-reaching persuasive chapter.

Shaoxing people are good readers, many readers, good learning into the wind. History has created the famous "Shaoxing master" talent group. "Existence determines consciousness", Shaoxing master was once the feudal dynasty's think tank, with the change of the times, they also feel the historical trend of the decline of the feudal dynasty, their descendants or students, but stand in the forefront of time, become the new era of enlightenment, the leader of the new society. This group of outstanding talents have committed to the Xinhai Revolution of the benevolent aspirants Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao Zhencheng, proletarian revolutionaries Zhou Enlai, thinkers, literary Lu Xun, scientists, Zhu Kezhen, economists, Ma Yinchu, historians, Fan Wenlan, diplomats Shao Lizi, publishers, Hu Guizhi ...... in the modern history of

About half a century or so, Shaoxing this place emerged so many talented people, starry, shows that Shaoxing people advocate knowledge, keep pace with the times, insight into the world situation, suitable for the trend of the world, in line with the needs of the crowd. It is worth our descendants to inherit, vigorously carry forward.

Marriage and funeral

The twentieth century, the 30s and 40s, the marriage between men and women is still basically inherited from the parents of feudal society, matchmaker's word of the arranged marriage, but there is also a free marriage of the new trend.

Men are older when they get married, and women are older when they get married. Men aged around twenty have made a certain career, the girl aged around seventeen or eighteen years old for the time of marriage, matchmakers will come one after another. Mainly to the woman to introduce the situation of the man, such as a few acres of land, a few rooms, parents and siblings at home, how the character, but usually no lack of words of praise, what looks great, treating people well, loyal and honest, tobacco and alcohol do not eat, dominoes do not know. The woman also asked people to inquire, generally okay, they each want to "eight characters of the birth date" and then by the blind fortune-telling, to see if it fits? Usually always say "together" or "great luck". But the blind fortune-telling is very easy to do this off, such as the girl is not willing to this marriage, they will quietly trust someone to the blind there to spend some money to get through, said that if there is a certain year and a certain month born to fortune-telling, asked if you can get married, please help to stop. When someone comes to the door and asks about the marriage, the blind man will politely say, "Ah, it's a match." As soon as he said that the marriage would be both offensive and offensive, the family would give up the marriage. The reason why to "euphemism", in order not to reveal the traces of someone's obstruction. Such as the "eight characters of the birth date" approved by the blind man, then set an auspicious day and hour of engagement or marriage. Prior to the male side to send the birth date to the female side, the female side also send the birth date to the male side, the day: "exchange of red and green post." The male party to the female party to send money gifts, the female party will be the money gifts to do dowry. If the woman's family is rich, the dowry will be generous and she will pay for the dowry. Usually, the money is higher than the dowry, leaving a certain balance for the woman's brother to use when he marries in the future.

The war years, the wedding ceremony is simple, to the friends and relatives to the scene, three or five tables only, it is said that during the peace of the wedding ceremony is quite extravagant. Some people in Shaoxing specialize in organizing celebrations, known as the "inert people". "Inert people" for the abbreviation of the fallen people, according to legend, Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youlang war, Chen Youlang defeat, soldiers surrendered, Zhu Yuanzhang penalty Chen Youlang children and grandchildren and subordinates of the pawns and soldiers down to the fall of the people, the children and grandchildren for generations to do wedding and funeral affairs, the woman is called "the old firm". Shaoxing more official family, the old firms and the family of Taimenli match, they take the service for the family of Taimenli as a patent, even if the family of Taimenli has declined, they are still "master", "Mrs." to call each other. When a wedding is organized in the Taimenli family, the old firms arrive and there is a great deal of excitement, and they say nice things to the people. They said that the young master will certainly have a future, help the bride and groom into the bridal chamber, said that early birth, and also invited the old people in the clan blessed with longevity for the newlyweds blessing, lines by the old firm to the old man whispered orally, only to hear "many blessings and many lives and many men, but also the rich and noble and also peace and quiet." The old firm helped the old man to go up the stairs, then said that the master "rising step by step", to assist the drunken person said "life is not often drunk, drunkenness is a blessing", in short, served to organize the celebration of the family comfort, happy. When they left, they were naturally rewarded accordingly with a few silver dollars or even a gold ring. In difficult times, they were sometimes given only a few buckets of rice or a piece of silk or fabric. The old firm never cared about how much to give, but the long-term perspective. He said that the people in Taimen must have a prosperous future. This is the kind of comforting words that you will remember for a long time when you are in a difficult time.

When a funeral is held, the mourner will issue a list, and it is often necessary to notify relatives and friends in the vicinity of one or two dozen miles, so they will entrust someone to go out and report the funeral. Mourning man hand clamped an umbrella, and the usual gesture of holding an umbrella is different, mourning is bad luck, find the relevant family before, first inquire about the door, so as not to step on the wrong threshold; cross into the home of the bereaved relatives, to say that a certain person "old" (taboo word death), the family will drop a bowl and saucer, containing the "jade broken! The family member would drop a bowl and saucer with the meaning of "the jade is broken", and then they would bawl their eyes out. Then they ask about the illness and treatment, and bring out a bowl of soup with a few dollars underneath for the mourners. Farewell most taboo to say "goodbye, goodbye", because again means to come back, but said "far away, far away", meaning that the disaster away from the farther the better. Other funerals, such as coffins, head seven, broken seven, with the local difference.

Time passes, the vicissitudes of life change dramatically.

New Year's Day

The first day of the first month, the beginning of the Spring Festival, the ancient name "New Year's Day", also known as "New Year's Day", "the first day of the New Year", for the Shaoxing year's most important festival.

Let go of the door firecrackers commonly known as "let go of the door cannonballs". In the old days, this means to drive away evil spirits and epidemics and "high rise three levels" of meaning. Shaoxing folk and there is "early release (firecrackers) early hair (wealth)" said, so from three or four o'clock in the morning, the sound of firecrackers that are here and there, than the household ceaselessly, in order to add to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Posting spring couplets Shao custom every family posting spring couplets, there is "new year's day book red, all things are prosperous", "new is open pen, all things are very good luck" said. In the old days, the Spring Festival book more "days and months of life, spring full of Qiankun Fu Manchu" and other sets of words. Today, the Spring Festival couplets still book auspicious words, but the content is new, rich in the flavor of the times.

Join the gods In the old days, after the release of the door cannonballs, that is, in the hall of the soup, tea, fruit and other offerings, parents rate of family members to worship heaven and earth and the bodhisattvas, zaosi bodhisattva, etc., to pray for the blessing of the gods, the new year, all the good luck. Nowadays, this kind of superstitious custom, which is a kind of idol with good wishes, has become rare.

Eating Fortune Oranges, Soup Dumplings, Ruyi Cakes and Drinking Yuanbao Tea In the olden days, it was customary to wake up on the first day of the Lunar New Year and eat "firework food" (i.e., food cooked over a wood fire) before speaking. Nowadays, it is common to have soup dumplings and yuyi cakes for breakfast, as well as lucky oranges. In Xinzheng, the host family used to treat guests with Yuanbao tea, in which kumquats, olives and jujubes were placed according to custom, symbolizing wishes for reunion, goodwill and happiness.

New Year's greetings, also known as "pay respects", "kowtow", "New Year's greetings". In the old days, the host first rate of the younger generation into the clan ancestral shrine to worship the ancestors, and then return to their own halls to bow to New Year's Eve hanging ancestor statues. Then, the juniors bow to their elders in order of seniority and rank. The seniors give their blessings to their elders, and the elders return their teachings and wishes. Lastly, the younger generations pay their respects to each other. At this time, the sons and daughters entertain each other by beating a gong and drums (commonly known as the "New Year's gong and drums") while walking in a circle. Today, the New Year's Eve legacy still exists, but the rituals have been greatly simplified.

From the second day of the first month of the new year, with cinnamon, lychee, wine, sugar and pastries and other gifts to visit friends and relatives, Lane congratulations on the new year. Friends and relatives to wine and food hospitality, another day to return to the gift of worship. This custom is generally early for the respect. 1950, the people advocate civilized festivals. New Year's Day to the Spring Festival, Shaoxing urban and rural areas in general to carry out the military, military, support for the people, support for the people and political love and condolences to the retired cadres, workers and other activities, while holding a variety of carnivals, fellowship and recreational performances and sports competitions, etc..

Walking on the first day of the first month to open the door to travel, the old "walking on the side of the God of joy" custom. Before traveling, must be from the calendar to find the direction of the god of joy, and then follow the direction and travel. Such as the calendar book, "Northeast, adverse southwest," the door from the home, to the northeast, and not towards the southwest direction of the steps, so as to seek the blessings of the God of Good Fortune, access to good luck. This custom is now abolished.

Counting Lohan In the old days, there was the first day of the first month of the capital to the Kaiyuan Temple of the custom of counting Lohan, intended to divining the year's bad luck, and for self-entertainment. Kaiyuan Temple Lohan, according to the first foot into the Lohan Hall, to determine the direction of the number of Lohan. If the left foot first cross into the left to right according to my age age, a year, a respect, the number of years with the same number of Luohan, that is, to its name, look Divine New Year's future. If it is a long-browed Lohan, it will have a long life; if it is a Vuhu Lohan, it will have a strong body.

Catching up with the chickens to sleep The actual "hurry up and sleep" harmonized, meaning that the first night of the first month of the year must go to bed early and sleep soundly. Before the festival, people are busy for many days, the first day of the first month of the first day of the year and get up early, children also play for days, very fatigue, so after dinner that is ahead of the poultry into the roost, close the door early and rest. This custom has been carried on to this day.

Taboos During the Spring Festival, there are many taboos for good luck. Such as taboo sweeping, pouring garbage, for fear of sweeping and pouring away the wealth and luck; taboo use of knives, scissors, for fear of suffering from flesh and blood; taboo eating rice and soup, in case of rain; taboo breaking bowls, pots and other vessels, for fear of breaking the wealth, if there is a mistake, then we must say "see the strange, the strange from the defeat," in order to eliminate the disaster of self-consoling, but also avoid quarrels, avoid pouring the toilet, the night jugs, in order to avoid desecration of the spirits. The most taboo to mention "death", "poor" and other words. Adults are afraid that children talk too much and misspeak, more than in the year, that is, admonition, and posted written with "children's words are reckless", "no taboos' words of red paper strips. Such taboos with superstitious colors. The above taboo customs, today has gradually faded.

Good luck begging In the past, Shaoxing has a proverb: "begging is the first day of the year to 30 nights". Beggars in the Spring Festival, to "send money tree", "jumping mud god", "jumping yellow cow", "sheep sweeping", "Acura Shunliu" and other ways to beg." Acura Shunliu", usually two beggars together, one person with a bamboo basket, the other holds a giant paper "golden treasure", in front of the head of the house, throw and catch "golden treasure".

Five Roads Day Five Roads, five roads to the God of Wealth also, the fifth day of the first month for the God of Wealth Birthday. On this day, businessmen have to receive the God of Fortune, praying for good fortune, the market 100 times, and open for business from this day onwards. General family, there are also enshrined in the God of Wealth. This custom is now abolished.

Welcoming spring Shao custom emphasizes agriculture and mulberry, every in the spring before the day held welcome spring cattle activities. On this day, "from the county below the officials, are high car big horse and", "have spring cow too year-old", to "account for the next year of agricultural affairs of how". Spring bulls have drums and music guide, the police gong to open the way, flag and umbrella ceremonial battles follow, the governor or the governor generation "parents" "hold the pole and drive line", the local gentry fish line to send, the viewers such as a tidal wave. And to the countryside, the farmers smile and welcome, to meet the "parents of the official" sent by the spring bull, as the beginning of the agricultural sign. Since then, the farmers end the entertainment during the Spring Festival, and start to prepare for the plow production.

In the Shaoxing Prefecture, "the day before the Spring Festival, the Prefectural, County, Food and Agriculture Department of the various officials are dressed in ceremonial attire, out of the five cloud gate to welcome the Spring Festival in the eastern suburb, raise the Mang Shen cattle into the city, the Prefectural Office. The color of the earth cow was painted according to the "Spring Cow Picture" contained in the Qin Song calendar, with yellow as grain, red as sun, green as wind, and black as water to account for the abundance of water and drought. The next day of spring, breaking the spring bull, the townspeople pick up its soil and hide it, hoping to get the animal husbandry God planted the prosperity."

The Chinese nation, the ultimate success, well-off instead of poor. Historical and cultural city of Shaoxing, the humanities, has become a tourist attraction.

Shaoxing has always been simple people, while retaining and mixed with a number of backward feudal customs. Perhaps with the changing times, with the times, will be abandoned.