Culture of Hakka Ancestral Land

Ninghua Shibi is the birthplace of Hakka folk culture, from which the most primitive Hakka language was formed, the oldest Hakka folk art, songs and operas were introduced and passed on, the most ancient and simple Hakka dresses were produced, and the earliest Hakka rituals and customs were continued. Ninghua and its Shibi dialect have preserved many components of the ancient Chinese language of the Central Plains, and at the same time, in terms of phonology, vocabulary, grammar, etc., it has changed and become a new language - Hakka dialect, which is evolving along with the migration of Hakka forefathers, but the modern Hakka dialect of the turbulent mother of the Qinghua was formed in Shibi, and Ninghua and its Shibi dialect have become the source of the Hakka dialect. Hakka folk art in Ninghua is colorful, where you can find the ancient traces of the Central Plains culture with Hakka characteristics. In particular, Hakka folk songs, such as qupang and Taoist music, have long been popular with the Hakka people and are the treasures of Shibi traditional culture. Hakka music is rich in content, including nostalgic songs, persuasive songs, love songs, revolutionary songs and so on. Nowadays, in the villages and hamlets around Shibi, there are still many active folk singers, from the old people to the dolls, all of them can improvise and sing a few authentic Hakka songs. Ninghua Hakka dress maintains the broad clothing characteristics of the Central Plains, but it also incorporates the short and narrow clothing characteristics of local ethnic minorities. In the past, women used to wear a bun (boat-shaped) with five gold and silver hairpins, and wore an apron with embroidered flowers or peach blossom patterns on the upper part, and embroidered shoes, which were mostly blue and green for the middle-aged and the elderly. Children have embroidered bibs carrying fishtail hats, cool circles or dog head hats, which are embroidered, body wear baggage, hanging long-life locks or jade pendant; men used to wear belts and purses. Ninghua Hakka rituals and customs inherited the tradition of the Han Chinese people in the Central Plains, and with the special environment of the southern mountainous areas, such as its emphasis on filial piety and fraternal duty, talk about benevolence and righteousness, education, hygiene, thrift, etiquette, hospitality and other customs.