History and Culture of Pingyao, Shanxi

I. History and Culture of Pingyao Ancient City

The dry boat is made of bamboo, wood and colorful silks, surrounded by satin, and tented with wood and satin.

The performance is accompanied by drums and music, and one person plays the role of a woman in the boat, driving on the shoulder with a colorful belt tied to the boat, and sitting in the "boat" with a false foot plate, like walking on a boat. Another person pretends to be a boatman, holding an oar in front of the rowing lead.

Stilts with two wooden sticks made of stilts, generally 6 feet up and down, as high as 1 feet 2 feet. The upper end of the wooden stick is mounted across the pedal, when the actor's calf is tied to the upper end of the wooden stick, his foot is stepped on the pedal, and he performs according to various dance steps.

Highly skilled, can jump benches, tables and other obstacles or fall eight fork, "golden chicken stand alone", under the soft waist. The traditional content of the "White Snake", "Qing Dingzhu", "Fox Wrong", "The Tang Monk fetches the scriptures".

After the founding of New China, the contents reflecting real life were added to the "Sending a Son to Join the Army", "Family Planning", "The Story of the Red Lanterns", and "Taking Tiger Mountain". The stilt performances of Beicheng Village and Dry Pit Village in this county are famous.

Lift the pavilion will be fixed on the upper end of the pole, the pole around the lotus, colorful clouds and other props decorated up, and then three or four play a variety of theatrical characters and mythological stories of men and women children fixed on the pole, carried by adult men, in the marching performance. There are more than 50 kinds of contents, including The Monkey King Beating the White Bone Spirit Three Times, Rich and Powerful Picture, Flaming Colt, Broken Bridge, Rainbow Pass, Rise and Release, Pavilion of Hundred Flowers, Stealing Ganoderma Lucidum, Going Down to the East of the River, Picking Chai, Su Gu Gu Sending the Daughter, Double Hanging Filial Piety, Yellow River Formation, Auspicious Lunar Mirror, Anti Tongyi, Fox's Edge, Fenghuangyi Pavilion, and Seal of Bloody Hands, and so on.

The dragon lanterns use bamboo, wood, cloth and other materials to make a refined dragon head, and then make a number of sections of the body of the dragon with a bamboo circle, surrounded by cloth connected to the body of the dragon growing up to 20 meters or more, the dragon tail, painted on the dragon Lin, the dragon claw pattern. Performance of a person with a wooden pole lifting the dragon head, dozens of people with a wooden pole section lifting the dragon body, dragon tail, in front of a person holding a colorful bead fireball play dragon lead the way.

In the blowing music accompaniment, dancing dragon head, the dragon body with the dragon head towards the rolling ups and downs, meandering swing. The performance form has "Two Dragons Playing with Pearls", "Tuning Four Corners", "Eight Tunes Tuning", "Snake Retreating Skin", "Set of Pearls" and other shapes.

The dragon's head and body have candles built-in, day and night performances. During the night performance, the dragon body is brightly lit, and the momentum is quite spectacular.

The bamboo horse is made of bamboo or gabion, framed with damask outside, and then painted. Bamboo horse is divided into front and back of the two cuts, fixed in the chest and waist of a 12 or 13-year-old boy.

The body tied a number of small copper bells. Bamboo horse team is generally played by 14 children, 12 horses to show the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, the front of a guide called the head of the horse, with a theater performance in the Buddha dust command, behind a horse tail.

The rest of the performers holding a whip, like riding a horse galloping general, accompanied by a series of ringing bells when the sound, like a million horses galloping.

The forms of performance are "Snake Retreating Skin", "Turning Body", "Double Eight Tones", "Single Eight Tones", "Scissors Unit", "Eight Tones", "The Bamboo Horse", "No Head", "Three Rings of Sets of Ears", etc. The Jiejiegao has the same appearance as the Bamboo Horse, but it is not the same as the Bamboo Horse. The Jiejiegao is similar to the Back Stick, but in reality it is much more difficult to perform.

Performers are mostly 7-year-old children of both sexes, dressed up as a variety of theater characters, standing in the adult performers on top of the shoulders, without any binding system, depending on the children's legs and knees leaning on the back of the head of adults, with the force to stand, similar to acrobatic performances. Adults with the rhythm of the music, in the marching performance, the shoulders of the children on the top of the corresponding dance out of a variety of actions, it is very beautiful.

The play to "Journey to the West", "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and so on most of the plays, loved by the masses. The rice-planting songs are danced and sung, with two waist drums, one cymbal, one hairpin, two gongs, four mouth scrapers, and more instruments and more performers when available.

A hand-cranked plectrum performer, quick-witted and eloquent, expresses his feelings through the scenery and sings the auspicious and funny "four or six sentences" in the Pingyao dialect. Between the phrases, various musical instruments suddenly strike in unison, and the interludes of the gongs and drums are resonant and pleasing to the ear.

The waist drummer is the core of the band, pulling out the playing position, hands and feet, walking around in the team, very active. The other musicians play and perform with ease.

The traditional repertoire of rice-planting songs that have been widely circulated include Guan Wujing, Ten Lamps, and Wangxiang's Filial Piety to His Mother.

At that time, there were dark clouds, lightning and thunder, and it was about to rain. The first time I saw this, I was able to see it.

Song Zhongyuan put up a big umbrella on his back and invited Lianchi to go with him, and Lianchi hurriedly leaned over to borrow the umbrella to avoid the rain. The two of them are in the same boat, mutual assistance, while talking and laughing while traveling to the village of Gao Lin.

Song Zhong reason the wind is very tired and sweaty, no Lian Chi then took over Song Zhong Yuan's umbrella played to the south door outside the Kong family restaurant. At this time, the wind has stopped and the rain has cleared.

Song Zhongyuan asked for the umbrella.

Song Zhongyuan asked for the umbrella from Lianchi. Lianchi not only didn't give it back to Song Zhongyuan, but falsely claimed that the umbrella was his, and the two of them quarreled, gathering a lot of audience.

The two argued, and a lot of spectators gathered. Song Zhongyuan said, "The umbrella is mine!" Song Zhongyuan hit the drum and shouted, the magistrate Wang Jie rushed to the court, the plaintiff Song Zhongyuan stated the case.

The defendant, Lian Chi, still insists that the umbrella is his. Two people have their own views, the magistrate Wang Jie a moment of difficulty, not good judgment.

Silence for a while, Wang Jie snapped the shock wood a beat, said: "Difficult people! Butt thing to the county yamen beat the drum to sue! Want to test this official's soft and hard wisdom and stupidity ......" then tore the umbrella to pieces, thrown down the hall, ordered to retreat. The plaintiff Song Zhongyuan from the hall down, tears and snot, the defendant no Lian Chi is gloating, smug.

The two walked out of the county office to the south street of the wall, four officers rushed out, summoned the two back to the county office. The two again kneeling in the hall, the magistrate Wang Jie and pleasant judgment, the umbrella is the plaintiff Song Zhongyuan's, the defendant is not even late is a false accusation, the heavy responsibility of the 40 board, the fine of ten guan, compensation for the plaintiff a new umbrella.

Afterwards, Song Zhongyuan sent a plaque to Wang Zhixian, engraved with the words "A clear mirror hangs high". City God in Pingyao City God Temple bedchamber building east of the top of the room sits a young and beautiful woman, it is said that she is the City God's concubine, for the origin of this concubine, in the folklore of this little story: Pingyao City God is young and energetic, so to speak.

Second, the history of the ancient city of Pingyao, Shanxi

Pingyao can not say "Jin merchants" and "ticket", because this is one of the birthplaces of the "Jin merchants", but also the first modern bank prototype in China, the first modern bank prototype in China, the first modern bank prototype in China, the first modern bank prototype in China, the first modern bank prototype in China, the first modern bank prototype in China. It is also the birthplace of the first modern bank in China, Rishengchang.

Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of the commercial economy, Jin merchants, some of the large firms gradually formed in Shanxi, set up a general number, set up branches in the field, cross-regional business system. In this case, the bulk of the wholesale, transportation and marketing is bound to bring a huge amount of silver solution to the transportation business, so a new way to solve the problem of money - "bill remittance" came into being.

In the fourth year of the Daoguang period (1824 AD), the first "Rishengchang" ticket office in China was founded on the basis of the "Xiyucheng" pigment store on the West Street of Pingyao, specializing in remittance and silver deposit business. Three years later, in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu and other provinces have set up branches.

In the 1840s, its business was further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" ticket company, the ticket company industry in Pingyao developed rapidly, and in its heyday there were as many as twenty-two ticket companies, which became the center of China's financial industry.

It can be seen that Pingyao occupies a very important position in China's modern financial history. Ancient Pingyao was glorious, and today Pingyao is still full of charm.

On December 3, 1997, the 21st plenary session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee unanimously approved the inscription of the ancient city of Pingyao on the World Heritage List.

This is the best praise for the ancient city of Pingyao. An outstanding example of a Han Chinese city in the Ming and Qing dynasties, Pingyao has preserved all its features and presents an extraordinary picture of cultural, social, economic and religious development in the course of Chinese history.

The Ancient City of Pingyao, located in the center of Shanxi Province, is a cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It was built during the reign of King Xuan of the Zhou Dynasty between 827 and 782 B.C. It was built for the Western Zhou general Yin Jifu, who was stationed there.

Since 221 B.C., when the Qin government adopted the "county system", Pingyao City has been the seat of the county government, which continues to this day. The city has undergone many vicissitudes and changes, making it one of the most complete surviving prototypes of an ancient Chinese county town from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

To date, the city walls, streets, houses, stores, temples and other buildings of the ancient city are still basically intact, with their original forms and patterns largely intact, and are an integral part of the existing historical relics of the ancient city of Pingyao. The ancient city of Pingyao is known as the "collection and treasure house of Chinese ancient architecture", and the preservation of many cultural relics and monuments of high quality is rare in China.

The Ancient City of Pingyao has a long history and is rich in cultural relics and monuments. It is a historical museum of Ming and Qing architectural art, and it has a complete reflection of the history of the 17th to 19th centuries.

Its ancient buildings and cultural relics and monuments, which are rare in China in terms of quantity and taste, have extremely important historical, artistic and scientific values for the study of the changes of ancient Chinese cities, urban architecture, the form of human settlement and the development of traditional culture. The city's history has been a source of great historical, artistic, and scientific value.

The Historical Background of Pingyao Ancient City

The ancient city of Pingyao, located in the central part of Shanxi Province in northern China, was built during the reign of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827 B.C. ~ 782 B.C.) The ancient city of Pingyao was expanded in the Ming Dynasty in the third year of the Hongwu era (1370 A.D.), a period of more than 2,700 years of history.

To date, it has preserved the basic features of the county town from the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368~1911 AD), making it the most complete ancient city in China's Han region. Pingyao is located on the east bank of the Fen River, at the southwestern end of the Taiyuan Basin, and is adjacent to another national historical and cultural city, Qixian.

The Tongpu Railway and the Dayun Expressway run through the county. The economy is based on agriculture, the main production of grain, cotton, specialties such as beef, push light lacquer ware.

Among them, beef is quite famous, with the lyrics of the folk song "Pingyao Beef Taigu Cake". Pingyao was once the financial center of China in the late Qing Dynasty and has the best-preserved ancient county town in China.

The beautiful Pingyao belonged to the state of Jin during the Spring and Autumn Period, and to the state of Zhao during the Warring States period. In the Qin Dynasty, Pingtao County was set up, and in the Han Dynasty, Zhongdu County was set up as the capital city of the Zongdai kings.

The name was changed to Pingyao County in the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the late Qing Dynasty, there were more than 20 ticket companies headquartered in Pingyao, accounting for more than half of the country, and it was called "Wall Street in Ancient China".

The largest of these was Rishengchang, China's first ticket company, which was founded in the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty and was famous for "bringing money to the world". Pingyao has basically preserved the prototype of the county town from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and is known as the "Turtle City".

The city wall of Pingyao was built in the third year of the Ming Dynasty, and there are now six gate urns, four corner towers and 72 enemy towers. The South Gate section of the wall collapsed in 2004, but most of the rest of the wall is still intact, making it one of the larger, older and better-preserved ancient city walls in China, and the centerpiece of the World Heritage Pingyao Ancient City.

In addition, the Zhenguo Temple, Shuanglin Temple, and Pingyao Temple of Literature are also included in the protection of the World Heritage site.

The History of Pingyao Ancient City, Shanxi

You can't talk about Pingyao without talking about the "Jin merchants" and "ticket companies" because it was one of the birthplaces of the "Jin merchants" and the first modern bank in China. The first modern bank prototype "Rishengchang" ticket company birthplace. Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of commercial economy, Jin merchants, some large firms gradually formed in Shanxi, set up a general number, set up branches in the field, cross-regional business system. In this case, the bulk of the wholesale, transportation and marketing is bound to bring a huge amount of cash silver solution transport business, so a new way to solve the problem of money - "ticket exchange" came into being. In the fourth year of the Daoguang era (1824), China's first ticket company, Rishengchang, was founded on the basis of the Xiyucheng pigment store on West Street in Pingyao, specializing in remittance and silver deposits. Three years later, it set up branches in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu and other provinces, and in the 1840s, its business was further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the Rishengchang ticket office, the ticket office industry in Pingyao developed rapidly, and in its heyday there were as many as twenty-two ticket offices, which once became the center of China's financial industry. It can be seen that Pingyao occupies a very important position in China's modern financial history.

Ancient Pingyao was glorious, and today it is still full of charm. On December 3, 1997, the 21st plenary session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee unanimously approved the inscription of the ancient city of Pingyao on the World Heritage List. This is the best tribute to the ancient city of Pingyao.

The ancient city of Pingyao is an outstanding example of a Han Chinese city of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which has preserved all its features and presents an extraordinary and complete picture of cultural, social, economic and religious development in the course of Chinese history.

The Ancient City of Pingyao, located in the center of Shanxi Province, is a cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It was built during the reign of King Xuan of the Zhou Dynasty between 827 and 782 B.C. It was built for Yin Jifu, a general of the Western Zhou Dynasty, who was stationed there. Since 221 B.C., when the government of the Qin Dynasty adopted the "county system", Pingyao City has been the seat of the county government and continues to be so to this day. Through the vicissitudes of life and change, Pingyao Ancient City has become the most complete surviving prototype of an ancient Chinese county town from the Ming and Qing dynasties. To date, the city walls, streets, houses, stores, temples and other buildings of the ancient city are still basically intact, with their original forms and patterns largely intact, and they are an integral part of the existing historical relics of the ancient city of Pingyao.

The ancient city of Pingyao is known as the "collection and treasure trove of Chinese ancient architecture", and the preservation of many cultural relics and monuments of high quality is rare in China. The ancient city of Pingyao has a long history and a large number of cultural relics and monuments. It is a historical museum of Ming and Qing architectural art, reflecting the history of the 17th to 19th centuries in its entirety. Its ancient buildings and cultural relics and monuments are rare in China in terms of quantity and grade, and have extremely important historical, artistic and scientific values for the study of the changes of ancient Chinese cities, urban architecture, forms of human habitation and the development of traditional culture. Agree with 1|Comments

V. Cultural Connotation of Pingyao Ancient City

Cultural Value Unique and Rich Cultural Remains: Pingyao Ancient City has a history of more than 2,700 years since its founding, and in the long process of development, it has preserved a large number of cultural remains with high density and a long time span, making it a treasure trove of ancient architecture in Shanxi Province.

The numerous cultural relics of the ancient city of Pingyao not only represent the architectural forms, construction methods, and standards of materials used in ancient Chinese cities in different historical periods, but also reflect the artistic progress and aesthetic achievements of different ethnic groups and regions in ancient China. The traditional cultural characteristics of the Han people: Pingyao Ancient City is a city built according to the traditional planning ideas and architectural styles of the Han people, concentrating on the historical and cultural characteristics of the Han people around the 14th to 19th centuries A.D. The city is an important reference for the study of the social morphology, economic structure, military defense, religious beliefs, traditional ideas, ethics and morals of the form of human habitation in this period.

Intact ancient residential communities: Since its reconstruction in the third year of the Ming Dynasty (1370 A.D.), the ancient city of Pingyao has basically maintained its original pattern, which can be verified by documents and objects. The key residences in Pingyao City were built between 1840 and 1911 AD.

The architectural layout of the residences is rigorous, with clear axes, left-right symmetry, clear-cut priorities, undulating contours, closed exteriors and deep courtyards. The exquisite wood carvings, brick carvings and stone carvings with heavy vernacular flavor of the paper-cutting window, exquisite, lifelike, is so far the most well-preserved ancient residential communities in the Han ethnic areas.

Developed financial city: Pingyao was one of the birthplaces of the famous "Jin merchants" in ancient Chinese commerce. In its heyday, there were as many as 22 ticket companies here, which once became the center of China's financial industry, manipulating and controlling China's modern financial industry.

Historical position: Pingyao was one of the birthplaces of the famous "Jin merchants" of ancient Chinese commerce, the Pingyao Ancient City (4 pictures). In its heyday, there were as many as 22 ticket companies here, which once became the center of China's financial industry.

Cultural value: The Ancient City of Pingyao was built during the reign of King Xuan of the Western Zhou Dynasty (827-782 BC), and has a history of more than 2,700 years. Since 221 BC, when the "county system" was introduced in China, Pingyao has been the seat of the "county government", which continues to this day.

It is the most basic level city in China. The preserved ancient city wall is in its original state when it was expanded in the third year of the Ming Dynasty (1370 A.D.), and the six existing temple complexes, the county government office, the city building and other ancient buildings of the past dynasties in the city are all original objects.

There are more than 100 large and small streets and alleys in the city, which are still in their original historical forms, and the commercial stores on both sides of the streets are basically 17th-19th century buildings. There are 3,797 traditional houses in the city, of which more than 400 have high preservation value and unique local flavor.

Cultural heritage: The cultural heritage is unique and rich. Cultural Characteristics: It has the traditional cultural characteristics of the Han nationality.

One of the birthplaces of Jinshang, the first modern bank in China, Rishengchang, was born in Pingyao in the fourth year of the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang period (1824 AD). Three years later, Rishengchang set up branches in many provinces of China.

In the 1840s, its business expanded further to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by Rishengchang, Pingyao's ticket agency industry developed rapidly, with as many as 22 agencies in its heyday, once becoming the center of China's financial industry.

Ming and Qing Dynasties On December 3, 1997, the 21st General Assembly of the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO in Naples, Italy, decided to inscribe the Ancient City of Pingyao, with its ancient city walls, government offices, markets, dwellings, and temples, as a whole, on the World Heritage List, as a physical specimen for the study of China's political, economic, cultural, artistic, and religious development. The Ancient City of Pingyao was built on the basis of the cultural ideas and architectural styles of the Han Chinese people.

The city walls and the buildings inside the city maintain their historical appearance from the 14th to 18th centuries. It is a typical representative of the ancient counties in the Central Plains of the Han Chinese nation.

As a result of the establishment of the county town, the first ticket company in the country, Rishengchang, was born in the ancient city of Pingyao in the third year of the Qing dynasty's Daoguang era (1823). "The creation of Rishengchang was epoch-making in the history of ancient and modern finance in China, marking the creation of a new type of modern finance in China, in the commercial and financial organism of late feudal China.

Rishengchang Qing Dynasty, with the development of the commercial economy, Jin merchants, some of the large firms gradually formed in Shanxi, set up a general number, set up branches in the field, cross-regional business system. In this case, the bulk of the wholesale, transportation and marketing to bring a huge amount of cash silver decanting business, so a new way of decanting - bill exchange came into being.

Daoguang four years (1824 AD), in Pingyao West Street, West Yucheng pigment store on the basis of the founding of China's first specializing in the exchange and deposit silver business of the "Rishengchang" ticket three years later, in Shandong, Henan, Liaoning, Jiangsu and other provinces have set up branches In the 1840s, its business was further expanded to Japan, Singapore and the United States. further expanded to Japan, Singapore, Russia and other countries. At that time, driven by the "Rishengchang" ticket number, the ticket number industry in Pingyao developed rapidly, and in its heyday, there were as many as twenty-two ticket numbers here, which once became the center of China's financial industry.

It can be seen that Pingyao occupies a very important position in China's modern financial history. Folklore Fireworks Dry Boat The boat is made of bamboo, wood and colorful silk, surrounded by satin and tented with wood and satin.

The performance is accompanied by drums and music, and one person plays the role of a woman in a boat, with a colorful belt tied to the boat driving on the shoulder, fake feet sitting in the "boat", like a boat and walking. Another person dressed as a boatman, holding an oar in front of the rowing lead.

The content of the ancient theater and boat-related stories, "fishing to kill the family", "Xu Xian Lake", "Autumn River" and so on. 1 stilts with two wooden sticks made of stilts, generally in 6 feet up and down, the high one up to 1 feet 2 feet.

The upper end of the wooden stick is mounted horizontally on the pedal, and the actor's calf is tied to the upper end of the wooden stick during the performance, and his foot treads on the pedal, and performs according to various dance steps. Those who are highly skilled can jump over obstacles such as benches and tables, or drop eight forks, "golden chicken stand alone", and lower the soft waist.

The traditional content of the "White Snake", "Qing Dingzhu", "Fox Grievance", "The Tang Monk fetches the scriptures". After the founding of New China, the content reflecting real life was added to "Sending a Son to Join the Army", "Family Planning", "The Story of the Red Lanterns", "Taking Tiger Mountain by Wisdom" and so on.

This county is famous for its stilt performances in Beicheng Village and Gankeng Village. 2 lifting the pavilion will be fixed on the upper end of the pole, lifting the pole around the lotus, colorful clouds and other props to decorate up, and then three or four play a variety of theater people.