Zhangjiagang has a long history of development. As early as the Neolithic Age more than 8,000 years ago, there were human activities in southern China. In the second year of Taikang in the Western Jin Dynasty (28 1), Jiyang County was established in the territory, and Yang Shezhen was under the jurisdiction of the county. In the long history of thousands of years, Zhangjiagang people have not only created rich material civilization, but also created splendid spiritual civilization, including colorful folk culture. Judging from the author's understanding of relevant information and social reality, the selection essentials can be roughly summarized as the following eight aspects:
First, emphasize teaching and promote learning.
Since ancient times, the folks in Zhangjiagang have been paying attention to education, promoting learning through reading and seeking progress. "Yang She Fort City Records" said: "Step by step to become sages, sharpen famous festivals, and those who are above the scholars are also; Self-cultivation and eagerness to learn, the second person is also; Everyone knows that those who are under the scholar are also. " China's famous schools have set up private schools, compulsory schools and academies on the basis of studying books, reading books and carrying on the family line, and educated future generations with Confucian classics. Ordinary people also regard the sound of children reading, weaving and crying as the superficial basis for judging the wealth of families. Typically, taking Jinjia Village in Miaoqiao as an example, in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there was a saying that "more than 20 wells flowed and more than 100 families had literature", and Weng Tonghe had a poem praising Jincun "cavalry literati gathered together, and cattle were old and virtuous." The wind of emphasizing teaching and promoting learning can be seen.
The trend of emphasizing education and promoting learning has spawned a large number of dignitaries who have entered the official career. From the Tang and Song Dynasties to the end of the Qing Dynasty, China had two top scholars, 1 second, four flower pickers and hundreds of scholars. Among them, Zhao produced 37 scholars from Song Dynasty to Qing Dynasty, Luyuan Qian had the reputation of "nine sons and one door" in Ming Dynasty, and Gangjiang produced father and son prime ministers in Kanggan period of Qing Dynasty. There are many officials, scholars, ministers, censors, governors and governors in China. The atmosphere of emphasizing education and promoting learning has also created a large number of famous artists who are good at Confucian classics, history, literature, calligraphy and painting, and proficient in medical music. Their deeds are recorded in national history or local chronicles, so I won't repeat them here.
The social fashion of emphasizing education and promoting learning has been passed down from generation to generation in China, and it has never been cut off. Extending to the contemporary era, the most representative is the area along the sandbar. Before liberation, the Yangtze River floods frequently occurred in this area, and people's lives were difficult. In the 1950s and 1960s, the living standard of ordinary farmers was just below the subsistence level, but the people believed in reading and were eager to "turn over their schoolbags", preferring to "live in a thatched cottage, eat wheat and drink pickles and watercress soup", tighten their belts and try their best to provide schooling for their children. A group of poor children have become well-known experts and scholars at home and abroad through hard work. Among the six academicians of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Zhangjiagang, Hexing Cao Chunan, Sanxing Zhang Shen and Xue Zhaofeng Yongqi all come from poor sandbar areas. Among the intellectuals of Professor Zhang Jiagang, Shazhoupian's children account for a considerable proportion.
Second, loyalty and courage to serve the country.
Zhangjiagang is located at the end of the river, which is the throat of entering the river from the sea and a battleground for military strategists. Frequent wars have brought great disasters to the people of China, and also created a generation of people in Hong Kong to resist foreign aggression, not afraid of power and violence, and be loyal and brave to serve the country. In the face of the danger of a strong enemy, no matter the literati or the common people, they are all the same enemy, moving forward wave after wave. In the tragic and fierce battle, "there are countless people who give their lives generously, who are calm and move towards justice, who are sincere in men and fierce in women."
In the third year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1 129), Han Shizhong led troops to Jiangyin and Changshu, which won the support of the people of the whole country. The soldiers and civilians Qi Xin resisted the gold, leaving behind historical relics and legends such as Ma Si Bridge, Fuling Mountain, Han Qing Town and Lane Celery. In the first year (1205 ~ 1207), Han Biaozhou, the powerful minister, suffered a crushing defeat and led Jin Bing to the Jianghuai area. Qiu Chong, a sand dune native in the south of our city, was then the propaganda ambassador of Jianghuai. He led his troops to fight against the enemy and personally supervised the battle. Finally, the nomads failed to cross the Jianghuai defense line and became a generation of anti-gold stars, which made the villagers proud.
During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese invaders invaded Jiangnan many times. Qian Pan (official to Jiangxi to participate in politics) and Xu Cha (official to Tai Hospital official) of Heyang Bridge in our city fought against the enemy in Sanzhangpu and died heroically. Dozens of villagers who took part in the fighting gave their lives generously, and none of them dragged out an ignoble existence. Xu Rong, a native of Yang She, led his troops to the countryside and fought decisive battles with the enemy many times in Yang She. Although his home was destroyed, his fighting spirit remained undiminished. In the process of building the anti-Japanese project, Yang She Fort, the magistrate of Jiangyin County, was at a loss because of the serious shortage of funds. It was also under the advocacy of Xu Rong that Yang She and the surrounding people generously volunteered to go to work, and this epic project was completed in just 90 days, which showed the popular will of Qi Xin to work together to resist foreign enemies, as well as the traditional consciousness of patriotism and loyalty to the country.
During the Wanli period and the Apocalypse period of the Ming Dynasty, Yandang was autocratic. Lindong party member, Miao Changqi, Li Yingsheng, Huang Zhao and Gong Anfu, who were government officials in Yang She and its surrounding areas, fought bloody battles, and finally went down in history, becoming another example of the village's loyalty and courage to serve the country. Ye Tingjia, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, praised: "I, Jiang Qingshu, am famous for my beauty and humanity. For example, in previous dynasties, celebrities were all over the world. Gong Gong gave birth to a scholar, Huang Gong gave birth to Yang She, Gong Li gave birth to Bare Shore, and Miao Gong gave birth to Bailuyuan. For more than a hundred years, the sages and nobles have lived very well, all of which are 20 miles away from Yang She, which can be described as prosperous. "
Shunyi (1645) in Qing Dynasty, Yan Yingyuan guarding the city in Jiangyin Canon history was 8 1 day, and more than 40,000 people were martyred inside and outside the city140. In Zhangjiagang, countless people stood up to take part in the war and died in the city. Only 17 people died at the same time in Dongxing Miao family in Bailu Township. "My father, my wife, my brother and my servant are all dead."
Third, pragmatic development.
Most clans in Zhangjiagang have moved in from other places since the Jin and Tang Dynasties. According to his genealogy, except for a few ancestors such as Zhao and Yang Sheguo, who came here as officials, others either settled around because of political turmoil, displacement or to support their families. Because of this, these families are quiet, diligent, practical and hard-working, thus forming a pragmatic and entrepreneurial style.
Take the Pang family as an example. His ancestor Bai Yuangong came to Tangqiao from Wujiang at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty. He is just a civilian who has left his hometown and has no money. At first, I worked as a servant in Pan's tofu shop, and my son-in-law became my husband. Later, I went into business for several generations, and my family business was greatly improved. It was not until the middle of Qing dynasty that I won the top prize in the exam and became a noble family. During the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, Ye moved to Ai, picked a load of herbs from Shou Chang, Zhejiang, and settled in Yang She. Through good relations and farming, his descendants began to flourish. The largest library in Jiangyin, Ye's Jingguan Building and Ye's History of Fort Yang She were all recorded in history. The Zhang family in Nansha moved from Jingjiang to Jiangnan during the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty and settled in the northern foot of Xiangshan. The descendants of the family reclaimed the floodplain and dug rivers to develop irrigation and transportation. This river is the predecessor of today's Zhangjiagang River. There are countless examples in Zhangjiagang. The ancestors worked hard and set an example. The descendants followed the instructions of their ancestors and passed on their work.
This pragmatic trend has developed into modern times, bringing up a group of industrialists and businessmen. Before liberation, Shi Jiao Cloth Factory and Zhao Shi Iron Factory in Yang She, Tang Shi Winery and Zhu Shi Hat Factory in Houcheng, Ponzi Oil Factory in Tangqiao and Xu Rice Factory in Tang Shi, and well-known store operators in various towns in China all made a fortune by poor management and pragmatic entrepreneurship.
After liberation, the customs of the people in Gangcheng have not changed. At the end of 1950s, community-run industries appeared in China, which developed in a tortuous way in 1960s. At the end of 1970s, it was put forward that "concentrate on getting rich and grab money with confidence", develop township industries with the spirit of "40,000 to 40,000" and develop export-oriented economy with the spirit of "breaking through the world with mud legs". In practice, the pragmatic and enterprising folkway has been sublimated into the spirit of Zhangjiagang, which is "United and hard-working, forge ahead with heavy burdens, self-pressuring, and dare to fight for the first place", creating brilliant achievements that the economic strength has leapt to the forefront of county-level cities across the country.
Fourth, frugal housekeeping.
Diligence is the traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and it is also the folk custom and traditional concept of Zhangjiagang people since ancient times. The chronicles of the past dynasties recorded the basic necessities of our ancestors as follows: "The house is simple, with three rooms and five racks, and the system is very narrow. Wearing plain cloth, the elderly wear purple cloth, robes and flat headscarves. When several people travel in the city and see a beautiful dress, the people in the city are very surprised and dumbfounded. " "Managing families in the city is relatively simple, and clothes and banquets are not light. However, if there is a family celebration, Pan Xiang's trip will be invited by Cambodia, with eight plates and eight discs as a banquet. " The ancestors' thrifty housekeeping style can be seen.
The ancients knew that "diligence" was the focus of "diligence". If you are not diligent, it is difficult to find a livelihood and support your family. Therefore, farmers "look down on livestock, work hard for three hours, and dare not idle"; The bricklayer goes out to work at four o'clock, "diligent and meticulous"; Brokers are "careful for fear of losing money." Because laziness and extravagance will lead to the decline of the family business, there are many inculcations such as "thrifty housekeeping" in the "ancestral teachings" of all genealogies in China. Take Zhao's Genealogy as an example, and its Zu Xun says: "I, Zhao's Jiang Changzi, have a surname of Qian Qian, so it is very important to keep my job and do my duty. If you are used to wandering around, indulging in drinking and wasting your time, you will pass on the clan to the ancestral hall and punish you with family law. "
Careful calculation and living within our means is another key to managing the family diligently. There is a folk proverb in Zhangjiagang: "If you are not poor, you will never be poor." In the 1950s and 1960s, most farmers lived in poverty. After participating in the collective labor of the production team, I began to engage in small-scale handicraft industry and family farming from morning till night. Even in the era of "cutting off the tail of capitalism", they are still infatuated. At that time, there was a jingle "planting plants in spring, melons in summer and cabbages in autumn, killing mutton in winter to earn extra money", which was a true portrayal of farmers using their private plots and winter leisure time to engage in family agriculture. Until modern times, many families, while making reasonable arrangements for their daily lives, took into account the expenses of buying a house, sending their children to school and supporting the elderly in the future, often scrimped and saved for the future, rarely overspent or squandered, and strived to make ends meet and steadily improve their quality of life.
The way of Confucius and Mencius has been followed in China for thousands of years, which is reflected in folk customs. One of the manifestations is the cult worship and clan relationship generally recognized and practiced by ordinary people. As the old saying goes, "the relationship between the two is great, saying that you are close; There are big festivals in life, loyalty and filial piety. He who is a minister and does not try his best is not a loyal minister; Zhangjiagang people believe in being sons, but they are not careful to pursue the future. It is still the traditional concept.
Judging from the festival customs recorded in the Chronicle of Fort Yang She, its main content is pious ancestor worship. For example, on the morning of New Year's Day, we will make cakes and light incense sticks to worship our ancestors. "Li Si" day and winter solstice burn incense to worship the ancestors; Tomb-Sweeping Day's family went to the grave to worship their ancestors, which was called "Fushan"; In the Central Plains (the 15th day of the seventh lunar month), we eat eggplant cakes, offer sacrifices to our ancestors and have family dinners. On the first day of October, it is like Tomb-Sweeping Day to sweep the ancestral graves. Up to now, most families in rural areas of Zhangjiagang still retain these customs, hoping that ancestors will bless future generations with peace and happiness. Even if some people live in cities, if they encounter the above festivals, they will make a special trip back to the countryside to fold ingots and burn paper to worship their ancestors, and their manners will not decrease.
Another manifestation of the Hmong in Jing Zong is the compilation of genealogy. The common people think that genealogy is an important basis for seeking roots and contacting clan relatives. The so-called "nothing in the world is more important than respecting the family, and respecting the family is more important than collecting the family." Thousands of children and grandchildren of the family are self-ancestors; For those who worship sects, woody water is what children and grandchildren should worship. It is immortal, but it is just a spectrum. " During the "Cultural Revolution", genealogy was regarded as the feudal "four old" and most of them were burned. Since the reform and opening up, there have been 56 genealogies in Zhangjiagang, among which 24 genealogies were collected in the process of compiling place names in Houzhen in 2003. Most of these genealogies began to be revised in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and were generally revised or rebuilt seven or eight times or even a dozen times. Their style is complete and their branches are clear, which embodies the painstaking efforts of dozens of generations. Many celebrities have written down their genealogies, images and descriptions, which are of extremely precious historical and literary value. Since the beginning of the new century, the folk genealogy in China is in the ascendant, and village party secretaries and entrepreneurs are willing to spend hundreds of thousands and millions of yuan to promote it. Some families don't have the big boss to support the funds, but they just adopt the way of raising funds from each household. Enthusiasts volunteer to compile, interview and take notes from door to door, and naturally come in two or three years. According to the author's incomplete statistics, there are no fewer than 20 genealogies being revised in China, among which three have been compiled, and some have been officially published by publishing houses, with exquisite binding.
Sixth, accumulate virtue and do good.
It is a Buddhist doctrine to build a good relationship and plant Futian widely, but it has a broad market among the people in Zhangjiagang. In the Ming Dynasty, Xu Zhuang, a squire in Yang She, wrote "The Collection of Worries". The preface quoted Sima Guang's famous saying: "If you accumulate wealth, your descendants may not be able to keep it; Storing books for future generations may not be able to read them. It is better to accumulate virtue in the dark, and future generations will report it. " This kind of folk concept and vivid examples, which regard accumulating virtue and doing good deeds as the code of conduct and the blessing of the family, abound in the history of Zhangjiagang.
Owning Zhuang Yi, Yi Shu, Yi Xue and Yi Tomb are the main forms for China gentry and rich families to do good deeds. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were basically villages and towns in China, which were used to help the poor. Among them, a large number of villages, Yang Shidun Benyizhuang, have more than 2,000 mu of farmland. Tangqiao Ponzi Hou Yu Yizhuang is nearly 800 mu. Phoenix has four villages: Zhou, Miao, Wang and Lu, with a total area of more than 2,000 mu. Yi Shu and Yi Xue are the forms of running schools to help poor minority children learn and progress. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong in Qing Dynasty, Yangshiyi School in Tianzhuang had two teaching points, each of which invited 1 ~ 2 teachers to recruit poor children. Izumi is a local public cemetery for burying unowned bodies. 1937165438+1On October 20th, the Japanese invaders burned and looted ports and granges, and hundreds of innocent people and soldiers of the national army were killed, among which 108 bodies without owners were buried in Yiling.
Worship to God and Buddha is another important folk custom to accumulate virtue and do good deeds. For thousands of years, the worship of gods and buddhas among the people in Zhangjiagang has been enduring for a long time. Good men and women long for the blessing of Buddha and are willing to donate money to help their fate. For example, in Lu Xun's works, there are not a few people who make efforts to donate money. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, from offering sacrifices to burning incense to temple fairs, statues developed from indoor offerings to outings, with an increasing number and scale, becoming a beautiful landscape in local folk customs. Take the February 19th Temple Fair of Henan Temple in Yang She as an example. From day one to day 19, more than 1000 people went to the temple organized by Fiona Fang Bailey to burn incense. On days 18 and 19, there were crowds of people and drums. What's more, a large-scale incense sacrificial procession organized by local squires in Yang She performed "Zharou Xiang" and "Pandaxiang" along the street, and young men and women tied their arms with steel hooks to show their gratitude to their mothers, followed by colorful lanterns and sedan chairs, and they toured day and night. The annual "February 19th" temple fair turned out to be a grand festival loved by ordinary people.
Seven, martial arts fitness
People in Zhangjiagang have the custom of practicing martial arts and keeping fit, especially in the south. In addition to farming, farmers also carry stone shoulders, throw stone locks, carry Shi Ding, support stone mortar, push stone rolling stones, pinch stalagmites, and some even dance knives and guns and practice fencing sticks.
The wind of practicing martial arts and keeping fit has spawned a number of military commanders and martial artists. There are 25 military commanders listed in Yang She Fort Records in Song, Ming and Qing Dynasties, among which six military commanders or generals were produced by Yang She Chua's family in Xianfeng period of Qing Dynasty. In addition, Sigang Village also produced five martial artists, including Shao Yongfu, during the Ganjia period of the Qing Dynasty, and Shao was praised as a "martial arts family" by historian Miao. There are still many people who have practiced kung fu. Although they were not promoted, they left many touching legends in local chronicles. Yang She, such as Gu Yuchuan in the Ming Dynasty and Jing M.Guo in the Qing Dynasty, were all chivalrous men with their own unique skills. They like to suppress the strong, help the weak, and punish villains and cunning people. Among them, Gu Yuchuan is also good at magical power. In those days, Qian Muzhai's golden letter of exploring flowers in the exam was that he walked back to his hometown Luyuan from Beijing within three days to report good news. Qian Muzhai wrote the Song of Yuchuan Portrait and attached it to Gu Yuchuan's biography.
After liberation, the folk martial arts and fitness style in Zhangjiagang has not diminished. During the period of 1957, Jiangyin County held a martial arts performance in Houzhen, and all towns and villages sent teams to actively participate. Among them, the team from Nansha township, which is famous for its martial arts tradition, won the first prize in more than half of the performances. 1983 to 1992 held a large-scale cultural and sports performance of "zhangjiagang (sandbar) spring" every year. Every time there is a folk martial arts performance, the performers are enthusiastic and the audience applauds. The program of Nansha Wushu Team was also filmed and broadcast by Jiangsu TV Station.
After 1990s, in order to make the martial arts fitness trend successful, Zhangjiagang named the township with martial arts customs as "the hometown of martial arts" and advocated martial arts training among primary and secondary school students. Among them, the martial arts team of Houcheng Central Primary School has made remarkable achievements in training, made many appearances in various public occasions, and won many prizes in mass sports competitions in Suzhou and the whole province.
Eight, greening and gardening
Zhangjiagang is located in the south of the Yangtze River, with beautiful scenery and elegant environment. One of the corresponding folk customs is the good fashion of planting trees, bamboo, flowers and gardens since ancient times. Xu Xiake, a great traveler in the Ming Dynasty, planted plum and bamboo in Xiangshan, Zhangjiagang, and wrote well-known poems, including "Spring is like a thousand-year-old vanilla, and people are as clear as plum blossoms" and "He is drunk with bamboo and shares a jade pool with Danque".
Greening customs are prominent in the environment of natural villages in China. Natural villages in southern China are generally surrounded by rivers on four or three sides, surrounded by green trees and shaded by sunlight. Villagers' houses are hidden in the embrace of green trees, and only trees can be seen outside, but no houses can be seen. The farmer's house is the front yard and backyard, with fruit trees and flowers planted on the edge of the field, and the aroma is fragrant; There are bamboos in the garden, which are evergreen all the year round. The natural villages along the river in the north all face south, and in the west there are several facing east, lined up, some of which are miles long. The villagers' house is also in front of the house, and there is a river in front of the house. There is a garden behind the house and a stream behind it. There are poplars, willows, elms and locust trees planted beside rivers and streams, and fruit forests and bamboo forests are planted in the garden.
Because domestic citizens like to plant trees and flowers, there have been many private gardens in China since ancient times. According to records, the earliest garden in China is Chen Luyuan in Luyuan, which was built in the Song Dynasty and has desks, tide halls and other attractions. In the Ming Dynasty, there were Jiangyuan Garden, Xiyuan Garden, Cangjiang Villa and Xuqianyuan Garden in Yang She. There were small gardens of Zhao and Ye in Qing Dynasty. Among them, Cangjiang Villa, built in the orthodox period of Ming Dynasty, is the largest. "There are dozens of acres of land, acrobatics with hundreds of flowers and more than 300 plums, among which Cangjiang Bookstore, Minghexuan and Xiangxuewo all win. There are eight scenic spots in the park: "lush mountains, Qiaolin Festival, Yuepu fishing songs, Rock Village Moody, Valley Tide, Haimen Fanying, Bridge Flying Crane and Shazhu Gull Sleeping".
At present, urban and rural residents in China regard planting trees, bamboo and flowers as their elegant life interests. After the reform and opening up, afforestation has become a government behavior, with huge investment every year, the city's ecological environment has been obviously optimized, and the quality level has leapt to the forefront inside and outside the province.
These are just a few bright colors picked out from Zhangjiagang folk customs. The folk culture of Zhangjiagang, like the folk culture of the brother cities in the Yangtze River valley, is colorful and diverse, belonging to the folk culture series of China, but it also varies from place to place, with its own characteristics, initiative and fluidity, and forms its own system.
First, the inheritance and accumulation of thousands of years is an important historical reason.
The formation and development of folk culture is a process of gradual accumulation. With the development of production, the deepening of consciousness, the progress of society and the changes of the times, it has accumulated and developed from less to more, from simple to complex, and from shallow to deep, thus bearing a profound social and historical imprint.
Zhangjiagang has a long history, which provides a very rich soil for the formation and development of folk culture. As mentioned earlier, as early as 8,000 years ago, there were human activities in the south of China, which is the site of Dongshan Village in the famous Yangtze River Delta. Xujiawan site in China is more than 5,500 years ago, and Caidun site is more than 4,000 years ago, all of which belong to Neolithic cultural sites. From archaeological excavations, it can be seen that the ancestors of Zhangjiagang used stone knives, axes, spinning wheels and other production tools and household appliances such as pottery pots, pots and pots, and at the same time gave birth to relatively simple production and living customs in primitive society, including various totems and "Heyang folk songs" that have been circulated for thousands of years.
In the second year of Taikang in the Western Jin Dynasty (AD 28 1 year), Jiyang County was established in the territory, followed by Liangfeng County, which ruled Yang Shezhen. This history lasted for 345 years, and it was not until the ninth year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty (AD 626) that Zhangjiagang was placed under the jurisdiction of Jiangyin and Changshu counties. During thousands of years of historical evolution, China's folk culture has been greatly developed. As far as genealogy compilation is concerned, there were few genealogies in China before Tang and Song Dynasties, and even if there were, they were only fragmentary and simple. After the development of the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the wind of arranging music became more and more popular. Due to the data accumulation of dozens of generations, the contents of genealogy have changed from simple to complex, and even clan genealogy covering hundreds of miles in Fiona Fang has appeared. Among them, the Xu family tree has as many as 94 volumes, involving all Xu clan relatives in Jiangsu, Wuxi, Changzhou and Shanghai provinces. Take ancestor worship as an example. During the Qin and Han dynasties, ancestor worship ceremonies were generally held only at home temples, which were relatively simple and few in number. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the number of temples increased sharply with the development of domestic industry and commerce. There are more than 30 temples in Nansha Township alone, with an average of 1 temples per square kilometer. Sacrificial activities in religious sites have developed into commercial, entertainment and lively temple fairs. There are temple fairs in every market town in China, regardless of the size, some are held once a year 1 time, sometimes, the earliest is on the first day of the first lunar month and the latest is on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month. On the day of the temple fair, "six people walk to see, three people move, and one person visits the temple." In other words, 90% of the participants in the sea of people are hedonists, and only 10% are good men and women who worship Buddha.
It is precisely because of the historical evolution, inheritance and accumulation that the folk culture in Zhangjiagang has developed into a local custom with rich and colorful forms and complicated contents.
Second, the influence of Wu Di's culture is an important ideological reason.
Folk culture is a reflection of social system and economic situation, as well as ideological and cultural consciousness. Zhangjiagang, a land in the south of the Yangtze River, has been influenced by the noble morality and traditional thoughts of ancient philosophers such as Tabor, Zhong Yong, Ji Zha and Yan You since ancient times. Lu Ji, a poet in the Jin Dynasty, wrote in his poem Wu Chuxing that "the mountains and rivers are full of Tibetan religion and the scenery is beautiful. Taibo attracts benevolence, and Zhong Yong raises its waves. " In the school song of Liangfeng Middle School in our city at the end of the Qing Dynasty and the beginning of the Republic of China, there are some sentences, such as "Three Wu culture began in the Spring and Autumn Period, and left home every season", which shows how far-reaching the influence of these sages on the people is. It can be said that Taibo Zhong Yong let the sages avoid the virtue of the country and cultivated the custom of respecting the family and doing good deeds within the territory; Ji Zhayan's action of educating villagers with Confucianism has created an atmosphere of emphasizing education, promoting learning and singing praises in all parts of China.
The inheritance of folk culture and ideas is of course advocated by politicians, and it is also very important for scholars and ordinary people to generally agree and practice. Judging from the history of Zhangjiagang, local officials and scholars have played an extremely important role in promoting traditional culture and creating good folk customs. Yang She was a county magistrate from the Jin Dynasty to the early Tang Dynasty. There are only two people in the exam, one of whom is Sima Jun, a famous minister of Liang Dynasty. This person is "lonely and poor, eager to learn, knowledgeable and knowledgeable, especially three gifts." When he was in office, he governed the local area with Confucian ethics, with outstanding achievements and far-reaching influence, and was regarded as a famous minister by the local people. Guo Tingjian, a professor of military science in Jiangyin, Northern Song Dynasty, donated money to expand the school at the beginning of his tenure. Because the school was small and dilapidated, he "hired China, an administrator, gave a banquet to give lectures, expounded the theory of Confucianism, and trained talents, which was once said to be prosperous." In the Ming Dynasty, Houcheng South was once called "turning into a hometown", which means that politicians set an example, spread the virtues of sages, take the lead in governing the country by virtue, and turn people into customs, so it is called turning into a hometown. China's famous scholars, such as Lu Wan, a scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, Chen Ji, a writer in the Yuan Dynasty, Qian Muzhai, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty, Pang Dakun, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, etc., are all well versed in Confucian classics and have rich writings, and they all take it as their responsibility to emphasize education, advocate learning after school and influence local customs. Ye Tingjia, a scholar from Yang She in Qing Dynasty, abandoned his official career and studied Confucian classics, and built more than 50,000 books in Jingguan Building. "There are interests in the village, and many bloggers in the town have been forced to ban with the rally, and the customs have changed greatly. There have been no criminals in this city for decades. "
Under the influence of such a powerful traditional ideology and culture, the ethics, values and folk customs of ordinary people in China have been standardized and optimized. Most people educate their children with traditional concepts such as studying hard, managing the family diligently, respecting teachers, and accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. Some people even write wise words, warning proverbs and couplets to manage the family on the front door of the house or on the forehead of the living room. This universal recognition and practice of traditional cultural concepts is an indispensable social foundation and important boosting force for the formation and development of domestic folklore.
Third, the special position of Haitou at the end of the river is an important regional reason.
An important feature of folklore is that it varies from place to place. Different natural environments, different geographical locations and different living conditions often lead to different living customs and social fashions. Wudi has been known as the Pricking Man Jing people since ancient times, and is famous for its rich folk customs and death-defying martial arts. Geography of Hanshu: "All kings in wuyue are brave, so their people have used swords so far, and they are easy to die." Zuo Si in Jin Dynasty said in Five Degrees of Fu: "Scholars have the sharpness of sinking and firmness, while customs have the wind of conciseness."
Compared with other places in Wu, the "festival style" in Zhangjiagang folk custom is even worse. One of the main reasons is its special geographical location. As mentioned above, Zhangjiagang is located at the end of the Yangtze River and at the mouth of the sea. It is called Jinling Lock Key and Jianghai Gateway. According to the History of Fort Yang She, Yang She is "from the sea to the river, from the wolf (mountain) to the west to the throat of the river (Yin) and Jing (River), and our town is in the middle of two or three portals." It has been 300 years since the Ming Dynasty, when "Japanese towns were built, garrisons were set up and giant guns were set up". Therefore, although the territory is a land of plenty, with beautiful scenery and rich people, wars continue and soldiers are killed repeatedly, which has created the custom that citizens are not afraid of violence, are brave and good at fighting, practice martial arts and strengthen their health, and protect their country and defend their country.
According to the Records of Jiangyin County in Guangxu of Qing Dynasty, from the 27th year of Yuan Jia of the former Song Dynasty (450 years) to the Ming Dynasty when Zhu Yuanzhang personally led the army to defeat Zhang Shicheng in Wuzimen, there were more than 20 recorded military events in China on the defense of the Yangtze River, including three years of making suggestions in the Southern Song Dynasty (1 129) to Chunyuzhong (about 1245). Faced with such frequent wars, the people of China can only stand up and defend their vital interests with their blood and lives. Take the anti-Japanese struggle during Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty as an example. More than 2,000 villagers in Yang She participated in anti-Japanese martial arts training. At that time, when the enemy was strong and we were weak, this villager armed force became an important force in the anti-Japanese war. However, after all, the villagers' armed forces lack strict and formal training, and their weaknesses are exposed in front of the enemy of the tiger and the wolf. Hundreds of villagers died heroically in bloody battles in Yang She, Port, Phoenix, Luyuan and Nansha.
Bloody historical facts tell people that there is no way out in the struggle to resist foreign aggression and defend their homeland, and there is no way out without mastering the ability to kill the enemy and practicing high-tech martial arts. Since then, the wind of martial arts and fitness in China has gradually started. As a folk proverb says, "practicing martial arts means practicing real skills in actual combat, not practicing flowery boxing and embroidered legs." During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, there were dozens of boxing gymnasiums for folk martial arts fitness in Xiangshan, Nansha, and only people with high martial arts were hired to give directions. Disciples and grandchildren of these boxing fields showed extraordinary practical skills in Jiangyin's defending the city against Japanese invaders in the Qing Dynasty, the change of Xianfeng and Gengshen in the Qing Dynasty, and the 1927 agricultural riots.
Fourthly, the splendid water town is rich in products, which is an important economic reason.
Economic situation is the basis of dominating people's lifestyle and living standards, and it is also the basis of determining folk culture and concepts. One of the important reasons why Zhangjiagang has such colorful folk cultural activities is that it is supported by economic strength. [/size]
In ancient times, "Jiangnan custom, boiling water, eating fish and rice, fishing and hunting, although there is no accumulation of capital, but there is no hunger." During the Tang and Song Dynasties, "there was no land for reclamation in the suburbs of Wuzhong, and competition was called farmland. People are not noble, they often have normal production. " In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the self-sufficient agricultural economy gradually developed to industry and commerce, which brought about the prosperity of the domestic economy. Cotton textile industry, hardware and ironware industry, oil and rice processing industry and brewing and sauce making industry have emerged one after another, and the commercial service industry has become increasingly prosperous. Take the later towns as an example. In the late Qing Dynasty, Leigou Tubu was sold overseas. Before the Anti-Japanese War, there were hundreds of shops with more than 0/000 employees, including 32 and a half rice shops. Some people say that "baskets are flying all over the sky, and the shoulders of cars are full of rice", and there are as many trolleys transporting goods in the streets and lanes as "Zhouzhuang Mudun Li".
There is an old saying: "The granary knows etiquette, and food and clothing know honor and disgrace." It is under the support of this economic foundation that the development of domestic folk culture superstructure has obtained solid and rich material conditions, enabling the people to re-educate and run schools, and cultivating many dignitaries and Confucian scholars; The wind of doing good deeds and respecting the family can be passed down from generation to generation; The wind of paying attention to etiquette and worshipping Buddha will continue to spread. Taking the custom of green gardening as an example, it is not surprising that aristocratic families build private gardens, while ordinary people are used to setting flower beds in front of and behind their houses to improve the production and living environment. In the Ming Dynasty, in the east of Houyi, near the coast, Xu's farmhouse, in addition to farming, also set aside more than 30 acres of land and planted famous flowers and grasses in four seasons, hence the name "Garden". In the Ming Dynasty, farmers in Gujing Village, Tang Shi were engaged in flower planting, which was adjacent to the border and had many varieties, especially peony and peony. The village was later renamed "Huajing" by Gu. If farmers spend their time in hunger and cold, lack of clothes and food, they will never have the pleasure of planting flowers, grass and gardening.
Folk culture is an important content in the compilation of local chronicles, and it is an important work to study the characteristics and causes of local folk customs. Mr. Zhong Jingwen, a master of folklore, pointed out: "Folklore is undoubtedly a kind of' present' knowledge in modern social science, not' historical' knowledge." The purpose of studying the characteristics and causes of Zhangjiagang folk culture is to take its essence from traditional folk culture, discard its dross, make the past serve the present and carry forward the past into the future, so as to better preserve history and educate people. I believe that with the attention and care of the party and the government and the cultivation of the whole society, folk culture will certainly get unprecedented development and promotion, and become a magnificent flower in the hundred gardens of Chinese culture!