The infiltration of rice culture in the Yangtze River basin into the Yellow River basin has the following aspects:
1) Rice Culture and loong
Rice Culture and loong
The descendants of the Chinese people are proud of the "descendants of the dragon", and the dragon has incredible cohesion to the Chinese nation. Dragon is an animal, but there is no such animal in nature. Dragon is a deified animal created by people's synthesis, imagination and virtual creation.
Whether it is a sculpture dragon, a painting dragon, a dragon lantern dance dragon or a dragon boat dragon, although their postures are ever-changing, they all have a common feature, that is, they are covered with scales, with claws on their four feet, a diagonal line on their heads, whiskers on their chins and bristles on their necks; Besides crawling, the dragon's body can also be twisted and twisted. If the horns, whiskers and manes of the head are removed, the remaining prototype animals can only be crocodiles. Remove four feet, and the only thing left that can crawl, roll and entangle is a snake. Therefore, the author thinks that the prototype animal of the dragon should be crocodile, plus the beards of cattle and sheep, the sideburns of horses and the tail of snakes, as well as the ability to curl and entangle, it will become a dragon. The tail of boats or dragon lanterns in many places in the south is phoenix tail, which is the fusion of Dongyi people taking birds as totems. In Fujian and Vietnam, the "worm" in the middle is a snake, and some counties in Fujian Province have festivals to welcome and dance snakes, just like dragon dancing. Insects insects, which should have come from three insects, have been simplified, and insects (snakes) are not divided.
Five or six thousand years ago, lakes and swamps were distributed everywhere not only in the Yangtze River basin, but also in the Yellow River basin, which was an ideal habitat for crocodiles (also known as tuo, catfish or crocodile in ancient books). Catfish is a reptile and has the habit of hibernating. After waking up in spring, I began to move, lying down during the day and coming out at night. According to ancient records, the songs of catfish can spread to more than ten miles away. Because the shape of the catfish is terrible, and it is also a nocturnal song, it has long been recorded that "people are afraid of it and its voice is terrible." "De Li Ji": "In February, the shark was peeled as a drum." Yashi: "Beat drums to meet the occasion". Drumming on the battlefield can inspire soldiers to move forward bravely, so it is called "encouragement". After spring, the temperature rises and the rain increases, which is the mating and breeding season for catfish. People engaged in aquaculture often associate catfish singing with rain, thinking that this is an auspicious omen, and even think that rain is caused by catfish. The eggs and sperm in the human body are invisible to the naked eye, but the eggs of giant salamander are very large. People witnessed the female salamander laying eggs and saw the little salamander breaking out of its shell. The mother salamander often crawls with the young salamander in her arms to ensure the safety of the young salamander. These are the associations of women swallowing eggs and giving birth, which leads to the emergence of totems.
With the killing of catfish in the Yellow River basin, the climate turned cool, the rainfall decreased, lakes and swamps shrank, and the number of catfish also decreased, but there were still a large number of catfish in the Yangtze River basin. Therefore, Shan Hai Jing said that after Ying Long killed Chi You and Kuafu, he went to live in the south, where there was a lot of rain. [4] This is a good footnote to the myth that the climate in the north changed from wet to dry, and the animals in lakes and swamps moved south.
The faucet is basically shaped like a giant salamander, but its eyes are bigger. The double mouths in the words "giant salamander", "giant salamander" and "crocodile" all emphasize its big eyes, which is even more frightening. This may be influenced by gluttony (big eyes) in Liangzhu culture, or vice versa. Gluttony means gluttony and fierceness, similar to the greed and fierceness of catfish.
Dragons are divided into Xiaolong, Dog Dragon and Ying Long. Jiao refers to Xiaolong, "Chu Ci Li Yi": "My name is Xiaolong, and I ask Xidi to make an appointment." Wang Yi's Note: "Little Jiao, Big Dragon." Therefore, there are also names such as jiaozi catfish and jiaozi crocodile. Goulong is the name of God: "Country God, Goulong, son of Gai Gong's family. Can level the soil and water, the world of emperor Zhuan Xu, for the soil is right. The world depends on its merits and is a society. " [5] Ying Long is a legendary flying dragon with wings. According to legend, when Yu was harnessing water, he drew the tail of a river and let the water flow into the sea. Therefore, The Songs of the South and the Question of Heaven: "What is the calendar of Ying Long? Why are you camping? What's left? " Goulong, as a person's (god's) name, is a grammatical word in ancient Vietnamese, and there are Wu Gou and Gou Jian. The legend of Ying Long was asked by Qu Yuan, which proves that this legend is very popular in the Yangtze River valley.
As for dragons, it is related to the habit of tattooing in ancient Yue people. The ancient Yue people were good at canoeing. They believe that dragons are totems. "Those who cut tattoos into dragon shapes will avoid water." [6] 1976, cymbals, bronze cymbals and cymbals from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were unearthed in Shitushan, Yinxian County, Zhejiang Province, with dragon boat racing patterns engraved on them. This physical evidence shows that the dragon boat originated from the ancient Yue people on the southeast coast. Therefore, Ling said: "The dragon boat is viewed from an ethnological point of view, that is, the boat driven by the Yue people to sacrifice to the water god." [7] The bronze drums unearthed from the tomb of Shizhai Mountain in Jinning, Yunnan Province have boat racing patterns. The history of bronze drums can be traced back to the Warring States Period to the Eastern Han Dynasty (5th century BC-A.D. 1 century). In the picture, the hull is narrow and flat, with the fore and aft slightly inclined, and the paddlers are struggling to paddle. [8] It shows that the custom of rowing dragon boats is carried out with the migration of Baiyue people and will not disappear. In the literature of Qin and Han dynasties, there is not a word called "dragon boat". Historically, the southern spoken language has always been called "boat", and it still is.
Dragon boat was introduced into the Yellow River valley in Han Dynasty, and it was also called dragon boat. Dragon boat first became an upstream entertainment in the inner court of the palace, and races were also held. The dragon boat in the palace, different from the folk, should be greatly decorated and beautified, especially the "dragon boat" where the emperor sat, which has developed into a pavilion and a palace on the water, which is very luxurious. "Jing Xun in Huainan" pointed out that "the dragon boat flies on the head, floating and blowing for entertainment, and this is hidden in the water." After criticizing the bumper harvest in agriculture, it should not be so extravagant and wasteful. The existing "The Race Map of Jinming Pool" by Zhang Zeduan in the Song Dynasty and "The Race Map of Longchi Pool" by Wang Zhenpeng in the Yuan Dynasty have preserved the prosperous scene of the royal dragon boat race in Bianliang (Kaifeng) in the Song and Yuan Dynasties for future generations, and the dragon boats used in the race are more luxurious than those used by the people.
The origin and development of dragons are closely related to water. There are no dragons unrelated to water. "Yi copula": "Clouds follow dragons. Huyun, dragon. " It means that dragons can summon clouds. When clouds are gathering, it will rain. The dragon god and the water god are two in one. Shuowen explains the dragon: "The dragon is the length of the scale worm. It can be quiet and clear, detailed and huge, short and long. The vernal equinox ascends to the sky and the autumnal equinox dives deeply. " The sentence of climbing to the sky at the vernal equinox and diving at the autumnal equinox reflects the close relationship between dragons and farming. The vernal equinox is the sowing season of rice and other crops, and it is the beginning of the most need for water; The autumnal equinox is the time when grains need water. In the imagination of primitive people, dragons are magical insects that manage rainwater (ancient insects refer to large animals). It rains in the sky in spring, and dives into the water for the winter after the harvest in autumn.
The Dragon Boat Race was held on the Dragon Boat Festival because rice planting was completed before and after the Dragon Boat Festival, and the busy farming season was relatively idle. At this time, the Dragon King has gone to heaven, so farmers use this time to hold dragon boat races, which is a good opportunity to entertain dragons during the Dragon Boat Festival. Nowadays, most of the dragon boats have cancelled sacrificial ceremonies and become purely recreational activities. In the myths and legends of Ningming County, Guangxi, the dragon is called "Tu E", a female water god, also known as the white mother, and is regarded as the remnant of matriarchal belief. During the dragon boat race in Ningming County on May 5, firecrackers and ground cannons will be set off, and the ancestral Duanyang Festival song will be sung: "Boating to worship the white mother, firecrackers and ground cannons will ring all over the sky." The white mother (dragon totem) sacrificed by Zhuang nationality is of the same origin as the ancient Baiyue nationality. [9] In addition, when Miao people go boating, they have to hold a blessing ceremony. All the rowers will separate the two sides of the dragon boat and face the east, because the Miao people say that the ocean in the east is where their ancestors lived. When offering sacrifices, the wizard should recite a prayer: "row a dragon boat, and it will be clear before tomorrow;" Rowing a dragon boat, the grain is ripe; Only by rowing a dragon boat can mankind prosper ... "[10] All this strongly shows that the dragon boat originated from the ancient Baiyue people along the coast.
When the dragon boat landed on land, it became a dragon lantern. The Lantern Festival in the first month is a festival for dancing dragon lanterns. Lantern Festival usually begins in spring, the beginning of a year's busy farming. At this time, the dragon entertainment of the Dragon Boat Festival is to pray for the dragon god to rain in time after spring. Before the dragon lantern dance begins, a sacrificial ceremony should be held to read scriptures and pray for "good weather, abundant crops and prosperous people". Then start dancing dragon lanterns. Lantern dragon often has a bead in its mouth, which is called Dragon Ball. Or enlarge the dragon balls separately. One person holds the dragon ball, teasing the dragon and grabbing the ball, which is called dragon playing with the ball. In fact, this is a sublimation of reproductive worship. It has been pointed out above that primitive people laid eggs when they saw crocodiles, snakes and birds. Crocodiles, snakes and birds are all laid by eggs, so it must be inferred that the reason why a woman is pregnant is that she accidentally scooped up an animal's egg (often in her dreams), which led to her pregnancy. Eggs are very mysterious things. No matter in the north or in the south, every family eats glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival, which is called "Yuanxiao" by northerners. This dumpling is actually a symbol of the dragon ball (that is, animal eggs). After eating, all families have the guarantee of "prosperous population"
Dragon is a composite totem of the totem belief of rice culture spirit in the Yangtze River valley, millet culture in the Yellow River valley and animal husbandry culture in the northwest. It belongs to the original concept of "harmony between man and nature" of the Chinese nation. The emperor is regarded as the incarnation of the dragon. His clothes are called dragon robes, his seat is called dragon constellation, his appearance is called dragon face, his descendants are called dragon species, and his boat is also called dragon boat. From Tiananmen Huabiao, Beihai Jiulongbi, Forbidden City Altar, Qufu Confucius Temple, Taiyuan Jinci, to buildings and memorial archways all over the country, there are lifelike dragon reliefs, as well as places named after dragons such as Longshan, Longjiang, Longchuan, Longjing, Longyan, Longzhou, Longmen and Longchi. Animal names, such as lobster, lice, dragon carp ...; Plant names such as Longli, Borneolum Syntheticum, Gentiana scabra, Solanum nigrum, Tequila ...; I don't know its number. A song "Descendants of the Dragon" caused a chorus of thousands of people in the audience. Tracing back to the source, this is the most vivid and powerful evidence of the blending of rice and millet cultures in the two rivers, but it is easily overlooked by people.