The Han nationality is the largest ancient nation in the world. Due to its long history and developed culture, its customs and customs are colorful
and extremely rich.
1. Adhering to agriculture and taking care of the roots
The Han people are an ancient agricultural nation. Since ancient times, the agricultural population has accounted for more than 80 to 90% of the total population. The custom of adhering to agriculture has a long history. From ancient times, the Han people have regarded agriculture as their main industry. As early as the Warring States Period, Han Fei put forward the idea of ??"taking agriculture as the basis". He said: "The reason why the warehouse is real is that it is the duty of farmers." "Han Feizi·Gui Shi Chapter". Under the influence of the thought of promoting agriculture, the Han society formed the "Men plow and eat, and women weave and clothe" "Shang Jun Shu·Painting Policy Chapter". "Men farm and women weave" can be said to be a typical picture of the customs and customs of Han society. It was only in modern times, especially after liberation, that there were major changes.
The twenty-four solar terms are a unique and important part of the Han Chinese lunar calendar. Its formation and creation are closely related to the agricultural production customs of the ancient working people of the Han Chinese people. As the climate changes throughout the year, the content of farming and farm work also changes. The meanings of the names of the twenty-four solar terms themselves clearly reflect this. To this day, Han farmers are still used to carrying out farming and arranging farm work according to the solar terms.
Related to the custom of Shangnong is the worship of the land god by the Han people. "White Tiger Tongyi" says: "The earth carries all things, which explains why the earth has gods." The form of worship of the earth god is "social sacrifice". The earth god is called the social god or the owner of the community, and the place where the earth god is worshiped is called the social god. society. "Book of Rites: Jiao Te Sheng" says: "Zhuang means sacrificing earth, and it controls Yin Qi...Zhuang, so it is the way of the gods and earth." Later, social sacrifices were held at all levels of Han society. Folk belief in the Earth God is very widespread, and Earth temples could be seen almost everywhere before liberation.
2. Respecting ancestors and respecting the elderly
Respecting the ancestors and respecting the elderly is an eternal legacy of the Han people. Ancestor respect is the worship of ancestors. In the Shang Dynasty, people believed in a single deity in which God and ancestors were one, while in the Zhou Dynasty they believed in dual deities in which God and ancestors were separated, and worshiping ancestor gods was a more important tradition. Ancestor worship of the Han people mainly focuses on offering sacrifices to distant ancestors with meritorious service and recent ancestors with close blood relationships.
The custom of worshiping ancestors has continued until modern times. Folk ancestor worship activities are still very solemn, including sacrifices, hall sacrifices, festival sacrifices, annual sacrifices, house sacrifices, ancestral sacrifices, etc. During festivals and festivals, some people also pay homage to the remains and faces of their ancestors to show that they do not forget their ancestors and Enjoy the celebration with your ancestors or seek blessings from them. The places where the Han people worship their ancestors are called ancestral temples or ancestral temples, and ancestral temples and ancestral temples can be found all over the country.
Related to the custom of respecting ancestors, under the long-term influence of the feudal patriarchal system, the Han people like to live in groups and compile genealogies regularly. Due to the fact that they live together as a group, the Han people have had three or even five generations living together under the same roof since ancient times, and some have lived together for hundreds of years. This kind of clan that lives together for generations and has a lot of wealth is commonly known as "Yiju" or "Yimen". During the Ming Dynasty, the ninth generation of the Zheng family in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province lived together. Taizu of the Ming Dynasty once issued an edict to build the Zhengyi Gate as a sign of honor. Although families tend to be smaller nowadays, families with three generations living under one roof are more common.
The custom of respecting the elderly, which extends from respecting ancestors, is deeply rooted among the Han people. "The Book of Songs·Daya·Jizui" says: "Filial piety is not lacking, it will always be given to you." This means that the filial piety of a filial son and respecting the elderly is endless, and it is bound to often influence the entire family and even the entire nation. The folk custom of respecting the elderly among the Han people continues to this day and is a fine tradition worth carrying forward.
3. Surnames and given names
Initially, there were differences between the surnames and surnames of the Han people. The original surname was the family name of the matrilineal clan commune. The word "surname" is composed of the words "女" and "生". Many ancient surnames have "女" next to them, such as Jiang, Yao, Ji, etc. A surname is a branch of a surname. Due to the proliferation of descendants, a clan is divided into several branches and scattered throughout the country. Each branch has a special mark as a symbol, which is a clan. Later, there was not much difference between surname and surname.
4. Architectural form
Due to the vast distribution area of ??the Han people, their traditional houses have different styles depending on the region.
The traditional houses of the Han people living in the North China Plain are mostly bungalows with brick and wood structures, and the courtyards are mostly courtyard-style, represented by Beijing courtyard houses. The traditional houses of the Han people living in the Northeast are basically similar to those in North China, with the difference being the walls and roofs. , the houses there are generally very thick, mainly to keep warm; the Han people living in northern Shaanxi dig cave dwellings for housing based on the characteristics of the Loess Plateau's thick soil and low underground water level. The cave dwellings are not only warm in winter and cool in summer, but also do not occupy cultivated land. area; the traditional houses of the Han people living in the south are mainly wooden houses, which pay attention to the structure of flying eaves, heavy pavilions and lumao. Due to different customs and natural conditions in various parts of the South, there are also differences in the layout of housing buildings. For example, buildings in hilly and mountainous areas are built along the mountains; water towns in Jiangsu and Zhejiang focus on the front streets and rivers; the earth buildings in Fujian are large and beautiful; and the pavilions in Suzhou are small and beautiful.
Whether they are Han people in the south or the north, the most common characteristics of their traditional houses are that they face south and pay attention to indoor lighting; they use wooden beams to bear the load, and they use bricks, stones, and earth to build protective walls; As the center, it is famous for its carved beams and painted roofs and decorative roofs and cornices.
5. Culture and Art
The Han people created splendid culture and art with distinctive characteristics in ancient times. Regardless of the fields of politics, military, philosophy, economics, history, natural sciences, literature, art, etc., there are many representative figures and works with far-reaching influence. During the Western Zhou Dynasty, a complete cultural achievement was formed, which is the culture of rituals and music. Zhou rituals are very complicated. According to "Zhou Rites", there are five rituals: auspicious, unlucky, military, guest, and Jia. Music was valued very much in the Western Zhou Dynasty, and there were specialized officials to manage it. , there are also music officials recorded in bronze inscriptions. Zhou Dynasty music and dance such as "Da Wu" was composed by King Wu of Zhou Ke Shang. The Zhou Dynasty had a relatively complete education system. The six arts of "ritual", "music", "shooting", "imperial", "calligraphy" and "numerology" were the cultural education content of the nobility of the Zhou Dynasty. China's earliest classics such as "Book of Changes" and "Shangshu" ", "The Book of Songs", "Zhou Rites", "The Book of Music" (lost), and "Spring and Autumn" all came from this period, as well as the theories of various scholars in the Spring and Autumn Period.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a lively scene of a hundred schools of thought contending in various Chinese vassal states. The achievements of various ideological and academic schools reflected the ancient Greek civilization at roughly the same time. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (reigned from 141 BC to 87 BC), he implemented the policy of "deposing hundreds of schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone". As a result, Confucianism represented by Confucius and Mencius became the ruling ideology, ruling the ancient thought and culture of the Han people for nearly 2000 years. , affecting other ethnic minorities to varying degrees, and even affecting China’s neighboring countries. In terms of ancient military theory, the famous military work "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu was published as early as the late Spring and Autumn Period. In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, 182 schools of military art were sorted out, especially the "Seven Books of Martial Arts", which has been a must-read for martial arts since the Song Dynasty, and concentrated the essence of ancient military works. Paying attention to historiography is also a prominent feature of Han cultural history. Since Sima Qian wrote "Historical Records", all dynasties have had historical books in the chronological and biographical style. By the Qing Dynasty, the famous "Twenty-Four Histories" had been formed; the chronological style was represented by "Spring and Autumn", "Zuo Zhuan", and "Zizhi Tongjian"; and other various Chronicles, late-style history books, ancient histories, miscellaneous histories, local historical records, historical theories and other official and private writings have made China the country with the richest ancient historical documents in the world, most of which were written by Han scholars. In terms of natural science, the achievements of astronomy and mathematics have always attracted the attention of the world, including Zhang Heng (78-139), Zu Chongzhi (429-500), Yixing (commonly known as Zhang Sui, 683-727), Guo Shoujing (1231-1316) etc. have been recognized as world cultural celebrities. Ancient agriculture often includes various achievements of ancient science and technology. According to incomplete statistics, more than 370 agricultural books have been lost and circulated to this day in more than 2000 years, including "The Book of Si Sheng", "The Essential Art of Qi Min" ", "Wang Zhen's Agricultural Book" and "Agricultural Policy Complete Book" are representative works of ancient agricultural works.
In the development of ancient Chinese literature, the development of poetry occupies a prominent position. For example, the Book of Songs, Songs of Chu, Yuefu, Tang Poems, Song Ci, etc. all have many writers and works with extremely high artistic achievements, and Qu Yuan (about 1700 BC) 340～278 BC), Li Bai (701～762), Du Fu (712～770), Liu Yong (about 987～about 1053), Su Shi (1037～1101), Lu You (1125～1210), Xin Qiji (1140～1207) Their names and works not only shine in the history of Chinese literature, but are also recognized as famous figures in the history of world literature. Prose includes the famous Qin and Han ancient prose. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, Han Yu (768-824), Liu Zongyuan (773-819) and others advocated the restoration of the Qin and Han ancient prose movement. During the reign of Zeng Gong (1019-1083), Wang Anshi (1021-1086), Su Shi, and Su Che (1039-1112), the ancient prose movement achieved great success and was known as the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties". The creation of novels has achieved great development in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Long-form masterpieces such as: "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms", "Journey to the West", "Water Margin", "The Scholars"; short story collections such as: "Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio" are all well-known. . There are also many ethnic minority writers who also use Chinese to create, and have produced many famous writers and masterpieces, among which "A Dream of Red Mansions" is the most outstanding masterpiece. In other fields such as painting, calligraphy, arts and crafts, music, dance, drama, folk art, etc., there are many famous artists who are famous at home and abroad, and they have achieved amazing artistic achievements. In the development of these arts, it especially shows that the Han people are good at learning and absorbing the strengths of other ethnic groups to develop their arts and form a unique style. There is also a long history of compilation of some great books. The "Beitang Shuchao", "Yiwen Leiju", "Taiping Yulan", "Cefu Yuangui", etc. of the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially the "Yongle Dadian" and "Book Collection" of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, can be said to be world-class. The famous ancient encyclopedia.
6. Han music
The Han people are a nation with a musical tradition. Han music has a long history and unique creation. Before the Qin Dynasty, the ancestors of the Han nationality had created musical instruments and music, and invented music rhythms. During the prosperous period of the Han and Tang Dynasties, Han nationality music was famous for its singing and dancing music; after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, it was dominated by opera music. Today's world-recognized musical temperaments, such as the law of fifths (called the law of thirds by the Han people), pure temperament, and equal temperament, were all independently invented by the Han people. Their results, like the convergence of wheels, have merged into the axis of world music theory. ?
7. Eating habits
1). Staple food
The Han people’s staple food is mainly rice and wheat, supplemented by vegetables, meat and soy products, tea and Wine is a traditional drink of the Han people. The main way to eat rice is rice, and there are various other foods such as porridge, rice noodles, rice cakes, glutinous rice balls, rice dumplings, rice cakes, etc.; for wheat, there are steamed buns, noodles, flower rolls, steamed buns, dumplings, wontons, fried dough sticks, spring rolls, fried dough sticks, etc. How to eat cakes, pancakes, etc. The Han people pay attention to and are good at cooking. The Han people in different regions use cooking methods such as stir-frying, roasting, pan-frying, boiling, steaming, roasting and cold salad to form different local flavors. Han cuisine is generally divided into eight major cuisines: Sichuan, Cantonese, Fujian, Anhui, Shandong, Hunan, Zhejiang and Jiangsu.
2). Drinking tea
Wine and tea are the two main beverages of the Han people. China is the hometown of tea and one of the earliest countries in the world to invent brewing technology. Wine culture and tea culture have a long history in China. For thousands of years, they have formed an indispensable part of the Han people's dietary customs and have also had a wide impact on the world.
Drinking tea by the Han people is said to have begun in the Shennong era, at least more than 4,700 years ago. Until now, Chinese Han compatriots still have the custom of drinking tea as a gift. The Han people have various tea preparations: smoked bean tea from Taihu Lake, scented tea from Suzhou, ginger salt tea from Hunan, Gaiwan tea from Chengdu, frozen top tea from Taiwan, Longjing tea from Hangzhou, oolong tea from Fujian, etc. .
The Han people’s basic dietary structure is based on grain crops as staple food and various animal foods and vegetables as non-staple food. This is sharply different from the dietary structure of Western ethnic groups and the Tibetan, Mongolian and other ethnic groups in China. In addition, in the long-term national development, the eating habit of three meals a day has been formed.
The combination of staple foods, dishes, and beverages in three meals a day not only has certain similarities, but also forms a series of specific characteristics due to different geographical and climatic environments, economic development levels, production and living conditions, etc.
China is the hometown of tea. Tea making and tea drinking have a history of thousands of years. There are many famous brands. The main varieties include green tea, black tea, oolong tea, scented tea, white tea and yellow tea. Chinese tea art enjoys a high reputation in the world. It was introduced to Japan in the Tang Dynasty and formed the Japanese tea ceremony.
When drinking tea, the Han people pay attention to the word "taste". Whenever guests come, the etiquette of making tea and serving tea is essential. When guests come to visit, you can seek advice and choose the tea set that best suits the guest's taste and the best tea set to entertain them. When serving tea to guests, it is also necessary to properly blend the tea leaves. When accompanying guests to drink tea, the host should pay attention to the amount of tea remaining in the guests' cups and pots. Generally, tea cups are used to make tea. If half of the tea is drunk, boiling water should be added as the guests drink, so that the concentration of the tea remains basically consistent. The water temperature is suitable. When drinking tea, it can also be appropriately paired with tea, candies, dishes, etc. to achieve the effect of adjusting taste and snacks.
Tea culture is very important in the life of the Han people. When King Wu conquered Zhou, tea was used as a tribute. In the later period of the primitive commune, tea became an item of goods exchange. During the Warring States Period, tea production had reached a certain scale. There are records of tea in the pre-Qin "Book of Songs". Another example is that in the Han Dynasty, tea became a special tonic for Buddhist "zazen". In the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, tea drinking was already popular. In the Sui Dynasty, tea was widely consumed by the people. In the Tang Dynasty, the tea industry prospered, and tea became "something that no one can live without". Teahouses, tea banquets, and tea parties appeared, and guests were encouraged to come and serve tea. In the Song Dynasty, tea fighting, tribute tea and gift tea were popular.
Drinking tea by the Han people is said to have begun in the Shennong era, at least more than 4,700 years ago. Until now, Chinese Han compatriots still have the custom of drinking tea as a gift. The Han people have various tea preparations: smoked bean tea from Taihu Lake, scented tea from Suzhou, ginger salt tea from Hunan, Gaiwan tea from Chengdu, frozen top tea from Taiwan, Longjing tea from Hangzhou, oolong tea from Fujian, etc. .
The Han people’s basic dietary structure is based on grain crops as staple food and various animal foods and vegetables as non-staple food. This is sharply different from the dietary structure of Western ethnic groups and the Tibetan, Mongolian and other ethnic groups in China. In addition, in the long-term development of the nation, the eating habit of three meals a day has been formed. The combination of staple foods, dishes, and beverages in three meals a day not only has certain similarities, but also forms a series of specific characteristics due to different geographical and climatic environments, economic development levels, production and living conditions, etc.
3). Wine
Rice wine is also called fermented rice wine and sweet wine. In the old days, it was called "鴴". Brewed from glutinous rice, it is a traditional specialty wine of the Han people.
Wine is not only a drink that can satisfy physiological needs such as refreshing, relieving fatigue, and medical purposes, but also an important cultural media. It occupies an important position in the long-term food culture of the Han people. In feudal society, it was an indispensable and important offering for worshiping gods and ancestors. In this ceremony, it played a media role in communicating between humans and gods. In important festivals of the Han people, wine is an indispensable must-have. There is a saying among the Han people that there is no feast without wine. Wine can add to the fun and increase the joyful atmosphere. Activities such as "guessing the box", "drinking order", and "jiuqu" are still popular in many areas when drinking. They are not only a drinking custom, but also a national entertainment and folk wisdom. It has many functions such as activating the atmosphere, eliminating alcohol, displaying and exercising intelligence. Some drinking activities have formed unique cultural customs, such as drinking Tusu wine on New Year's Eve, drinking realgar wine on Dragon Boat Festival, drinking chrysanthemum wine on Double Ninth Festival, etc. Containing the profound natural and humanistic concepts of the Han people, wine is still praised by people. Wine is a medium for the Han people to convey feelings and strengthen connections in daily life and various social activities. In many areas of the Han people, it is used before a girl gets married. All these drinking customs are an integral part of the Han people's past and present dietary and living customs.
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Festival food is rich and colorful. It often cleverly combines rich nutrients, pleasing art forms and profound cultural connotations, becoming a relatively typical festival food culture.
They can be roughly divided into three categories:
First, they are used as sacrificial offerings. It occupies an important position in special sacrifices, celebrations and other ceremonies of the palace, government, clan, and family in the old days. In most areas of the contemporary Han people, this phenomenon has long ended. Only in a few remote areas or on certain special occasions, some symbolic activities still remain.
The second is specific food products for people to eat during festivals. This is the mainstream of festival food and food customs. For example, on Spring Festival and New Year's Eve, every household in the north has the habit of making dumplings, while in the south of the Yangtze River, the custom of making and eating rice cakes is popular. In addition, fish is often included in family banquets during the Chinese New Year in many areas of the Han people, symbolizing "abundance every year." The custom of eating rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival has been passed down for thousands of years. Mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn Festival contain blessings for family reunion and harmony in human affairs. Others include spring pancakes and spring rolls eaten at the beginning of spring, Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Laba porridge on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, cold food during the Cold Food Festival, pig heads and broad beans eaten on the second day of the second lunar month, new grains eaten during the new festival, and drinking wine during wedding celebrations. , longevity peaches, longevity peaches, longevity cakes, etc. in birthday banquets are all special foods in festival customs and food customs with special connotations.
5). Beliefs and taboos in food
The Han people usually avoid raw food on the first, second and third day of the first lunar month, that is, more food is cooked during the New Year's Day than before in the old calendar. Just reheat in three days. It is believed that when things are ripe, things will go smoothly, and when things are raw, things will go against them. Therefore, in some places, everything is prepared before the end of the year, and there is a saying that no knife or scissors will be used during the three days of the festival. Another example is that in some areas of Henan, the third day of the first lunar month is the birthday of millet. Rice is not allowed to be eaten on this day, otherwise it will reduce millet production. In the past, there were many dietary taboos during women's childbirth period. For example, women in many areas of the Han ethnic group are forbidden to eat rabbit meat during pregnancy, believing that children born after eating rabbit meat will develop harelips. In other places, fresh ginger is prohibited because fresh ginger has a polydactyl shape, lest the child's hands and feet will grow with six fingers. In the past, Han women who had not given birth often avoided eating dog meat because they believed it was unclean and could easily lead to dystocia.
8. Han costumes
The Han nation has its own long-standing and gorgeous costumes, namely Hanfu.
Hanfu is one of the oldest national costumes in the world, extending from the legendary Yellow Emperor to the Jiashen Disaster (1644). After the Qing army entered the customs in 1644, a highly centralized government with the Manchus as the core was established. The Manchu rulers ordered the whole country to shave their heads and change their clothes, which aroused nationwide anger, dissatisfaction and armed resistance. Subsequently, the Manchu Dynasty carried out bloody suppression and massacre with force, and Hanfu gradually disappeared.
In 1683, the Qing army entered Taiwan and destroyed the remaining troops of Zheng Chenggong. From then on, the Han Dynasty completely disappeared from the daily life of the Chinese nation. After more than two hundred years of Manchu rule, today's Han people have gradually forgotten the gorgeous clothes they once owned, becoming the only ancient nation in the world that does not have their own national costumes. The "Tang suit", cheongsam, and long shirt and mandarin that people see today are not the national costumes of the Han people, but the national costumes or improvements of the Manchu people. What is gratifying is that today, more and more Han people are proudly wearing their own beautiful clothes. This spontaneous movement among the people to revive Han nationality costumes is often called the "Hanfu Movement."
9. Han ethnic group
Generally speaking, people of the same ethnic group live in the same or similar areas and have the same regional identity. Regional identity often becomes the name of ethnic lineage, a typical example is Chaozhou ethnic lineage.
Among the Han ethnic groups, the Hakka ethnic group is the only Han ethnic group that is not named after a region.
For the Han people, the Yan-Huang identity is one of the symbols and representatives of the nation’s spiritual tradition. Similarly, for ethnic groups under a nation, people in the same ethnic group often have a strong sense of identification with a specific thing and believe that this thing represents certain characteristics and characteristics of the ethnic group to which they belong. spiritual traditions.