Source: Visual China.
In 801 A.D., an event that had an important impact on the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries occurred - Shu Nantuo, the prince of the Pyu Kingdom (ancient name of Burma), led a band and dancing girls along the Southwest Silk Road to Chang'an, the political center of the Tang Dynasty, to perform music and dance. The Southwest Silk Road appeared more than 200 years earlier than the familiar Northwest Silk Road, and the music of the Bi Dynasty later became a part of the music of the Tang Dynasty. Bai Juyi's famous "Bi Chinese Music" describes the grand performance of the ancient Burmese music and dance troupe in Chang'an. Reading this Tang poem again during the Spring Festival, the author suddenly became interested in the sentence "Come to offer Nanyin Fengzhengshuo", because it shows that the ancient Burmese and Tang people celebrated the Spring Festival at the same time in different spaces more than 1,200 years ago. "Feng Zhengshuo" is the use of the Chinese calendar, the Spring Festival is the beginning of the year, the beginning of the year is an important part of the calendar, so in ancient times those countries that used the Chinese calendar, have been thousands of miles away from the foreign land, together with the Chinese people to celebrate the Spring Festival, in the history of cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries to write a happy and beautiful chapter. The story may begin at the end of the Shang dynasty and the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty. After the success of King Wu's attack, he released a number of political prisoners from the former dynasty, including Jizi, the uncle of King Wu, who was highly respected and good at astronomical calendars. After Miko fled the Korean Peninsula, he established Miko Joseon. It is conceivable that the Shang Dynasty calendar was also introduced there, and the Korean Peninsula from the 12th century BC to the beginning of the 2nd century BC formed a ritual to celebrate the New Year similar to that of China. During the Warring States Period, Wei Man, a native of Yan, later crossed the Korean Peninsula to the east, expelled King Kei, and established Wei's Joseon. According to the History of Goryeo, the earliest calendar on the Korean Peninsula was introduced from China after the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, which roughly refers to this period of history. The establishment of Webster Korea consolidated the recognition of the Korean Peninsula people with the Chinese New Year, and related customs flourished. Interestingly, the Korean Peninsula is not only the earliest place for the spread of the Spring Festival, but also a transit point for the spread of the Spring Festival. During the reign of Emperor Suigu of Japan, the Baekje regime sent high-ranking monks to pay tribute to the "Yuan Jia Calendar" of the Southern Dynasty of China. The Yuan Jia Calendar was soon adopted, and the Japanese people began to celebrate the New Year on the first day of the first lunar month, which happened in 604 AD. For more than 1,200 years before the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese people celebrated the New Year on the first day of the first lunar month. The above-mentioned small moments in the early communication history of the Spring Festival are actually the beginning of the expansion of the international influence of the Spring Festival. Today, the Spring Festival has become a legal holiday in many countries and regions, about one-fifth of the world's population celebrates the Spring Festival in different forms, and the United Nations General Assembly has also designated the Spring Festival as a United Nations holiday, and the Spring Festival is increasingly becoming a cultural wealth shared by all mankind. (The author is the director of the Folklore Research Office of the Institute of Literature of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences).
Author: Bi Xuling.
Text: Bi Xuling: Visual China Editor: Fan Jing.
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