On the evening of January 25, tourists "checked in" at the Internet celebrity scenic spot of the old street of the ancient city of Yulin City.
On January 16, Luochuan paper-cutting artists created "dragon" element paper-cutting works to welcome the Spring Festival.
Reporter Dong Jiannan Ma Teng.
The Loess Plateau sings, and the gongs and drums are noisy to welcome spring.
Folk songs, storytelling, stone carvings, paper-cutting, ......The Spring Festival is approaching, and the inheritors of intangible cultural heritage in northern Shaanxi are "showing their magical powers", inheriting intangible cultural heritage skills, welcoming the Spring Festival, and allowing citizens and tourists to feel the strong flavor of intangible cultural heritage.
The ancient city of Yulin carries the humanistic memory of a city and inherits the ancient and heavy urban context. In mid-January, the ancient city of Yulin is bustling with activity. Yulin's national intangible cultural heritage projects such as Yulin songs, northern Shaanxi storytelling, northern Shaanxi Taoism, and northern Shaanxi folk songs, as well as scene dramas, traditional folk music and other programs, were staged here. Tourists visit the "big set" and "zero distance" to feel the charm of intangible cultural heritage.
Yulin is the second batch of national historical and cultural cities, and a total of 11 intangible cultural heritage items, such as northern Shaanxi folk songs and Yulin songs, have been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage representative items. Approaching the Spring Festival, Yulin deepens people's understanding and memory of the intangible cultural heritage culture of northern Shaanxi and the ancient city of Yulin through the intangible cultural heritage performance with a strong northern Shaanxi style.
Stone carvings, paper-cutting, willow weaving and other works of art with intangible cultural heritage characteristics are scattered in the old streets of the ancient city, fully demonstrating the charm of Yulin's local intangible cultural heritage. Characteristic cultural and creative products are the "favorite" of tourists, and they are also a beautiful scenery on the old streets of the ancient city.
The studio of Gao Shufei, the representative inheritor of the fifth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage projects "Zizhou Stone Carving Skills", was opened in the old street of the ancient city of Yulin. "In the past, people believed that the stone lion was an auspicious thing, placed at home, with the meaning of warding off evil spirits. People also tied several small stone lions together with red ropes, hoping that the children would grow up safely. Gao Shufei introduced to reporters the cultural connotation behind the "Kangtou Lion" in the studio.
In the ancient city of Yulin, I walked through the market, ate supper, listened to the stories of the ancient city, and took photos and checked in at the Internet celebrity landmarks. Walking on the old streets, I felt at ease from the bottom of my heart. Li Shuhuan, a tourist from Xi'an, said.
In order to welcome the arrival of the Spring Festival, the plaques on the doors of many shops along the street in the ancient city of Yulin have been changed with "new clothes". In addition, during the Spring Festival, Yulin City will hold the 2024 "Yulin New Year in Northern Shaanxi" activities, covering Yangge performances, fireworks displays, New Year lantern festivals, New Year's goods gatherings, intangible cultural heritage Spring Festival, ice and snow sports, Spring Festival Gala of the Year of the Dragon, New Year's food, themed light and shadow shows, etc. Among them, the "Ancient City for the New Year" will introduce 100 intangible cultural heritage inheritors and 100 intangible cultural heritage workshops to build the ancient city of Yulin into an "intangible cultural heritage city".
Move on to a change of scenery. A piece of red paper, a pair of skillful hands, Yan'an's paper-cutting artists combine strong nostalgia with folk skills, use paper-cutting art to create a festive atmosphere, and send holiday blessings.
In the home of Wu Yuqin, the inheritor of Luochuan paper-cutting, as the scissors and red paper flipped and flew lightly in the hands of the paper-cutting artist, a piece of paper-cut works with the theme of "Longteng Shengshi Celebrates the New Year" jumped in front of him. In the works, the dragons are in good shape, cute in shape, or flying and jumping, or walking in the clouds, vivid and vivid.
In Luochuan, during the Chinese New Year, every household will paste exquisite red paper-cuts on the doors, windows, and walls, adding to the festive atmosphere, and also looking forward to a prosperous and harmonious new year. Picking up the newly created paper-cut work, Wu Yuqin introduced to reporters, "This work is "Dragon and Phoenix Chengxiang", with peony flowers in the middle, representing wealth, happiness and a happy life; This is "Joyful New Year", people dance Yangge, row dragon boats, welcome the arrival of the Year of the Dragon. ”
One cut one world, one knife one mess. As an ancient Chinese folk art, paper-cutting has a simple shape and rich connotation, carrying people's cognition of the world and people's expectations for a better life.
In Yan'an, Luochuan paper-cutting, Ansai paper-cutting, Yanchuan paper-cutting, etc. have their own regional characteristics, reflecting the local customs. In 2006, Ansai paper-cutting was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. In 2009, Chinese paper-cutting was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This ancient art has stepped out of the Loess Plateau and has been paid more and more attention and known by more and more people.
Wu Yuqin's paper-cut works are complete and plump in composition, pay attention to symmetrical art, and use yang and yin scissors freely, with a clever combination of slenderness and simplicity, smooth lines and exquisite patterns. In particular, the paper-cut works that reflect the folk customs of Luochuan have a unique artistic charm. With her exquisite paper-cutting skills, Wu Yuqin has attracted many paper-cutting enthusiasts to come to learn.
I especially like Ms. Wu's paper-cut works, so I came to learn from her. She helped me draw the bottom of the two dragons and pearls, and I learned to cut it myself. After cutting it out, it is ready to be framed and hung up, and then send some to relatives and friends to add to the festive atmosphere. Sun Suqin, a paper-cutting enthusiast, said.
Today, Wu Yuqin's paper-cut works have gone out of Shaanxi and become a collection of many paper-cut enthusiasts. In order to inherit the paper-cutting skills, she also actively participated in paper-cutting exhibitions, as well as intangible cultural heritage activities on campus, in the community, and in scenic spots, so as to drive more people to learn paper-cutting. "Paper-cutting is a handicraft. I will continue to improve the skills of paper-cutting, pass on this craft, and let more people understand, love and inherit paper-cutting. Wu Yuqin said.
Fried buns are "fried" for an auspicious year
On January 24, at the Wanhua Oil Bun Shop in the Baiping Farmers' Market in Yan'an City's Baota District, Liu Limei placed the prepared oil buns neatly.
This newspaper reporter Dong Jiannan text.
Eat an oil bun for the New Year, and the coming year will be rich and auspicious.
For Yan'an villagers, the Spring Festival often begins with a busy preparation of oil buns. The oil bun is a must-have New Year's food for every household, and the shape is like a copper coin, symbolizing wealth and auspiciousness, and implying reunion. In the memory of many people, when the oil bun is on the table, the year has arrived.
On January 24, in the Wanhua Oil Bun Store located in the Baiping Farmers' Market in Baota District, Yan'an City, the oil pot was set up and the stove was burning. Liu Limei, the inheritor of the handmade skills of oil buns in northern Shaanxi, sat by the stove, and two chopsticks "flew up and down" in the boiling oil. As the golden oil buns are freshly cooked, the sweet fragrance of the buns spreads in the air.
During the New Year's holidays, Yan'an people's dining table must be indispensable for oil buns. Although there are many tricks in the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner now, the oil bun still firmly occupies the 'main position'. Xue Yang, a native of Yan'an and deputy director of the Pagoda District Intangible Cultural Heritage Center, said that during his study abroad, what he missed most was the taste of oil buns.
To make oil buns, the best soft rice and yellow rice should be selected, and soaked, drained, ground and cooped according to a certain proportion. Blanch a quarter of the flour with boiling water into a paste and steam it in a pot, then mix the steamed batter with the remaining flour and put it in a pot to ferment. Liu Limei said that after that, she would add an appropriate amount of alkaline water to the fermented dough, knead it into small round cakes with holes in the middle, and fry them in an oil pan until golden brown. The color of the freshly cooked bun is golden, and when you bite into it, it is crispy on the outside and glutinous on the inside, soft and sweet, and the happiness of the New Year instantly comes to your heart.
From the beginning of carrying baskets through the streets, to pushing bicycles and riding tricycles along the streets, and now opening stores, Liu Limei has been engaged in the oil bun business for more than 30 years. With her skillful production skills, her oil buns are favored by customers.
In June 2011, the handmade skills of oil buns in northern Shaanxi Province were included in the third batch of intangible cultural heritage list in Shaanxi Province, and the oil buns were endowed with new cultural connotations.
Approaching the Spring Festival, there is an endless stream of customers who come to Liu Limei's store to buy fried buns. "The store sells nearly 5,000 units a day, and many of them are sent by courier. Now that everyone has a better life, the meaning of eating oil buns is more memories and feelings. In this case, we must control the quality of the product even more, and we must not smash the signboard of Yan'an's special snacks, let alone the signboard of intangible cultural heritage food. Liu Limei said.
Located on the Loess Plateau, Yan'an has a high altitude, long sunlight hours and a large temperature difference between day and night, which provides fertile soil for the growth of small grains such as millet, buckwheat and millet. Yan'an City has made concerted efforts in the industrial chain of planting, processing, and sales to develop "small grains" into a "big industry" that helps farmers increase their income and get rich.
In recent years, Yan'an has strengthened its inheritance and protection, deeply excavated food intangible cultural heritage items with strong Yan'an cultural characteristics, strengthened policy support, promoted inheritance and development through marketization, commercialization and industrialization, and continuously expanded the reputation and influence of Yan'an's traditional cuisine, so that the "bite of the tongue" Yan'an intangible cultural heritage has been rejuvenated. Thanks to the rapid development of e-commerce and the logistics industry, many special "Yan'an flavors" like oil buns have stepped out of the mountain col and onto the tables of consumers across the country.
In the Wanhua Oil Bun store, Liu Limei's daughter-in-law Ji Wenxiang vacuum-packed the special snacks of northern Shaanxi such as oil buns and yellow buns into gift boxes, ready to be sent to other places.
It's almost the Chinese New Year, and there are a lot of online orders. Consumers come from all over the country, and some customers order more than 1,000 oil buns at a time. Ji Wenxiang said, "Many Yan'an people who work hard outside want to reminisce about the taste of their hometown during the Chinese New Year." ”
Liu Yu, a citizen of Yan'an, bought a lot of oil buns and yellow buns. In addition to eating it for his own family, he also has to mail it to friends in other places to taste. "Yan'an's cereals are good and have long been famous. Taking advantage of the Chinese New Year, I want to send the oil buns to my friends to taste, so that they can taste the authentic Yan'an flavor and feel the strong Yan'an New Year's flavor. ”
Intangible cultural heritage food leads the taste buds on the one hand and feelings on the other. Nowadays, Yan'an specialties such as oil buns not only represent the food itself, but also carry history and culture, memory and nostalgia.
Look at Yulin tofu "seventy-two changes".
On January 24, in the restaurant of Saishang Restaurant, Yuyang District, Yulin City, the chef was cooking the famous Chinese snack - fried soybean milk. Reporter Ma Tengwen of this newspaper.
It is the best to pass on the camel city water, and ** see the essence of the shedding. A round of grinding of the upper stream of the agar liquid, snowflakes roll in the boiling soup. This poem adapted from an ancient poem and circulated in Yulin is about Yulin tofu.
Yulin people make tofu is a "good style", and the various delicacies made with tofu ingredients have also reached the extreme.
To make a good piece of tofu, a good quality water source is essential.
Yulin has always been a relatively water-scarce place. What is puzzling is that Yulin's tofu is notoriously delicious, and it can even taste "meat".
The seemingly ordinary tofu can be made into more than 100 "special dishes" in the hands of Yulin intangible cultural heritage masters. For these more than 100 dishes, Yulin people also gave a special name - stuffed tofu feast.
The traditional production technique of Yulin tofu is a provincial intangible cultural heritage, which is deeply related to local cultural and geographical factors. Yulin tofu is widely loved by people for its rich nutrition, low price and good quality, and is known as the first dish in Yulin. Li Xiaolong, the person in charge of Saishang Restaurant in Yuyang District, Yulin City, told reporters that there are more than 300 large-scale tofu workshops in Yulin City alone.
Li Xiaolong also has an identity - the district-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor of the traditional production skills of Yulin tofu. At the age of 18, Li Xiaolong began to learn how to make Yulin sour tofu, and has been in the industry for more than 30 years. His tofu cooking skills have long been perfected, and he has also accepted more than 20 apprentices.
In Li Xiaolong's hands, Yulin tofu can conjure up more than 100 "patterns". "Lotus Pond Frog Song", "Bear's Paw Tofu" and "Stone Ground Soybean Milk" are all his specialties.
Yulin City is located in the hilly and gully area of Mu Us Sandy Land and Loess Plateau, with drought and little rainfall, but rich groundwater resources.
There is a spring in the urban area of Yulin City - Puhui Spring. Puhui spring water is known as "peach blossom water", rich in strontium, metasilicic acid and other trace elements that are beneficial to human health, and is a calcium bicarbonate magnesium natural mineral water. "Peach blossom water" is the "secret**" of local people making tofu
In addition, the black beans produced in the Yulin Mountains are large, high-quality and delicious.
The good geographical environment, high-quality groundwater, plump black beans, and wise people have given birth to the fragrant and tender Yulin sour tofu.
With high-quality raw materials, unique manufacturing processes are also particularly important.
On January 23, the reporter followed Li Xiaolong into the back kitchen to get a glimpse of the secret behind the "transformation" of Yulin tofu into a tofu banquet.
Spotting is the most important and unique skill in the production process of Yulin tofu. Sour pulp is the juice that is excreted from making tofu, and at a suitable temperature, it becomes sour by its own lactic acid bacteria. When spotting the pulp, the rake is mixed with the pulp until it stops when you see a pulp flower as big as a grain of rice. Sour tofu reduces the coolness of tofu itself and improves the nutritional value of tofu. Li Xiaolong said.
Later, more new dishes were derived from tofu. In 2000, a snack called fried soy milk won the title of Chinese famous snack.
Approaching the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner at the restaurant has been fully booked. For Chef Li Dong, this time is the busiest time of the year, as tourists from all over the world take advantage of the Spring Festival holiday every year to taste the "legendary" stuffed tofu feast.
Our family of five flew from Beijing to Yulin to taste the stuffed tofu feast, and we had to make a reservation in advance to eat it. Liu Wenbo, a tourist, shared with reporters, "In the stuffed tofu feast, my favorite dish is 'Lotus Pond Frog Song'." This dish is a blend of tofu and shrimp that melts in your mouth and is simply amazing! ”
In recent years, the relevant departments of Yulin City have effectively protected the traditional production skills of Yulin tofu. In 2010, "Yulin Tofu" was included in the National Geographical Indication Product Protection List.
At present, Yulin tofu has become a beautiful business card. We will also continue to innovate more dishes, so that more and more people will fall in love with this intangible cultural heritage delicacy and learn about the beautiful stuffed Yulin in tasting Yulin tofu. Li Xiaolong said. **Shaanxi**.