Heyuan is located in the northeastern part of Guangdong Province, at the junction of the coast and the mountainous area. 90% of the people living here are Hakkas. The Hakkas are the Han people from the Central Plains who originally came to Henan during the war in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. After several difficult journeys and a delay of 1050 years, they migrated to southern Jiangxi, southern Fujian, northeastern Guangdong and other places. On the basis of inheriting certain cultural customs from the original Central Plains area and combining with their own living environment, a unique ethnic group was formed. . The Hakka ethnic group is a branch of the Chinese Han nation, and its most obvious feature is that it speaks Hakka, which is one of the eight major dialects of the Han nation. The Hakka people have their own unique cultural customs and habits, which vary slightly due to different periods and regions. Most of the Hakka people live in mountainous areas. There is a saying that "every guest goes to the mountains, and wherever there is a mountain, there must be guests." Because they are less influenced by the outside world, and the Hakka people in each place have their own little characteristics, such as different accents, but they are similar. .
Hakka folk houses
Hakka folk houses were built when the Hakka people migrated to the Lingnan mountainous area. In order to avoid the invasion of wild beasts and tomb hooligans, they absorbed the architectural essence of the ancient Central Plains area. On the basis of this, it is a kind of unique, simple and elegant residential building built by groups living together. Hakka residential buildings have different forms in different periods. According to the different architectural styles and forms, Hakka residential buildings can be divided into Weilong House, There are five phoenix towers, square towers, earth towers, and mansion-style buildings, among which the most representative one is the Weilong House.
The Weilong House, the courtyard house in Beijing, the cave dwellings in Shaanxi, the "rail style" in Guangxi and the "one seal" in Yunnan are known as the five major characteristics of Chinese folk residences. The Weilong House is a mixed structure technology of "lifting beam type" and "passing bucket type" that was more advanced by the Han people in the Central Plains at that time. Generally, hilly areas or slopes are chosen for construction. An ordinary Weilong house covers an area of ??8 acres or 10 acres, and the largest one covers an area of ??more than 30 acres. It takes 5 to 10 years to build a complete Weilong house. There are multiple buildings in the house. There are bedrooms, kitchens, large and small halls and living facilities such as water, pig pens, chicken coops, toilets, warehouses, etc., forming a self-sufficient and contented social group. Regardless of the size of the Weilong House, there must be a piece of grass and a half-moon-shaped pond in front of the gate. The grass flat is used for sunbathing, enjoying the shade and other activities. The pond has the functions of fire prevention and water storage.
The Hakka houses in the Heyuan area belong to the mansion style and have a similar structural pattern to the Weilong House. The architecture pays attention to the terrain and seating orientation. The general layout requires the meridian as the central axis, left and right symmetry, and can be divided according to the structure. It is "three halls, two horizontals, and one enclosure". The three halls refer to the front, middle and back halls. The middle hall is a place for major gatherings and festive activities; the back hall is generally the "ancestral hall", which is where ancestors' shrines are enshrined. A special place for sacrifices and sacrifices; there are horizontal rooms on the left and right sides of the front hall door, and then the horizontal rooms on both sides extend backward to the back enclosure in a half-moon or square shape. Between the back and the enclosure of the ancestral hall in the back hall is a tower higher than the front The ground at the foundation of the house is commonly known as the "flower bed".
The design and construction of Hakka houses integrate scientific, practical and ornamental aspects, showing the outstanding talents and superb skills of the Hakka ancestors. Hakka folk houses have the following five advantages: First, they are fully economical. The building materials are mainly loess, wood, sand, and stone. They can be rebuilt after demolition and the materials can be reused; second, they have good solidity. The wall base is made of stones. It is built with bamboo slices and wooden strips sandwiched in the wall; third, it has wonderful physical properties. Walls made of earth and wood can regulate air humidity and temperature. Earth wood is a poor conductor of heat, so its temperature changes slowly, and if If the air humidity is greater than itself, it will absorb moisture in the air to regulate the humidity and temperature of the air. Fourth, it has outstanding defensive properties. The walls are solid, there are no windows on the ground floor, the thick hardwood doors are covered with iron sheets, and fireproof water tanks are placed above the doors. The living facilities in the building are complete, which is necessary for them to resist attacks by soldiers, bandits, wild beasts, etc. . The fifth is the unique artistry, mainly reflected in the layout and shape, as shown in the picture:
Hakka Customs
When the Hakkas came to the mountainous areas, they were influenced by the environment and formed Some of the unique living customs and habits of the Hakka people. Over time, some customs and habits have disappeared, some have been retained, and some have been improved or changed. Below are some typical customs listed for everyone to enjoy.
Moving to a new house
When Hakka people build a new house, they usually have to carry out the ritual of "moving into a new house", which is called "Chusha". Only after you ask a Feng Shui master to drive away the "three evil spirits" will you be safe and prosperous.
At about 1 a.m. on the day of moving, a large table was placed in the hall of the main house. Three rice buckets were placed on the table, one for white rice and two for dry grains. The rice bucket was placed in the center, and the Feng Shui master placed the compass. On the rice bucket, the plasterer placed a trowel and a five-footer on the left bucket. The carpenter placed a curved ruler and an ink bucket on the right bucket. A red envelope was enlarged on each of the rice buckets. In the middle of the hall, there are several Eight Immortals tables placed in front of the door. On the tables, several feet of folded cotton cloth are spread out to the door. Mr. Geography's head was wrapped in a red scarf and he was wearing plain clothes. He held a big rooster in his left hand and a seven-star sword in his right hand. He was chanting words in his mouth, and he was very energetic. He cut the rooster to death, sprinkled the blood on the white cloth, and went straight out of the door. , threw the chicken outside the gate, and at the same time, the masons and carpenters used mahogany sticks to beat the cloth vigorously, and they all walked out of the gate. Then they were sent out of the gate with loud cheers of firecrackers, shotguns, and gongs and drums.
At auspicious times in the morning, the elderly couple who are famous and have many descendants are asked to "open the door". The man is on the left and the woman is on the right, standing inside the door. After the door gods are worshiped outside, the old couple will open the door. , when opening the door, you should say auspicious words: "Open the left door, come the rich man; open the right door, come the rich man"; also say "Come the rich man and the rich man together". The owner of the house opens the door with a lamp, and the furniture comes with him. The more particular thing is to lead a big buffalo or a yellow bull into the house, hang a sword and a red cloth on the horns, put on a chain and a plow, and then the descendants of the host family will drive into the house with the plow, and then the housewife will carry the stove and the big pot to the kitchen to light a fire. , miscellaneous furniture