Culture of Hunan

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Dufujiangge at Changsha, the cultural capital of Hunanese culture. Dufujiangge.jpg
Dufujiangge at Changsha, the cultural capital of Hunanese culture.

The culture of Hunan (湖湘文化) refers to the culture of the people based in the Hunan province of China. [1] [2] The mountainous terrain of Hunan separates it from the surrounding Chinese provinces, resulting in its own distinct characteristics. As the Xiang River runs through the province from south to north, Hunan is called "Xiang" for short and boasts its "Xiang Cuisine", "Xiang Embroidery", "Xiang Opera", and "Xiang Army". Therefore, the culture of Hunan is also called the Huxiang culture. [3] The culture of Hunan is originated in Chu (state) (Chineses: 楚) culture from the Zhou dynasty. The meaning of Hunan culture contains two aspects. Generally speaking, it refers to the sum of folk customs, social consciousness, scientific culture, and material culture that have been created in the long-term history of people of all ethnic groups in Hunan. In a narrow sense, it refers to the spirit that developed and accumulated on this basis. [4]

Contents

Region

The region of this culture is originated in today's Hunan Province in China. The Guangxi Autonomous Region is outside the southwestern boundary of Hunan, while the surrounding provinces include Guangdong in the southeast, Jiangxi in the east and Hubei in the north. Outside the western border are Chongqing and Guizhou in the northwest. It is located in the heart of southern China. Four-fifths of Hunan is a mountainous or hilly area, covered with the fertile northern plains. The north plain spreads from Dongting lake and extends south to the lowlands of the centre. Hunan, ‘south of the lake’, is named after Dongting but was also called Xiang. Luoxiao mountain rises in the east of the province, the Nan Ling to the south, the Xuefeng Shan in the south-west and the Wuling Shan in the north-west. [5]

Language

Xiang language, also known as Hunanese, is the language spoken in most major cities in Hunan. It is believed that Xiang is a descendant of Old Chu. In essence, the Xiang language varieties are classified into two main categories. These are Old Xiang, usually represented with the variety of Shuangfeng, and New Xiang, usually represented with that of Changsha. The differences between the two are shown in the table below. In the past, the wide-ranging influence of Mandarin from the southwest, north, and west made it difficult to classify Xiang. The most significant difference between the Old and New varieties is that all the initial consonants become voiceless, as shown in the table below. In addition, Old Xiang does not have the initial /f/ consonant of New Xiang. This is due to the fact that there was no such phoneme in Old Chinese at first, but it was later developed in Middle Chinese. [6]

EnglishChineseShuangfengChangsha
White白 pia¹³, po¹³pɤ²⁴
Peachdɤ¹³tau¹³
Sitdzʊ³³tso⁴⁵
Togetherɡan³³kən⁴⁵
Wind風 (simplified: 风)xan⁵⁵xən³³

Literature

Huxiang literature refers to all kinds of literary works and literary theories created by people of Hunan origin and literati living in Huxiang, as well as literary works created by other writers on the subject of Huxiang mountains and rivers. It is an important part of Chinese literature. [7]

Representative authors and works

Qu Yuan

Qu Yuan, portrait by an unknown artist; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan. Qu Yuan.jpg
Qu Yuan, portrait by an unknown artist; in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan.

Qu Yuan (339-278 BCE), a poet and thinker who drowned himself after hearing the news that the capital of Chu had fallen to the Qin (state), and who is commemorated each year during the Duanwu Festival. He had been a statesman for the Chu kingdom during the warring States period. Qu yuan lost the faith of the king and was exiled after being betrayed by corrupt aristocrats. He wrote poems in his exile including “Li Sao” (“Encountering Sorrow”) and “Tian Wen” (“Questioning Heaven”), which are included in the collection Chu ci (first collected in first century BCE, material added second century CE; Chu Tz’u: The songs of the South, 1959). The Qin army invaded Chu in 277 BCE. Qu Yuan committed suicide in 278 BCE after he was disappointed and could not bear the defeat. [8] The poems from Qu Yuan are probably derived from fold legends in the region of Huxiang. The literary tradition of worrying about the country and the people is begun by Qu Yuan. The patriotic passion in Qu Yuan's poems is not only the beginning of Huxiang culture, but also the origin of Chinese romantic literature. [9]

Philosophy

Neo-Confucianism

Chinese Neo-Confucianism began in the Song and Ming Dynasties. Neo-Confucianism spanned four dynasties in Chinese history, namely Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing. Compared with the achievements of "modern philosophy" in Western philosophy, Neo-Confucianism also revitalised classical philosophy and expanded traditional philosophical discourse, adding new dimensions and reaching new heights. [10] Neo-Confucianism “can be broadly described as an attempt to integrate speculative, systematic metaphysics influenced by Buddhism and Daoism into the Confucian moral and social orientation system”(Perkins 2004, 20–21). The Neo-Confucianism cared about humanity fundamentally and established the role that humanity played in the moral reconstruction of the world around it. It means humans not only give meaning to the natural world, but also share moral attributes with natural phenomena. [11] The emergence of Neo-Confucianism significantly changed the ideologies of Huxiang people. Historically, it is a symbolisation of the “next stage” for the culture of Hunan since the ideologies tend to be united.

Yuelu Academy

Yuelu Academy is "Huxiang School". Hu Anguo (1074-1138), Hu Hong (1106-1162) and Zhang Shi are famous scholars in this school. Their main argument is that human nature is the essence, and the mind is the expression, but the principle is deeply embedded in human nature. [12] School is where different thinkers share their views. This is the first place in history that allows different ideas to communicate and argue. "The academic debate between Zhu Xi and Zhang Shi" is well known in history. They discussed various philosophical concepts, including the mean, the meaning of balance and harmony, and the ultimate meaning of greatness. The meeting and discussion lasted more than two and a half months. [13]

Visual arts

Xiang Embroidery

Xiang embroidery, also known as Hunan embroidery, refers to hand-embroidered works produced in Changsha, Hunan, China. Xiang embroidery is famous all over the world for its complicated embroidery process and long history. Archaeologists discovered fine embroidered silk in Changsha Mawangdui Han Thomas (206BC-220AD), which indicates that the Hunan embroidery work has appeared before 2000. In the long process of development, Xiang embroidery adopted the techniques of traditional Chinese painting to form its own unique style. By the end of the Qing Dynasty (early 20th century), the embroidery technology of Hunan embroidery reached its peak, even reached a leading position, and exceeded Su embroidery, which is now recognized as the best silk embroidery in China. Tiger is the most common embroidery pattern in Hunan embroidery. The unique technique of Xiang embroidery is usually based on Chinese painting, although it also includes carving, calligraphy and embroidery techniques. [14]

Performing arts

Xiang Opera

Xiang Opera is the main local opera in Hunan Province established in the Ming Dynasty. There are 12 kinds of characters in Xiang Opera, including Sheng (male character), Dan (female character), Chou (clown or comic character) and "flower face" characters (jing or male characters that are popular because of elaborate facial paintings). The Xiang operas are usually accompanied by musical instruments such as flute, jade piano (an ancient stringed instrument) and percussion instruments common in China. There are more than 300 works in Xiang Opera, such as "Patriotic General Yue Fei", "Salute to the Moon", "The Story of the White Rabbit" and "Exploration of the Gods". At present, due to the rise of modern culture and the lack of funds and practitioners, opera is in danger of extinction. Therefore, protective measures should be taken as soon as possible so that this cultural heritage can be continued. [15]

Flower-drum opera

Flower-drum Opera is a local opera originated in the countryside of many regions. Its main accompaniment instruments include Suona Horn, pipe, drum, gong, etc. Flower-drum Opera is very popular with the local people in Hunan, Hubei, Anhui, Guangdong and other provinces. As Flower-drum Opera takes rural life as the subject matter and its melody is stemmed from ballads, folk songs, hums, work songs and Taoist music, it is featured by lively melody, pithy plot and dialect-style singing. Featuring intense rustic traits, repertoires of Flower-drum Opera mainly reflect laboring activities, love, family conflicts and other contents in folk life. Performing forms of Flower-drum Opera were fixed in the Qing Dynasty to be cored with three roles: Dan (the female character type), Sheng (the young male character type) and Chou (clown). Flower-drum Opera at the initial stage was a life-oriented playlet cored with folk chansons. In later period, repertoires focusing on folk legends with strong narrative nature came into existence. Flower-drum Opera has undergone flourishing development after the founding of People's Republic of China. The most typical Hunan Flower-drum Opera has been developed for over 200 years and now is provided with more than 300 types of melodies. Moreover, a large number of traditional repertoires have been coordinated and adapted. At the same time, numerous modern dramas such as the popular play Tinker Pans were created. The initial heroine of the play is the later famous soprano singer Li Guyi. As a playlet taking root in folk life, Flower-drum Opera has been experiencing continuous improvement under the joint efforts of old and newly-arising artists. [16]

Architecture

Hongjiang Commercial Ancient Town

The town has more than 380 intact ancient buildings erected in the Ming and Qing dynasties, covering an area of 100,000 square meters. These buildings are durable, but still vividly remind the wealthy merchants of a luxurious lifestyle. It features classic dwellings south of the Yangtze River, and presents the paintings of the "Picture of the Qingming River". With the maze of narrow streets, Hong Jiang still reminiscent of the image of ancient China. [17]

Cuisine

History

A large number of exquisite ceramic cookware and wine utensils unearthed from the Southern Neolithic site, as well as the remains of cereals and animals, confirmed that the ancestors of Hunan people had eaten cooked food as early as 8000-9000 years ago. During the Spring and Autumn Period, Hunan was mainly where the Chu people lived. Multi-ethnic groups live in different parts of Hunan with different eating habits. Various dishes have strict requirements on color, smell, taste and shape. At that time, the ancestors had more than ten cooking methods, including burning, roasting, stewing, frying, and boiling. The cooking method of Hunan cuisine in the Han Dynasty was further developed. They have evolved into various types, such as steamed fish and smoked meat. Seasonings used in cooking include salt, soy sauce, bean paste, sugar, honey, plums, cinnamon, pepper and goji berries. Since Hunan is rich in products, since the Tang and Song Dynasties, especially during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the development of Hunan cuisine has become more complete, and Hunan cuisine has gradually become a specialty among the eight major Chinese cuisines. [18]

Global impact

Hunan cuisine plays an important role in the globalisation of Chinese cuisine. Phillip Chang is the founder of Scottsdale, Arizona. Chang ’s Chinese bistro chain (whose family has owned Chinese restaurants for decades) said his mother was the first chef for the mandarin restaurant on Pold Street in San Francisco, from Hunan. The spicy Chinese food that first introduced to Americans was Hunan cuisine. [19]

Famous dishes

Stinky Tofu Stinky Tofu.jpg
Stinky Tofu

It was originally eaten by the poor monk Zhu Yuanhang. One day, he was hungry and found some old tofu in someone's home. He didn't care if it was cooked, he stuffed it in his mouth, and never forgot the deliciousness of this tofu. Later, he became a military commander, successfully led his army, and won many victories all the way to Anhui Province. To celebrate, he ordered the whole army to eat stinky tofu. The name soon became widely known. Changsha's stinky tofu is made from high-quality soybeans, and then soaked in brine containing bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, koji and soybean meal. [20]

Xiang Army

Xiang Army The-Xiang-Army.jpg
Xiang Army

The Xiang Army is a standing army organized by Zeng Guofan, composed of existing regional and rural militia, to curb the rebellion of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The name was taken from the Hunan area where the army had added troops. The army was funded by local nobles and gentry, not the centralized Qing dynasty. Although it was specifically proposed to solve the Hunan problem, the Army was at the core of the new Qing military system, and thus forever weakened the influence of the Manchu in the army. This shift of centralized command is generally considered to be the main reason leading to the final collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the emergence of regional warlordism in China in the first half of the twentieth century. [21]

History Book

'History of Hunanese'(link) the first book on the history of Hunanese(Phoelanese) civilization and nation from the perspective of we the hunanese (phoelanese) people.

Related Research Articles

Hunan Province of south-central China

Hunan is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangxi to the east, Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, Guizhou to the west and Chongqing to the northwest. Its capital and largest city is Changsha, which also abuts the Xiang River. With a population of just over 67 million as of 2014 residing in an area of approximately 210,000 km2 (81,000 sq mi), it is China's 7th most populous province and the 10th most extensive province by area. Its 2020 nominal GDP was more than US$600 billion, appearing in the top 30 largest sub-national economies in the world with its PPP GDP being over US$1 trillion.

Changsha Capital of and prefecture-level city in Hunan, China

Changsha is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of the People's Republic of China. It is the third-most populous city in Central China, located in the lower reaches of Xiang River in northeastern Hunan. Changsha is also called Xingcheng and was once named Linxiang, Qingyang (青阳) in ancient times. It is also known as Shanshuizhoucheng (山水洲城), with the Xiang River flowing through it, containing Mount Yuelu and Orange Isle. Changsha is the core city of Chang-Zhu-Tan City Cluster and a supercity in China, one of the core cities in Central China. It's also a National Comprehensive Transportation Hub, and one of the first National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in China. Changshanese, a kind of Xiang Chinese, is spoken in the downtown, while Ningxiangnese and Liuyangnese are also spoken in the counties and cities under its jurisdiction.

Dongting Lake Lake in Hunan province, China

Dongting Lake is a large, shallow lake in northeastern Hunan Province, China. It is a flood basin of the Yangtze River, so its volume depends on the season. The provinces of Hubei and Hunan are named after their location relative to the lake: Hubei means "North of the Lake" and Hunan, "South of the Lake".

Xiang River River in China

The Xiang River is the chief river of the Lake Dongting drainage system of the middle Yangtze, the largest river in Hunan Province, China. It is the 2nd largest tributary in terms of surface runoff, the 5th largest tributary by drainage area of the Yangtze tributaries. The river flows generally northeast through Guangxi and Hunan two provinces, its tributaries reach into Jiangxi and Guangdong.

Ningxiang is a county-level city and the 2nd most populous county-level division in the Province of Hunan, China; it is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Changsha. The city is bordered to the north by Heshan District of Yiyang and Taojiang County, to the west by Anhua County and Lianyuan City, to the south by Louxing District of Loudi, Xiangxiang City, Shaoshan City and Yuhu District of Xiangtan, to the east by Yuelu and Wangcheng Districts. Located in the central east of Hunan Province, Ningxiang covers 2,906 km2 (1,122 sq mi) with a registered population of 1,393,528 and a resident population of 1,218,400. The city has 4 subdistricts, 21 towns and 4 townships under its jurisdiction, its administrative centre is at Yutan Subdistrict (玉潭街道).

Yuelu District District in Hunan, Peoples Republic of China

Yuelu District is one of six urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China. It is the 4th most populous district in Hunan. The district is bordered to the north by Wangcheng District, to the west by Ningxiang County, to the south by Yuhu District of Xiangtan City, across the Xiang river to the west by Tianxin, Furong and Kaifu Districts. Located on the west bank of the Xiang River, as the western part of the City proper, the district is named after Mount Yuelu, one of the national parks, Yuelu District covers 538.83 km2 (208.04 sq mi) with registered population of 644,834 and resident population of 818,900. The district has 16 subdistricts and 2 towns under its jurisdiction, its administrative centre is at Wangyue (望岳街道).

Xiang Chinese Primary branch of Chinese spoken in southern China

Xiang or Hsiang ; Changsha Xiang: sian1 y3, also known as Hunanese, is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages, spoken mainly in Hunan province but also in northern Guangxi and parts of neighboring Guizhou and Hubei provinces. Scholars divided Xiang into five subgroups, Chang-Yi, Lou-Shao, Hengzhou, Chen-Xu and Yong-Quan. Among those, Lou-shao, also known as Old Xiang, still exhibits the three-way distinction of Middle Chinese obstruents, preserving the voiced stops, fricatives, and affricates. Xiang has also been heavily influenced by Mandarin, which adjoins three of the four sides of the Xiang speaking territory, and Gan in Jiangxi Province, from where a large population immigrated to Hunan during the Ming Dynasty.

Hunanese people

The Hunanese people or Xiang-speaking Chinese are a Xiang-speaking Han Chinese ethnic subgroup originating from Hunan province in Southern China, but Xiang-speaking people are also found in the adjacent provinces of Guangxi and Guizhou.

Embroidery City is the biggest embroidery products production base in China. It is also included in the China National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection and Research Base for the following functions: it researches and produces Hunan embroidery, clothes and home textiles, Chinese ceramics and silver jewelry and retains the production process of China's traditional crafts.

Xiangyin County is a county in Hunan Province, China, it is under the administration of Yueyang City. Located on the southeastern shores of Lake Dongting, the Xiang River runs south to north through the middle lands of the county, the Zi River merges into Dongting in the westeastern margin. Xiangyin is bordered by Yueyang County, Yuanjiang City to the north, Heshan District of Yiyang to the west, Wangcheng District of Changsha to the south, Miluo City to the east. It has an area of 1,581.5 km2 (610.6 sq mi) with rough 770,000 of population, the county is divided into 14 township-level divisions, the county seat is Wenxing Town.

Xiaoxiang

Xiaoxiang, also transliterated XiaoXiang, Hsiao Hsiang, and Chiu Chiang, in some older sources, refers to the "lakes and rivers" region in south-central China south of the middle-reaches of the Yangtze River and corresponding, more or less, with Hunan province. Xiaoxiang is less a precise geographic entity than a concept. Xiaoxiang is used in the genre of Xiaoxiang poetry of Classical Chinese poetry and in literature for symbolic purposes, in part because this was a significant area, which at least through the Song dynastic era China was still considered a wild place full of malaria, barbarians, and wild beasts. Indeed, for much of early Chinese history, this area belonged not to China, but to the independent state of Chu. Beginning at least with Qu Yuan, in the third century BCE, this region came to symbolically represent the unjust exile of a talented minister or government official by an unappreciative king or emperor.

Xiangtan Prefecture-level city in Hunan, Peoples Republic of China

Xiangtan is a prefecture-level city in east-central Hunan province, south-central China. The hometowns of several founding leaders of the Chinese Communist Party, including Chairman Mao Zedong, President Liu Shaoqi, and Marshal Peng Dehuai, are in Xiangtan's administration, as well as the hometowns of Qing dynasty painter Qi Baishi, scholar-general Zeng Guofan, and tennis player Peng Shuai.

New Xiang Family of Chinese dialects

New Xiang, also known as Chang-Yi is the dominant form of Xiang Chinese. It is spoken in northeastern areas of Hunan, China adjacent to areas where Southwestern Mandarin and Gan are spoken. Under their influence, it has lost some of the conservative phonological characteristics that distinguish Old Xiang. While most linguists follow Yuan Jiahua in describing New Xiang as a subgroup of Xiang Chinese, Zhou Zhenhe and You Rujie classify it as Southwestern Mandarin. However, New Xiang is still very difficult for Mandarin speakers to understand, particularly the old style of New Xiang.

Xiaoxiang poetry

Xiaoxiang poetry is one of the Classical Chinese poetry genres, one which has been practiced for over a thousand years. It is a poetry of scenic wonders, a poetry of officials exiled for their views and beliefs, and a poetry of dissent against submitting to government control. Xiaoxiang poetry is geographically associated with the Xiaoxiang region, around and south of Dongting Lake. The Xiaoxiang genre of literature is often associated with similarly themed Chinese calligraphy and Chinese painting. Famous poets in this genre include Qu Yuan, Song Yu, Jia Yi, Wang Yi, Yu Xin, Shen Quanqi, Zhang Yue, Li Bai, Du Fu, Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, and Su Shi.

Jinggang Town Town in Hunan, Peoples Republic of China

Jinggang is a town in Wangcheng district, Changsha, Hunan province, China. The town is located on the west bank of Xiang river, and bordered by Qiaokou to the north, Zhuliangqiao and Shuangjiangkou of Ningxiang to the west, Gaotangling to the south, Tongguan across the Xiang river to the east. It covers 92.47 km2 (35.70 sq mi) with 67.3 thousand of population. The Jinggang town was formed by the former Jinggang and Getang towns on November 19, 2015. According to the result of 2016 adjustment programmes on village-level divisions (村级区划调整), the town has two residential communities and 10 villages under its jurisdiction; the administrative office is at Nongxi village (农溪村).

Changsha has a history going back over 3000 years. It has grown to an important town of economy, culture and garrison in the southern area of Chu State. In the Later Tang dynasty (923-936), the king of Chu, Ma Yin, founded the Chu Kingdom (927-963) and set it as the capital, the city quickly became the largest and most important population, commercial and financial center in southern China. It was devastated by the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Wenxi Fire in 1938 but was quickly rebuilt. As of 2016, Changsha was ranked 13th of cities of China by comprehensive strength in 2016.

Hunan embroidery, or Xiang embroidery, as one of the traditional folk arts of China, together with Suzhou embroidery, Sichuan embroidery, and Cantonese embroidery, is regarded as the four most distinguished embroidery styles in China. It is a general name for the embroidery products which rise from and are mostly produced at Changsha, Hunan, with distinct characteristics of Chu culture. Hunan embroidery is particularly famous in embroidering with silk thread, and the patterns have a high sense of reality. In 2006, Hunan embroidery was selected into the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

The Xiangxiang dialect is a dialect of Xiang Chinese, spoken in Xiangxiang, Hunan province, China. It is part of a group of dialects called the Central Xiang dialects.

Mount Zhao

Mount Zhao is a 185 metres (607 ft) mountain on the border of Xiangtan and Changsha in Hunan, China. Towering by riverside of the Xiang River, it has guarded the estuary of Xiang River and controlled the center of Hunan. It has been designated as a provincial-level scenery area by the government of Hunan in 1991 for its long history, superb environment, unique landscape and cultural attraction.

Wang Kaiyun

Wang Kaiyun, courtesy name Renqiu and Renfu, was a Chinese scholar and litterateur.

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