Ocean Mold Invites You to Quanzhou: Discovering the Cultural Depths of Southern Fujian Folk Traditions
As a historic cultural city and the maritime trade hub of Song and Yuan dynasty China, Quanzhou's folk culture has endured for millennia, blending profound historical weight with enduring vitality. It stands as a vital vessel and vibrant embodiment of Southern Fujian culture. Today, we briefly introduce several quintessential folk traditions, inviting you to experience the unique cultural charm of this ancient city.
1. Shishi Chanjiang Sea Water Splashing Festival
When mentioning water festivals, many might first envision the lively scenes of the Dai ethnic group's Water Splashing Festival in Yunnan. But did you know? In Chanjiang, Shishi, Quanzhou, Fujian, there lies a uniquely maritime “Sea Water Splashing Festival.” Not only does it boast centuries of historical roots, but it also carries profound cultural connections between Fujian and Taiwan.
First documented during the Ming Dynasty and flourishing in the Qing Dynasty, the Shishi Chanjiang Maritime Water Splashing Festival emerged from the cross-strait ferry trade between Quanzhou's Shishi Chanjiang and Taiwan's Lukang. During the Qianlong reign, the Qing government officially opened the Chanjiang-Lukang ferry route, establishing the “Chanjiang Maritime Defense Office” to oversee cross-strait trade. At that time, “both large and small merchant and fishing vessels traversed the waters with ease, merchants converged like spokes on a wheel, and boats and carts gathered in abundance,” forming a thriving cross-strait trade network. During the Dragon Boat Festival season, boatmen on both sides spontaneously developed the custom of splashing water to ward off summer heat, seek blessings, and clean their vessels. This practice gradually evolved into a folk celebration symbolizing “the sea as a medium and water as a conduit for affection.” Today, the Sea Water Splashing Festival has evolved into a cultural event integrating “sea water splashing, dragon boat racing, and cross-strait folk performances.” The Fujian-Taiwan ferry crossing stands as a vital cultural testament to the blood ties between compatriots on both sides of the strait.
2.“Suo Luo Lian”
Also known as “Lotus Picking on Land,” Suo Luo Lian is a distinctive folk activity during Quanzhou's Dragon Boat Festival. It is said to be a remnant of ancient Yue ethnic traditions, where the chant “Suo Luo Lian” served as an incantation to ward off evil and disasters. Another interpretation suggests that lotus picking is a Quanzhou Dragon Boat Festival custom. During the ritual, the “Lotus-Picking Song” is sung, with the phrase “Suo Luo Lian” repeated after nearly every line of lyrics, hence the alternative name “Land Lotus-Picking.”
As recorded in the Quanzhou Prefecture Annals: Customs, “On the first day of the fifth lunar month, lotus-picking takes place in the city, at temples, and in villages. Wooden dragon heads are carved, drums and gongs are beaten, and they are welcomed into people's homes. Folk songs are sung, and offerings of money or fine wine are given.” By the mid-to-late Qing Dynasty, the activity shifted to the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Today, its traditional rituals remain fully preserved: the procession is led by “pū bīng” (soldiers wearing Qing-style hats and carrying realgar wine flasks), followed by a wooden Dragon King head, “flower ladies” (carrying flower baskets), Nanyin musicians, chest-slapping dancers, and others, with the entire group numbering over 200 people.
3. Quanzhou Mooncake Dice Game
Quanzhou's Mooncake Betting is a unique Mid-Autumn Festival custom in southern Fujian, tracing its cultural roots to the Tang Dynasty's “Jinshi Cake” tradition. During the Tang, the imperial court hosted the “Red Brocade Cake Banquet” for newly appointed Jinshi scholars, bestowing imperial “red brocade cakes” to honor their academic achievements—a ritual perpetuated by later generations. In the eighth year of Emperor Dezong's Zhenyuan reign (792 AD), Ouyang Zhan became Quanzhou's first imperial scholar. Subsequently, the region's scholarly traditions flourished, with literati particularly revering the “Jinshi cakes.” Even into the late 1940s, private tutors in Quanzhou gifted students “Jinshi cakes” during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Where there were “Jinshi cakes,” there had to be “Zhuangyuan cakes.” Since only one could be the top scholar, the people competed for the “Zhuangyuan cake” through a game of dice, symbolizing their aspirations to “win the top prize in the imperial examinations.”
Bo Bing draws its cultural essence from the imperial examination system. Its rules are straightforward: six dice are rolled, and the combinations of numbers determine six tiers of prizes—“First Scholar,” “Second Scholar,” “Third Scholar,” “Fourth Scholar,” “Twin Scholars,” and “Top Scholar.” As a reunion custom, the core value of Bo Bing lies in “family participation and shared joy.” Every Mid-Autumn Festival, households across Quanzhou's urban and rural areas, along with community centers and shopping malls, organize Mooncake Dice activities, fostering a cultural atmosphere of “universal participation.”
4. Quanzhou Lantern Festival Celebrations
The Lantern Festival, falling on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, is also known as the Upper Yuan Festival or the Festival of Lights. It is a traditional Chinese festival. In Quanzhou dialect, “lantern” (灯) and ‘descendant’ (丁) are homophones, so “displaying lanterns” (出灯) symbolizes “producing descendants,” signifying a prosperous family line. Quanzhou's Lantern Festival celebrations originated during the Tang and Song dynasties, with the folk tradition of lighting lanterns first emerging in Taoyuan, Fengzhou, Nan'an. After Fu Shi entered Fujian to serve as governor during the reign of Emperor Xizong of Tang and married Huang Ziyun, the Huang family presented lanterns to wish for the early birth of a son. Fu Shi established the Tang Wang Palace and introduced the Chang'an lantern ceremony to share the festivities with the people, thus preserving this custom.
Today's Quanzhou Lantern Festival street parades feature processions, lantern displays, floats, costumed performers, diverse cultural acts, and Southern Shaolin martial arts demonstrations. A smaller procession known as the “Singing and Playing Procession” wanders through streets and alleys. If the parade encounters firecrackers set off in welcome, it pauses to perform as a gesture of gratitude. Quanzhou's Lantern Festival celebrations embody the concentrated expression of Minnan folk customs and traditions, deeply rooted in the community, passed down through generations, and exerting widespread influence.
From the deep bonds between shores symbolized by splashing water from the sea to the exorcism and blessings chanted in the “Sola-lan” ritual, from the joyful reunion of the Mooncake Festival to the lantern-filled revelry of the Lantern Festival, Quanzhou's folk customs remain deeply rooted in daily life, as vibrant as ever. If you visit Quanzhou, why not join the Dragon Boat Festival water-splashing ritual at Ganjiang River, participate in a Mooncake Betting game during Mid-Autumn Festival, or cheer along with the lantern parade on Lantern Festival night? Amidst these vibrant traditions, you'll discover the city's warm humanity and profound cultural heritage.