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Dragon dance, known in some places as “dragon‑dancing” and in others as “dragon‑lantern dance,” is a widely popular folk dance form in Hongtong County, Shanxi Province. Performances typically take place during the Lantern Festival, when people celebrate with great festivity on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month; in certain areas, it is also staged on the second day of the second lunar month, when the dragon is said to raise its head. This is an extremely common folk art, and such traditional performances are usually closely tied to China’s time‑honored festivals. The dragon in the dragon dance consists of a head, a body, and a tail, with the body being the longest and forming the core of the figure. When crafting this performing dragon, bamboo strips or wire are used as the framework.
Funeral culture is a major branch of folk traditions across different regions, characterized by highly complex rules, rituals, customs, and procedures. Below is a brief overview of some key stages. The main steps in the funeral process are as follows: 1. Stopping the Mourning: Generally, before the deceased passes away, the children will wash and dress the body. Upon the cessation of breathing, they must note the exact time, gently close the eyes and mouth, and then proceed with embalming and coffin placement. During the coffin‑placing ceremony, the body is first laid on a “Seven‑Star Board” — a wooden plank designed to fit easily into the coffin, with seven small holes carved into it, symbolizing the seven orifices of the human body. The body is then placed inside the coffin. Following this, a copper coin is traditionally placed in the deceased’s mouth (a practice that dates back to pre‑Qing dynasty times).
Lishan and Yangxie greet the aunt and see off the lady.
Lishan and Yangxie welcome the aunties and see off the goddesses, proceeding along Hongsan Road for twenty kilometers to Zujiagou. Three kilometers southwest, just south of Dongquantou Village, stand the ancient Yu Shun Temple and the Ehuang–Nüying Temple, commonly known as the “Shenli Temple.” A hundred meters to the south lies the Shun Well; two hundred meters farther south is the Lishan Shun Temple, also called the “Elephant‑Plowing, Bird‑Weeding District.” Below Shun Field to the north runs Xiangwo Gully, and from the gully’s bottom heading north rises Shenxiang Ridge. Less than a hundred meters due west of Shenxiang Ridge stands Bai Niao Peak—popularly known as Bird Peak—where, according to legend, Shun once tilled the fields on Lishan. The Lishan area is also referred to as Yingshan or Shenli Mountain. In Yangxie Village of Hongdong County and the Lishan region, there exists a bond of kinship that has endured unbroken for thousands of years—a phenomenon perhaps unparalleled in China’s history. This remarkable event…
Qingming Festival, a traditional occasion for honoring ancestors and tending to their graves, varies considerably from place to place. In Hongtong, visiting the graves is called “shangfen” or “shuo fen,” meaning that during Qingming, every family goes to its own ancestral tomb to pay respects—hence the term “shangfen”; once at the grave site, the elders recount stories of the ancestors buried there to the younger generation, which is why it’s also referred to as “shuo fen.” The timing of these visits differs as well. In southern Hongtong, people typically concentrate their grave‑visiting within the three days preceding Qingming: the first day is for newly tended graves, the second for older ones, and the third is reserved for families who have been “disowned” by the clan. In northern Hongtong, however, new graves are tended after the spring equinox, with subsequent visits continuing until the day before Qingming—that is, up to the Cold Food Festival.
Marriage is the most important event in one’s life, which is why wedding rituals are especially solemn and meticulous. The entire wedding ceremony unfolds in the following sequence: 1. Proposing: The groom’s family appoints a matchmaker to pay a formal visit to the bride’s home, where they formally bring up the matter of marriage to the bride’s parents or other key decision-makers. Even though young people today often pursue relationships freely, this step is still observed whenever circumstances permit. 2. Blind Date: Accompanied by the matchmaker, the groom visits the bride’s home to meet her family. If the couple is already in a relationship, a formal blind date is unnecessary; however, when the matchmaker has arranged the introduction, this step becomes essential—and it comes with many specific customs and protocols. Typically, the groom arrives after breakfast, and upon entering the house, he may immediately meet the bride’s aunt…
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