Fingertips flow a flower, skillful hands kneading birds to come
Where to see the dragon and phoenix in the world, and now they are accompanied by the face of the table
As an intangible cultural heritage of Shandong Province, Jiaodong Flower Dumpling has a production history of more than 300 years and is still spread in the folk area of Jiaodong.
Jiaodong flower dumplings originated in the era of underdeveloped productive forces, when the yield of wheat per acre was only a few hundred catties, and high-quality wheat flour became a "luxury", and the residents of Jiaodong coastal area used "rare" wheat flour to make sacrifices to cattle, sheep, pigs and other sacrifices to the sea gods, which is the predecessor of Jiaodong flower dumplings.
Later, folk also imitated the flowers used to worship the ancestors and commemorate the festivals, and jiaodong flowers were gradually applied to different occasions and gradually evolved into a local folk custom.
The beauty of Jiaodong flowers is beautiful in its natural materials, natural craftsmanship, and simple state of mind. Weihai's flower dumplings are also known as "waterless" steamed buns, and the noodles are not added with a drop of water, but replaced with eggs and milk. Eating in the mouth is very layered, both noodles, egg and milk.
As the fifth generation inheritor of Weihai's "Jichang" flower feast, Sun Haiyan uses her skillful hands and "grounded gas" tools to make a festive and colorful flower feast.
The green of spinach, the yellow of pumpkin, the purple of purple potato... The colors are extracted from natural fruits and vegetables to give the flowers a colorful look.
Nowadays, each kind of flower is rich in meaning, not only a pleasing dish, but also an ideal for visiting relatives and friends during the New Year's Festival, birthday celebrations, wedding housewarming and other activities. "For example, the 'jujube feast' used for the New Year, the 'holy insect' on the fifteenth day of the first month, the 'Qiao Guo' on the seventh of July, the 'shou peach' for the old man's birthday, and so on," Sun Haiyan said.
As a kind of intangible cultural heritage skill that wanders on the fingertips, the shape of flowers and flowers is ever-changing, such as dramatic characters, myths and legends, fish, insects and flowers, etc. Can be selected from materials, with colors, making it full of artistic sense.
"Growing and rooted in the lives of the people, it has now become a unique expression of folk customs, because it is not only a culture, but also a generational inheritance." Sun Haiyan not only inherited the "Jichang" flower feast, but also developed the "Jichang" flower feast, and this old craft has been rejuvenated in the context of the new era.
Sun Haiyan has devoted herself to teaching scholars, and has so far taught more than 30 apprentices, some of them are close to Weihai, and the far ones are from Taiwan, Zhejiang, Shaanxi, Gansu and other places. Nowadays, they are also spreading the ancient craft of Jiaodong flowers and flowers in their respective cities.
Chief Editor on Duty: Wang Lan
Review: Sun Meiling
Image: Liu Bin
Video/Post-production: Shi Zhicheng
Text/Editor: Ju Lei
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