If you want to explore the maritime stories of China during the Song and Yuan Dynasties in Quanzhou, Fujian, the “World Heritage City”, you must not avoid the wind-praying stone carvings on Jiuri Mountain that record navigation rituals.
Passing through the Yanfu Temple at the foot of the mountain, and climbing up the stairs among the lush green mountains and forests, you will see the historical stone carvings of praying for wind from the Song Dynasty and the cliff inscriptions left by literati of all ages. Among them, the Shifang wind-praying stone carvings from the 12th to 13th centuries are the most precious. They are the world’s existing written records of praying for good winds and safety for merchant ships, confirming the glorious history of “the largest port in the East”.
He Chunyan, head of the World Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Nan’an City, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province
What does “praying for the wind” mean? What significance does this ceremony have in history from ancient to modern times? He Chunyan, head of the World Cultural Heritage Protection Center of Nan’an City, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, gave answers to reporters. She said that the people of Quanzhou in ancient times relied on the sea for their livelihood. Both going to sea and returning to sea needed to comply with the monsoon rules. In summer, ships returned from the southern sea and in winter, ships went to sea from Quanzhou. Every summer in April and winter in October, sailors who go to sea will pray to the Poseidon for smooth weather and safe navigation at Jiuri Mountain. This is where the ancient tradition of praying for wind comes from.
Starting from the Song Dynasty, with the emergence of the “Businessmen from all over the world amid the sound of rising seas”, overseas trade began to become an important source of income for the country, and wind praying activities began to receive official attention. It is precisely because of official participation that the folk tradition of praying for wind has gradually been “upgraded.” “After the ceremony of praying for wind, people went hiking to enjoy the scenery, wrote poems and chronicles, and engraved them on the cliff of Jiuri Mountain. This is the origin of the stone carvings of praying for wind.” He Chunyan said.
If we say, climbing Jiuri Mountain is a journey to learn about ancient China’s overseas trade and exchanges between China and the West. Then, the significance of these stone carvings is to build a dialogue channel connecting ancient and modern times.
In He Chunyan’s view, the wind-praying stone carvings not only demonstrated the official emphasis on overseas trade at that time, as well as the welcome and courtesy to foreign merchants, it was also the common spiritual belief and spiritual pillar of the people in all coastal areas, and could lead everyone to inspire their potential, Overcame difficulties and successfully completed the ocean voyage. In addition, this recorded belief is the representative and inheritance of the spirit of unity, love to fight and dare to win among the people of southern Fujian.
“For thousands of years, when we are far away from our homeland and opening up new fields, we have adhered to this fearless and very firm belief to overcome difficulties and achieve results. This is the common spiritual genealogy of us Hokkien people.”
He Chunyan lamented that she had been lucky enough to witness too many stories during her years of cultural preservation work. In her memory, an old overseas Chinese who was over eighty years old said during a tour that he witnessed the process of Jiuri Mountain becoming a world cultural heritage, and Jiuri Mountain also witnessed This was an important moment in his life, and he wanted to come back often to see if his hometown was still green… “Isn’t this the echo between the history of the Maritime Silk Road and the spirit of southern Fujian?”
Producer:Zhang Ning plan:Li Zhengwei Co-ordinator:Wang Yihan, Lei Miaoxin Filming:Liu Hao, Lei Miaoxin Written by:Lei Miaoxin design:Du Dan, Zeng Zhenyu
guide:State Administration of Cultural Heritage News Center
Acknowledgments:Quanzhou Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau
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责编：李飞 ]
2024-01-28 15:17:00
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