On November 15, 2020, the 10th Xiamen Port “send the king ship” activity was held in shapowei, Xiamen. The 11.12-meter-long “King ship” and the huge street trampling team have attracted many citizens and tourists. Photographed by Shi chenjing, reporter of Fujian daily

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On December 17, 2020, the 15th UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the protection of intangible cultural heritage voted to include the “ship to the king” project jointly declared by China and Malaysia in the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage.

This is the first time that China has jointly declared a successful human intangible cultural heritage project with countries along the 21st century Maritime Silk Road.

“Send the king’s boat” is a ceremony created by the ancestors along the coast of Southern Fujian in the Ming Dynasty to comfort and sacrifice the shipwrecked victims. Minnan people call the victims of the shipwreck “good brothers”, and the local protective god of “patrolling and hunting on behalf of heaven” is “Lord”, “sending the king ship”, so it is also commonly known as “doing good deeds”. This custom is held by the temple or ancestral temple of the relevant community at the beginning of the northeast monsoon. It is generally held every three to four years, including welcoming the king, making a king’s boat, erecting a lamp pole, Pudu, sending the king’s boat (stepping on the street parade and burning the King’s boat).

With the sea trade and migration of people in Southern Fujian, the custom of sending King ships spread to Taiwan and the inhabited areas of overseas Chinese and ethnic Chinese in Southeast Asia from the 17th to the 20th century, which is an important legacy of the marine history and culture of Southern Fujian.

On the first anniversary of being selected into the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage, what kind of living inheritance has the activity of “sending the king’s boat” in Southern Fujian obtained in the context of local culture? This issue of “attention” presents you——

Zhang

“Ship” is bigger, and there are more ceremonies

Fujian Daily reporter Xiao Zhenping Yu Li correspondent Lin Jie Zheng Wendian

On the 19th, Baoquan palace in Shikeng community of Zhangzhou Development Zone held a lively activity of “sending the king’s boat”. Thousands of believers gathered in Baoquan palace to witness the triennial folk festival. Since the “King ship” was included in the list of representative works of human intangible cultural heritage a year ago, the “King ship” activity of representative communities in Zhangzhou has regained its luster.

The “King ship” with strange appearance is not just a model. It is completely modeled on Fu ship. The architecture on the ship restores the Xieshan roof in ancient China, and the ship body is painted with painted patterns representing good luck and peace. A “King ship” integrates a number of traditional skills of Southern Fujian.

“The ‘King ship’ in Shikeng community is now built of high-grade fir, which is solid and elegant. The statues and figures on the ship are made with color binding technology, which is lifelike.” Chen Yuanhui, head of Baoquan palace folk custom Learning Center, said that this year’s “King ship” is 8.9 meters long and 2.6 meters wide, “the largest ship since previous activities”.

Among the many temples, Jinfa palace, located in the Jiulong River Basin, is unique. It is the only “Water Temple” in the world, and its process of “sending the king ship” is completed on the water. It is reported that this is highly consistent with the lifestyle inherited by the local dans from generation to generation. Zheng Xiushan, President of the Council of the Jinfa palace, said that the third day of March of the lunar calendar is the birthday of the Jade Emperor. The “please king” invites the “Lord of the open sea” to “live” in the Jinfa palace for half a year to assist the gods enshrined in the temple and ensure the safety of the people. On September 13 of the lunar calendar, a ceremony of “sending the king” will be held.

In November this year, the activity of “sending the king’s boat” held in Jinfa palace added a celebration of successfully being listed as a “world-class intangible cultural heritage”. Yang Hui, a Zhangzhou cultural scholar who has been paying attention to the study of the dans’ customs in Jinfa palace, said that in previous years, the “King ship” turned auspicious on the river beach. This year, there was an additional “King ship” river patrol ceremony.

Experts believe that “sending the king ship” has become an important cultural carrier to connect the community people, promote the harmonious development of the community, and enrich the dialogue and cooperation between Fujian and Taiwan and even between China and Malaysia. It is a positive cultural phenomenon to promote righteousness and standardize behavior, which has been endowed with new era value.

At present, Baoquan palace folk custom Transmission Center encourages more villagers, especially young people, to learn the production skills and related knowledge of “King ship”, so as to ensure the living inheritance and intergenerational inheritance of the project. The younger generation of Zhangzhou Development Zone actively recorded and retained video materials, and publicized the humanistic feelings carried by “sending the king ship” by means of wechat, live broadcast and other new media.

“It was the older generation who did this before. Last year, the” send the king ship “successfully declared a world-class intangible cultural heritage, which made our younger generation realize the importance and urgency of protecting it. Under the leadership of our predecessors, we will do our part in inheriting it in our own way.” Zeng Minggui, a staff member of Baoquan palace, said.

Mansion

The “King ship” sailed to a new channel

Fujian Daily Reporter Lin Zegui

On the hand-made “King ship” with a length of more than 10 meters, colorful flags flutter, the painted dragons are vivid, and the paper people are also vivid… On the 19th, the triennial folk activity of “sending the king ship” was held in Shitang village, Songyu street, Haicang District, Xiamen, attracting thousands of people to participate. On November 28, fanghu society, Heshan street, Huli District, also held a 12-year “send the king ship” activity. Due to the requirements of epidemic prevention and control, the scale and links of the “King ship” between the two places have been reduced, but the scene is still very lively.

In the year when “send the king ship” was included in the list of representative works of intangible cultural heritage of mankind, more young people participated in ritual practice, and more “ship making” skills entered the campus. Relevant activities extended to cultural festivals, and even strive for activity space for the demolished villages… In Xiamen, the main application city, more and more representative communities and transmission sites paid more attention to its living inheritance and intergenerational inheritance, striving to write the new “ship” theory of Haisi culture.

Keep the temple and continue to inherit

“Such a characteristic folk activity with a long history is not only people’s Carnival in respect of the sea and their simple desire to pray for peace, but also maintains the feelings of overseas Chinese and their hometown. It must be well inherited!” On the 19th, Ji Changmei, a Nanping native who works and lives in Xiamen, said she was deeply shocked after watching the “King ship” in Shitang, Haicang.

As the central area of the belief of “sending the king ship”, the inheritance and dissemination of “sending the king ship” in Xiamen is the most typical in the contemporary era. At present, 13 communities and villages, including Xiagang, Tapu and Hecuo in Siming District, Pukou, Zhongzhai and fanghu in Huli District, Zhongshan, Shitang, Haicang and Xinlong in Haicang District, lvcuo in Tong’an District and Houcun in Xiang’an District, retain large-scale folk activities of “sending King ships”.

“The ‘King sending ships’ in these 13 places are similar. They are generally held every three or four years at the beginning of the northeast monsoon in autumn. Most of them have’ King welcoming and King sending ceremonies’.” Shi Yilong, a retired professor in the Department of Anthropology and Ethnology at Xiamen University, said that at the beginning of the ceremony, people gathered at the seaside to welcome the “Lord”