Shenyang, the central city of Northeast China. In the eyes of outsiders, the word Shenyang is not unfamiliar, and this city seems to be a cultural symbol representing Northeast China.
Shenyang has a profound cultural heritage and is known as the birthplace of one dynasty and the capital of two emperors. It boasts the renowned Qing Dynasty palaces, beautiful and unique natural scenery, and profound cultural landscapes. Her profound folk cultural heritage flows through the mottled river of time, engraving the past and present, but there are still some folk customs that are not widely known.
Today, we will take you to learn about the obscure customs of Shenyang that even locals may not be aware of.
In ancient times, the southern part of the mountains and the northern part of the water were called Yang. Shenyang was named after its southern proximity to the ancient Shen River, which is now known as the Hun River. And as the Hun River leads to the sea, let’s first take a look at the story of ‘Shenyang and the Sea’.
1、 Shenyang people also worship Mazu
Many people in Shenyang are unaware that there used to be a folk custom of worshiping Mazu. In fact, Shenyang not only worships Mazu, but also has two Mazu temples: one is Tianhou Temple and the other is Shandong Temple.
The Tianhou Palace is located in the northeast corner of the former Shenyang No. 26 Middle School, and its ruins still exist. According to historical records, there is also a Shandong temple built by Shandong merchants outside Huaiyuan Gate that enshrines Mazu. Its original site should be near Yijing Second Primary School. Nowadays, the building no longer exists, but there are still place names such as Shandong Temple Lane.
But Shenyang is not adjacent to the sea, why are there temples dedicated to Mazu?
This is because the Hun River had developed water transportation in the early years, which could directly lead to Yingkou and enter the sea. During the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty, the capital city of Shengjing (now Shenyang) was prosperous, and businessmen from various southern provinces in the interior of the country rushed to the northeast for business. At that time, Fujian businessman Chen Yinglong also started selling local specialties in Northeast China. Due to frequent accidents at sea, he has failed in business multiple times. So he made a wish in front of Mazu: if the ship travels safely, he will definitely build a temple for Mazu in Shengjing. Afterwards, Chen Yinglong’s cargo ship went smoothly and his financial fortune was prosperous.
So, in the 47th year of the Qianlong reign (1782), he raised a huge sum of money to build the Tianhou Palace in Shengjing, which was the Minjiang Guild Hall and devoutly worshipped Mazu, the goddess of the sea. The Tianhou Palace is grand in scale and unique in style, with annual gatherings held here, making it very lively. In Liu Shiying’s “A Brief Account of the Accompanying Capital”, there is a poem praising: “The Minjiang Guild Hall has extraordinary engineering, and on the day of its opening, it weighed nine and three.” This shows the grandeur of the Mazu Temple in Shenyang.
2、 Why do people in Shenyang love to eat chicken racks
Chicken rack is the nostalgia of Shenyang and the unforgettable taste of Shenyang people. The most fragrant dish is boneless meat, “No chicken can leave Shenyang with a rack. However, the diners who come here for the sake of fame and the new generation of Shenyang people do not know that behind their love for chicken stands, there is a bitter historical memory, full of the bitterness of the old industrial city.
In the late 1980s, Shenyang had the largest state-owned chicken farm in Northeast China. The chickens in the chicken farm are used for export. In order to meet the needs of export quarantine, the whole chicken is cut into chicken legs, chicken breasts, etc. and then sealed, and the chicken frame becomes a leftover material that cannot be exported. Chicken frame, like a cage made of bones. My ribs are propped up outside, and I look very tall, but inside I am empty. The areas with meat have been removed, leaving only a few pieces of meat adhered to the bones, forming a thin layer. A chicken coop, like the Northeast that was hollowed out during the era of layoffs.
During the period of layoffs, some shops bought chicken racks at low prices to make soup, and then sprinkled the cooked chicken racks with chili oil, pickled vegetables and other seasonings to make another dish, which unexpectedly gained the favor of diners. The affordable chicken rack has become the best appetizer in the hearts of Shenyang people, and this proletarian cuisine, chicken rack, has been born.
3、 The current situation of Shenyang xiangsheng, which was not selected as a “national treasure”
Nowadays, there are 10 national level intangible cultural heritage projects in Shenyang, but the highly acclaimed Shenyang xiangsheng is not on the list. With a history of over 140 years, Shenyang Crosstalk has repeatedly missed out on national intangible cultural heritage. People can’t help but ask: What’s wrong with Shenyang Crosstalk?
Starting from the history of Shenyang xiangsheng, in the late Qing Dynasty, Beijing xiangsheng artists Fan Youyuan and Zhu Tianrui settled in Shenyang. In 1921, Beijing crosstalk artist Feng Kunzhi and his family came to Northeast China to form the “Feng Family Crosstalk Class”, which was active in the three northeastern provinces and gradually formed Shenyang crosstalk that adapted to the taste of Northeasterners.
The characteristics of Shenyang xiangsheng are hot and crisp, rich in themes, critical of current issues, sharp humor, and strong satire, forming a dominant force alongside Beijing xiangsheng and Tianjin xiangsheng. Later on, Yang Zhenhua, Jin Bingchang, Wang Zhitao, and Chen Lianzhong pushed Shenyang xiangsheng to its peak state. Classic jokes such as’ Fake Big Sky ‘,’ Dreams Don’t Last ‘, and’ Letters from Taiwan ‘quickly became familiar to audiences across the country.
