Traditional Spring Festival

from Ningbo Focus 2016

Negotiation Tactics

Warmth of Spring 春天的温暖

Experiencing Ningbo’s Spring Festival Traditions at Qianyu Village 前虞村春节体验活动

Written by ( 作者 ): Vincent R. Vinci 魏文深 Photos by( 图片来源 ): Hossein Khandan, Shunyi Chen 陈顺意 , Xia Sun 孙霞 , Yang Bai 白羊 & Zhongkui Yu 俞忠魁

Snow is a rare occurrence in Ningbo, dropping down from the sky every so often to coat the city in white. The powder was drifting from above, even if only slightly, to welcome the coldest point of winter on January 23rd. From the city center through the chilled streets of the city we drove and drove. Buildings became spread out, more and more, until we were met with the sound of drum beats and dragons, ladies in red dancing to the beat. We had arrived in Qianyu Village.

The village itself, a part of the larger Gulin Township, has been around for 770 years. Its small and narrow lanes are lined with tile-

roofed houses that have stood for centuries, all of them cobbled masses, a mix of old and new that brings a familiar homeliness to the destination. Today, the villagers’ main enterprises are poultry farming – mainly duck – fishing, planting, and greenhouse cultivation. Also present are various factories specializing in watches and other mechanical devices.

From the buses and out into the cold we go, only to be greeted by the warmth of the villagers’ welcome. The red and gold of the drummers’ outfits pierced the snowy air, as two dragons, one gold and one blue and green, danced around the main square. All the while, villagers greeted the guests and took selfies and photos with them and a game of jump rope broke out near the main hall.

Soon with the cold nipping at our necks, it was time to go into the main hall, a relatively new two-storey brick building adorned with the red CPC star flanked by red flags. Inside the sparse interior was filled to the brim with people. Entering, people were greeted by a stoic farmer standing, hat off, and staring confidently into the distance, a bronze tribute to the strength of the villagers. In to the large space from there, where tables were set all around with different activities and foods being prepared.

Inside were people making straw hats, clothing, tangyuan, meat dumplings, sweet zongzi, couplets and more. Each table was accompanied by smiles and a welcome to try their wares, whatever they may be. Outside were more activities. We were able to try our hand at crafting steamed buns, and try Qianyu’s homemade rice wine, a very pungent concoction stronger than any baijiu we had ever tasted.

Before noon came the lunch. A meal of beef with cumin, red-braised pork, bamboo shoot, nuts, potatoes and more followed by more dumplings and sweets. During lunch we were treated to shows and performances put on by the villagers as we mingled and intermixed with the crowd. Then came the games. Jump rope, shuttlecock kicking, and a dancing game where participants had to dance around two lines of rope, keeping in mind flair. Kind of like a Chinese variant of the Irish jig.

Fireworks going off outside marked the end of the visit, which came all too quickly for some. To round off the whole event while the fireworks joyously crackled in the distance was a round of tug-of-war with villagers vs. expats. It was unknown who was the true victor, as it was a match between friends, not rivals. While it was sad to leave so early, the

bus home was packed with discussion of the day that was, something to remember going in to the Year of the Monkey.

雪在宁波难得一见。1月23日是这一年中最冷的一天，从天而降的雪把整个城市银装素裹起来。漫天飞舞的雪花，轻盈曼妙。从市中心出发，我们在寒冷的道路上一直行驶。身后的高楼大厦渐行渐远，我们终于听到锣鼓声和舞龙声，看到了穿着红衣跳腰鼓舞的妇女们。我们知道这儿就是前虞村了。

位于古林镇的前虞村，已经存在了770年之久。窄小的弄堂、石板路和矗立了几个世纪的老房子，给人一种新老交融的感觉，让人倍感亲切地回想起旧日的朴素生活。如今，这个村的主要产业是禽类养殖，主要是鸭子，还有养鱼、种树以及温室栽培。村里还有生产钟表和其他机械设备的工厂。

我们从大巴上下来，尽管外面天寒地冻，但村民们热情的欢迎扑面而来，让我们倍感温暖。鼓手所穿的红色和金色衣服在寒风中显得那么耀眼。一蓝一金两条舞龙，在文化礼堂前的主广场上欢腾跳跃。此时，村民们忙着问候客人，和他们合影留念，还在礼堂附近玩起了跳绳游戏。

很快，我们都感到脖子上冷飕飕的，是时候走进礼堂了。那是一幢相对较新的两层砖楼，上面装饰有红旗围绕着的中共红星图案，而里面则站满了人。走进去后，人们看到了一个表情坚毅的农民铜像，他脱帽站着，充满信心地望着远方，很好地展现了农民的力量。礼堂内的宽敞空间里则依据活动内容摆好了桌子和食物。

礼堂里有人在编草帽、织毛衣，有人在做汤圆、包饺子、裹甜粽子，也有人在写对联，各种项目一齐上演。每张桌子后面都有一张张笑脸，热情地欢迎每个经过的人尝试自己的技艺。礼堂外有更多有趣的活动，我们尝试做了一把馒头，还喝了前虞村民自酿的米酒，比我们喝过的其他白酒都要浓烈。

午餐在正午前就开始了，饭桌上有五香牛肉、红烧肉、竹笋、花生米和土豆等等，稍后还上了饺子和甜点。其间我们还观看了村民的节目表演，渐渐和人群融为一体。接下来是游戏时间，大家一起踢毽子、跳大绳，还有跳橡皮筋，有点像一种奇怪的爱尔兰吉格舞，需要有一点天赋。

时光飞逝，随着礼堂外的烟花被点燃，我们的这次行程也接近尾声。伴着远处欢快绽放的烟火，村民们和外籍人士在拔河中结束了整场活动。最后到底是谁赢了不得而知，但这不要紧，因为这是一次朋友之间的游戏，而非对手之间的比赛。尽管离别让人不舍，但在回来的路上，我们在大巴车上不停地谈论着这一天的精彩经历，这将给我们的整个猴年留下难忘的回忆。感谢热情的村民和他们的辛苦付出，让我们在寒冬中感受到了春天的浓浓暖意！