Weekend folk culture sets stage for Chongyang Festival
Liantang rice cake making
How do we honor senior citizens with the Chongyang Festival, a day dedicated to the elderly, just around the corner? Zhujiajiao Town in Qingpu District gives its answer in a unique way.
Monday will mark the annual Chongyang Festival, a day dedicated to the elderly.
A folk culture experience was held in Xuejian Village of the town over the weekend. Visitors were invited to make Liantang rice cakes, an intangible cultural heritage item of the district, to serve to elderly citizens.
Cotton yarn from spinning wheel wound people's nostalgic memories, with inheritors of tubu (homespun cloth) dying and weaving also displaying their techniques.
Apo (local granny) invited people to sip apo tea, at a traditional gathering for women that has been passed down for more than 700 years, with local snacks served.
A performance of chuanquan, or boat boxing, a form of Chinese martial arts
A cultural feast of chuanquan, or boat boxing, a form of Chinese martial arts, and xuanjuan, a form of talking and singing art, were performed, bringing joy to elderly residents.
The tradition and customs regarding the festival were shared by Cai Fengming, executive deputy director of the folk customs and intangible cultural heritage center of Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
The event was livestreamed.
Shanghai's elderly population grew more than 114,000, or 2.1 percent, in 2022 from a year earlier, accounting for more than 36 percent of permanent residents.
Shanghai is a "city of longevity," a title it can claim when it has seven centenarians for every 100,000 people.
The city had 3,528 centenarians by the end of last year, or 23.4 centenarians among every 100,000 permanent residents.
Cotton spinning.
Elderly citizens are honored.
