Chinese Traditional Customs and Culture

China has a vast territory with distinctive northern and southern cultures. Northern regions feature four distinct seasons and dry, cold climates, while southern regions have humid climates and numerous water areas, forming different yet complementary folk cultures. From festival rituals to dietary traditions, from folk arts to living habits, together they constitute the rich and colorful Chinese culture.

Northern Traditional Customs

Festival Customs

Northeast Ice Lantern Festival

Heilongjiang, Jilin regions • Winter Solstice to Lantern Festival

The Ice Lantern Festival is the most distinctive folk activity in Northeast China during winter, originating from the winter lighting methods of fishermen along the Songhua River. Today, it has evolved into a grand celebration integrating ice sculpture art, light displays, and ice entertainment. The Harbin Ice and Snow World is the most famous, featuring tall and magnificent ice sculptures illuminated with colorful lights, especially spectacular at night. Locals have the tradition of "visiting ice lanterns on the 15th day of the first lunar month," symbolizing light and hope, dispelling evil and bringing good fortune.

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Festival Customs

Beijing Temple Fairs

Beijing area • During Spring Festival

Beijing temple fairs are the most representative Spring Festival folk activities in northern China, originating from ancient religious sacrifices and evolving into folk gatherings integrating entertainment, shopping, and food. The temple fairs at Ditan, Longtanhu, and Yonghegong are the most famous, featuring traditional performances such as dragon and lion dances, stilt walking, and Peking Opera. Special snacks like tanghulu (candied hawthorns), ludagunr (soybean roll), and aiwowo (steamed rice cakes) are essential, along with various folk handicrafts for sale. Visiting temple fairs is an important custom for old Beijingers during Chinese New Year, symbolizing bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, praying for good fortune and auspiciousness.

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Traditional Arts

Shaanxi Shehuo Performance

Central Shaanxi Plain • Spring Festival to Lantern Festival

Shehuo is the most grand folk art activity in the Central Shaanxi Plain, originating from ancient ceremonies honoring the Earth God. The performances are rich and diverse, including Xinzi (child actors on high frames), stilt walking, land boat dances, dragon dances, lion dances, etc. The 'Xinzi' performance is particularly thrilling and unique—children are placed on iron frames several meters high to perform, seemingly dangerous but actually safe. Shehuo performances are usually accompanied by drums and suona (a traditional Chinese woodwind instrument), with performers dressed in ancient costumes and wearing exaggerated facial makeup, symbolizing dispelling evil and praying for blessings. Shehuo in Longxian and Fengxiang counties of Shaanxi has been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

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Ethnic Customs

Mongolian Nadam Fair

Inner Mongolia grassland region • July to August every summer

Nadam is the most grand traditional festival of the Mongolian people, meaning "entertainment, games" in Mongolian. The fair centers around wrestling, horse racing, and archery, known as the "three manly skills," embodying the Mongolian national spirit that admires strength and speed. During the festival, herdsmen dress in their finest attire, bring specialty foods like hand-grasped meat and dairy products, set up yurts, and hold bonfire parties. The Nadam Fair is not only a stage for sports competitions but also an important carrier for inheriting Mongolian culture. In 2006, it was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

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Dietary Customs

Northern Dumpling Making

Northern China • Spring Festival, Winter Solstice, etc.

Making dumplings is the most representative traditional dietary custom in northern China, especially indispensable during the Spring Festival. Dumplings are shaped like ingots, symbolizing wealth and treasure; making dumplings while the whole family sits together symbolizes reunion and happiness. Northern dumplings have rich and diverse fillings, with traditional flavors like cabbage and pork, leek and egg, etc. On New Year's Eve, northern families usually wrap coins, candies, etc., in dumplings, and whoever eats them heralds good luck in the coming year. When boiling dumplings, you need to cook a few extra, called "boiled broken dumplings," symbolizing surplus in the new year.

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Traditional Fishing

Chaganhu Winter Fishing

Chaganhu, Songyuan, Jilin • Winter, December to February

Chaganhu Winter Fishing is the most distinctive traditional fishing method in Northeast China, with a history of thousands of years. When the lake surface freezes to a thickness of more than 1 meter during the coldest period of winter, fishermen begin large-scale winter fishing. The winter fishing process is mysterious and grand, including the "Sacrificing the Lake and Awakening the Net" ceremony to pray for a bountiful harvest and safety. Fishermen use traditional tools such as horse-drawn winches and ice chisels to drill holes and cast nets on the ice, catching tens of thousands of jin (Chinese unit of weight, 1 jin ≈ 0.5 kg) of fresh fish at a time. Known as "China's last northern fishing tribe" for its unique fishing methods, spectacular scenes, and profound cultural connotations, Chaganhu Winter Fishing was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2008.

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Traditional Arts

Northeast Errenzhuan

Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang • Spring Festival, slack farming season

Northeast Errenzhuan is the most representative folk art form in Northeast China, commonly known as "bengbeng" or "small yangko." Performed by a male and female actor, it integrates speaking, singing, dancing, and acrobatics, with a humorous, bold, and unconstrained style. Props such as fans and handkerchiefs are used in the performance, and the music is often accompanied by instruments such as suona and banhu (a traditional Chinese string instrument). Errenzhuan covers a wide range of subjects, including skits adapted from traditional operas and new pieces reflecting rural life in Northeast China. In rural Northeast China, Errenzhuan is an important cultural entertainment activity deeply loved by the people. It was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.

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Southern Traditional Customs

Festival Customs

Guangdong Spring Festival Flower Street

Guangdong region • During Spring Festival

The custom of visiting flower streets during Chinese New Year in Guangdong has a history of nearly a hundred years. Every year, three days before New Year's Eve, temporary flower markets are set up in major cities. Peach blossoms, kumquat trees, and narcissus are the "three major items" in flower streets, symbolizing great prospects, good fortune, and wealth and auspiciousness. People choose New Year flowers in the flower streets, and the lively bargaining scene has become the most distinctive scenery of the Spring Festival in Lingnan.

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Festival Customs

Western Guangdong Nianli Festival

Zhanjiang, Maoming regions of Guangdong • Spring Festival to Lantern Festival period

Nianli is a unique folk custom prevalent in Zhanjiang, Maoming, and other areas, known as "Lingnan's First Grand Festival." Each village holds it on a fixed date, with the core being "celebrating Nianli" and "eating Nianli," including activities such as deity processions, ancestral worship, banquets, dragon and lion dances, and float parades. Hosts invite friends and relatives to attend banquets for free, ranging from dozens to hundreds of tables, embodying the hospitality principle of "respecting guests." Nianli integrates cultural connotations such as ancestor worship and gratitude for blessings, serving as an important bond for Western Guangdong people to maintain family and local ties.

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Folk Arts

Guangdong Lion Dance

Guangdong region • Spring Festival and traditional holidays

Guangdong Lion Dance is one of the most representative folk arts in the Lingnan region, known as "Southern Lion." It integrates martial arts, dance, music, and other elements, with powerful movements and vivid images. Guangdong Lion Dance is not only a performing art but also carries cultural connotations of dispelling evil, avoiding disasters, and attracting wealth and good fortune. It is often performed during Spring Festival, opening ceremonies, and other occasions, deeply loved by the people.

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Folk Beliefs

Mazu Festival

Coastal areas of Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong • 23rd day of the 3rd lunar month (birthday)

The Mazu Festival is the most grand folk belief activity in coastal areas, honoring Mazu, the goddess of the sea. The festival follows the ancient highest-standard "Ta牢" ritual, including welcoming the deity, offering incense, reading prayers, and performing the three-offering ceremony. Special activities include Mazu processions, dragon and lion dances, and sailing competitions. The festival at the Mazu Ancestral Temple in Meizhou Island, Putian, Fujian, is the most magnificent. In 2009, it was included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List, alongside the Huangdi Mausoleum Worship Ceremony and Confucius Birthday Ceremony, known as China's three major ceremonies.

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Festival Customs

Guangdong Dragon Boat Race

Pearl River Delta region • Dragon Boat Festival

Dragon boat racing in Guangdong has a long history, especially prevalent in the Pearl River Delta region, with the unique custom of "dragon boats visiting relatives." Dragon boats are divided into two types: "you long" (touring dragon) and "sai long" (racing dragon). Touring dragons are beautifully decorated for parade performances, while racing dragons focus on speed and fierce competition. Before the race, ceremonies like "inviting the dragon" and "worshiping the dragon" are held. The drummer is the soul of the dragon boat, controlling the rhythm. Dragon boat activities in Liide, Guangzhou, Diejiao, Foshan, and Machong, Dongguan, each have their own characteristics, with "dragon boat rice" reflecting the community spirit of unity and mutual assistance among Guangdong people.

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Food Culture

Guangdong Morning Tea Culture

Guangdong region • Every morning to noon

Guangdong morning tea is representative of Lingnan food culture. It is not just a dietary habit but also a social way. Morning tea features "one pot, two items," meaning one pot of tea with two kinds of dim sum. Common dim sum includes shrimp dumplings, shaomai, rice rolls, barbecued pork buns, and dozens of other varieties. People in Guangdong enjoy "tan zaocha" (sipping morning tea) in tea houses, gathering with friends and relatives to chat and exchange information. Morning tea culture reflects the leisurely lifestyle and values that emphasize family and friendship among Guangdong people, becoming an important symbol of Lingnan culture.

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Festival Customs

Guangxi Zhuang Sanyuesan Festival

Zhuang ethnic areas in Guangxi • 3rd day of the 3rd lunar month

"Sanyuesan" (March 3rd) is the most grand traditional festival of the Zhuang ethnic group, with the core activity being the song festival. Young men and women express their feelings through singing, with lyrics covering various aspects such as life, love, and current affairs. Traditional activities like throwing embroidered balls, touching colored eggs, and playing bamboo percussion instruments are also held at the song festival. Before the festival, every household makes five-color glutinous rice and dyes colored eggs, symbolizing a bumper harvest and prosperity. In 2014, "Zhuang Sanyuesan" was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.

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Traditional Arts

Chaoshan Yingge Dance

Chaoshan region, Guangdong • Spring Festival to Lantern Festival period

Chaoshan Yingge Dance is a traditional folk dance popular in eastern Guangdong's Chaoshan region, integrating martial arts, dance, and drama elements, with a powerful and majestic style. Performers paint their faces like characters from the classic Chinese novel "Water Margin," hold double sticks, and dance to the rhythm of drums, with strong movements and varied formations. Yingge Dance is usually performed during major festivals like Spring Festival and Lantern Festival, symbolizing dispelling evil, bringing good fortune, and auspiciousness, showcasing the strong and heroic spirit of Chaoshan people. In 2006, Puning Yingge Dance was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list.

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