Quick Answer: What Defines Anhui Culture?
Anhui culture brings together the merchant villages of historical Huizhou (徽州, Huīzhōu), folk performance along the Huai River and regional stages and workshops. Xidi and Hongcun preserve village layouts shaped by waterways and family life. Bengbu, Anqing and Jing County offer distinct examples of performance and craft.[1][2][3][4]
- Southern villages: Xidi and Hongcun preserve residences, lanes and water features tied to the commercial and family histories of Huizhou.[1]
- Huai River communities: Flower drum lantern dance (花鼓灯, huāgǔdēng) combines dancing, singing and percussion in Bengbu and other communities of the river basin.[2]
- Stage and workshop: Anqing is a center for Huangmei opera (黄梅戏, Huángméixì). Jing County is known for handmade Xuan paper (宣纸, xuānzhǐ).[3][4]
These traditions have different centers within Anhui, and some spread across provincial borders.
One village takes shape around streams, another around ponds. Farther north, brass and drum sounds carry across a gathering. Anhui’s regional traditions are easiest to understand by starting with the places where people built, performed or worked.
Four Regional Traditions in Anhui
| 場所 | 伝統 | What makes it recognizable |
|---|---|---|
| Xidi and Hongcun | Historic Huizhou villages | Domestic architecture, carved details and layouts shaped by streams or ponds.[1] |
| Bengbu and the middle Huai | Flower drum lantern dance | Percussion, singing and staged exchanges between dancers.[2] |
| Anqing | Huangmei opera | Singing and spoken dialogue rooted in local performance.[3] |
| Jing County | Xuan paper | Handmade sheets whose properties suit ink painting and calligraphy.[4] |
Historic Huizhou Through Its Villages
Huizhou culture includes the southern Anhui villages of Xidi and Hongcun. Successful merchants and officials invested in these places on returning home. Houses, family ties and commerce shaped settlements whose courtyard and lane layouts survive today.[1]
The two villages show different ways to use water. Xidi’s smaller streams pass among built areas before joining near a bridge. In Hongcun, channels connect houses and lanes to a central pond and a larger body of water to the south. Look at this relationship between buildings and waterways alongside the gables and carved decoration of Huizhou architecture.[1]
The Huai River and Flower Drum Lantern Dance
The Huai runs through Anhui before continuing into 江蘇. Bengbu and other Anhui communities along the middle reaches helped sustain flower drum lantern dance. Local forms bring together paired or small-group sequences, larger dances and accompanying singing and percussion. The tradition’s documented range extends along the basin, including stretches beyond Anhui.[2][5]
In performance, watch how the exchange between dancers changes when a small group gives way to an ensemble. That shift, together with the drum and gong accompaniment, gives a sense of the form’s range. The term flower drum is used for several traditions, so the place name helps identify the specific style.[2]
Anqing Opera and Jing County Papermaking
Anqing helped shape Huangmei opera through local singing and speech. China’s national heritage entry describes tea-picking tunes from the Huangmei area of neighboring Hubei reaching Anhui in the late Qing. There they combined with local folk arts and developed into a theater tradition centered on Anqing.[3]
In Jing County, artisans make Xuan paper from tree bark and rice straw. Painters and calligraphers value its interaction with water and ink. The finished sheet is the work of a specialist craft with a local tradition of teaching and production.[4]
FAQs About Anhui Culture
Is Huizhou the same as Anhui?
Huizhou is a historical region associated with places such as Xidi and Hongcun in southern Anhui. Anhui is the modern province, which also includes the Huai River plain, Anqing and other regions.[1][2][3][5]
What is the difference between Huangmei opera and flower drum lantern dance?
Huangmei is a theater form with sung and spoken roles, closely associated with Anqing. Flower drum lantern dance is a folk dance tradition combining individual and group movement with singing and percussion in the Huai River region.[2][3]
Where in Anhui is traditional Xuan paper made?
Jing County is the center identified in UNESCO’s intangible heritage entry. Its artisans maintain a tradition of making paper for painting, calligraphy and other uses.[4]
出典
[1] UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui Xidi and Hongcun
[2] China National Intangible Cultural Heritage Center. Flower Drum Lantern Dance Bengbu
[3] China National Intangible Cultural Heritage Center. Huangmei Opera
[4] UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Traditional Handicrafts of Making Xuan Paper
[5] World Bank. Introduction to the Huai River Basin