In the long historical development process of China, women have been everywhere at every critical moment in the growth and transformation of material and spiritual civilization. From Nuwa and Leizu in the creation myth, to the heroes Fuhao, Hua Mulan and Liang Hongyu who fought on the battlefield and defended the country; from Ban Zhao and Li Qingzhao in the literary field to the textileist Huang Dao who improved technology to "clothe the world" Grandma...; The outstanding contributions and creative values of these goddesses and women, whether supreme or ordinary, are like shining stars in the vast history, continuing to illuminate the development process of Chinese and even world civilization.
Huang Daopo
Female deities in the Chinese farming, mulberry, and weaving sequence
There are only a handful of deities in China who deserve the title of "first", such as "first farmers, first silkworms, first weavers" and so on. "Xiannong" refers to the god of agriculture who teaches people to farm - Shennong or Houji. In the feudal era of "building a country on agriculture", the emperor not only promulgated decrees that were beneficial to agricultural development, but also offered sacrifices to Xiannong and "family members". The form of "cultivated fields" expresses the emphasis on agriculture. "Xiancan" is said to be Leizu, the concubine of the Xuanyuan family of the Yellow Emperor, the leader of the northern tribe. Since the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty, the queen has enjoyed the sacrifice of silkworms. In all dynasties, the queen has presided over the sacrifice of silkworms. The Yellow Emperor's second concubine, Aimu, was regarded as the "first weaver" because she invented the "loom", the earliest weaving tool in China. "First farmers", "first silkworms" and "first weavers" respectively represent China's life ideals and social order of "clothing and food as the foundation", "respecting one's own industry, working hard to plan it, being frugal to accumulate it, and having abundant food and clothing".
"Xianmian" Huang Daopo is the only ordinary working woman living among the people. Huang Daopo was born in Wunijing Town, Songjiang Prefecture (now Dongwan Village, Huajing, Xuhui, Shanghai) at the end of the Song Dynasty and the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. She was regarded as the goddess of cotton for her outstanding contribution to cotton textile throughout her life. As cotton entered China, this magical alien plant triggered a far-reaching "clothing revolution."
Wang Zhen of the Yuan Dynasty compared cotton with traditional Chinese fabrics such as linen, silk, wool, etc. in "Agricultural Book". Cotton planting "requires no labor of collection and has the effect of harvesting", while "cloth without linen" "There are no seedlings, but flocculation" and "the work of harvest collection is eliminated", and the cotton is "densely covered, light and warm, and can be used to increase the amount of silk". With the widespread promotion and use of cotton products, China's clothing hierarchy has been eliminated, and "the high and the low are alike" has been realized, and the "world of clothing and quilts" has been realized in the true sense.
The Construction of Industry Goddess in Jiangnan Folk Memory
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, historian Tao Zongyi lived in seclusion in Songjiang, taking notes after farming. He recorded in "Records of Stopping Farming in Nancun": "In the early days of the Republic of China, there was a woman named Huang Daopo who came from Yazhou. She taught how to make weapons, bombs, spinning and weaving tools, as well as mismatching yarns, color matching, and heald threads. Each one has his own way of picking out flowers. They are woven into quilts, quilts, belts, and silk fabrics, with branches, phoenixes, chess games, and words written on them as charmingly as if they were written on them. After being taught, people compete with each other and transfer goods to other counties and families. Since Yin." This is the only surviving documentary material on Huang Daopo's life.
Also during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, the seven volumes of "Wuxi Collection" written by the poet Wang Feng recorded the talents and state affairs of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, which many historians have not prepared. Among them, the poem "Huang Daopo Temple" is the earliest extant poem praising Huang Daopo's achievements: "I heard about Huang Siniang in the past, and later she was called the Fifth Sister-in-law of the Song Dynasty. The Taoist woman was from a different generation and refused to grow up in Yazhou. Yazhou cloth was reeled in five colors, composed of fog. The clouds are full of flowers and grass. A sail of whales is blown away by the sea, and a thousand pomeloes and black water are created by heaven."
"The Biography of Huang Daopo" in the character volume of "Shanghai County Chronicles" tells the legendary life of Huang Daopo in the form of folklore: from From a working woman born in poverty to a child bride who bravely resisted feudal oppression; from a confused girl who boldly embarked on a ship in search of freedom; to a national envoy who lived in Yazhou, Hainan and was taken in by the Li people and devoted herself to learning; from the studious and thrifty Zhinang to the returning The old woman who innovated cotton textile tools in her hometown and taught her skills widely; from a weak commoner woman to an expert who helped her neighbors get rich together, was finally regarded as a god who "clothes and quilts the world" and protects the prosperity of the cotton industry.
Huang Daopo Memorial Park
The people of Songjiang were grateful for Huang Daopo's kindness. In the second year of Emperor Shun's reign (1336), they built a temple for her and offered sacrifices to her every year. "When my mother-in-law died, a shrine was erected to worship her. ...When the daughter of the city was red, people came to worship her and called her 'Huang Niang Niang'."There are also various descriptions of the flourishing Huangpo belief in the south of the Yangtze River and the reporting of competitions to the cotton industry god in the Shanghai Zhuzhi Ci: "The Red Rain Tower cuts Biwu to the west, and the Jun Temple worships Huanggu with devotion; Focus on the Miansu temple model. "Wunijing Temple worships Huang Po, and there are many people in the Three Forests. She is the mother of all the people who feed and clothe her. She will play string songs to announce the race for thousands of years." ""Xixu plays the role of Granny Xue, Qi Nuan actually beats Qi Luo. "Meeting the sisters next door, the Silkworm God does not compete with Huang Po." These verses evoke the image of a god who cares about the sufferings of the people and uses cotton spinning skills to solve people's livelihood.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the ancestral temple dedicated to Huang Daopo Zen temples can be found everywhere in Shanghai, such as Huang Daopo Temple and Huang Daopo Temple (later changed to Xianmian Temple) built in Banduanjing, Ximen; there was Huang Daopo Temple in Hongkou, Huang Gu Temple in Xiaotang, Fengxian, and Huang Daopo Temple in Pudong, Huang Daopo Temple has appeared in Jiading; there is Huang Dao Po Temple at the Xitai Road intersection in the south of Longhua Town, which was originally called Huang Mu Temple Village; in Shanghai Yuyuan, there is the Bazhi Pavilion, which was used as a cloth industry office in the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, and was dedicated to Huang Dao Po. The ancestor was worshiped by the merchants of the Cloth Industry Office.
The historical information carried by the widely circulated legends and songs is the accumulation of social life and historical records of the people over the years. Through simple folk records, Huang Daopo, a famous figure in the world, is There are no more written records in history. The images of civilian women and artistic heroes are more abundant and their deeds are more touching. This vivid folk figure was constructed "from bottom up" and has broad popular representation. "Goddess" has been passed down from generation to generation in folk oral traditions, the fingertips of weavers, and the collective memory of the times.
Female scientists and great craftsmen in the era of intangible cultural heritage
The first cotton goddess Huang Daopo came from the folk, cared about the people, loved and enriched the people, Clothes and quilts are everywhere, and thousands of working women in the south of the Yangtze River are just like Huang Daopo. They arrange cleverly, work hard, dare to innovate, and are willing to share. They are well-managed and teach by words and deeds. With their "selfless love, courage to innovate, and willingness to share" The spirit of Huang Daopo has turned the land of China into a fertile land. Huang Daopo's spirit has been introduced into the homes of ordinary people and is deeply rooted in the cultural tradition of Jiangnan.
Due to Huang Daopo's bold innovation and repeated use of cotton spinning tools and textile techniques Research and experimentation finally achieved a doubling of efficiency. The rapid increase in productivity and the rapid development of the commodity economy in the Jiangnan region promoted the scale and settlement of Jiangnan towns. The cotton industry prospered the city, and domestic and overseas trade developed. This not only provided Shanghai with Modern urbanization has provided technical conditions and has since laid a solid economic foundation. Huang Daopo's important contribution to cotton spinning technology promoted the rapid development of the cotton textile industry in Shanghai and triggered the transformation of China's agricultural society into a commodity society. Because the cotton textile industry "gave birth to the city of Shanghai", a textile history of Shanghai is a living economic, social and cultural history of the city, which is not an exaggeration.
Huang Daopo Sanxuan Spinning Wheel, East China Normal University Museum collection
With the advent of the intangible cultural heritage era, "Great Country Craftsmen" and "Craftsman Spirit" have become synonymous with the core values of intangible cultural heritage, "further reaffirming the 'Great Country Craftsman' brand, and continuing to strengthen labor models, 'Great Country Craftsmen', etc." The contemporary nature, charisma and influence of the brand fully reflect the style of workers in the new era, and give full play to the exemplary and leading role of advanced model figures to form a public opinion orientation and value orientation that advocates labor and respects workers." This statement has been written into the government several times work report. The value orientation of "advocating skills and respecting labor" has become the core expression of craftsman spirit. Xian Mian Huang Daopo left 1 national-level intangible cultural heritage item, 6 municipal-level intangible cultural heritage items, and 3 district-level intangible cultural heritage items of Wunijing cotton textile skills in Shanghai, forming a profound and huge treasure house of cotton textile and folklore resources. .
The image of Huang Daopo has been continuously constructed in the development of the times as the "first cotton" who "clothes and quilts the world", a cultural messenger of "national integration", and a female scientist who "has the courage to innovate". In the era of intangible cultural heritage, she has become a "keep improving" and "dare to innovate" "The symbol of the craftsman spirit of a great country is highly consistent with Shanghai's urban spirit of "accommodating all rivers, pursuing excellence, being open-minded and wise, and being humble", and is well-deserved to become the "goddess" of Shanghai.
The "cotton first" spirit is the embodiment of the virtues accumulated in China's thousands of years of traditional farming and weaving civilization. It is a cultural tradition closely related to people's daily life. The intergenerational inheritance of its spirit is not only important for citizens to build values and maintain ethnic identity. The leading and guiding role is more conducive to building a national image and cultural identity that “advocates kindness and values virtue”. The image and spirit of Shanghai’s Cotton Goddess have the cultural gene that drives the eternal progress of the nation and the country. The social construction of identity memory is worthy of in-depth discussion and interpretation from multiple dimensions such as politics, economy, culture, and gender.
Author: Fang Yun
Text: Fang Yun (Researcher at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Theory and Application Innovation Base of Shanghai Vocational College of Arts and Crafts, Distinguished Researcher at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance and Application Research Center of East China Normal University) Editor: Fan Xin Responsible Editor: Shao Ling
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