Folkways and Life Style

Chen Zhaowen: The culture of many different cities seems to be homogeneous nowadays.

Nicolas Perocheau: It is true on the surface, as to the physical buildings, but you can find various life style and folkways.

Anchor: In traditional Qixi Festival, we Cantonese make some dolls, the heritage is well kept. The Flower Market for Spring Festival in Guangzhou is another good example.

A Chinese girl holds her nice buy of flower at a Spring-Festival flower market in Guangzhou.

The Spring-Festival flower market in Tianhe, Guangzhou

Chen Zhaowen: Guangdongers tend to be more superstitious and pray more than northerners. They also feel less safe, due to the unstable sea near them.

Anchor: Do you like to drink tea in Guangzhou, Nicolas?

Nicolas Perocheau: Yes. I go for tea when I have time, I like jasmine tea, and reading the newspaper and magazines and drinking tea. Seasoned 'phoenix' (chicken) claw is my favorite.

A Cantonese old man has morning tea and dim-sums at the celebrated Panxi restaurant in Guangzhou.

Anchor: You know a lot! 'Phoenix' claw is one of the two classical Cantonese dim-sums. Taotao Ju Restaurant is famous for that. Lu Xun, China's celebrated writer, often drank tea there as the restaurant served the tea with nice water from Nine Dragon Spring in Baiyun Mountain. Chinese are fond of the dragon as it is regarded as very auspicious.

Chen Zhaowen: The Dragon in China is not only one creature, but a goodwill symbolic mixture of many things.

Nicolas Perocheau: It is made up of several creatures.

Development and Inheriting

Anchor: Do you think if we should have a physical vehicle for this culture? To help it to be passed on?

Nicolas Perocheau: I don't think there should be a vehicle as culture evolves constantly with life.

Chen Zhaowen: Protection, nurturing and promotion are needed, but not for it to be wrapped up. Many cultural events and folk ways in Guangzhou can be dated back hundreds and even thousands of years. But most of them are limited to certain villages and districts, such Polo Birth Gala.

The Dragon Boat Race organized by the city government is very good. But it is a pity that such a resource is under-utilized, in that the public just converge and watch, and then it is all over. Maybe we could integrate the race with other activities, and have it be a part of a bigger festival.

The annual Dragon Boats Race in downtown section of the Pearl River in Guangzhou, celebrating the Chinese traditional Duanwu Festival

Nicolas Perocheau: In culture development, innovation is very important, to make it local and confident when involving the incoming elements.

Anchor: Could you summarize your perspective of Ling-nan culture?

Chen Zhaowen: Guangdongers show initiative and are blazing the way towards success.

Nicolas Perocheau: I appreciate the potential for Cantonese and Guangdonger cultures to adapt and evolve. Guangzhou is changing very fast because of its strong tolerance and reflection.

(The End)