The origin and legend of Chaoshan burning tower

The burning tower originated from the Han people who rebelled against the cruel rulers at the end of Yuan Dynasty. During the Mid-Autumn Uprising, there was also the custom of burning towers. It originated in the late Yuan Dynasty when Liu Bowen hid a note in a moon cake and launched an armed uprising in the name of August 15th. The story of "three families raise one yuan and kill them all overnight" circulated among the people comes from this.

The shape of the tile tower is "round tower", "square tower" and "polygonal tower". And each has its own auspicious meaning. For example, the round tower means "the Mid-Autumn Festival is full of people". Generally, people with relatives abroad build round towers, which are square like fields and hills, indicating that they extend in all directions; A polygonal tower means that there are many ways to make money and business is booming. The technology of tower building is also very particular, including sealing and window shape.

The "windows" on the windowing tower are square, diamond and plum blossom. The top of the tower is open, like a big chimney, with different sizes. The short ones are more than two meters high, the high ones are four or five meters high, and the diameters range from dozens of centimeters to more than one meter. In order to make the tower ventilated and beautiful in appearance, the big tile tower is often a zigzag frame put together.

Cultural connotation

Compared with the general Mid-Autumn Festival activities, burning towers in Mid-Autumn Festival has its unique cultural connotation. It is a symbol of a full meal, a prosperous home and the safety of relatives and friends, and has entrusted many people in the south with aesthetic taste for thousands of years.

Participants in the tower-burning activities will celebrate the harvest in their own ways, such as minor tunes and folk songs, and be safe all year round. Sing a good year and a happy life, and the activities will generally last until late at night.

Anfu Office of Anfu County People's Government, document 100, published it as the first batch of county-level intangible cultural heritage protection list, and allocated special funds for general survey and excavation. The inheritors are also selected from the young people in Zhexi Village for training and education.