Pingtan's traditional customs carry a unique island charm and cultural allure, blending influences from the Central Plains with the rich maritime essence of Minyue cultures. The Lunar New Year festivities on the island are reminiscent of a millennium-old ode, with undulating rhythms and enduring flavors.

Steaming 'Year Rice' - A Symbol of Prosperity and Family Joy

Pingtan was an isolated island, and most families relied on fishing for their livelihoods. For those families, coming together on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month of the lunar calendar for the New Year's Eve feast represented the pinnacle of happiness. Hence, Pingtan natives, no matter how far they venture, make it a point to return home for the New Year, cherishing a reunion meal symbolizing family togetherness.

The New Year's Eve feast in Pingtan typically consists of nine or eleven dishes, always an odd number. The hostess takes pride in preparing the finest ingredients, with a focus on seafood, including crabs, shrimp, abalones, squids, ribbonfish, and mackerel. These high-quality local seafood items are skillfully crafted into traditional Pingtan dishes such as Eight Treasures Rice, Steamed Glutinous Rice with Mangrove Crab, Pingtan Seafood Pizza, and Zha Zao Man (Fried Vinasse-coated Eel).

Among the dishes served during the New Year's Eve feast, Shi Lai Yun Zhuang (Lucky Dumplings) is a must-try. It holds significant historical importance in Pingtan and is as indispensable as jiaozi during the Lunar New Year feast in the northern regions of China. The outer layer of Shi Lai Yun Zhuang is made from mashed sweet potatoes mixed with sweet potato flour, shaped into a dough, and filled with a variety of ingredients, including purple laver, sliced carrot, chopped cabbage, minced pork, and shrimp. It is a traditional Pingtan snack enjoyed during festive seasons.

In addition to the feast, every household in Pingtan prepares steamed "Year Rice" for the Lunar New Year. This involves placing a wooden barrel filled with rice, adorned with ten pairs of red chopsticks arranged in a circle, fresh flowers, red candles, and two oranges. This "Year Rice" symbolizes each family's wish for a bountiful year, reflecting both cultural heritage and continuity in Pingtan.

Following the fourth day of Lunar New Year, housewives begin frying Nian Gao (Steamed Glutinous Rice Cake), steaming Fa Gao (Steamed Prosperity Cake), and re-steaming the "Year Rice.” The family gathers to consume the "Year Rice," signifying a year of abundance and prosperity. This tradition is known as “back-to-work” or a “reset” to kickstart the new year with a great start and sincere wish for a year of aplenty.

Apart from the "Year Rice," on New Year's Eve, housewives also steam rice for family consumption. However, a portion of this rice is intentionally left uneaten, symbolizing surplus for the coming years.

After enjoying the New Year's Eve feast, the housewife prepares vegetables and fish for consumption on the first day of the lunar year. Elders give Hong Baos (red envelopes containing money) to unmarried younger generations, and the entire family sits together, sharing thoughts and aspirations until midnight when they open the door and set off fireworks. On New Year's Eve, it is customary in Pingtan for every household to keep their lights on throughout the night, symbolizing bright prospects for the coming year.

White-Headed Couplets-Commemorating the Anti-Aggression History in Pingtan

In the traditional Chinese New Year customs, replacing the old couplets with vibrant red ones symbolizes people's heartfelt blessings for a new and prosperous life in the coming year. In Pingtan, alongside the conventional red couplets, there is a custom of pasting White-Headed Couplets during the Lunar New Year.

Nowadays this unique Pingtan tradition is fading as younger generations prefer the visually appealing red couplets with patterns.

Additionally, after building a new house, it is customary for Pingtan locals to return to their ancestral homes during the New Year to paste couplets, symbolizing the importance of remembering one's roots and wishing prosperity for their ancestors.

Why does Pingtan have the tradition of pasting White-Headed Couplets? According to Pingtan folklore expert Lai Min, the practice is related to Pingtan's history of resisting Japanese invasions. It is said that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates invaded Pingtan, Fuqing, Putian, and other neighboring areas, causing havoc. On the New Year's Eve of the forty-first year of Jiajing, while the locals were busy preparing for the long-awaited reunion feast, Japanese pirates suddenly attacked. Young men and women fled to the mountains, leaving behind the elderly and children, some of whom fell victim to the invaders. In mourning, people added a strip of white paper to the top of the already pasted couplets to express their sorrow. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.

The juxtaposition of the festive red and the solemn white in the couplets, symbolizing joy and caution, creates a particularly warm and precious atmosphere. It is a perpetual reminder for the people of Pingtan of the hardships they endured, passed down to future generations in the form of a cultural tradition—a "blood-stained eternal memory."

Pingtan author Nian Jiasheng recalled that in his youth, he didn't understand the significance of White-Headed Couplets. One year, while pasting regular couplets at home, he discovered a strip of white paper on the red couplet and was about to tear it off when his mother stopped him. She explained that both of his great-grandparents had lost their lives during the anti-Japanese struggle, emphasizing the importance of pasting White-Headed Couplets. Since then, he has held a deep respect for this tradition.

"Sharing the Year" & Customs on the First and Second Days

According to the records in the Pingtan Annals, in the early years, affluent families in Pingtan placed great importance on the tradition of "Fen Nian" (分年), which translates to "sharing the year by offering." In the Pingtan dialect, this tradition involves presenting ten colored gifts, including fish, chicken, duck, red eggs, noodles, pig's feet, and more. When a married daughter returns to her parents' home for the first year, the gifts for the "Fen Nian" ceremony are relatively strict. Typically, five jin of noodles and a pair of pig's feet, among five vegetarian and five meat items, are required, forming the "ten colors."

Historical records indicate that in the early years, daughters from affluent families in Pingtan would return to their parents' home for "Fen Nian," carrying the gifts in ten wooden boxes wrapped in red silk cloth, a custom known as "lifting the boxes." While many Pingtan customs have gradually diminished, the tradition of "Fen Nian" as an expression of filial piety towards parents persists to this day.

The first day of the lunar new year is the beginning of the year, and everyone hopes for a good start. According to the Pingtan Annals, on New Year's Day, there are certain taboos in Pingtan: one should avoid sweeping the floor, fearing that it may sweep away wealth. Nowadays, this custom has evolved into sweeping garbage from the front door inside, and the actual cleaning takes place after the fourth day of the lunar new year; one should avoid using knives to prevent inauspicious events. This taboo aims to prevent accidents and maintain a joyful atmosphere during the festival. Other taboos include refraining from using inauspicious language to avoid conflicts, avoiding scolding children to prevent inauspicious squabbles, and refraining from collecting debts to maintain a harmonious atmosphere on this auspicious day. Additionally, eating congee is discouraged as it is believed to bring rain when leaving the house. Breaking bowls and dishes is also avoided, as in the past, the quality of one's bowl symbolized their status.

On the first day of the lunar new year, people in Pingtan can visit relatives and friends, but on the second day, casual visits are not encouraged.

There is a tradition in Pingtan known as "Bai Xin Zuo" (拜新座), which originated from the end of the forty-first year of the Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty. After Qi Jiguang repelled the invading Japanese pirates in Pingtan and Fuqing, those who had fled returned home for the new year. On the morning of the first day, after exchanging congratulations and well wishes, people would visit the homes of those who had lost their lives the previous year to offer condolences. This tradition has continued, and on the second day of the lunar new year in Pingtan, people generally do not visit the homes of relatives and friends.

Lai Min mentioned that in the past, the custom of paying respects on the second day of the lunar new year was known as "Bai Xin Zuo." This practice, conducted on the second day of the lunar new year, involves mutual condolences among neighbors.

After two or three in the morning on that day, the men in the village would wake up early, led by the elders, to pay respects to the homes of those who had lost family members in the past year. The households with recent losses would set up an altar in the ancestral hall, light candles, and wait for neighbors to come and offer condolences. During the visit, individuals would bow to the deceased's spirit, take a sip of the brown sugar ginger tea offered by the host, express words of comfort, and then leave. Thus, paying respects on the second day became a custom that has been passed down to this day. This tradition is unique to Pingtan, Fuqing, and Putian in Fujian province.

"Today, with diversified cultural influences in Pingtan, many younger generations are no longer bound by these customs. Visiting relatives and friends on the second day is quite common. Only the older generation still observes these customs, and within them, the traditional Chinese spirit of honoring ancestors and acknowledging one's roots is embedded," said Lai Min.

Traditional Pingtan Noodles - Savoring the Flavor of Hometown

Mixing, stringing, pulling, drying, folding, selling... as the Spring Festival approaches, Lin Zhiming, a master craftsman in Pingtan’s “Line Noodles,” aka “Longevity Noodles,” is busy making noodles using the oldest method. He is the fourth-generation inheritor of handmade noodle craftsmanship in Lingshang Village, Pingtan. In his memory, his father's generation used oxen to pull the mill to make handmade noodles, a process that has now been replaced by machines for greater efficiency. In its heyday in the last century, over a hundred households in Lingshang Village churned out three to four thousand kilograms of noodles per day.

The Pingtan "Line Noodles" are white, fine as hair, soft and smooth in texture, resistant to boiling, and can stretch for several meters. This traditional delicacy, with a long history, is a must-have for Pingtan residents during the Lunar New Year. As the name suggests, "Line Noodles" are as thin as threads, making them convenient to cook. They are nutritious when cooked in a rich broth, offering a smooth and easily digestible texture. Though soft, they do not become mushy.

"The flavor of ‘Line Noodles’ varies depending on the broth. I prefer using clam broth, combined with first-harvest laver boiled in fresh water to create a rich soup. You can also add shrimp, oysters, and other ingredients," said Lin Zhiming. Nowadays, many locals working outside the region still order Pingtan noodles from their hometown. "Eating a bowl of ‘Line Noodles’ warms the stomach and the heart, bringing the taste of Pingtan to our hometown," he added.

A bowl of “Line Noodles” carries the flavor of one's hometown. The first day of the lunar new year in Pingtan is commonly known as "Chu Yi Zao," with a saying that goes, "Waking up early on the first day will bring good luck throughout the year." On the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, it is customary for everyone in Pingtan to eat a hot bowl of ‘Line Noodles’’ and two fried eggs which are nicknamed “Tai Ping Eggs,” aka “Peace Eggs.” The homophony of the word "noodles" with "life" and "face" in Chinese signifies the wish for a peaceful and prosperous life, symbolizing good fortune and longevity for the new year.

The pursuit of ceremonial feelings during the New Year is vividly reflected in this bowl of noodles. In recent years, netizens have joked, "No native can go without a bowl of 'Line Noodles' on the first day of New Year.” “Line Noodles” have become an irreplaceable delicacy in Pingtan's traditional festivals and etiquette. They serve as a bridge connecting modernity with tradition and act as a bond that maintains social relationships.