Han customs

The Han nationality is the largest ancient nation in the world. Due to its long history and cultural wealth, its customs and customs are colorful and extremely rich.

The Han nationality of Shangnongwu is an ancient agricultural nation. Since ancient times, the agricultural population has accounted for more than 80% of the total population. The custom of advocating agriculture has a long history. Since ancient times, the Han people have regarded agriculture as their main industry. As early as the Warring States Period, Han Fei put forward the idea of "agriculture-oriented". He said: "The reason why the warehouse is real is that it is the fundamental task of farming." "Han Feizi: Strange Envoy Chapter." Under the influence of the idea of advocating agriculture, the Han society formed the "Shang Jun Shu·Painting Policy Chapter","Men farming and eating, and women weaving and clothing." "Men farming and women weaving" can be said to be a typical painting of the customs and customs of Han society. Only in modern times, especially after liberation, have there been major changes.

The twenty-four solar terms are an important part unique to the Han lunar calendar. Their formation and creation are closely related to the agricultural production customs of the ancient Han working people. As the climate changes all year round, the content of farming and farm work also changes. The names of the twenty-four solar terms themselves clearly reflect this point. To this day, Han farmers are still accustomed to carrying out farming and arranging farm work according to solar terms.

Related to the custom of advocating agriculture is the Han people's worship of the land god. "White Tiger Tongyi" says: "The earth carries all things, which explains the reason why the earth obtains gods." The form of worship of the land god is "community worship". The land god is called the community god or community owner, and the place where the land god is sacrificed is called the community. "Book of Rites·Suburban Special Animals" says: "Zhuang, sacrifice to the earth, but also governs yin qi... Zhuang, so it is the way of God and earth." Later, there were social sacrifices at all levels in Han society. Folk belief in land gods is very extensive, and before liberation, land temples can be seen almost everywhere.

Respecting ancestors and respecting the elderly is an ancient legacy of the Han people. Respecting ancestors is the worship of ancestors. In the Shang Dynasty, they believed in the unity of God and ancestors, while in the Zhou Dynasty, they believed in the dual spirit of God and ancestors, and worshiping ancestral gods was a more important tradition. The ancestor worship of the Han people mainly sacrifices distant ancestors with meritorious service and close ancestors with close blood ties.

The custom of worshiping ancestors has been until modern times. Folk sacrificial activities to honor ancestors are still very grand, sometimes offering sacrifices, hall sacrifices, festival sacrifices, annual sacrifices, house sacrifices, temple sacrifices, etc. On holidays, some people also pay homage to the remains of ancestors from past dynasties to show that they have not forgotten their ancestors and share the joy with them or ask for blessings from their ancestors. The places where the Han people worship their ancestors are called ancestral temples or ancestral temples. Ancestral temples and ancestral shrines are all over the country.

Related to the custom of respecting ancestors, under the long-term influence of the feudal patriarchal system, the Han people liked to live together and compile genealogy on schedule. Due to living together as clans, since ancient times, the Han people have lived together for three generations, and up to five generations. Some have lived together for hundreds of years for generations. It is really "helping the elderly and the young, and the etiquette is well-known." This kind of clan that has lived together for generations and shared wealth is commonly known as "Yiju" or "Yimen". During the Ming Dynasty, the Zheng family in Pujiang County, Zhejiang Province even lived together for nine generations. The Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty issued an edict to build Zhengyimen and give him a tribute. Although family forms are becoming smaller nowadays, families with three generations living under the same roof are more common.

The custom of respecting the elderly, which extends from respecting the ancestors, is deeply rooted among the Han people. "The Book of Songs·Elegance·Jizui" says: "Filial piety is not lacking, and it will always be given to you." It means that the filial piety of a filial son to respect the elderly is endless, and it will inevitably often affect the entire family and even the entire nation. The folk custom of respecting the elderly of the Han nationality has continued to this day and is a fine tradition worth carrying forward.

Surnames and first names Initially, the Han family names and surnames were different. The original surname was the family name of the matriarchal clan commune. The word "surname" is composed of the words "nu" and "sheng". Many ancient surnames have "nu" next to them, such as Jiang, Yao, Ji, etc. A surname is a branch of a surname. Due to the reproduction of descendants, the family is divided into several branches and scattered across various places. Each branch has a special symbol as a symbol, which is the surname. Later, the surname and surname were not much different.

The origins of surnames can roughly be as follows: ① The surname is based on official positions, such as Sima, Shangguan, Marquis, Shuai, Wei, etc.; ② The surname is based on occupations and skills, such as the surname of pottery making "Tao", the surname of warehouse management is based on "Cang", and the surname of merchants is based on "Jia"; ③ The surname is based on the names and titles of ancestors, such as Meng Sun, Uncle Sun, Wang Sun, Gongsun, etc.; ④ The surname of the country and fief, such as Qi, Lu, Wu, Chu, etc.; ④ The surname is based on primitive worship objects, such as horses, oxen, sheep, and dragons; ③ Take the characteristics of the place where they live as their surnames, such as Dongguo, Ximen, Yang, Liu, Li, etc.; ③ Take numbers as their surnames, such as Wu, Lu, Wan, etc.

In addition, some compound surnames such as Zhangsun, Helan, and Huyan are transliterated from ethnic minority languages.

The Hundred Family Names compiled by Song Dynasty people contained a total of 408 single surnames and a total of 76 compound surnames. The Dictionary of China Names published in modern times has included a total of 4129 single and compound surnames. There are only about 200 commonly used surnames, and the most common single surnames are only 100. People with the surnames of Li, Wang, Zhang, Liu, Chen, Yang, Zhao, Huang, Zhou, Wu, Xu, Sun, Hu, Zhu, Gao, Lin, Wu, Guo and Ma account for more than half of the country's population.

The names of ancient people in China were more complex than those of modern people, with four items: surname, first name, character and number. The first name is given by the father after the baby is born. The word is given when a man holds a crown ceremony at the age of twenty, and when a woman holds a crown ceremony at the age of fifteen. It is the official title of a person. Numbers are taken by people with inevitable fame and culture to imply their own ideological interests. For example, Tao Qian is known as Mr. Wu Liu; Ouyang Xiu is known as Drunken Weng, and in his later years, he is also known as June 1 Scholar; and Lu You is known as Fang Weng.

Modern people are not as attentive to naming as ancient people. Except for a few people who have characters and numbers, ordinary people generally only have one name, and most of them are one or two characters. Names reflect the cultural and psychological characteristics of the Han nationality. For example, some use words such as "rich, noble, wealth, and wealth" in the hope of making a fortune; some use words such as "healthy, healthy, loose, and longevity" in the hope of being healthy and long-lived; some use words such as "Dong, outstanding, handsome, and talented" in the hope of becoming successful and prosperous. When men name animals, they often use "peng, dragon, tiger, and leopard" to symbolize bravery, power, and good fortune. When naming plants, they use words such as "pine, locust, tung, and cypress" to symbolize majesty, straight, and vitality; Women use the words "phoenix, warbler, Luan, and swallow" and the words "orchid, chrysanthemum, plum, and apricot" to hope to be beautiful, gentle and virtuous.

In China, the traditional concept of seniority of the Han nationality has existed for a long time. With oneself as the center, there are four generations of respecting the elders and four generations of younger generations, forming the "nine clans" of blood ties of "great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, father, self, son, grandson, great-grandson, and great-great-grandson." These are the nine levels. If you connect the blood ties of collateral relatives with the affinity ties, a huge kinship system is formed. Only a part of them is selected here to show their hierarchical relationships.

First level: Grandfather, grandmother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother) Second level: father, mother, uncle, aunt, father-in-law, mother-in-law) Third level: oneself) Brother, sister-in-law, sister, brother-in-law, cousin, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, brother-in-law, brother-in-law, and brother-in-law, are the same generation) Fourth level: son, daughter, nephew, and son-in-law, one generation) Fifth level: Grandson, granddaughter, grandson, granddaughter, nephew, grand-nephew, grand-daughter-in-law, and grand-daughter-in-law) The titles of relatives are divided by seniority and are not subject to age restrictions. The older brother is several years older than the younger brother, and the older brother's children are several years older than the younger brother's children. A few generations later, compared with the descendants of Xiaomen, the contemporaries may be dozens of years apart, which does not affect the seniority relationship. There are often grandsons with long beards or grandfathers with arms in their arms. Therefore, the Han people often say that "the door turns to the younger generation".

Kinship terms are also used between neighbors or strangers in society to imply kindness and respect. For example, peers in neighbors often address each other as brothers, brothers, sisters, and sisters. Young people call their fathers 'peers as uncles, aunts, etc., and call their fathers' peers as grandfathers, grandma, grandma, master, etc. Generally speaking, paying attention to the level and grasping the perspective are very important in the use of titles. Differences in age levels and titles are also different, especially the titles on the envelopes. If a son writes a letter to his father and mother, the letter should be called "parents" or "parents", but the titles on the envelope have a problem with perspective. It is appropriate to call Mr. X or position.

In life, in order to imply respect for people, there is also a special phenomenon of not paying attention to levels. For example, there is a respected elderly person in a certain family. The younger generation in the family calls him Grandpa, Grandma, Master, Grandma, etc. The neighbors, regardless of men, women and children, may call him Grandpa, Grandma, Master, Grandma, but the title is often preceded by a name. For example, Grandma Liu in "Dream of the Red Chamber" and Fourth Master Liu in "Camel Xiangzi". Sometimes the word "he (she)" is added before the title, such as: his uncle, her second aunt, his grandma, her second brother Li, etc. Similar terms are still widely used today.

Cultural Psychology The cultural psychology of the Han nation has gradually formed after thousands of years of accumulation. Although the input of various modern cultural thoughts in the past century has greatly impacted this traditional cultural psychology, its influence is still deeply rooted. This has formed the unique pragmatic characteristics of Chinese in the process of people's verbal communication.

First of all, the feudal society based on the agricultural natural economy has ruled China for thousands of years. This feudal patriarchal society has created two characteristics in national psychology: first, it attaches great importance to blood relations, and second, it emphasizes hierarchical differences. Therefore, a prominent feature in verbal communication is the use of relative titles and the strict distinction between elders and elders.

In the West, you can see the situation where younger generations call their elders by their names. This is not allowed in communication among China. For elders among relatives, they must use their names when talking. This is a reflection of courtesy and cultivation. In addition, the title of relative is also used as a kind of honorific title and is widely used for non-relative interlocutors, such as calling uncle, uncle, grandma, and aunt. It is regarded as a respect for each other and implies closeness of the relationship.

The patriarchal concept of attaching importance to elders and young people was transferred to the interpersonal relationships in society and became a concept of hierarchy. For thousands of years, feudal society has always advocated the order of the elders and the order of the superiors and subordinates. Therefore, people have always had the habit of matching people with official positions with their positions, which in ancient times was considered a respectful address. In order to elevate the other party's status in communication, they often lower themselves, so they have a number of humble terms that are opposed to honorific terms, such as honorarium-my surname, family-humble home, virtuous brother-foolish brother, masterpiece-humble work, high opinion-humble opinion, humble opinion.

Secondly, it emphasizes the harmony of interpersonal relationships, emphasizes the sociality of people, and emphasizes the constraints of society and groups on individuals. It does not emphasize individuals and individuality, but emphasizes groups. This is also related to the patriarchal relationships of feudal society. It forms a sharp contrast with the West's self-centeredness, emphasis on independent personality and individuality, and respect for individual achievements and honors. Because of this, in order to emphasize the closeness of interpersonal relationships, China often call non-relatives interviewees by the name of relatives; China often use the other person's private life as the content of their greetings after meeting, such as asking "Have you eaten?" It's not really worried that you will be hungry, it just implies concern and intimacy.

As for questions such as asking you how much you earn, how old you are, whether you have a partner, or how many children you have, in the eyes of China, it is also a reflection of close interpersonal relationships and bonds. It is a so-called Oriental human touch, while in the eyes of Westerners, it seems to be suspected of interfering with other people's "privacy rights."

The Han nation's conservative tradition of sex and gender issues has also caused differences in terms between men and women in verbal communication. Generally speaking, male language is more straightforward and casual, while female language is more subtle and solemn. Swearing words related to sex is far more common among men than among women. Because although traditional concepts also believe that men are uncivilized when using these words, they seem to be universally understood, while women are very unseemly when using them, and seem to deserve criticism from public opinion.

The Han wedding customs of marriage have a long history and are rich in national color. As early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a complete set of etiquette had been formed, namely,"Nacai","Ask for Names","Naji","Nazheng","Ask for Dates","Kinying Welcome", etc., called the "Six Rites".

"Nacai" means that a man asks a matchmaker to propose marriage to the woman's family, which is called "matchmaking" by later generations;"asking for names" means that both parties change the age of the year, which is called "changing dragon and phoenix tie" in modern times, and then divined "marriage together";"Naji" means "engagement";"Nazheng" means "engagement";"Nazheng" means "dowry" means "sending a betrothal gift from a man to the woman's family, commonly known as" betrothal gift ";" request date "means choosing a good wedding date to solicit the woman's opinion;" personal welcome" means marrying the bride.

From ancient times to the present, although marriage customs have been complicated and simplified due to changes in times or differences between rich and poor, the basic ritual procedures are similar. Even in modern times, free love has risen and procedures have become more simplified, but customs such as matchmakers and introducers, blind dates, betrothal and marriage are still inevitably preserved.

Among the "six rites","welcoming people in person" is the most colorful. The main customs include laying houses, crying for marriage, sowing grains and beans,"raising fire","splashing water", blocking faces, wearing red clothes, leaving the bride's feet on the ground, sitting in a sedan chair,"crossing the saddle", paying homage to the hall, spreading accounts, handing over cups, and disturbing the room. For more than 2,000 years, these "welcoming" customs have persisted. Although they have been innovated and evolved in modern times with the progress of society, they have not changed much in basic aspects.

In terms of marriage, although monogamy was prevalent in the ancient Han nationality, the phenomenon of concubinage was relatively common. In modern times, it was commonly known as "asking for a concubine" or "marrying a concubine". Widows were generally not allowed to remarry. Especially in the late feudal society, the rise of Neo-Confucianism and the rules were very strict, and some basically had to wear plain clothes and remain widowed for life.

In terms of marriage forms, in the old days, in addition to the marriage of the Ming Dynasty, there were also sales marriage, cousin marriage, exchange marriage, transfer marriage, recruitment marriage (commonly known as "marriage"), pawn marriage, child adoption marriage, finger-belly marriage, filial piety marriage and ghost marriage.

Women who cultivate customs have bodies, which is commonly called "Youxi" by the Han people.

The child has to perform "three dynasties" on the second day after birth. After a child is born, most eyes are closed tightly and they will not open until three days or three days later. According to the old custom, when children open their eyes, they should first look at their father, then their mother, and then other relatives and friends to show their filial piety to their parents forever. Relatives and friends who come to visit often present gifts such as eggs, brown sugar, and children's clothes to congratulate them. Among them, eggs are dyed red and are called "red eggs". Because they are Heshi, they are also called "Xi eggs".

The full moon is called the "Miyue". The old custom is to trim the baby's hair, commonly known as "shaving", and hold a banquet to congratulate her. Some places stipulate that the eighth day of the fourth month of the lunar calendar is the "shaving" day for newborns. Modern Han people regard children's full moon as a common occurrence, but rural areas in some places still pay more attention to it and often ask for full moon wine.

One year old is the most solemn day since a child was born. In ancient times, a child's future should be tested when he is the first year of his or her birthday. The method is to put bows, arrows, paper and pens, and for women, knives, ruler, needle baskets, as well as various food and clothes on the table for the children to take them. The winner will be a sign of his future. Modern Han people generally attach great importance to children's first birthday. Whether in cities or rural areas, they generally take photos of children, make new clothes, and eat eggs and noodles to congratulate them. Some families with better financial conditions even serve birthday drinks to entertain relatives and friends. There is also the custom of making one-year-old rice dumplings in rural areas in Jiangnan. This kind of rice dumplings is wrapped longer than ordinary rice dumplings, which means that children grow up quickly.

In ancient times, when Han men reached the age of 20, they chose an auspicious day to invite guests, and their father presided over the crown ceremony in the ancestral temple. "Book of Rites·Guanyi" records: "In ancient times, the crown ceremony was used to divinate the guests on the day, so we respected the crown." When a woman is 15 years old, she performs the ritual of wearing a hat. The annotation on the "hairpin" in "Yi Li·Shi Xian Li" says: "The hairpin is a ritual for a woman, just like the crown of a man." The holding of the crown ceremony and the ceremony implies that the person has reached adulthood and can get married.In modern and modern times, these etiquette have long been abandoned. However, when people reach the age of 20, they often celebrate birthdays more solemnly. Families with better financial conditions hold birthday drinks and entertain relatives and friends. Generally, people also prepare wine and vegetables, eat eggs and noodles, and congratulate the whole family.

Funeral The old tradition of Han nationality funeral was to pay attention to heavy burials, and it was mixed with many superstitious customs. Since ancient times, coffin burial has been popular among the Han people. Funerals are grand and are divided into three stages: mortuary, funeral and burial.

Burial is to dress the body and put it in the coffin. Before a person dies before being buried in the coffin, the deceased must be summoned and bathed. The mortuary is divided into two steps: small mortuary and large mortuary. Small mortuary is to wrap the body with clothes and quilts. Generally, cloth and silk are used. Rich people use silk, and some royal families use jade clothes. A funeral is to put the body into a coffin. The coffin is called "Shoucai". The male coffin is engraved with the word "Shou", the female coffin is engraved with the word "Fu", and some are engraved with the three words "Fu Lu Shou". Rice was also placed in the mouth of the deceased during the small funeral. Rich families contained jade, beads, etc., royal families contained jade, and in modern times, they contained a silver dollar. They were both called "rice han". During the funeral, some items are often buried with them. Most people have clothes, quilts, daily necessities and other things. Rich families and royal families have many and valuable items for burial.

A funeral means that the coffin is stopped in the funeral palace after the coffin is put in. The length of the funeral varies, ranging from 3 days to 30 days, mainly determined by the people attending the funeral. In ancient times, the coffin was buried for three months, up to seven months. Traditional customs of the Han people say that when their parents die, their children must go to the funeral, otherwise they are unfilial. Relatives and close friends will mourn the deceased in the future and call it "condolence" or "condolence". All those attending the funeral must wear mourning clothes. The ancient Han people's mourning clothes were divided into five types: cutting off decline, Qi decline, great merit, minor merit, and weaving linen. They were called "five costumes". They were made of linen with different thickness and fine. Different mourning clothes were worn according to differences in relatives and distant relationships. They were called "wearing linen and wearing filial piety". In modern times, white cloth was often used to make mourning clothes. Modern cities generally wear white flowers on their chests and black gauze on their arms.

Burial is to bury the body of the deceased, that is, to bury the coffin. The old custom often depends on feng shui and choose a cemetery before burial, which is called "choosing an auspicious place." Burial procession is also called funeral. During the funeral procession, in ancient Han people,"filial sons" usually carried out the funeral ceremony in front of them, and the person carrying the coffin sang the elegy. In recent and modern times, the elegy has evolved into a sad music. Relatives and friends wrote elegitives or elegitives to attend the funeral, but in recent and modern times it has evolved into sending wreaths, with elegitives written on the wreath.

In ancient times, there was a custom of burying people with people, mainly close relatives, close ministers and close attendants. In the Qing Dynasty, there were still relics of people who died. Later, they were gradually replaced by pottery figurines, and in modern times, paper figures were used to accompany the burial.

After the funeral, there are memorial ceremonies such as the seventh day, the seventh day, the 10th day, and the anniversary, and the memorial tablets are sent back to the ancestral hall. This has changed from a ceremony to a ceremony to a ceremony for "ghost spirits" and "ancestral spirits".

In addition, the Han people also have the custom of "returning to their homes", which means that the bodies of those who died in other places will be buried back to their places of origin.

During the funeral, relatives of the deceased must wear filial piety clothes and guard the spirit in the mourning hall. In ancient China's etiquette system, filial piety was divided into five classes according to the blood relationship with the deceased. In modern Chinese, there is also the word "five costumes", implying the distance of blood relationship. The filial piety clothes are made of white cloth, which is very different from the Western custom of wearing white clothes to make formal dresses. During the Qing Dynasty, an Englishman came to China for the first time. He met a funeral procession, everyone wearing white clothes, but their expressions were painful and sad. He felt very strange. In ancient times, people sang elegies at funerals. Tao Yuanming, the great poet of the Jin Dynasty, wrote three "Elegy Poems" for himself during his lifetime. The elegiac couplets and elegiac curtains of later generations evolved from ancient elegiac songs.

The scale of funeral rituals is closely related to the status and identity of the deceased. In feudal society, there were strict regulations on funeral ceremonies for people with different status and identities. Families of princes, aristocrats, and rich people often show off their power with large-scale funeral ceremonies. In "Dream of the Red Chamber", it is written that Qin Keqing died in Ningguo Prefecture. The coffin used was worth thousands of taels of silver. Two to three hundred monks and feathermen chanted scriptures. The procession at the funeral was "majestic and majestic, like a silver mountain on the ground." However, even if the poor people cannot meet the minimum level of food and clothing, they naturally cannot talk about "heavy burial". Sometimes they could only wrap the body with a mat and bury it hastily.

After the death of the elders, their descendants must stay at home for twenty-seven months, during which time they stop socializing and entertaining. Officials must also leave their posts and return home to observe filial piety, to imply sadness for respecting their relatives, which is called "abiding by the rules."

Since ancient times, the characteristics of the Han people's jackets with right lapels and large lapels have always been preserved. From the Shang Dynasty portraits of jade carvings, stone carvings and pottery sculptures unearthed in Anyang, Henan, you can see the appearance of high-collar clothes on the right lap. Although Hu clothes were introduced later and short clothes and shorts appeared, whether it was the "deep clothes" of the Western Han Dynasty, the "cross-collar robe" of the Tang and Song Dynasties, or the "long robe" of the Qing Dynasty, the top was always characterized by the right lap.

Modern men's robes or modern women's cheongsam inherited the characteristics of the right lapel of the top.

Each dynasty advocated the color of clothing. Generally, it was summer black, Shang white, Zhou red, Qin black, Han red, Tang clothes yellow, and flags red. In the Ming Dynasty, the Zhou, Han, and Song Dynasty were adopted and designated red.

The style of clothing developed into the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Men generally wore a double-placket and trousers inside, and wore a long gown on the outside. They were more attentive and added a jacket, which was called "long robe and jacket." The pants are all inlaid with an eight-inch waist. Later, Zhongshan suits became popular, but long robes were still worn in rural areas, horse jackets and short shirts and trousers. Today, there are elderly people still wearing long robes in remote mountainous areas. In the late Qing Dynasty, women wore trumpet-shaped knee-length mid-length long gowns and trousers. After the Republic of China, they wore "axe shirts", which were different from pairs, large plumes, and pipa plumes. They wore skirts, including phoenix tails, pleated skirts, etc. Cheongsam became popular after the 1930s, but rural women mostly wore large plumes and trousers. In modern Han costumes, men are represented by Zhongshan suits and women are represented by qipao.

Cloth shoes with a thousand-layer bottom and round cut and low cut are light, breathable and comfortable. They are also one of the clothes of the Han nationality with ethnic characteristics.

Hairstyle: In ancient times, Han men did not shave their hair, but tied their hair on the top and added a crown. In the Qing Dynasty, they changed to shaving and braiding. Young people regarded the long braid as their beauty; after the Republic of China, they cut the braid and left short hair, mostly Western style, flat-top style or bald head. Han women have many hairstyles. In ancient times, they tended to have high buns. In modern times, girls had flowing sea, single braid, or double ya buns. Middle-aged women often wore long buns, and in old people, they wore them on the back of their heads. After the Republic of China, many women changed to cut short hair and keep it up to their ears. Modern Han men's hairstyles are no longer distinctive, but women still use long braids as their hairstyles with national characteristics.

Decoration, ancient Han men would have beards and beards at a certain age, and women would perform a ceremony at the age of 15, commonly known as "opening noodles". Ancient women also had vulgar customs such as chest binding and foot binding, while men had the custom of tattooing.

In terms of wearing, jade was popular in the ancient Han people. Both men and women wore bellies to prevent diseases from entering the navel. Nowadays, children in rural areas still wear bellies. It is an old custom that children should wear a "landing ring" at birth, which means safe landing. They should wear a "Tianguan Lock" from one to five years old, also known as the "Longevity Lock".

The ethnic form of Han residential buildings is a wooden structure with arched arches and eaves, commonly known as the "big roof". This ethnic form of housing construction first sprouted in the houses with grass, mud, wood and column network structures at the Banpo Site and the stem railing type tenon and tenon structures at the Hemudu Site. After long-term exchanges and integration, a complete architectural structure system composed of "Qin bricks and Han tiles" and wood structures was formed during the Western Han Dynasty, which was called "the work of civil engineering" in history. This kind of bucket arch not only plays a supporting mechanical role, but also has a decorative artistic effect, expressing the strong national style of Han housing architecture. In historical development, this ethnic form with large roofs has been divided into palace forms with glazed tiles and carved beams and painted buildings, and simple and simple residential forms with blue bricks and black tiles.

The layout of Han buildings is generally characterized by flat and in-depth development. It is divided into upper rooms and lower rooms, main rooms and side rooms, and inner courtyards and outer courtyards. The highest building is no more than two floors, often forming strict symmetry between left and right, with courtyards and buildings integrated, and closed and independent residential buildings.

Han architecture is unique, and major achievements are classical garden architecture.

Nowadays, although there are many high-rise housing buildings in the city, important buildings often adopt the traditional ethnic architectural form of the Han nationality. For example, the top ten buildings in Beijing retain a strong ethnic style. In rural areas, courtyards are still popular in the north, and Wujiantang is also built in the south. Although new building materials have emerged and are widely used, a large number of basic buildings are still brick and wood structures or mud-wood structures with "Qin bricks and Han tiles".

Rites and customs In ancient China was known as the "land of etiquette." The ancient Han people paid great attention to etiquette, and etiquette and customs were unique.

In their interactions with each other, the ancient Han people had considerable etiquette for different objects. They were divided into nine types: bowing, kowtowing, empty, vibrating, auspicious worship, evil worship, extraordinary worship, praise worship, and Li worship, called "nine bows". After later development and evolution, the most common ones are arching, bowing and kneeling.

Arch means that the right hand is in, the left hand is out, and the hands are folded together to show respect. In ancient times, men bowed to the left, while women bowed to the right, which was called "receiving thousands of blessings." A fierce bow, that is, an unfriendly salute, is the opposite. When bowing, in addition to bowing, you must also bend down and bow. There are two differences between high and long bows. A high bow means holding your hands high. In addition to holding your hands high, a long bow must also be made from top to bottom. Arching and bowing are often used together, which is probably the evolution of the "vibration" in the ancient "Nine Prayers". This etiquette has no distinction between superior and inferior, and is a common etiquette among peers. In ancient Han people, when friends met, they often said "thank you" and bowed to show respect.

Kneeling is a solemn etiquette among the Han people, which mainly includes bowing, kowtowing, and empty heads. Bow is to kowtow to the ground and pause for a period of time. It was originally the most respectful etiquette among the "nine bows" and was often used as a bow to the monarch. Dun bow, that is, knocking on the ground, is commonly used as a bow from the lower generation to the upper generation and a lower generation to the superior. Empty head means touching the ground with your hands and bowing your head to your hands. In addition, there is also the "Qibai" with only one knee bent, which was very popular during the Qing Dynasty.

After the Revolution of 1911, with the abolition of the feudal monarchy, the ceremony of kneeling down was abolished, but it was not extinct until after liberation. However, the lower generation of the people sometimes used this ceremony to show respect for their superiors. At the same time, the etiquette of bowing and bowing has gradually been replaced by shaking hands, raising hands, gazing, greeting and nodding greetings, but it has not completely disappeared.

In terms of advocating color, the Han people have the custom of advocating red and valuing yellow.

Shang Hong, as early as "The Book of Rites·Tan Gong Shang", it was recorded that "the people of the Zhou Dynasty were still red." This kind of "advocating red" customs and customs had many manifestations in ancient Han China: in ancient China, it was called "Jiuzhou", and also called "Chixian Shenzhou";"Red Bird" was regarded as a lucky bird and also used as an alternative name for the sun; Pure and kind filial sons were praised as "Red Son", and their noble character of loyalty and sincerity was called "Red Heart"; copper, the main raw material of the splendid bronze culture of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, was praised as "Red Gold." Over time, the color of fire was originally "red", but it developed into the general red.

Since the Han people regard red as a symbol of good fortune, joy, and beauty, they often call women's costumes "red makeup", and use "red makeup" to refer to beautiful women; or call women's beautiful appearance "red beauty", which also refers to beautiful women; or call the houses of young women "red boudoir"; even men and women dressed for travel are also called "red men and green women". Not only that, the Han people regarded red as a symbol of revolution. In the peasant uprisings of past dynasties, some were called the "Red Eyebrow Army", some were called the "Red Turban Army", some were called the "Red Coat Army" and "Red Light", until the modern New Democratic Revolution, the workers and peasants 'armed forces led by the Communist Party of China were also called the "Red Army".

In Han folk customs, red should be used to decorate the environment and exaggerate the atmosphere. For example, red cloth should be hung on the door to give birth to a child, red paper should be used to tie the birthday noodles to celebrate the birthday, red paper should be used to tie them together, and red paper should be pasted on gifts during New Year and holidays. The expenses for New Year and festive delivery should be wrapped in red paper, commonly known as "red paper bags". All these are commonly known as "red weddings".

The Han people value red while also value yellow. "White Tiger Tongyi·Hao Chapter" says,"Yellow is the color of neutrality, and the nature of nature. It is not easy for all ages." Yellow is the noblest of the five colors and represents the center. Therefore, ancient Han emperors all respected yellow as a straight color, and the dragon robe worn by emperors was also called "yellow robe"; yellow clothes were also worn during sacrifices to show solemnity and solemnity; Not only did Xuanmen respect yellow and wear yellow, but Buddhism also believed that yellow was simple and elegant, and had a sense of transcendence. Therefore, their costumes, buildings and other decorations were mostly used in yellow, and most utensils were "gilded" or "painted with gold "). The most typical example of the Han people's noble yellow is the "Yellow Turban Uprising" in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. It even put forward the political slogan of "Heaven is dead, Huang Tian will stand, and in Jiazi, the world will be happy."

In addition, the Han people also avoid white, believing that white represents sadness, pain and death, so white is used in funerals to imply solemnity and sorrow. Funerals are also commonly known as "white weddings".