Investigation Report on “Changing Customs and Customs”

2017 "Change Customs" Survey Report 1

Since entering the new century, especially in promoting the great practice of "Two Pioneers", the socio-economic outlook of Kunshan's rural areas has undergone earth-shaking changes change. Rural infrastructure and farmers' living standards have been significantly improved, and the construction of rural spiritual civilization has also achieved gratifying results. The city's village regulations and folk customs overall present a good situation of civilization and harmony. However, due to multiple historical and practical reasons, farmers' scientific, cultural and ideological and moral qualities have not kept pace with the rapid development of the economy. At present, feudal superstition and stereotypes and bad habits are quite serious in some rural areas of Kunshan. Weddings and funerals, weddings and funerals, worshiping gods and Buddhas, paying attention to pomp and circumstance, and blind comparisons are becoming more and more popular. This has not only added a heavy economic burden to the ordinary farmers. , and also corrupted the social atmosphere. At present, Kunshan is advancing at a higher level and taking the lead in basically realizing modernization. According to the requirements of the Municipal Party Committee and the Municipal Government for the construction of rural spiritual civilization, the Municipal Civilization Office has grasped the main problems, causes and relationships of feudal superstitions and stereotypes and bad habits currently existing in Kunshan's rural areas. We conducted on-site investigations in Lujia, Jinxi, and Huaqiao, and held symposiums with 12 units including the public security, civil affairs, and ethnic religious units to understand the actual situation and solicit opinions. The investigation report is now as follows:

1. Main issues

At present, in rural areas of Kunshan, there is a widespread culture of paying attention to pomp and blind comparison, looking at Feng Shui and engaging in superstition in weddings and funerals. Activity has also picked up. Judging from the overall situation of the city, weddings and funerals in places such as Huaqiao and Lujia cost a lot of money, while the situation in Jinxi, Zhouzhuang and other places is better. These problems also exist in other areas to varying degrees, increasing the financial burden of the farmers, and even There are phenomena such as "cannot afford to get married", "cannot afford to have children", and "cannot afford to die".

1. Blind comparison with funeral ceremonies. At present, rural funeral activities have formed a one-stop service system and professional service team, with the characteristics of keen information, variety, full service, industrial operation, etc. There is even a phenomenon that the funeral agent is already at the door of the house before the elderly have died. According to the custom in Kunshan's rural areas, the deceased usually stays at home for three days for relatives and friends to express their condolences. During this period, there are more than ten contents including chanting Buddha's name, dojo, setting off firecrackers, band, burning warehouses, tin foil, crying on behalf of others, and "touching the Heart Sutra". According to the survey, the approximate cost is as follows: the cost of chanting the Buddha is about 2,400 yuan, the ashram is about 4,800 yuan, the band is about 1,500 yuan, folding tin foil is at least 5,000 yuan, firecrackers and incense candles are 1,000 yuan, rice soup is 1,500 yuan, coffins and urns are 3,000 to 5,000 yuan, and shrouds Ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The chef service fee is 80 yuan/table, the ingredients are 1,000 yuan/table, and the labor cost is 200 yuan/day. Calculated based on 20 tables and 20 workers, the banquet cost is about 20,000 to 30,000 yuan; after the cremation, there are also "May 7th" activities. It’s also a big expense. Overall, the cost of funeral in rural areas is generally 50,000 to 80,000 yuan. In particular, some villagers whose families have better economic conditions express their filial piety to their elders in inappropriate ways, making grand arrangements at funeral ceremonies and often spending hundreds of thousands. The surrounding villagers followed suit. It seems that spending more money on funerals is a sign of filial piety to elders and relatives. Otherwise, other villagers will regard them as "unfilial", forming a trend of blind comparison.

2. Pray to God and worship Buddha and spend a lot of money. In recent years, commercial phenomena and feudal superstitious activities have increased in rural religious beliefs in Kunshan, especially among middle-aged and elderly women over 50 years old. This is mainly reflected in two aspects: First, the commercial nature of burning incense and worshiping Buddha is relatively serious. The incense head is responsible for burning incense. From the local Dongyue Temple and Huazang Temple to the Lingyin Temple and Mount Putuo in Hangzhou, commercial practices are common. Local temples have the custom of burning incense on the first day of the Lunar New Year, and during the process of burning incense, believers often bid irrationally. The management around some temples and Taoist temples is not standardized, and merchants are mixed. They take advantage of farmers' religious beliefs to sell incense and candles and take the opportunity to make money. Second, feudal superstitious activities such as fortune telling and feng shui have been on the rise. The development of rural economy and policies such as demolition and resettlement compensation have enriched the pockets of some villagers. However, some wealthy villagers are eager to engage in feudal superstitious activities such as fortune telling, Feng Shui reading, and Guan Meng. Some so-called fortune tellers, "Feng Shui" masters, and "Shi Niang (goddess)" themselves do not have basic knowledge of the Book of Changes, Feng Shui, etc., but they take the opportunity to cheat in the countryside and actually gain the trust of many villagers. Some farmers believed deeply in the master and obeyed his orders. They even went out and invited people in to ask for advice from the master at any cost. The village customs and customs were in a state of chaos.

3. Get married, have children, and have a lot of fun. With the economic and social development of Kunshan, the trend of wedding comparison in rural areas has become more and more intense, which is mainly reflected in four comparisons: comparing houses, comparing cars, comparing betrothal gifts, and comparing ostentation. Generally, when getting married, the man needs to buy a house in the town and decorate it, which usually costs more than one million yuan. If you are an ordinary farmer who does not have a resettlement house, this is the largest expense for marriage. The man also has to give the woman a betrothal gift, which ranges from tens to hundreds of thousands depending on the man's family conditions. The woman usually gets a small car as a dowry, and the price ranges from hundreds of thousands to over two hundred thousand. Different from cities, rural wedding banquets in Kunshan generally take three days (entry, reception, and reception), with as few as twenty or thirty tables per day, and as many as fifty or sixty tables. Coupled with the various expenses of wedding companies, wedding expenses generally cost a lot.

This is naturally a heavy expense that cannot be afforded by young people who have just started working. It has become a common social phenomenon to "gnaw at the old" and compare with each other. People who have lots of betrothal gifts, big houses, nice cars, and lavish banquets feel that they have face. There is even a abnormal social psychology that they are not ashamed of but proud of "gnawing at the old", which has seriously affected the social atmosphere. Compared with getting married, the expenditures of young couples on having children cannot be underestimated. It is common to have dozens of tables filled with full-moon wine. When it comes to children’s necessities, they only choose expensive ones and don’t buy the right ones. Everything in food and clothing must be brand-name. In addition, if they are celebrating their first birthday, their tenth birthday, etc. Not only does it increase the burden on the family, but it also easily develops the bad habit of children becoming squeamish and competitive.

2. Cause Analysis

The emergence of rural feudal superstition and stereotypes and bad habits has profound historical and practical reasons. The improvement of economic development level and the improvement of farmers’ living standards are the reasons for feudal superstition and There is a material basis for the spread of stereotypes and bad habits, but in the final analysis, the legacy of feudal ideology, lack of values, lack of publicity and education, and lack of government management are the main reasons for such problems.

1. Remains of feudal thought. Feudal superstitions left over from thousands of years have a deep-rooted impact on middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old in rural areas. These people do not have high scientific and cultural qualities and are unable to make rational judgments on some issues in society and life. Under the influence of relatives and friends around them, they are easily confused by some so-called "masters". Whenever something happens at home, you should ask a Feng Shui master or a goddess to check the house and see how the deceased relatives are doing in the afterlife. This kind of feudal superstitious thought was not formed overnight, nor can it be changed overnight.

2. Lack of values. With the continuous and in-depth development of the socialist market economy, the traditional rural ideological and moral system is also facing impact and influence, and farmers' outlook on life and values ??have deviated. Feudal superstition is becoming increasingly prevalent in rural areas. Some villagers are not rational about religious beliefs. They blindly believe in religion, believe in gods, and spend money to eliminate disasters, to the point of obsession. What's even more serious is that some villagers obey the orders of the swindling "Master" and regard the "Master" as their spiritual support.

3. Lack of publicity and education. Some relatively well-off farmers are extravagant and extravagant in matters such as weddings and funerals. Some villagers blindly follow suit and suffer the consequences. Many villagers believe that grand weddings are a good way to look good, and funeral rituals are complete to show filial piety to the elders. Other villagers follow suit, otherwise they will be looked down upon by the villagers. Some villagers with poor economic conditions are trying to make a fool of themselves by pretending to be fat, and even resort to borrowing money, which puts heavy financial pressure on their families. Some district, town, village (community) leaders have turned a deaf ear to the rise of feudal superstition and stereotypes and bad habits in rural areas, and have invested minimally in the construction of rural spiritual civilization. There is basically no positive publicity and education, and some people even have the idea that this kind of thing should not be dealt with and cannot be dealt with.

4. Government management is absent. The survey found that the rural funeral industry has now formed a one-stop service system. For example, Lujia Town has more than 30 Buddhist practitioners and about 15 Taoist priests. Huaqiao Economic Development Zone has 7-8 one-stop service teams with more than 100 employees. Many of the people involved were even the literary and artistic backbones of the township propaganda teams in the 1960s and 1970s. This group of people do not have much understanding of Buddhism and Taoism, and lack basic religious cultivation. Some people do not have the status of Buddhist and Taoist personnel, but only join the funeral industry due to profit motivation. A complete set of services surrounding weddings has also moved from cities to rural areas, forming an industry chain with considerable profits. At the same time, driven by economic interests, some Taoist temples and temples give too much consideration to commercial interests in religious activities, which has aroused objections from some pilgrims. For many years, Kunshan's management of rural feudal superstition and the funeral industry has been relatively weak. There is no specific department to manage it, and it lacks a set of effective policies and measures to standardize management. In fact, it is in a management vacuum. The members of the two village committees and the villagers are mostly close relatives. Due to their feelings, they did not carry out effective management and correct guidance, which led to the current disorder.

3. Grasp several relationships

Rural feudal superstition and stereotypes and bad habits have a long history and are deeply rooted. When we deal with these issues, we must focus on handling the relationships between religion and superstition, customs and bad habits, demand and supply, management and education, on the premise of respecting the wishes of farmers and safeguarding their fundamental interests.

1. Grasp the relationship between religion and superstition. Our country's constitution stipulates that citizens have the right to freedom of religious belief and protects citizens' lawful religious activities. There is an essential difference between carrying out religious activities in accordance with the law and feudal superstitious activities such as reading Feng Shui, inviting masters, and fortune telling. For daily religious activities such as burning incense and worshiping Buddha, we must educate and guide villagers to worship Buddha rationally, avoid extravagance and waste, and establish a correct religious outlook. For some behaviors that are disguised as religion, science and legality, but actually engage in feudal superstition and take the opportunity to make money, they must be strictly dealt with in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

2. Grasp the relationship between customs and bad habits. As the birthplace of Wu culture, Kunshan has profound cultural accumulation and unique waterside customs. In the modern context of continuous opening up, while we are inheriting rural folk customs, we must also keep pace with the times, remove the dross and adopt the essence of traditional customs.

Village rules and customs are not formed overnight. We must vigorously promote civilized and frugal village customs and put an end to unhealthy trends such as extravagance and blind comparison in weddings and funerals, so as to effectively reduce the financial burden on farmers.

3. Grasp the relationship between demand and guidance. It is natural for farmers who have become wealthy to hope that their children's weddings will be lively and festive, and it is also natural for younger generations to hope to express their respect and longing for their elders by holding funerals. Therefore, we must realize that weddings and funerals are important events for every household, including normal burning of incense and worshiping Buddha. This market demand exists objectively and should be neglected rather than blocked. The key is to grasp the relationship between demand and guidance, and regulate and guide according to the actual needs of the people. The propaganda informs religious believers that funerals and ashrams should be held in religious venues approved by the government to prevent deception, shoddy goods, high prices and other behaviors that disrupt the market.

4. Grasp the relationship between management and education. In view of the current wedding and funeral markets and feudal superstitious activities in rural areas, it is necessary to carry out special rectification, standardize market order, and severely curb unhealthy tendencies. Although special rectification is strong and effective, regular and long-term publicity work is more important. The education work for farmers cannot be delayed or rushed. The key is to innovate the methods and methods of publicity and education, and to carry out "moisturizing things silently" publicity and education work in a cultural and artistic way that the farmers like to see and hear. Only through long-term, patient and meticulous publicity and education, and gradually improving the ideological and moral quality and scientific and cultural quality of the farmers, can we fundamentally enhance the ideological consciousness of farmers and improve the social atmosphere in rural areas.

IV. Countermeasures and Suggestions

Kunshan’s rural social and economic development is in a leading position in the country. However, the rise of feudal superstition and stereotypes tells us that rural feudal superstition and stereotypes are not They will disappear with the development of economy and society. Only by taking effective targeted measures can we gradually solve these problems.

1. Carry out a thorough investigation. It is recommended that the Civil Affairs Bureau take the lead and each district and town conduct an investigation into the funeral industry and those engaged in the funeral industry in the region, conduct statistics on the so-called "Feng Shui" gentlemen, "masters", and goddesses, and understand the activities. Relevant persons in charge of various districts, towns and sub-districts, especially community (village) cadres, must go deep into rural areas (communities) to listen to the voices of villagers, carry out actual investigations and research, and master first-hand information. The Municipal Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau is responsible for investigating the situation of burning incense and worshiping Buddha in Taoist temples across the city, especially those related to commercial activities. The Municipal Industry and Commerce Bureau should sort out the business households engaged in the funeral industry in the city and investigate the existing problems. The above-mentioned departments formed written investigation and summary materials and submitted them to the municipal government office. It is recommended that the municipal government office take the lead in further implementing the responsibilities of districts, towns and departments.

2. Improve industry services. First, give full play to the role of industry associations. The Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau guided the funeral industry association to strengthen its own construction, speed up the formulation of a number of industry standards, and guide practitioners to strengthen industry self-discipline. The second is to strengthen formal services in the industry. The current funeral industry market in Kunshan is in chaos. The Municipal Administration for Industry and Commerce should strive to establish and cultivate a number of leading enterprises in the industry with standardized operations and formal services, and lead the healthy development of the city's funeral industry. The Municipal Civil Affairs Bureau should strengthen the standardized management of municipal funeral homes and put an end to private price increases and arbitrary pricing during the sale of funerals, cremations, urns, and cemeteries. The third is to improve self-selected package services. The Civil Affairs Bureau should guide the funeral service industry to provide a list of services that can be checked, respect the people's inner desire to cut out the complex and simplify it, make the entire funeral activity simple in procedure, substantial in content, solemn in scene, and affordable to the people, and guide a new civilized trend in the funeral industry. The fourth is to strengthen price management. At present, it is common in the wedding and funeral industries to ask for prices casually. Without the minimum clear price tag, a good market environment is naturally impossible to talk about. The civil affairs, industry and commerce, price and other departments should conduct thorough research on the wedding photography, flowers, wedding cars, emcee, videography, makeup, etc. of the Kunshan wedding industry, and the shrouds, wreaths, hearses, cremations, urns, and cemeteries of the funeral industry. etc. proposed relatively reasonable government-guided prices, improved the price management system that combines catalog management and hierarchical management, and standardized market operations.

3. Increase government support. First, build a number of public welfare projects. In order to standardize mass sacrificial activities, fundamentally eliminate feudal superstitions, and save land, it is recommended that the government learn from the experience of advanced areas in domestic funeral reform, support districts and towns in establishing public welfare columbarium (alternative to cemeteries), coffin centers, and establish healthy and civilized funeral methods. . The second is to provide financial support to a number of venues. Community clubs in places such as Huaqiao are open to residents at low prices. They purchase their own ingredients and help neighbors organize banquets for weddings and weddings, curbing the trend of blind comparison. It is recommended that the government invest funds to build a number of similar venues in other districts and towns to create a atmosphere of simplicity, frugality and neighborly assistance. The third is to set up rewards for changing customs. Material rewards will be given to families and individuals who take the lead in establishing a new trend of frugality in marriages and consciously resisting superstitious activities at funerals to create a positive demonstration effect.

4. Carry out standardized governance. The first is to carry out special rectification. It is recommended that the municipal government office organize the establishment of a leading group to jointly carry out special rectification of rural feudal superstitions and bad habits in rural areas in conjunction with the Municipal Civilization Office, Public Security Bureau, New Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Civil Affairs Bureau, Ethnic and Religious Affairs Bureau, Industry and Commerce Bureau and various districts and towns. Conduct centralized training for village cadres, industry operators and related personnel, investigate and deal with unfair industry competition, resolutely ban feudal superstitious activities that endanger personal safety, corrupt morals, and take advantage of opportunities, and standardize and manage normal religious activities. .

The second is to establish a long-term mechanism. Departments such as civil affairs, folk religion, industry and commerce should formulate specific management measures in funeral activities, religious affairs, funeral industry, and wedding industry, strengthen daily management, and include them in the annual work assessment scope to form an effective set of normal management mechanism. The third is to do a good job in pilot work. Several villages with serious feudal superstitions and stereotypes were selected for pilot projects. Proposals were issued, party members and cadres took the lead in demonstrations, and village cadres went to every household to gradually transform villagers' consciousness through patient and meticulous work. They signed letters of commitment with villagers, simplified the format of weddings and funerals, burned incense rationally, and did not engage in feudal superstition. Activity. It will be gradually expanded on the basis of pilot projects to achieve the effect of one point leading to an area.

5. Strengthen publicity and guidance. First, actively give play to the role of model party members and cadres. Starting from ourselves, we must take the lead in not burning incense and worshiping Buddha, not engaging in feudal superstitious activities, and strictly restraining our family members, keeping weddings and funerals simple, and resolutely resisting feudal superstitious activities. The second is to strengthen media publicity. Through the municipal media, one newspaper, two channels and one network, we will set up special columns to strengthen publicity and reporting on the harmful effects of rural feudal superstitions and stereotypes. Use community electronic display screens, outdoor public service advertisements, Weibo and WeChat, cultural bulletin boards, etc. to increase the promotion of new rural civilized trends. The third is to strengthen ideological and moral construction. Continuously improve rural ideological and moral "Three Comments and Three Lectures" activities to achieve "Weddings and funerals should be civilized", regularly carry out moral lecture activities, and carry out in-depth activities such as "I recommend, I evaluate moral models, good people around me, civilized and harmonious families", etc. Spread civilized trends. The fourth is to enrich villagers’ amateur cultural life. Give full play to the role of the cultural and sports teams in villages and towns, and demonstrate the harmfulness of feudal superstition in the form of operas, sketches, three-and-a-half-sentence and other literary and artistic works that are popular among farmers. Through daily performances on the common stage and cultural, scientific and technological, health and other activities, Let more farmers understand the dangers of feudal superstition and conduct funerals in a civilized manner, conduct happy events frugally, and conduct Buddhist services rationally.

?Things that benefit the people will flourish; things that harm the people will disappear. ?Changing the feudal superstitions and stereotypes in rural areas requires persistence and long-term effects. We believe that under the great attention and correct leadership of the Kunshan Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, all departments and units will work together and work hard, and through unremitting joint efforts, a modern new Kunshan with profound traditional cultural heritage will surely be able to Achieve greater achievements in promoting the construction of rural folk customs and civilization, and make greater contributions to deepening the construction of "Moral City and Leren Kunshan" and advancing to a higher level and taking the lead in basically realizing modernization. 2017? Changing Customs? Investigation Report 2

According to the arrangement of the main leaders of the Propaganda Department of the District Party Committee, in mid-August, the editorial department of "Dongchang News" organized personnel to go to Weidamiao Village and Hou Village, Gulou Street, our district. In Tianzhuang Village, Ying Town, we conducted on-site surveys, discussions with village (neighborhood) committee members, and distributed questionnaires to investigate the issue of changing customs in our area. Two symposiums were held this time, 60 questionnaires were distributed, and 53 valid questionnaires were collected.

2. Basic situation of typical cases

Weidamiao Village, Gulou Street: located in the southwest of the city, adjacent to Changrun Road to the east and Zhanqian Street to the west, with 1,762 current residents. .

The village currently has a red and white council, as well as a red and white restaurant and auditorium. Before, first, there was the phenomenon of sitting on a flowing water mat. Regardless of which family has a wedding or a banquet in this village, sitting at the "Zhuangxiang Banquet" was once very popular, with the most seats being more than 80 tables. Some people take the 50 yuan gift and seat 3-4 people, which makes it difficult for the household to prepare. As a result, households often have over-seating, which is a huge waste. Second, there are unreasonable requests for execution. Please apply in advance before each red and white event. The minimum number is 5 tables, and the maximum number is 10 tables. According to the current regulations, no more than 2 tables can be requested. This alone can save 2,000 yuan for each red and white event.

In view of the past stereotypes and bad habits, the neighborhood committee convened all team members, party members, and red and white directors to discuss and decide. According to village customs, starting from the first day of the first lunar month in 2016, all red and white matters will be invited. If you do not hold more than 2 tables, you are not allowed to sit at the "Zhuang Xiang" anymore. Zhuang Xiang who does not have the task of helping is not allowed to help "Sitting at the table", and four items of what situations can be used as a "Sitting" and what situations are not allowed are formulated. According to the regulations, two billboards were made and hung at the entrance of the community and the entrance of the restaurant to this day.

It is estimated that each banquet and banquet can save at least 25 tables. If each table is calculated according to the standard of 300 yuan, "Zhuangxiang Banquet" can save 7,500 yuan for this banquet and banquet. Please hold no more than 2 tables and remove the "Zhuangxiang seats". Each red and white event can save an average of 9,000 yuan. The entire neighborhood committee has an average of 70 red and white events every year, which can save more than 600,000 yuan.

Tianzhuang Village, Houying Town: Located along Liaoxin Road, it is a provincial-level civilized village with 3,500 villagers. Most of the villagers grow vegetables in greenhouses.