What are the specialties of Wenzhou?

Wenzhou Stone Sculpture

Wenzhou Stone Sculpture is mainly made from high-quality pyrophyllite from Qingtian. It has rich colors, strange patterns, various types, waxy luster and slippery feel. To make exquisite stone carvings, you need supporting tools: chisels, carving knives, turning drills, burrs (a tool with sharp copper thorns all over the body), saws, etc.

The production process is roughly divided into five steps: the first is material selection, conception, and layout; the second step is called "cutting and stamping the blank", which is to chop the stone to create the outer contour of the work; and then further refine the stone Many round holes of different sizes are left on the carving to create conditions for carving; the last step is to carve carefully and scrape away unnecessary knife marks and chisels to make the work smooth and clean. After the work is carved, some decoration work is carried out, such as seating, cushioning, lighting, and waxing. There are various stone carving techniques, with round carving being the most popular. Openwork carving is the most common, and openwork carving is the most distinctive.

The stone quality of Wenzhou stone carvings is very beautiful, and it also shows superb skills and local characteristics, so it is deeply loved by domestic and foreign tourists.

Rice sculptures

Rice sculptures are made from cooked rice flour dough and are made into various vivid images and shapes through various techniques such as kneading, kneading, pinching and carving. Colorful characters, animals, flowers and birds. Since rice sculptures come in different sizes, they are mostly used for festive festivals and birthday celebrations, and as social gifts for relatives and friends.

Three-inch yellow mandarins from Yongjia

During the Qingming Festival, the once-famous Wenzhou mandarins have disappeared from the market. The unassuming Ou Gan began to make its debut and became very popular. Wenzhou has a long history of citrus cultivation. According to Wu Chenying's "Linhai Foreign Objects" of the Three Kingdoms: "Chickens and oranges are as big as a finger and are sweet in taste. They are found in Yongning." During the Three Kingdoms period, the Wenzhou area belonged to Yongning County of Linhai County. It can be seen that more than 1,700 years ago, Wenzhou's Kumquats are already famous. According to historical records, during the Three Kingdoms period, Cao Cao sent an envoy to Yongjia, selected 40 loads of Ogan oranges, and transported them back to the capital, Ye County.

During the Tang and Song Dynasties, Wenzhou Ou mandarin oranges were renowned throughout the country for their high quality and delicious taste, and became the fruit given to ministers by emperors during the Lantern Festival. "New Book of Tang Dynasty: Geography" records that Ogan, sugar cane, homespun cloth, shark leather, etc. were listed as court tributes as early as the Tang Dynasty. Yuanlin's "Ganzi Ji" records: "In the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, the emperor held a meeting with his attendants on Yuanxi, and paid homage to the yellow mandarin oranges as a gift. The name was Chuangan." "History of the Song Dynasty" has "In August of the 24th year of Emperor Gaozong's reign in Shaoxing, "Wenzhou Huanggan is served at noon". Huanggan is Ougan. At that time, Ogan oranges were also sold on the streets of Kaifeng, the capital city. Liang Zhangju's "Continued Talk of Wandering" records: "The tangerines of Yongjia are commonly known as Ou tangerines. Those sold to the capital are called spring tangerines, which have been famous since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Dongpo's poems sent by Zeng Zhongxi in the Yuan Dynasty:" The strange things in Yannan are really worth remembering, "Three inches of yellow citrus are broken into Yongjia". Mei Yaochen's "Poetry of Yi Wen's citrus, a scholar of Shen Wentong": "Yu Gong's book Juebao, it is unknown that the yellow citrus is ripe in Dongting." Mo Yongjiabi." It can be seen that Ougan has been famous since ancient times. No wonder Zhang Shinan sighed in "Yongjia Jiwen" that "Yongjia's tangerines are the best in the world"! Until the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, Ogan was still listed as a tribute.

In the fifth year of Chunxi, Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1178), Han Yanzhi, the eldest son of Han Shizhong, the famous anti-Jin general and the prefect of Yongjia, compiled three volumes of "Ju Lu" (also known as "Yongjia Ju Lu"), which recorded in detail The varieties and characteristics of Wenzhou citrus summed up the experience of citrus cultivation, initial planting, cultivation, disease control, watering, picking, collection, preparation and treatment, and medicinal use at that time. The excellent quality of Wenzhou citrus was highly praised. "Ju Lu" is the world's earliest and most complete academic monograph on citrus. It still has important academic value and is considered by the international botanical community as "a very valuable work on citrus horticulture." "Ju Lu" records that there were 27 kinds of citrus in Wenzhou at that time, especially the milk tangerine produced in Nishan (now Yishan, Cangnan) was a treasure. As early as the Song Dynasty, the Xishan area on the outskirts of the city was rich in Ogan oranges. "Qihai Suotan" records: "The soil of Yongjia is the most suitable for orange trees. The direct history of Han Shouyan in the Song Dynasty is sufficient evidence. It was produced in Xishan during the Song Dynasty. Ye Zhengze's poem goes: 'Opposite Wuqiao Lane, the first one in Xishan. Where there are trees, there are orange trees. If there is no water, there will be no lotus. This is the proof. Later, it flourished in the river fields across the river, and gradually spread to Wutian in the eleventh capital. Cultivated into Wenzhou satsuma mandarin. This citrus, which is the most widely planted and produced in the world, has lost all its unique flavor. In recent years, after years of careful research and cultivation by scientific and technological personnel, new varieties of seedless Ou mandarin have been released, opening up a new world for the ancient Ou mandarin. Ogan is a rare fruit and good medicine.

It is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, organic acids, vitamins and minerals, of which vitamin C is higher than that of ordinary fruits. In addition to being eaten fresh, Ogan can be made into preserves, fruit wine, juice and canned food. When Ou mandarin oranges are first picked, they have a slightly bitter and sour taste. After long-term storage, the bitterness disappears, making it soft, juicy, sweet and refreshing. With the continuous advancement of fruit storage technology, Ou mandarin oranges can be stored for one year, which is something that other citrus fruits cannot do. Ou mandarin is a good medicine that can cure diseases. It has the functions of clearing away heat and promoting fluid production, removing phlegm and relieving cough, moistening the lungs and relieving asthma, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. Especially the Ou mandarin that has been stored for a long time has better medicinal effects. There is a folk proverb: "On the Dragon Boat Festival, there is an antelope race with Ougan".

Ou embroidery

Ou embroidery is one of the six famous embroideries in my country. As early as the Tang and Song Dynasties, Wenzhou folk embroidery was spread across thousands of households. The embroideries are mostly for shoe uppers, pillows and the like. In 1853, professional embroidery shops were opened in Wenzhou. By the 1920s, each embroidery shop hired painters to paint, increased the variety of embroidery, and gradually developed into decorations and appreciation items, which were exported to Europe, America and Southeast Asia. In 1980, "Brocade Feathers Welcome the Spring" designed by senior craftsman Zhang Guomin was collected by the Great Hall of the People in Beijing and displayed in the Zhejiang Hall. In recent years, the excellent works of Ou embroidery field have been selected as national gifts for many times, selected for exhibitions of famous Chinese arts and crafts, and exhibited abroad.

Wenzhou boxwood carving

One of the famous traditional handicrafts in Zhejiang, mainly produced in Wenzhou. Boxwood is used as the raw material for carving, hence the name. Famous for its simplicity and beauty, it is also known as the "Three Carvings of Zhejiang" together with Qingtian stone carvings and Dongyang wood carvings. Boxwood has a tough texture, fine texture, smooth surface and bright yellow color. After being carefully carved and polished, it can be compared with ivory carving. It can be stored for a long time, and the color changes from light to dark as time goes by, making it look more elegant and lovely. It is characterized by exquisiteness, sharpness of knife skills, decent density, and both form and spirit. In the late Qing Dynasty, the famous Wenzhou artist Zhu Zichang used unique round carving techniques to create a number of outstanding works. In 1910, he was sent to the Nanyang Entrepreneur Association for an exhibition and won the first prize; in 1915, he won the second prize at the Panama International Exposition. Since then, its reputation has spread far and wide, and there are more and more carving artists. Boxwood is smaller in size and is suitable for carving small desk furnishings such as figures and animals. Since the 1980s, artists have absorbed the advantages of stone carving and ivory carving art, and applied hollowing out and group image splicing methods to reflect the grand scene and better express the theme. Products are sold to more than 30 countries and regions on five continents.

Wenzhou Fish Cake

It has been famous as early as the 10th year of the Republic of China (1921). At that time, Zhou Ashi, a native of Yongqiangsha Village, specialized in fish cakes. The main raw materials are tofu, wild rice noodles and fatty meat, which are cut into long strips, steamed in a steamer, and then fried in a frying pan. People call it "fish cake". Nowadays, the method of making fish cakes has been further improved. When making it, first scrape fish meat with less spines and more flesh, such as yellow croaker and hairtail, and chop it into a puree. Add wine and mix it with tofu, vegetable puree, onions, ginger, etc. and sweet potato powder. Form into dough, then shape into cakes, put in a steamer, or deep-fry in oil until brown and then simmered. It can be eaten alone, cut into pieces and boiled, or cut into shreds and stir-fried with seasonings.

Wenzhou fish balls

Use fish or conger meat as the main ingredient, cut into thin strips, marinate with wine, MSG, and salt for a while, add white starch, knead thoroughly with hands, and then Pick it into boiling water with your fingers and let it float until cooked. When eating, ladle the original soup into a small bowl, add rice vinegar, MSG, pepper and chopped green onion. There are many fish ball shops and stalls in the streets and alleys of Wenzhou. In December 1998, the fish balls of Wenzhou Restaurant were recognized as "Famous Chinese Snacks" together with the hemp dumplings of the county's former glutinous rice dumpling shop due to their good flavor and distinctiveness.

Wenzhou Fish Noodles

To make fish noodles, first scrape off the flesh of yellow croaker, eel and other fish with white and fine texture, remove the spines and peel the skin, lightly dip it in sweet potato powder or loose powder and beat it into thin slices with a stick After roasting, it can be cut into diamond shapes, square slices, or cut into noodles, thin noodles, etc., dried and stored in the sun. When used, it is boiled in soup. It will be as smooth as noodles and taste fresh and refreshing. Usually it is combined with fish balls and noodles. Boiled, it is called "fish ball noodles". Fish skin wontons are made from white and delicate fish meat, broken into small slices, the size of dumpling wrappers, wrapped with meat fillings, and shaped into lotus shapes. They can be steamed and set aside, or boiled in boiling water and cooked before being eaten with seasonings. They are commonly known as "fish skin wontons". Skin Wontons”. The fish fillet tastes transparent, smooth, flower-like in shape, and tastes fresh and refreshing.