Posted on 08/14/2005 10:41:58 AM PDT by Our_Man_In_Gough_Island
LEIZHOU, China--Thunder invariably rumbles 258 days a year on this rainy peninsula at the southernmost tip of the Guangdong province.
No wonder, then, that people here took up worshipping a thunder god more than 1,000 years ago.
Categorized as a superstition and banned during China's Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), the traditional practice has gradually made a comeback as the country opens up to the world.
Now the city of Leizhou is hoping its tradition will give a thundering boost to the local economy.
"We would like to promote Leizhou's unique culture and history as a tourism resource," said Li Changwu, a Communist Party secretary in the city.
Leizhou city is five hours by bus from Guanzhou city, capital of Guangdong province.
Sugarcane and banana fields stretch out from Leizhou. Buffalo grazing on grass are a common sight.
"Nuowu," the thunder god festival, is held on the 15th day of the Chinese New Year and Sept. 1, the birthday of the god. The festival is also called "a living history of ancient dances."
In the Nanxingzhenxiatian district of Leizhou city, the ancient ritual starts at 5 a.m.
In front of the thunder god's altar, about 10 dancers wearing wooden masks forecast good or bad fortunes. Then they visit each household in the area, dancing to the rhythm of gongs and drums.
The name of Leizhou city originated from a small shrine called "Leizuci," in which people paid tribute to Chen Wenyu, the first local governor of the Tang dynasty (618-907).
According to Chinese lore, Chen was a deity, hatched from a huge egg that emerged in thunder. At that time, the character "lei," or thunder, was written on his left palm while the character "zhou," or province, was written on his right palm.
Guangdong province currently is the strongest economic performer in China, due mainly to the Zhujiang (Pearl River) Delta, where many factories are located. Those factories manufacture products for China's domestic market and export. The delta has been dubbed "the world's factory."
While located in a thriving province, Leizhou is not, however, flourishing economically. The gross domestic product per person in the city was only 26 percent of the average figure of the province in 2003.
So, residents are hoping the ancient thunder tradition will bring in tourist dollars. They are also hoping to cash in on "Piaose," an event that takes place simultaneously with the thunder god festival around the 15th day of the Chinese New Year.
In this event, children wear beautiful costumes, and appear to float-thanks to iron rods that support them. The rods are hidden by the children's costumes.(IHT/Asahi: August 13,2005)
Is this really a good idea?
Well, it is obviously a very ancient idea, which has been so ingrained into the way of life of this region that even Mao's Cultural Revolution could not stamp it out. In a way it's like May Day or Halloween in the USA, but with a distinctly Asian twist. Like those festivals it may be wiser to adapt it and transform it than to ask whether it is an " OK" idea or not.
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