Tuweibalaolide Legend
01 · Historical Records
The legend of Baldy Li the Younger is widely current in Shandong, the three north-eastern provinces and most coastal areas of the north and the neighbouring waters. It is told that a peasant woman gave birth to a green snake; her husband, greatly frightened, struck off its tail with a hoe, and the snake flew away in pain. Baldy Li the Younger later returned every year to his native place to sacrifice to his mother and to bless the locality with favourable weather, and the people came to revere him as the divine dragon Baldy Li the Younger. This legend is especially concentrated in Shandong and is interwoven with the local coastal environment and the experience of migrating beyond the pass to seek a living.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The legend of Baldy Li the Younger is widely current in Shandong, the three north-eastern provinces and most coastal areas of the north and the neighbouring waters. It is told that a peasant woman gave birth to a green snake; her husband, greatly frightened, struck off its tail with a hoe, and the snake flew away in pain. The content of the legend touches astronomy, geography, farming and custom and many other fields, and Baldy Li the Younger is famed for being hardworking, kind, honest and loyal, filial and dutiful, chivalrous and righteous, punishing evil and praising good. The legend is rich in thought; its migration motifs and rich moral content still exert a profound influence on the people of the areas where it circulates. The legend of Baldy Li the Younger was continually enriched in its circulation through the various places of the north and is a product of the mutual blending of Shandong migration culture and folk belief.
The Legend of the Green Snake Born and Its Tail Cut
The core episode of the legend in which a peasant woman gives birth to a snake and her husband cuts off its tail.
Returning Home to Sacrifice to His Mother
The episode in which the snake returns every year to his native place to sacrifice to his mother and bless the locality with favourable weather.
The Custom of Sacrificing to the Divine Dragon
The folk custom of sacrificing to the divine dragon and praying for favourable weather.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Later the snake returned every year to his native place to sacrifice to his mother and to bless the locality with favourable weather, and the people came to revere him as the divine dragon Baldy Li the Younger. Shandong is the core area of the legend's circulation, and it is interwoven with the local coastal scenery and village beliefs; the people still preserve the custom of sacrificing to the divine dragon and praying for favourable weather. The rich migration motifs of the legend closely link it with the feelings of the people of the three north-eastern provinces and the northern coastal areas.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tuweibalaolide Legend · Tuweibalaolide Legend · Tuweibalaolide Legend.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Protecting and transmitting the legend of Baldy Li the Younger has important folk significance for maintaining the thoughts and feelings of the people of different regions. Today the transmitters of the legend of Baldy Li the Younger are decreasing year by year and the matter urgently needs attention. The migration motifs and moral content in the legend closely link it with the feelings of the people of the three north-eastern provinces and the northern coastal areas, and it is precious material for studying the history of Shandong migration and folk belief.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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