I Ching is the very
foundation of the Chinese culture,
which uses a set of symbols and
numbers to mirror the process of
change in the real world, with odd
numbers representing the active
principle of yang, and even numbers
signifying the passive principle of
yin. As the biggest odd number, nine
stands for the yang energy that is at
its peak before a gradual decline.
Understandably, when it comes to the
ninth day of the ninth lunar month, a
correration between the number and
the revered mature age is drawn, and
thus the Double Yang or Double Nine (重阳) is celebrated as the
festival of longevity.
The traditional
activities during the Double Nine
festival include climbing hills or
towers, carrying a spray of dogwood,
drinking chrysanthemum wine and
eating chrysanthemum cake.
An old-fashioned Double
Nine Cake would have nine layers to
symbolise the supreme yang number
nine and a shape that resembles a
tower, with five colours to attribute
the Five Agents.
Nowadays, there is
hardly anyone carrying dogwood grass,
and few people would drink
chrysanthemum wine, but the practice
of mountain climbing and cake eating
remains, often with a modern touch.
On this year’s Double
Nine, October 31, some nursing homes
in Beijing were reportedly held
cake-eating parties organised by
young volunteers who wore traditional
flowing Han dress and performed
time-honoured Double Nine ritual that
includes kowtow and poem reading.
In shanghai, many
career-demanding young people sent a
personal career or housekeeper to
their parents as a Double Nine gift.
And all over the
country the business of travel
agencies that arrange escorted senior
tours is booming, and most of the
bookings are said to be made by
children for their parents.
But in nowhere the
celebration is more splendid than
that in a small county in China’s
west province Guangxi.
The Double Nine
Banquet
Click on the
image to enlarge it
Lasting Fortune County
(永福县) hosted a Double Nine
banquet that was attended by 1199
Longevity Stars (寿星) aged 70 and over.
Sitting by 200 Eight Immortal Tables
(八仙桌) arranged in the shape
resembling the Chinese character
"longevity" (寿), they’ve made
history by creating a new Geniis
Record.
The county has long
been dubbed Land of Longevity.
According to the local chronicle
record, the oldest local resident had
reached the age of 158.
Today the county has 32
elderly aged one hundred or over, up
to 12 per 100,000 population. The
number of those who have entered
their 90s is about seven hundred,
with nearly five thousand locals in
their 80s, and more than ten thousand
well into their 70s.
What is more remarkable
is that half of the elderly
centennials in the county can still
look after themselves, and some of
them are even able to carry out
rather physically demanding chores
like ploughing farmland and chopping
firewood. The youth of their spirits
are also outstanding. A 101-year old
lady plays cards and mahjong with her
grand children whenever have the
chance, while a 100-year old man
loves to collect VCD of his favourite
opera.
A journalist who
visited the elderly centennials there
has summarised following traits that
he believed to be the secret to their
longevity: A big heart, an even
temper, a diligent body and simple
meal.
China used to be,
arguably, the most aging friendly
society in human history. For
thousands of years, growing old was
something to be celebrated about
rather than afraid of. The virtuous
tradition, however, was brutally
broken in last century.
But the way in which a
society treats its aging population
tells a lot about how civilised it
is. As the true evil can only be
found in the heart of those who
constantly regard others as evil, the
true virtue can only be found in the
spirits of those who approaches
everybody, particularly the poor or
the vulnerable, with compassion.
The good sign is that
after a century of confusion, slowly
the reason and sense begin to return
to the land with a civilisation that
is though ancient but certainly not
out of date.
Some of the
poems on Double Nine festival by
famous Chinese poets:
Thinking of
My Shandong Brother on Double
Nine (九月九日忆山东兄弟)
Wang Wei (王维), Tang Dynasty
(618 – 907)
独在异乡为异客，每逢佳节倍思亲。
遥知兄弟登高处，遍插茱萸少一人。
Climb High
on Double Nine (九月十日即事)
Li Bai (李白), Tang Dynasty
昨日登高罢，今朝再举觞。
菊花何太苦，遭此两重阳。
Homesick on
Double Nine (蜀中九日)
Wang Bo (王勃), Tang Dynasty
九月九日望乡台，他席他乡送客杯。
人情已厌南中苦，鸿雁那从北地来。
Drinking
Alone on Double Nine (醉花荫)
Li Qingzhao (李清照), Song Dynasty
(960 – 1279)
薄雾浓云愁永昼，瑞脑销金兽。
佳节又重阳，玉枕纱橱，半夜凉初透。
东篱把酒黄昏后，有暗香盈袖。
莫道不销魂，帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦！
Yellow
Flowers on Double Nine (九日)
Wen Sen (文森), Ming Dynasty
(1368 – 1644)
三载重阳菊，开时不在家。
何期今日酒，忽对故园花。
野旷云连树，天寒雁聚沙。
登临无限意，何处望京华.
