A Study On The Leisure Life Of Residents In The Shandong Section Of The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal During The Ming And Qing Dynastie

As a social phenomenon of human civilization,leisure can not only have a huge and far-reaching impact on human thought,culture and spirit but also may enable people to glimpse the social development and atmosphere change at that time.As such,leisure may truly reflect the different social information in this area at that period,for instance,politics,economy,ideology,culture,religious beliefs and external communication.Since ancient times,Chinese people had esteem for leisure life,and it has become an important way for people to achieve personal value and pursue a better life.Residents’ pursuit of leisure life is influenced by their unique social environment.During the Ming and Qing Dynasties,the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal ran through the whole line.“There are millions of canals in the southeast,but the only one that reaches the capital is the Grand Canal”.Because of this,it plays an important role in economic and cultural exchanges.The Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is located in the middle of the Grand Canal,connecting the capital city and its environs in the north and Yuhang in the south.This canal is sited in a major transportation route so that the northwest plain of Lu formed a unique location advantage.The superior geographical location brought a once-in-a-lifetime development opportunity to local development,which led to the rapid growth of the commodity economy,increasingly frequent trade exchanges,the rise of commercial towns,and the continuous changes in the number and structure of the population.Social prosperity has also led to changes in the local population’s consumption attitudes such as luxury and pleasure.The new social and humanistic environment created the conditions for the shift of leisure life of the residents in Shandong during the Ming and Qing dynasties.Under the influence of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal,many new phenomena and characteristics have emerged in the residents’ food life,festivals and daily entertainment along the canal in Shandong Province in Ming and Qing Dynasties.In terms of food life,the convenient transportation conditions allowed the cities and towns along Shandong Province to gather ingredients from all over the country in Ming and Qing Dynasties,thereby creating many flavors of dishes.Meanwhile,the local residents’ requirements for food were transformed from physiological needs to the enjoyment of food.Additionally,population exchanges and economic development have given birth to the prosperity and growth of the catering service industry along the canal in Shandong Province,and the leisure places have been further expanded.Teahouses,pubs and restaurants have gradually merged with bookstores and casinos.In the celebration of festivals,the traditional customs not only inherit the characteristics of the past dynasties but also highlight the features of luxury.Other activities such as social drama,fireworks and festival food are more abundant.The cage of restricting women’s minds gradually weakened,therefore,a custom prevailed at that time.It is going out to enjoy the greenery in the spring and climbing hills to admire the chrysanthemum in the autumn became the custom of the moment.Due to the proximity to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal,the worship of the water gods by the residents of Shandong along the canal increased significantly in the Ming and Qing dynasties.The frequent temple fairs formed the temple market,which not only assumed the function of trade but also formed leisure and cultural entertainment activities,such as singing to offer thanks to the gods and parades.In terms of daily entertainment,the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal served as a cultural link,the daily entertainment activities closely related to the leisure life of residents show the characteristics of inclusiveness.Whether in the form of opera,operatic arts,acrobatics,or Bo opera,martial arts and other forms of entertainment,they inherit the traditional features from the past and absorb the excellent cultural genes from all over the country.Thus,forming a situation of diversified types,various forms and easily understandable content.Daily entertainment is also more flexible as they are gradually free from the restrictions on time and space.As a result,the leisure life of residents in the Shandong section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal during the Ming and Qing dynasties showed unique patterns and characteristics.Regarding time and vertical perspective,the residents’ leisure life gradually diversified in content,secularized in leisure style and widened in leisure groups.As regards region and horizontal view,compared with other areas in Shandong during the same period,the leisure life of the residents along the canal in Shandong during the Ming and Qing dynasties has obvious regional characteristics,showing obvious characteristics of Jiangnan.In comparison with the differences between urban and rural areas along the same transport in the Ming and Qing dynasties,the characteristics of luxury are prominent...