The Dragon Boat Festival has a history of more than 2,000 years in my country. It is one of the most influential folk activities in my country. The content of the Dragon Boat Festival activities in various places varies. In order to ward off evil spirits, welcome auspiciousness and ensure safety, in the central and southwestern parts of Shandong, every Dragon Boat Festival, people not only eat, throw and eat eggs, but also hang wormwood leaves and zongzi at the door. The zongzi hung here is not the kind that people eat, but a kind of handicraft with diverse patterns and colorful colors made by winding geometric shells with silk or seven-color lines. Local people call it Ningyang Auspicious Colored Zongzi. Historical Origin Ningyang Colored Zongzi and the custom of sending colored zongzi have a history of hundreds of years in Ningyang. Ningyang Colored Zongzi is a traditional handicraft that originated from "wrapping paintings" and developed into Ningyang Auspicious Colored Zongzi on this basis. Due to its exquisite production and profound meaning, it gradually had a great influence in society and formed the custom of sending colored zongzi. According to legend, during the Qianlong period, the noble lady in the palace followed Emperor Qianlong to Mount Tai to worship the gods and passed this craft to the local Wangjia Painting Shop (a famous local art family). Because it is made of silk, gold and silver threads wound into geometric shapes of different shapes, it carries the royal dignity and symbolizes auspiciousness and peace, so people call it "auspicious colored zongzi". Because the colored zongzi has profound meaning and strong ornamental value, the local custom of sending colored zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival has gradually formed. Wang's painting shop preferred girls at that time because most girls were ingenious, so the inheritance of auspicious colored zongzi has the saying of "passing on to girls but not boys". Before liberation, the production of colored zongzi was relatively simple, with the shapes mainly in prisms, triangles, etc. and single colors. Due to the social unrest at that time, this custom only continued and developed in Ningyang and its surrounding areas. After liberation, after the unremitting efforts of several generations of auspicious colored zongzi, the Dragon Boat Festival sent colored zongzi with Ningyang as the center, radiating and affecting more and more areas, participating in the Taishan Temple Fair and the Sankong Temple Fair over the years, and its production technology has been continuously improved, improved and innovated. During the Cultural Revolution, due to the influence of "breaking the four olds", the custom of sending colored zongzi on Dragon Boat Festival reached a low point. After the reform and opening up, with the efforts of Zhang Fulan, the descendant of the tradition, the custom of sending colored rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival has regained new vitality. In 1997, Zhang Fulan, the descendant of the tradition, was invited to participate in the Beijing International Folk Crafts Fair. One hundred and sixty folk crafts from all over the country and several foreign crafts were exhibited at the same time and place. The auspicious colored rice dumplings were unique and were welcomed and loved by Chinese and foreign people. After seeing the colored rice dumplings, Zhong Jingwen, the former president of the Chinese Folklore Society, praised them in poetic language: "This art not only has a glorious history, but will also accompany the footprints of people's lives until the distant future!" Gao Zhanxiang, the former Minister of the Ministry of Culture, also wrote an inscription for it, calling it "magical hands". Ningyang colored rice dumplings were once given to Ms. Lin Jiamei, the wife of Comrade Li Xiannian, and many celebrities for collection. Now, every Dragon Boat Festival in the southwestern Shandong region centered on Ningyang, colored rice dumplings given to each other are hung on the doors of thousands of households, on the vehicles of each household, and on the necks of adults and children. The colored rice dumplings are of different sizes, various forms, and fragrant. Meaning and production Ningyang colored zongzi and the custom of sending colored zongzi have a history of hundreds of years. The custom of sending colored zongzi is an important local custom. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, each household visits each other, sends colored zongzi to each other, and hangs them on the gate, like palace lanterns and wind chimes, in cars, and on adults and children. The streets and alleys are fragrant and pleasant, and the festive atmosphere is strong. Families and individuals wear colored zongzi, which symbolizes exorcism, disaster prevention, auspiciousness and peace. Sending colored zongzi and blessing each other, sending and appreciating colored zongzi are one of the most important activities during the Dragon Boat Festival. The auspicious colored zongzi reflects the superb handicraft skills of the Ningyang people for hundreds of years. The inner shell of the colored zongzi is a geometric shell, and the outer shell is wrapped with colorful lines, and various patterns can be wrapped to express various meanings. Cyperus, wormwood, angelica, and calamus are placed in the geometric shell, making the colored zongzi bright and eye-catching, beautiful in style, fragrant and pleasant, refreshing and invigorating, implying peace and auspiciousness, and deeply loved by the public. Its main works include: palace lantern-style Ruyi, lotus fairy, nobleman standing under the imperial umbrella, double-ear purse, six-shun fortune, talented woman weaving spring, big five-color, small five-color, auspicious doll, concentric purse, etc. Art and market development value The custom of sending colorful rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival has a certain impact on customs and etiquette, interpersonal communication, crafts, and fine arts. In particular, the production of colorful rice dumplings integrates three-dimensional geometry, traditional Chinese medicine, pattern design, and hand-made production. It has high artistic value and collection value, and also has certain artistic research value and practical value. Every year around the Dragon Boat Festival, the streets and alleys are full of colorful rice dumplings with beautiful styles, colorful colors, and various forms. It not only gives people a beautiful enjoyment and sets off the festive atmosphere, but also has a profound meaning. At the same time, the fragrance of the spices in the colorful rice dumplings is refreshing, and it has the effects of refreshing the mind, improving eyesight, and repelling mosquitoes. Therefore, it is deeply loved by the public and is also a good gift for relatives and friends. The custom of sending colored rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival is widely popular among the people, has strong artistic appreciation, and has obvious social education functions. Therefore, this custom has great market development potential and development value. Protection and development In view of the current status of Ningyang colored rice dumplings and the custom of sending colored rice dumplings, which is an intangible cultural heritage, the county people's government has begun to orderly excavate, protect and inherit this heritage, and has put forward a plan for the protection and development of this custom. Conduct an in-depth survey, record and shoot the artists who make auspicious colored rice dumplings, collect relevant information on the custom of sending colored rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival, select representative folk artists as protection objects, and encourage old artists to bring inheritors. In 2009, the Ningyang Colored Rice Dumpling and Sending Colored Rice Dumpling Custom Research and Development Center was established, and the custom of sending colored rice dumplings was studied and developed as a special topic. A large-scale colored rice dumpling production center was established, and 5,000 yuan was invested to organize special business personnel to establish the Ningyang Dragon Boat Festival Sending Colored Rice Dumpling Custom Historical and Cultural Research Studio. Activities such as the above have laid the foundation for expanding the folk activity of sending colored rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival. In January 2007, the Ningyang custom of sending colorful rice dumplings during the Dragon Boat Festival was included in the "List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Shandong Province".