Medicine Market Customs (Baiquan Medicine Market)

Henan
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Baiquan Medicine Fair is popular in Baiquan, one kilometer northwest of Huixian City, Henan Province. It originated from the river god worship activities of Weiyuan Temple in the fourth year of Daye in the Sui Dynasty (608). During the reign of Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Dynasty, the scale of worship was further expanded, and the content of material transactions was gradually added. Because the Taihang Mountain area is rich in medicinal materials, the trading of medicinal materials has become an important activity of the temple fair. In the eighth year of Hongwu in the Ming Dynasty (1375), the temple fair was officially recognized and supported, and the trading of medicinal materials gradually became the main content of the temple fair, and the temple fair was transformed into a medicine fair. In the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1718), drug dealers from all over the country who came to Huixian donated money to build the Medicine King Temple, and held the Medicine King Temple Fair in the first month of each year. The Baiquan Medicine Fair gradually evolved into one of the three major medicinal material trading fairs in the country. While exchanging medicinal materials, there are also distinctive activities to worship the Medicine King at the temple fair, among which local folk activities such as "releasing ducks" and "sending river lanterns" have a great influence in the local area. In recent years, due to the rapid development of science and technology, transportation and communications have become increasingly convenient. Coupled with the impact of Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine culture and local folk culture have been declining. As a result, Baiquan Medicine Association has faced a survival crisis and is in urgent need of protection.

Intangible culture related to the heritage

China tourist attractions related to the heritage