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Basin Banquet
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ORIGINALLY a fishing village and now a part of urban Shenzhen, Xiasha Village in Futian District still retains many ancient rites, including what is called the "Basin Banquet".
The tradition began around a millennium ago with the Huang clan, whose descendents form the main part of the population in Xiasha. The tradition is centred around the annual Lantern Festival celebration, which is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
With the big day's arrival, local residents and many Xiasha natives who returned from overseas for the event -- it is said that more Xiasha natives live overseas than in Xiasha itself -- repeated this tradition again. Almost 4,000 round tables were laid out around the Huang Clan Temple, and tens of thousands of people ate from big basins - one on each table. Each basin is a specially made course consisting of 12 components such as chicken, duck, fish, oyster, turnip and mushroom. It is said an emperor was once so impressed with the dish that he graced it with a name "a hundred birds return to the nest". Even today, the dish carries that name.
(John Woo)
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