She Nationality represents a major centuries old and long-dwelling minority in China's southeast. About 710,000 population of She Nationality makes it rank the 19^th among China's 55 minorities. As a major settlement of She Nationality, about 190,000 She people inhabit in Ningde, accounting for 1/4 of China's total She people. Wherein, Fuan City is the most populated county-level city by She people and appropriately 68,000 She people there takes up 1/10 of the total she population. She people also dwell in Baiyunshan and Tailaoshan Scenic Areas where some traditional life, production and cultural customs have still been preserved. Throughout the history, She people have built a beautiful and fertile home, created splendid and brilliant culture with distinctive characteristics, accumulated a large amount of cultural relics and developed its own unique culture.

Culture & Festivals of She Nationality

Relatives Visiting Festival: during this festival, She people populated in South Zhejiang and eastern Fujian regions originated from Shuanghua of Fuding and Banzhong of Fu'an return to their ancestral home on February 2 each year to attend relatives visiting activities. Wherein, Shuanghua of Fuding holds the largest "Relatives Visiting Festival" and makes itself well-known for this festival. The "Relatives Visiting Festival" in Shuanghua of Fuding by She people has evolved for over 360 years and also among the first batch listed in the intangible cultural heritage of Fujian Province. During the festival, She people gather from all quarters to visit their relatives and friends and exchange greetings. They visit relatives, receive friends, express their emotion, utter their words and also deliver their longings for a beautiful life all by songs.

March 3: March 3 marks the Black Rice Festival when She people commemorate the victory of their national heroes in fighting against reactionary ruling classes. According to the legend, during the Zongzhang period with the reign of Emperor Gaozong of Tang, She heroes led volunteers to fight against the Tang Dynasty, fed themselves by wild black rice when they were trapped in mountains and had no food supply, but fought a way out and gained the victory on March 3. Later, She people gather together on this day each year to celebrate the victory in unique means. For instance, they hold singing parties, eat black rice, invite She wizards for wizard dances, hold traditional She dance parties, host Jindouyang martial art competition and have Baita tea on March 3. In 2011, the black rice making technique of She in eastern Fujian was enrolled in the intangible cultural heritage of Fujian Province.

Ruiyun Singing Party on April 8: "April 8" marks an important festival for She people in Ruiyun Village, Fudingb City. On this occation, She people show their demeanor by holding such distinctive national activities as "Singing Party" and "Flaring Flame". She songs of Ruiyun have a variety of forms, including love songs, life songs, labor songs, political songs, miscellaneous songs, etc. In the long process of life, she farmers in Ruiyun, motivated by their affection and protection awareness of farm cattle, make cattle free from labor in farmland on "April 8", prepare "cattle wine" to cater cattle and sing songs for cattle, thus known as "Cattle Festival". She songs of Ruiyun on "April 8" reflect the diversity of Chinese nation's folk music and bear great realistic and historical importance to study She nationality's history and inherit its unique life customs. Ruiyun Singing Party on April 8 has been included in the List of National Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage.

Culture & Wedding Customs of She Nationality

She wedding customs are characterized by distinctive features and abundant connotation. The grand and exquisite ceremony is composed of wedding discussion, engagement, cousin recognition, recognition of relatives by marriage and getting married. The greatest feature of wedding customs lies in "songs". That is, songs run through the whole process from falling in love to getting married. Especially, the "celebration in the wedding room" at the wedding celebration and songs and dances render great national feature for the whole wedding. The century-old "courtesy thanks by men but not women" at She wedding ceremonies reveals women's position in She nationality. She wedding customs have been enrolled in the List of National Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage.

Culture & Silverware of She Nationality

She silver jewelry is one of important symbols of She cultural resources and each piece of silverware made by unique craftsmanship and complicated process demonstrates the wisdom of inheritors of intangible cultural heritage. Over 30 making process of She silverware are all done by men. It mainly involves techniques of "core processing, chiseling, fetching, engraving and embossing" and processes of "flat carving, relief, circular carving and hollowed carving". Having carving element of the Yuan Dynasty, silverware made by the above techniques and processes is designed with artful and unique model, fine and exquisite carving patterns. In 2011, She silverware of Fu'an represented by "Zhenhuatang" was included in the of List of National Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage.

Culture & Clothes of She Nationality

She costumes are rich in local characteristics and national art features and also contain abundant cultural heritage and artistic connotation. She women wear varied traditional customs in different regions, but share the basic features of black upper outer garment with colorful pattern-embellished collar, lappet and cuff. Customs and aprons are adorned by various bird, flower and geometric patterns, while back of collar and cuff are decorated with laces. Further, She women wear black aprons adorned with flower patterns and also wear self-knitted colorful belts. Most wear long black pants and some may wear black shorts and leggings. She girls braid their hair into a plait by red knitting wool over their heads. Married women comb their hair into a cylinder cap-type or spiral-type crested head. They also wear such adornments as silver bracelets, silver necklaces, silver collars and silver earrings.

"Phoenix costume" is the most dress for She women. According to the legend during the reign of Emperor Zhongyong, the third princess of Emperor Gaoxin, known as the female ancestor of She nationality, was dressed with a phoenix costume by her mother to wish her to bring luck for life like a phoenix. This move has been passed on generation by generation, making phoenix costume come down the ages for to-be-married She girls, showing their wishes for good luck and happiness.

She wedding customs in Xiapu have been enrolled in the List of National Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage.

 Culture & Folk Songs of She Nationality

She people have their own customs and language. Singing folk song is a major activity in She people's cultural life. She people create and spread folk songs to pass down historical, cultural, production, life and other varied social knowledge and to hold cultural entertainment activities. Singing folk songs has become an indispensable part of She people's cultural life and whatever man, women, the aged and the young all are good at singing, thus leading to some unique national song customs and song parties.

She folk songs fall into narrative songs, miscellaneous songs and ritual songs by themes. They mainly include folk song melody and master's melody.  Further, the folk song melody includes melody of Funing, Fuding, Xiapu, Luolian, Lishui, Jingning, Longquan, Wencheng and so on. The master melody contains reciting melody and songs paired with social morality moves. So far, She folk song has been enrolled in the List of National Nonmaterial Cultural Heritage.