What’s Yusheng and How Is It Part of a CNY Celebration
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It continues to befuddle me how similar
and different the China Chinese and any overseas Chinese are. Southeast
Asian Chinese say “骑脚车 qí jiǎo chē” (literally “ride leg car”) when they
ride a bicycle, but here it’s “骑自行车 qí zìxíngchē” (literally ride self
moving car). Southeast Asian and Taiwanese Chinese call pineapples “黄梨/凤梨 huáng lí/fènglí” whereas here, it’s “菠萝 bōluó” (which always made
me think of some sort of carrot “萝卜 luóbo“). The list goes on and on,
but it’s more than just the words that are different. When it comes to
Chinese New Year, I’ve noticed a few of my hometown traditions which
aren’t practiced here, but which are rather fun and involve the whole
family and friends if you’re looking for a twist on your CNY
celebration!
The first tradition is that of “lo hei” in a mandarin dialect or 鱼生 yúshēng in Chinese. Yusheng is a customary Singaporean and Malaysian Lunar New Year dish, traditionally served on the 7th day of Chinese New Year, which is known as 人日 rénrì. Renri means “every man’s birthday” so everyone becomes a year older on this day. In the past, yusheng was only eaten on renri, however these days it is normal for a family to eat yusheng numerous times throughout the New Year period and it is usually served at the start of every meal. Watch the video below to see how you put yusheng together and why it’s so fun!
Comments
from over the two years I’ve introduced yusheng to my friends include,
“Wow this is exactly the opposite of what your mom says not to play with
your food” and “It’s so delicious”. Plus, it’s almost vegetarian except
for the salmon slices, so the kids will be eating plenty of nutritious
stuff without knowing it.
The second tradition is how we give a
pair of mandarin oranges to a guest every time we’re visiting their
home. We hold the oranges in our hands as we enter their domicile and
greet them with well wishes such as the perfunctory “新年快乐 xīnnián kuàilè” or “恭喜发财 gōngxǐ fācái“. The host will accept our oranges and well
wishes, and offer us their own pair of oranges and well wishes in
exchange! This whole process was what we call “bai nian” which is
basically "visiting during CNY". To up your CNY game this year, here’s a
list of better well wishes you can say to different people.
To anyone:
虎年大吉！
Hǔ nián dàjí!
Wishing you luck in the year of the Tiger!
For older individuals:
虎虎生威！
Hǔ hǔshēng wēi!
Wishing you fullness of the vigor and vitality of the tiger!
For couples:
虎运连年！
Hǔ yùn liánnián!
Wishing you the luck of the Tiger year after year!
For
people focusing on their careers, or students with major exams:
龙腾虎跃！
Lóngténg hǔyuè!
‘Dragon soaring and Tiger leaping!’ (Wishing you
a prosperous and thriving in new year!)
For young kids:
如虎添翼！
Rúhǔ tiānyì!
Wishing you’re like a tiger with wings (i.e. doubly strong)!
So
if you’ve had it with dumplings this CNY, there’s still time for you to
celebrate CNY with an overseas Chinese tradition that’s fun, tasty and
educational! Scan the QR code to order your yusheng set from Grace who
runs a Singaporean restaurant business here in Beijing.
Images: Billy Jin, Vivienne Tseng-Rush, Pexels
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