Dragon Dance (dragon dance of Zhanjiang people)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Dragon Dance

Applicant: Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province

Item No.: 107

Project No.: Ⅲ - 4

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Guangdong Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province

Protection unit: Zhanjiang Dragon Dance Troupe

Introduction to Dragon Dance (dragon dance of Zhanjiang people)

Applicant: Zhanjiang City, Guangdong Province

Dragon dance, also known as "Dragon Dance", is also called "Dragon Dance", "dragon lantern dance" or "dragon lantern dance" among the people. It is widely distributed in all parts of the country and among all ethnic groups. Its variety of forms is incomparable to any other folk dance. As early as the Shang Dynasty, oracle bone inscriptions have been used to offer sacrifices to the dragon and pray for rain by several people; the records of Dong Zhongshu's Chunqiu Fanlu in the Han Dynasty have clearly recorded all kinds of dragon dances to pray for rain; since then, it has been common to record the palace or folk dragon dances in the poems of all dynasties. Until now, dragon dance is still one of the popular dance forms in folk festivals. The basic performance means of dragon dance are its props modeling, composition changes and action routines. According to the different materials of dragon shaped props, they are divided into cloth dragon, yarn dragon, paper dragon, grass dragon, Qian dragon, bamboo dragon, brown dragon, bench dragon, shutter dragon, lotus dragon, fire dragon, chicken feather dragon, meat dragon and so on; the northern dragon dance is generally tall and thick, with simple and vigorous style; the southern dragon dance is exquisite and delicate, lively and agile. Dragon dance can be divided into yellow, white, green, red, black and so on in color, and Huanglong is the most noble. The composition and action of dragon dance generally have the characteristics of "round song", "tumbling", "entanglement", "interpenetration" and "jumping". The traditional performance procedures of dragon dance are generally: "invite the dragon", "give the dragon", "dance the dragon" and "send the dragon". There is a folk saying that "seven or eight years old play grass dragon, fifteen or sixteen play little dragon, young adults dance big dragon". When the number of dragon dancers is small, one person will dance two dragons, and when the number of dragon dancers is large, one hundred people will dance one dragon.

Dragon is the totem and ancestor of the Chinese nation; dragon dance is the symbol of the Chinese spirit, which embodies the spirit of unity and development of the Chinese nation, and contains the cultural connotation of harmony between man and nature and the benefit of mankind. It is the most common way of entertainment for the Chinese people in auspicious and blessing seasons. The atmosphere is warm and inspiring. It is a very precious cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.

The folk dragon dance in dongshanwei village, Dongshan Town, Donghai Island, Guangdong Province is known as "a unique Oriental Dance". During the performance, dozens to hundreds of young adults and teenagers wear shorts to connect with each other to form a "long dragon". In the roar of gongs and drums and the sound of trumpets, the dragon's head is high, its body is tumbling, and its tail is swinging vigorously. Like a dragon going out to sea, it is irresistible, showing its unique island color and strong local flavor. It is an important part of the enduring folk customs and large-scale square entertainment activities in Donghai island and even Leizhou Peninsula. Every Spring Festival, Lantern Festival, Mid Autumn Festival and some major festivals, dongshanwei village will dance "dragon" for several nights. Every household in the East and west streets will be decorated with lanterns, and every family will come out with a huge crowd.

According to the legend of the artists, the dragon dance began in the late Ming Dynasty. The Ming army, defeated by the Qing army, retreated to Leizhou Peninsula and East Island. It was the Mid Autumn Festival, and the local people arranged the dance to boost the morale of the Ming army. Since then, dragon dance has spread here, and reached its peak in the Qianlong and Jiaqing dynasties. Human dragon dance is the product of the special social and historical factors and regional natural conditions in the East Island. It integrates various customs of ancient island people, such as entertaining the dragon, worshiping the dragon, offering sacrifices to the sea, respecting ancestors and worshiping gods, into the "human dragon", forming a unique form of dragon dance performance and the "human dragon" spirit. Zhanjiang people's dragon dance has unique performance programs, such as dragon rising, dragon nodding, dragon passing through the clouds, tornado waves, etc. the performers have practiced the steady action and footwork of quickly lifting the shoulders. The formation is fluent and changeable, the action is complete in one go, the long-range vision is full of movement, and the close-up view is rough and magnificent. It has become an important part of the extension and development of Chinese dragon culture.

With the changes of the times, dragon dance has gradually lost its attraction and is in decline. In order to protect the folk cultural heritage, it is necessary to rescue and organize it as soon as possible.