Dragon Dance

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

Applicant: Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province

Item No.: 107

Project No.: Ⅲ - 4

Time of publication: 2011 (the third batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Zhejiang Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province

Protection unit: Yuhuan City Kanmen Hualong Activity Center

Introduction to Dragon Dance (Kanmen Hualong)

Applicant: Yuhuan County, Zhejiang Province

Kanmen Hualong is a kind of "Dragon Dance" popular in Yuhuan County, which is commonly known as "gunlong" or "Zhulong" (Minnan dialect). In the past, the dance was only popular among Fujian fishermen who lived in aokou by the sea and were engaged in fishing.

Hualong dance with beads in its mouth is regarded by fishermen as "sea dragon" and "dragon in the sea that has become a fruit". It has the meaning of "sacrifice to the sea" and "pray for you".

"Starting on an auspicious day" (the dragon head and dragon tail are tied on an auspicious day in the lunar month), "turning the Dragon back to the sea" (the dragon head and dragon tail are burned on the 18th of the first month), etc., are indispensable rituals and customs (the Dragon Festival can be used for many years).

During the new year, the dragon dance team carries the dragon lantern into the village to perform, and every family welcomes the dragon lantern with great joy. Jielong's family will tie a red cloth strip to the dragon's head (called "hanging red") and untie the red cloth that was originally tied to the dragon's head and nail it on the lintel of their own house (called "changing red"). Then the dragon dance team danced for the family.

During the performance of the flower dragon in Kamen, the most distinctive feature is the "dragon circling column": under the leadership of the dragon head, the baduanlong Festival and the dragon tail are interspersed with dozens of dragon columns erected on the beach (or village temples, courtyard pillars of other people), rising and falling from time to time, circling and leaping, which vividly shows the power and flexibility of the "sea dragon" and the bold and broad-minded character of the dragon dancers.

At present, the folk cultural activities related to the flower dragon in Kamen are weakening. The artists who master the unique skill of "flower dragon circling the pillar" are old, and there is no one to inherit the dance.