Dragon Dance (Fire Dragon Dance)

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

Applicant: Mengzhou City, Henan Province

Item No.: 107

Project No.: Ⅲ - 4

Time of publication: 2011 (the third batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Henan Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Mengzhou City, Henan Province

Protection unit: Mengzhou Cultural Center (Mengzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center)

Introduction to Dragon Dance (Fire Dragon Dance)

Applicant: Mengzhou City, Henan Province

"Fire dragon dance", also known as "five color fire dragon dance", is popular in Longtai village, Mengzhou City, Henan Province.

Longtai village is located at the foot of panlongling in the northwest of Mengzhou City. Panlongling, also known as wulongling, is the commanding height of the city. There is a five dragon temple in the northwest of the village, which is said to be built in the Shang Dynasty. There are red, blue, green, yellow and white dragons in the temple. There are five rolling hills around the temple, just like five dancing dragons rushing towards the temple.

According to local folklore, during the reign of emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty, there was a severe drought and the people were in dire need of livelihood. Only around the Wulong temple were birds singing and flowers fragrant, everything was flourishing, and the temple was full of auspicious clouds and purple air. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was afraid that the "Five Dragon Power" would crush his "Emperor Dragon Power", so he ordered to use iron chains to lock the five colored dragons in the temple on the "dragon lock pillar". Since then, drought has been frequent around the Wulong temple, and the people have been in dire poverty. Longtai villagers specially made five "fire breathing dragons" to burn the lock dragon pillar. On the second day of February of the lunar calendar (when the Dragon raised its head), they held a dragon dance and praying for rain beside the lock dragon pillar. At that time, five fire dragons will blow fire at the same time, and the lock dragon pillar will be burned down at one stroke. After the rain falls, the people will live a better life again. Since then, performing "five color fire dragon dance" during the festival has become a local custom.

Fire dragon dance has five dragon flower, five dragon pillar, big pan dragon, dragon drilling body, running dragon circle, swinging dragon array and other performance routines, as well as five dragon Hui, zhenwufang, worshiping Dragon King, swinging fire array, dragon dancing, giant dragon flying and other shapes.

In recent years, some old artists have died one after another, and there is no successor for dragon dancers.