Yingge (Chaoyang Yingge)

Name of Chinese national intangible cultural heritage: Yingge (Chaoyang Yingge)

Applicant: Shantou City, Guangdong Province

Project No.: 111

Project No.: Ⅲ - 8

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Guangdong Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Shantou City, Guangdong Province

Protection unit: Shantou Chaoyang District Cultural Center

Introduction to Yingge (Chaoyang Yingge)

Applicant: Shantou City, Guangdong Province

Yingge, also known as "Yingge", "Yingge", "changyingge" or "Yangge", is a folk square dance integrating dance, Nanquan routine and opera performance skills. Its performance is magnificent and its atmosphere is strong. It is popular in Guangdong, Fujian and other places. It is performed by men and has the meaning of praising heroes. According to legend, it has a history of more than 300 years, and its source is mostly explained as the variation of local people's martial customs or the reproduction of the story of water margin. Yingge is usually performed during New Year's festivals. The dancers are mostly even, ranging from 12 to 108. Each of them holds a pair of colored wooden sticks to match the point and cry of gongs and drums, and waves the two sticks alternately to flip and knock while walking. The performance is divided into "front shed" and "back shed". The front shed is composed of gongs and drums performance and Yingge dance; the back shed is composed of distinctive small plays and masterpieces. The basic action of Yingge dance is dancing stick. When dancing, each person holds two short round wooden sticks (10 cm in diameter and 20 cm in length), with both feet in a squatting crotch step on horseback, legs up and jumping horizontally, hands up and down with the rhythm of gongs and drums, hitting the sticks left and right, and the head and body naturally shake. The rhythm of English songs can be divided into adagio, Zhongban and Allegro; sometimes there are as many as 20 routines, such as "washing the street", "greeting the new year", "Bunian", "carrying the crotch", "crossing the crotch" and "holding the crotch to hook the feet". Yingge dance has a distinctive masculine and heroic spirit. At the climax of the dance, the shouting and the sound of the trumpet resound all over the place, which is majestic and shocking.

Chaoyang Yingge is the continuation of Han folk square dance and Nuo culture. There are some changes in the continuation. In the Ming Dynasty, it absorbed the northern daguzi Yangge and gradually evolved into Yingge dance, which has become a unique form of folk dance art in Chaoyang area. Chaoyang Yingge is a combination of drama, dance and martial arts. In practice, it has formed some different styles, which can be roughly divided into three types: Adagio, Zhongban and allegro.

The basic dance method is to form a group of movements with three or four mallets. The movement is slow and vigorous. It is dignified, simple and graceful. In addition, there are "drunk mallet" English songs. When dancing, the dancers look like drunkards and have unique charm. Adagio English songs mainly spread in Wenguang, mianbei and Chengnan.

The rhythm of Chinese Banyan English songs is a little faster than that of adagio English songs. The basic dance methods are playing five sticks and seven sticks (English song and dance), and playing eight sticks, ten sticks, eleven sticks and thirteen sticks (English song and dance). The gongs and drums are obviously different from the adagio English songs. The former has a pause and lengthening in the middle of the drum, while the latter has a continuous beat. Zhongban Yingge is also popular in Wenguang, mianbei and Chengnan. It is characterized by natural and unrestrained in steadiness and mellow in simplicity.

The rhythm of Allegro English songs is fast, the drum is tight, and changes with the opening and closing of the team. The English mallet used is short and easy to use. Allegro English songs are generally divided into three types: Duda Taoshi, Nanshan Wenpai and Nanshan wupai.

Up to now, Chaoyang Yingge is still widely spread and developing. The main inheritors are Hong Feiying, Guo yaoyang, Chen Hanlong, Yao Xinta, Yang Wei, Zhou Xiuxing, Chen Kunli, Lin Amatsu, etc. Chaoyang Yingge has a wide distribution and strong radiation. Almost every town (street) has Yingge teams. Some towns even have several Yingge teams with different styles or age structures at the same time. In November 1996, Chaoyang was named "the hometown of Chinese folk art" by the Ministry of culture.

With the rapid changes of economy and society, the cultural ecology has undergone dramatic changes. Chaoyang Yingge has lost its glory in the past and is on the verge of being lost from generation to generation.