Zhuma (Zhuma in Pizhou)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Zhuma

Applicant: Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province

Item No.: 641

Project No.: Ⅲ - 44

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Jiangsu Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province

Protection unit: Pizhou Cultural Center

Introduction to Zhuma (Zhuma running in Pizhou)

Applicant: Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province

Bamboo horse, also known as "running lantern", "living horse" and "bamboo lantern", is a traditional folk dance style. It began in the Song Dynasty, experienced the repeated practice of folk artists, formed a fixed form of performance, mostly in the Spring Festival, Lantern Festival and other festive festivals of folk temple fair performance. When making a bamboo horse, it is usually first made of bamboo skin or bamboo strips, then pasted with several layers of thick paper on the outside, painted with tung oil, tied with a bell on the horse neck, surrounded by a white apron, and then painted with galloping horse legs on the skirt, and the rider's legs on both sides of the horse's belly.

The form of bamboo horse performance is simple. When performing, the dancers are dressed in national costumes, tied with bamboo poles or bamboo strips, and divided into two parts, making a riding shape, constantly changing the formation and pace, walking while performing, and the audience is chasing all the way. The performance is also relatively simple, with dancers running around. The number of performers can be more or less. One person is called "single horse" and performs horse acting, jumping and lying. The two perform "young couple back to their mother's home" and the four perform "three heroes and Lv Bu". When performing, percussion instruments such as gongs, drums and cymbals are often used for accompaniment. In some places, folk music is played with suona to enhance the atmosphere and rhythm.

Bamboo horse is a kind of unique folk music and dance, which has the research value of history, culture and art. At present, under the impact of the modern economic tide, the inheritance and development of bamboo and horse encounter difficulties, facing a series of problems such as aging talents and obsolete props, which urgently need the rescue support and protection of relevant departments.

Running bamboo horse is a traditional folk dance form popular in Pizhou City, Jiangsu Province. It is commonly known as "bamboo horse dance" and "Bamboo Horse Club". Its content is based on the story of tartar (Jin Wushu) riding on a horse in spring. In the fashion show, actors dressed as historical figures hang horses or unicorns made of bamboo and paper on their waists to perform in various positions. Zhuma running in Pizhou began in 1796, the first year of Jiaqing in Qing Dynasty, and has a history of more than 200 years. After several generations of creation, paozhuma has joined percussion music, suona, singing and other accompaniment and accompaniment forms, and has differentiated into different styles and schools in the inheritance and development.

The horse shaped props in the running bamboo horse are tied on the shell made of bamboo strips and pasted with colorful paper. During the performance, the dancers carry them around their waist and keep running. Pizhou running bamboo horse is characterized by "running", a word "running" throughout the performance, "running posture, running formation, running momentum" is the three main points of this folk dance. There are many kinds of routines in bamboo horse running performance, such as drinking horse to start, urging horse to trot, letting horse run lightly, running horse fast, whipping horse to sprint, strangling horse to run backward, calling horse to stop running, etc. The formation is also colorful, mainly including "one word snake", "two dragons get water", "four door bottoms", "five tigers seek sheep", "Eight Trigram formation", "cross plum blossom", "Wulong wag tail", "jianmagu", "double loop", "single loop", "double flower", "dog tail ring" and so on.

After generations of interpretation and creation, paozhuma has been integrated into percussion, suona, singing and other accompaniment forms. It has gradually become a kind of local folk dance with singing and dancing and warm atmosphere. In the process of inheritance and development, it has derived a variety of different styles and schools, which is of great value for the study of local history, culture and art.

Under the impact of the modern economic tide, the development of Pizhou running bamboo horse is stagnant. At present, the eight or nine teams in Pizhou are facing the problems of aging talents and outdated props. The ancient folk dance style of running bamboo and horse is on the decline, which needs to be protected and inherited.