Dragon Dance (Huanglongxi fire dragon lantern dance)

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

Applicant: Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province

Item No.: 107

Project No.: Ⅲ - 4

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Sichuan Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province

Protection unit: Shuangliu Cultural Center

Introduction to Dragon Dance (Huanglongxi fire dragon lantern dance)

Applicant: Shuangliu County, Sichuan Province

Dragon dance, also known as "Dragon Dance", is the most widely distributed and far-reaching folk dance in China. This kind of dance has various forms of expression, and the styles of dragon dance in different nationalities and regions are quite different.

According to the shape of the dragon, there are many forms of dragon dance, such as 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. Different forms of dragon have different dance styles and techniques. The traditional performance procedure of Chinese dragon dance is generally composed of "invite the dragon", "leave the dragon", "dance the dragon" and "send the dragon". Dragon dance is an important part of the spirit and cultural heritage of the Chinese nation.

Huanglongxi is an ancient water town with profound cultural heritage in Western Sichuan. Fire dragon dance is the most famous and popular traditional mass cultural activity here. It originated in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to the related myths and legends such as "candle dragon" which dominates light and darkness, "Ying dragon" which is in charge of wind and rain, and "dragon gives birth to nine sons", local ancestors created the excellent folk performing art of fire dragon lantern dance by fusing snake body, antler, tiger eye, ox ear, elephant leg, horse mane, fish scale and beast beard.

The fire dragon dance has a long history and is widely spread. Every festival and ceremony in Huanglongxi has to dance the fire dragon as usual. In order to make the fire dragon show more magical, people have developed a unique gunpowder with less heat and brilliant sparks, which is sprayed out during the dragon dance. During the Huanglongxi fire dragon performance, palace lanterns, row lanterns and card lanterns opened the way in front of the dragon. The dragon body fluctuated with the dragon head and made various flying gestures in the accompaniment music. The flower burners aimed at the team to perform the flower burning performance. The scene was very lively.

Huanglongxi fire dragon lantern integrates dragon, lamp, dance and fire, with strong local characteristics of Western Sichuan. It shows the folk customs and local culture of Western Sichuan, and is an important means to inherit the excellent national culture and carry forward the spirit of the Chinese nation. In recent years, Huanglongxi fire dragon lantern dance is facing survival crisis, which is in urgent need of rescue.

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