Lion Dance (Cangxian lion dance)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Lion Dance (Cangxian lion dance)

Applicant: Cangxian County, Hebei Province

Item No.: 108

Project No.: Ⅲ - 5

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Hebei Province

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Cangxian County, Hebei Province

Protection unit: Cangzhou Liuji Lion Dance World Co., Ltd

Introduction to lion dance (Cangxian lion dance)

Applicant: Cangxian County, Hebei Province

Lion dance, also known as "Lion Dance", "lion lantern", "Lion Dance" and "Lion Dance", is an important part of traditional Chinese acrobatics. Lion dance has a long history. It is popular in the Han nationality areas of China. It frequently appears in the Spring Festival and other festivals and celebrations. Through lively performances, it expresses the good wishes of Chinese people to pray for good luck and eliminate disasters. The forms of lion dance in different parts of China are different, and the regional characteristics are very distinct. It is generally divided into two categories: South lion and north lion. South lion is vigorous and ferocious, and most of them perform difficult skills. North lion is cute, and most of them play.

Cangxian county is located in the southeast of Hebei Province, adjacent to the Bohai Sea in the East, Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and the ancient canal passes through. In the Ming Dynasty, Cangxian lion dance appeared in the form of Tongle fair, which was widely spread in the county. In the early days, it was mostly held in temple fairs and Spring Festival folk Flower Fairs.

Cangxian lion dance is divided into Wenshi and Wushi. In the early stage, it was called "lion play", which was mostly performed by Wen Shi, with Xingji as the representative. Wenshi performance focuses on the word "tease". It mainly imitates the instinctive behavior and playful action of cats, and cooperates with the powerful and majestic drums. Wu lion is developed from Wen lion. Later, in the performance, it combines martial arts and acrobatic movements, such as folding, walking steel wire, climbing on high stool, climbing pole, rolling on high platform, looking at the moon in the water, skillfully walking and standing rope, blooming lotus and so on. Wushi in Cangxian county is represented by Beizhang village, huangdipu township. Its movements are highly skilled and its drumming is mainly fast-paced. It is hot, warm and cheerful and guides the whole process of lion dance.

In Cangxian lion dance, the traditional lion head weighs 70-80 Jin, the lion skin weighs 20-30 Jin, and the modern lion head weighs more than 10 jin, which is hard for non martial arts practitioners to bear. Therefore, no matter the Wen lion or the Wu lion, the lion leading and lion dancing performers in Cangxian lion dance are all performed by the martial arts practitioners with deep knowledge. A lion dance team usually has two or three big lions and one or two small lions. The big lion is dressed up by two people and the small lion is dressed up by one person.

Cangzhou has the reputation of "lion city" and the largest iron lion in China. Cangzhou people dance out of the "Lion Dance knowledge", Cangzhou lion dance has a unique style of inheritance and development. At present, with the change of society, except for Beizhang and Liuji in Huangpu Township and nanxiaoying in zhifangtou Township, there are still several lion dance teams. Most other places have not carried out this activity. Cangxian lion dance is faced with the dilemma of inheritance and needs urgent protection and support.

Chinese PinYin : Shi Wu Cang Xian Shi Wu