Linzhangjiu

01 · Lineage & Regional School

Linzhangjiu, Male, Han, from Taishun, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Dragon Dance (Ⅲ-4). The tradition is documented in Taishun, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Dragon Dance in Taishun, Zhejiang: The stepping-stone dragon is passed down in Shiyang Town, Taishun County, Zhejiang Province, using the Shishui Stepping Stones as its performance platform. The Shishui Stepping Stones were built in the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1794), 144 metres long with 233 stone teeth, linking Xidong and Chaoyang, the second village. According to the Lin clan genealogy of Chaoyang Village, a descendant of the Lin family, in celebration of the completion of the Chaoyang Lin ancestral hall, suddenly came up with the idea of performing the dragon lantern on the stepping stones, inventing it for the celebration; the stepping-stone dragon thereby became the central programme of clan celebrations and of the first-month Lantern Festival in the mountainous area of Taishun. Shiyang Town holds the national-level cultural relic protection unit known as the “Shishui Stepping Stones,” which were built in the fifty-ninth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1794). Measuring 144 metres long with 233 stone teeth in all, they link the villages of Xidong and Chaoyang. According to the Lin clan genealogy of Chaoyang Village: in celebration of the completion of the Chaoyang Lin ancestral hall, a descendant of the Lin family suddenly came up with the idea of performing the dragon lantern on the stepping stones, inventing this for the occasion.

02 · Mastery & Signature Works

The bearer record for Linzhangjiu is anchored in the documented technical standards of Dragon Dance in Taishun, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Dragon Dance in Taishun, Zhejiang: The stepping-stone dragon is a style of dragon dance with a character all its own, passed down in Shiyang Town, Taishun County. The stepping stones serve as the platform on which the dragon dance is performed; it was first created in the third year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty (1798). The props of the stepping-stone dragon are woven from bamboo splints into round cages, which are covered with cloth on the outside and painted with patterns of dragon scales; the sections are joined one after another, and each section is fitted with a wooden handle for holding it. From “opening the dragon gate” to “closing the dragon gate” there are more than sixty routines, and every movement is performed on the stone stepping stones in the stream. The main movements of the stepping-stone dragon include setting the dragon on the flat, dragon playing with the pearl, dragon licking the pearl, dragon biting the pearl, forming the character “shou” (longevity), crouching horse dragon, and so on. Amid the clanging of drums and gongs, the dragon dancers stride with vigorous steps, leaping and tumbling on the narrow stepping stones; the coiling, undulating coloured dragon and the dancers' figures are reflected in the calm, mirror-like surface of the water, so that from a distance it looks like a moving picture, a splendid and awesome sight. Performing the stepping-stone dragon requires a skilled and solid foundation in dancing together with strong physical stamina. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "The Shishui stepping stones": The natural stage of the dance, a nationally protected 1794 causeway 144 metres long with 233 stone teeth linking two villages; every movement is performed on the stones in the stream. "The main movements": The main movements of the Dengbu dragon, one of more than sixty routines from opening to closing the dragon gate, danced with vigorous steps on the narrow stones. "The bamboo-cage body sections": Each section is a round bamboo cage covered in cloth painted with scales, linked end to end, every one fitted with a wooden handle. "A late-Qing manuscript of sixty-three movements": The inheritor Lin Shile, organiser of the amateur team since 1983, preserved a late-Qing manuscript of sixty-three movements and has taught them without charge for decades.

03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status

In 2025, Linzhangjiu was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Dragon Dance, with Taishun, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Dragon Dance in Taishun, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2011 (batch 3), with Taishun, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Taishun County Intangible Cultural Heritage Safeguarding Center (Taishun County Langqiaoshenyihe Protection and Research Center) as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.

04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier

05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage

National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.

06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography

1. Linzhangjiu (Taishun, Zhejiang) · China ICH Official Project Archive
2. Linzhangjiu · China ICH Official Archive