Hu Genji
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Hu Genji, Male, Han, from Yongkang, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Xianshi (Ⅵ-6). The tradition is documented in Yongkang, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Xianshi in Yongkang, Zhejiang: The string lion (nine-lion play) is distributed mainly within Yongkang City and Xianju County, Zhejiang Province. The nine-lion play is also known as 'nine lions moving the ball'. It originated in the Ming dynasty and is a folk performing art produced by combining string puppets with ground lion dancing; it is also called the 'string-pulled lion' or the 'juggling lion'. As far as is known, however, by 2007 the nine-lion play had already disappeared for more than forty years. The small lion props handed down in former times had almost all been lost, the old artists who used to perform were of advanced age, and the nine-lion play faced the danger of being lost.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Hu Genji is anchored in the documented technical standards of Xianshi in Yongkang, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Xianshi in Yongkang, Zhejiang: On every major festival, Yongkang and Xianju hold a distinctive lion dance performance colloquially called the 'nine-lion play', hence the saying 'when the festival comes, the nine lions leap'. The string lion (nine-lion play) is a folk dance art produced by combining string puppets with ground lion dancing; because the nine lions perform in mid-air, it is named 'string lion'. It consists of a lion cage (lion frame), nine lions and one coloured ball. The lions and the coloured ball are linked by 38 thin ropes, which are worked in performance by eleven performers standing behind the lion cage. In performance the lions leap and shift through the air, spirited and uninhibited; their ears, eyes, mouths and claws can all open, close and turn flexibly, so that they seem vividly alive, and the supreme feat of the 'lion holding the ball in its mouth' is nothing short of astonishing. The nine-lion play is one of the most representative forms of folk performing art in Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province. With its unique artistry, participatory quality, entertainment and festive joy, it has won the affection of the broad masses. On every Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, many places in Yongkang hold this distinctive lion dance performance. In recent years the Yongkang 'nine-lion play' has been invited to perform in France, New Zealand, Singapore and other countries, has taken part in more than twenty major domestic cultural exchange activities, and has won the Best Performance Award at the Carnival of the West Lake Expo and the silver award in the Ministry of Culture's national folk art competition 'Magnificent Marvel'. It has been named one of the 'Ten Outstanding Folk Art Projects of the Bawu Region'. The Xianju nine-lion play has rich and varied content, with performance forms such as the pack of lions scrambling for the ball, the single lion playing with the ball, two lions moving the ball, the brocade ball bursting open, the bright pearl falling into the dish and the three-lion banquet. Its style is bold and unrestrained and its workmanship is fine and lifelike; the props are painted with designs such as dragon and phoenix, pine and crane for longevity and the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, expressing people's wishes for favourable weather, timely rain and bumper harvests, and it has a marked national character. The making and performance of the animal-shaped lanterns of the nine-lion play, and the Jiangnan customs embodied in them, provide important material for research in history, culture and related fields. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Thirty-eight cords and eleven operators": A lion cage, nine lions and one coloured ball, linked by thirty-eight cords and worked by eleven performers behind the frame, with ears, eyes, mouths and claws all articulated. "The lion seizes the ball": The most breathtaking feat has the lions pass and seize the coloured ball in mid-air, demanding exact coordination of the cords. "From seven lions to nine": Hu Jinchao expanded the seven lions to nine, replaced carrying the frame with castors for pushing, and initiated the first women's troupe. "When the festival comes, the nine lions leap": Performed widely in Yongkang at the Lantern Festival, the show has toured France, New Zealand and Singapore and won prizes at home.
Thirty-eight cords and eleven operators
A lion cage, nine lions and one coloured ball, linked by thirty-eight cords and worked by eleven performers behind the frame, with ears, eyes, mouths and claws all articulated.
The lion seizes the ball
The most breathtaking feat has the lions pass and seize the coloured ball in mid-air, demanding exact coordination of the cords.
From seven lions to nine
Hu Jinchao expanded the seven lions to nine, replaced carrying the frame with castors for pushing, and initiated the first women's troupe.
When the festival comes, the nine lions leap
Performed widely in Yongkang at the Lantern Festival, the show has toured France, New Zealand and Singapore and won prizes at home.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Hu Genji was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Xianshi, with Yongkang, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Xianshi in Yongkang, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Yongkang, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Yongkang Minjian Art Biaoyan Association 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
Historical origin
The nine-lion play is also known as 'nine lions moving the ball'. It originated in the Ming dynasty and is a folk performing art produced by combining string puppets with ground lion dancing; it is also called the 'string-pulled lion' or the 'juggling lion'. As far as is known, however, by 2007 the nine-lion play had already disappeared for more than forty years. The small lion props handed down in former times had almost all been lost, the old artists who used to perform were of advanced age, and the nine-lion play faced the danger of being lost.
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.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chen Xinfa | Ningde, Fujian | 03-1202 | Other regional school |
| Hu Jinchao | Yongkang, Zhejiang | 03-1203 | Same declared area |
| Zhao Bolin | Zhuji, Zhejiang | 05-2535 | Other regional school |
| Hu Genji | Yongkang, Zhejiang | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。