Jin Guangxia
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Jin Guangxia, Male, Han, from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Diaodiao (Ⅵ-54). The tradition is documented in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Within the regional tradition and school record of Diaodiao in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: According to the recollections of late elderly performers, about two hundred years ago Tiaodiao already appeared in the areas of Shaoxing, Zhejiang, and Anqing, Anhui. The first famous Tiaodiao (suspension-swinging) performer in Shaoxing was Jin Axiang of Cangqiaotou in the city of Shaoxing in the late Qing dynasty. He made his living as a boatman and had a strong physique; through continuous exploration and practice he created complex Tiaodiao movements from the “Eighteen Swings” up to the “Forty-nine Swings”. After several generations of innovation and development by his descendants, these grew into the superb swinging arts of the “Seventy-two Swings” and even the “One Hundred and Eight Swings”. At the end of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, Tiaodiao was borrowed by the Mulian opera and the Shaoxing opera “Great Peace Play” (ping'an daxi), becoming their most brilliant program — the “Male Hanging” (nandiao). In the 1950s, inheritors of the Tiaodiao art brought it onto the sports field, performing on many occasions at provincial, municipal, and national sports meets. In 1953 they represented the East China region at the National Traditional-Form Sports Performance and Competition Conference, where they won a gold medal and received commendation from Comrade He Long.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Jin Guangxia is anchored in the documented technical standards of Diaodiao in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. Within the documented technical tradition of Diaodiao in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: Tiaodiao is a form of spatial suspension movement performed purely through body language. As a method of personal physical training and a folk juggling act, it already has a long history. At first it was merely the juggling act of itinerant performers, with names such as the “three hangings” (sanshang diao) and the “single hanging on the bar” (gangshang dandiao); the movements were relatively simple. As a thrilling program at temple-fair folk activities, Tiaodiao has great appeal and is loved by the broad masses of the people. Lu Xun's essay “Female Hanging” (Nüdiao) contains a concrete description of the splendid performance of the Male Hanging. At that time, Tiaodiao performers were also specially invited by many theater troupes to give added performances to attract audiences, thereby ensuring the box-office receipts of the entire show. Tiaodiao is an original creation of the folk performers of Shaoxing. Its movements are highly difficult and technically demanding, full of the flavor of everyday life, and at the same time extremely thrilling, giving it very great ornamental value and a strong character of the local culture of the Jiangnan water country. To this day, because the main vehicle of Tiaodiao performance — the temple-fair folk activities — has undergone great changes in form and content, Tiaodiao performances have become increasingly rare. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Eighteen, forty-nine and one hundred and eight hangs": The repertoire grew from Jin Axiang's eighteen to forty-nine hangs, and over generations to seventy-two and even one hundred and eight. "Three Hangs and Single Hanging on the Bar": The early, simpler names of the stunt when it was still a street performer's trick and a personal exercise. "Male Hang in Mulian opera and Shao opera": In the Tongzhi era the stunt was absorbed into Mulian and Shao opera as the Male Hang, and troupes engaged its performers to draw audiences. "The Male Hang in Lu Xun's Female Hang": The stunt's thrills made it a favourite at temple fairs, described in detail in Lu Xun's essay The Female Hang.
Eighteen, forty-nine and one hundred and eight hangs
The repertoire grew from Jin Axiang's eighteen to forty-nine hangs, and over generations to seventy-two and even one hundred and eight.
Three Hangs and Single Hanging on the Bar
The early, simpler names of the stunt when it was still a street performer's trick and a personal exercise.
Male Hang in Mulian opera and Shao opera
In the Tongzhi era the stunt was absorbed into Mulian and Shao opera as the Male Hang, and troupes engaged its performers to draw audiences.
The Male Hang in Lu Xun's Female Hang
The stunt's thrills made it a favourite at temple fairs, described in detail in Lu Xun's essay The Female Hang.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Jin Guangxia was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Diaodiao, with Shaoxing, Zhejiang as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Diaodiao in Shaoxing, Zhejiang: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2008 (batch 2), with Shaoxing, Zhejiang as its declared area, and Shaoxing Jinshouchangtiaodiao Transmission Workshop 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 first famous Tiaodiao (suspension-swinging) performer in Shaoxing was Jin Axiang of Cangqiaotou in the city of Shaoxing in the late Qing dynasty. He made his living as a boatman and had a strong physique; through continuous exploration and practice he created complex Tiaodiao movements from the “Eighteen Swings” up to the “Forty-nine Swings”. After several generations of innovation and development by his descendants, these grew into the superb swinging arts of the “Seventy-two Swings” and even the “One Hundred and Eight Swings”. At the end of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing dynasty, Tiaodiao was borrowed by the Mulian opera and the Shaoxing opera “Great Peace Play” (ping'an daxi), becoming their most brilliant program — the “Male Hanging” (nandiao).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jin Shouchang | Shaoxing, Zhejiang | 03-1220 | Same declared area |
| Jin Guangxia | Shaoxing, 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。