Jin Minghuan
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Influenced by his father Jin Chenglong from childhood, he was already dancing the Qili dance on adults' shoulders at the age of six. Within the regional tradition and school record of Korean Nongle Dance in Benxi, Liaoning: The Qili Dance is mainly transmitted in the Korean villages of Huanren County, Liaoning Province. The 'nongle dance', colloquially called 'nongle', is transmitted in the Korean-inhabited areas of Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning and other provinces. Its history can be traced back to the 'stepping on the earth god' in the rite of sacrificing to heaven at the time of spring sowing and autumn harvest in the ancient Korean period. The 'nongle dance', the representative folk traditional activity of the Korean ethnic group, originated in agricultural labour and contains elements of ancient sacrifice; it generally takes two forms, one being a plot-based performance presented in the form of dance and pantomime, and the other being a mass performance activity centred on vigorous and rich traditional dances at the beginning of the new year and at times of celebrating the harvest. The Korean Qili Dance transmitted in Huanren County, Benxi City, Liaoning Province has a long history; it originated in folk customs that prayed for a good agricultural harvest and was originally one form of the nongle dance, and with the development of the times gradually formed into a dance that combines self-entertainment and performance. The Qili Dance has many participants and wide influence, and is a typical representative of group dance among the Korean peasantry. Its dance forms are complex, its movements refined and its techniques highly skilled; therefore it enjoys a distinctive position among Korean dances.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
Male, Korean ethnicity, born in August 1948, a native of Huanren Manchu Autonomous County, Liaoning Province. After starting work he began collecting and organizing materials on the Qili dance, revived the dance, and led teams to art festivals, yangge festivals, folk festivals and other cultural events within and beyond the province, winning outstanding performance awards on many occasions. He often organized Korean residents to dance the Qili dance on festivals, at weddings, birthday celebrations and other festive occasions, and carried out transmission activities. Within the documented technical tradition of Korean Nongle Dance in Benxi, Liaoning: The 'nongle dance' is a comprehensive ethnic folk art that integrates music, dance and singing. The performance of the 'nongle dance' comprises twelve parts in all. These include the 'small drum dance' performed by young men, the 'human pyramid' performed by young dancers, the traditional 'flat drum dance' performed by several people, the 'long drum dance' performed by men and women alike, the 'fan dance' performed by several people holding large floral fans and originating in the ancient 'shaman dance', the disguise dance 'crane dance', and finally the men's 'elephant hat dance' that brings up the rear. The elephant hat dance has always been the most eye-catching and stirring of the dances; the highly difficult technique of the young male dancers whirling ribbons up to 20 metres long from their heads dazzles the eye, and it has become one of the most prominent symbols of the 'nongle dance'. The Qili Dance has a relatively stable traditional set of procedures, yet it is not bound by them: performers may dance according to the mood of the occasion, and the dance as a whole is highly improvisational. When the performers' mood is high, everyone displays their own skill: the men shake the elephant hats so that the long tassel at the tip spins out beautiful arcs; the young women strike the long drum while spinning quickly, conveying their feelings through the movement and beauty of their bodies; the elderly performers attend not only to the flavour of the dance but also to posture, and with many changes of movement they can express the joy in their hearts fully through improvisation. The Qili Dance is performed mainly at major Korean festivals or large-scale events, such as the baby's first birthday, the sixtieth birthday, the sixtieth wedding anniversary, or weddings, the opening of shops, and the building or repair of temples; at such times the village elders take the lead in organizing song-and-dance performances. Compared with the 'stepping on the earth god' nongle dance used for praying to the gods and the nongle dance used for self-entertainment, the Qili nongle dance is most distinguished by its marked performative character; it is a form of nongle dance presented for others to watch. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Twelve parts ending with the hat dance": The nongak dance-suite of twelve parts runs from the small-drum dance and children's pyramid through fan and crane dances to the closing men's hat dance. "Improvisation in the geollip dance": Held to a stable yet elastic order, the dance lets performers follow the mood on the spot—men whirling hat ribbons, girls spinning with their drums. "First birthdays, sixtieths and diamond weddings": It marks first birthdays, sixtieth birthdays, diamond weddings, marriages, shop openings and temple building, organised by village elders. "Distinct from the earth-spirit nongak": Unlike the spirit-praying and self-amusement nongak, the geollip form is above all presentational, danced to be watched.
Twelve parts ending with the hat dance
The nongak dance-suite of twelve parts runs from the small-drum dance and children's pyramid through fan and crane dances to the closing men's hat dance.
Improvisation in the geollip dance
Held to a stable yet elastic order, the dance lets performers follow the mood on the spot—men whirling hat ribbons, girls spinning with their drums.
First birthdays, sixtieths and diamond weddings
It marks first birthdays, sixtieth birthdays, diamond weddings, marriages, shop openings and temple building, organised by village elders.
Distinct from the earth-spirit nongak
Unlike the spirit-praying and self-amusement nongak, the geollip form is above all presentational, danced to be watched.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
He was a national representative bearer of Korean Ethnic Nongle Dance (Qili Dance), a third-batch national intangible cultural heritage project. Under his training and guidance, his son Jin Shan and his daughter Jin Hua gradually grew into fifth-generation bearers of the Qili dance.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The 'nongle dance', colloquially called 'nongle', is transmitted in the Korean-inhabited areas of Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning and other provinces. Its history can be traced back to the 'stepping on the earth god' in the rite of sacrificing to heaven at the time of spring sowing and autumn harvest in the ancient Korean period.
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 Mingchun | Yanbianchaoxianzuzizhi, Jilin | 02-0382 | Other regional school |
| Jin Minghuan | Benxi, Liaoning | 03-0923 | This page |
| Han Kuisheng | Tieling, Liaoning | 03-0924 | Other regional school |
| Li Yonghao | Tieling, Liaoning | 05-2235 | Other regional school |
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。