Hongzehuyugu
01 · Historical Records
Hongze Lake fishing drum descends in a direct line from the duangu qiang tune form current in the lake area. It began as the singing and dancing with which shamanic mediums, while sacrificing and inviting the deities, burned great paper offerings for fishermen in redemption of their vows; because the lake area was historically beset by severe flooding, sacrificial activity among the fishermen was widespread. By the late Qing dynasty more than a thousand people around Hongze Lake were already engaged in fishing drum performance, and the fishing drum had developed from a single form of sacrificial inviting of the deities into an indispensable entertainment at New Year and at clan gatherings. It later absorbed the movements of fishermen's production and daily life together with the zhou gu zi elbow-drum and the kuaiban rapid recitation of the Jiangsu and Anhui area, forming Hongze Lake fishing drum in two forms, performance on land and performance on boats.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Hongze Lake fishing drum is a traditional form of dance created by the fishermen of the Hongze Lake area in the course of long production and life on the water, taking reverence for the gods and amusement of the people as its content and using sacrificial activity as its vehicle. It circulates mainly in Hongze County (now Hongze District) of Huai'an City and Sihong County of Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, and has spread to the areas around Hongze Lake and even to the Weishan Lake area of Shandong Province. The Hongze Lake area was historically beset by severe flooding, and sacrificial activity among the fishermen was widespread. . By the late Qing dynasty more than a thousand people were engaged in fishing drum performance, and it had developed from a single form of sacrificial inviting of the deities into an indispensable entertainment at New Year and at clan gatherings; it later absorbed the movements of fishermen's production and daily life together with the zhou gu zi elbow-drum and the kuaiban rapid recitation of the Jiangsu and Anhui area, forming what is today Hongze Lake fishing drum, which has both performance on land and performance on boats. Hongze Lake fishing drum descends in a direct line from the duangu qiang tune form. Performance on land generally erects a tall pole from which the deity banner is hung, and images of the various deities are hung in the performance area, decorated with paper-cut patterns. For performance on the lake, two large boats are lashed together to serve as the stage, and the audience watch from boats gathered around. The principal sacrificial procedures of Hongze Lake fishing drum are opening the altar, displaying the drum, worshipping at the altar and inviting the deity. Its traditional step patterns include shangyang tui (goat leg), jianzi bu (scissors step), danjia yun (single rising cloud), shuangjia yun (double rising cloud) and bai'e liangchi (white goose spreading its wings); later it developed many further movements and formations such as shuangpai liu (double row of willows), beiyan nanfei (wild geese flying south), xi yuanyang (playing with mandarin ducks), xi jinchan (playing with the golden toad), kongque kaiping (peacock spreading its tail), chengfeng polang (riding the wind and breaking the waves) and yiwang liang (one net of grain). The sung text is settled according to the purpose for which the altar is set up, most often legends such as Tang Wang you difu (the Tang king touring the underworld), Wei Zheng zhan xiaobailong (Wei Zheng beheading the white dragon) and Nezha naohai (Nezha's turmoil in the Dragon King's palace). Later it absorbed subject matter celebrating labour and the harvest, and can be sung either from a text already arranged or composed on the spot. The props include a single-headed sheepskin drum and bamboo drum beaters. The fishing drum is made by stretching goatskin or fishskin over an iron ring 40 centimetres in diameter; an iron ring 10 centimetres in diameter is fitted onto the tail end of the 17-centimetre drum handle, three iron rings 5 centimetres in diameter are set inside that ring, and three iron rings 3 centimetres in diameter are fitted inside each of those three rings. The drumsticks are cut from bamboo slips, 45 centimetres long and 1 centimetre wide, with a tassel tied to the butt end. Besides the fishing drum, the instruments later added the flute, the erhu, the pipa and others.
The opening rites
The performance opens with a fixed ritual sequence of opening the altar, displaying the drum, saluting the altar and inviting the gods before the singing begins.
The traditional footwork
Traditional steps such as the goat-leg and scissor step later gave rise to formations like the double willow row, wild geese flying south and the peacock spreading its tail.
The dimensions of the drum
The drum is a 40cm iron hoop covered with sheep or fish skin, its 17cm handle ending in a 10cm ring that carries three 5cm rings, each holding three 3cm rings; the bamboo beater is 45cm long.
The narrative repertoire
The texts are chosen to suit the purpose of the altar and mostly tell legends such as the Tang emperor's journey to the underworld, later joined by songs of work and harvest.
The stage made of two boats
On the lake two large boats are lashed together as a stage with the audience watching from their own boats, while on land tall poles fly divine banners above hanging icons and paper-cut decorations.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Hongze Lake fishing drum circulates mainly in Hongze County (now Hongze District) of Huai'an City and Sihong County of Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, and has spread to the areas around Hongze Lake and even to the Weishan Lake area of Shandong Province; the two places carry out protection work through the Hongze District Cultural Centre of Huai'an City and the Sihong County Cultural Centre respectively. Performances are organised on the basis of fishing villages, boat crews and lakeside townships. Performance on land generally erects a tall pole from which the deity banner is hung, and images of the various deities are hung in the performance area, decorated with paper-cut patterns; performance on the lake lashes two large boats together to serve as the stage, with the audience watching from boats.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Hongzehuyugu.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Its mode of transmission is chiefly the master-and-apprentice relationship. Hongze Lake fishing drum carries a great deal of the cultural information and memory of the lake area, and holds rich historical information about the course of the lake people's production and life, their social character and their local ways and feelings. It embraces several art forms and has high cultural and artistic value. It praises truth, goodness and beauty and lashes falsehood, evil and ugliness, and it also plays an important part in building and handing on simple folk ways and promoting social harmony.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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