Yinyangban
01 · Historical Records
Yin-yang boards, commonly called “beating yin and yang”, trace their origin to the Song clan of Houbaliugou Village in Zoucheng City, who have lived and multiplied there for generations. In their farming life in southern Shandong they preserved a large body of remains of Yin-Shang dynasty nuo culture, and whenever there was a long drought without rain they danced the yin-yang boards to reward heaven and pray for rain. The name derives from the theories of yin-yang and the five phases and of the eight trigrams: the boards are divided into long and short and the sounds into yin and yang; the props are painted with the “yin-yang fish” motif, embodying the folk beliefs of spirit worship and sacrificial entertainment of the gods in the area of southern Shandong.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Yin-yang boards, commonly called “beating yin and yang”, are a folk ritual dance for praying for rain transmitted in Zoucheng City, Jining, Shandong Province. A yin-yang board set consists of two willow boards, one long and one short, joined together: the long board is yin and the short board is yang. It is fitted with a bronze bell and painted with the “yin-yang fish” motif. In performance men and women form opposite pairs, with equal numbers on each side; in ancient times women were played by men, using either masks or painted flower faces. The entire rain-praying ritual procession numbers from a few dozen people to as many as a thousand. At the front, banners, gongs, umbrellas and fans open the way, followed by a gong and drum ensemble, with the performing troupe in the middle, dancing as it advances and at the same time inserting various acrobatics and playful courtship movements between men and women; the rhythm is marked, the manner archaic and simple, and the momentum tremendous. The performer holds a long and a short board in both hands, striking and rubbing them together to produce two different sounds, called the “yin-yang sound”. With highly characteristic and varied dance steps such as the dragging step, the upward step, the circling step, the blessing step and the yin-yang matched feet, the yin-yang board performers form different formations including the “double ring formation”, the “rain-calling formation”, the “four-directional formation”, “joyful welcome of rain” and “heaven and earth united”. Yin-yang board performance is divided into two modes, the “procession” and the “field”. The “procession” is performed on the way of inviting and seeing off the gods, or while going from street to street; it chiefly runs through various “formations” and “lines”, such as “running the taiji”, “surrounding the twin dragons” and “climbing the ladder of heaven”. The “field” performance is the climax of the yin-yang board, carried out on open ground in front of the spirit tent, and at the same time adding movements from martial arts and acrobatics such as the “flying kick”, the “whirl” and the “pouncing tiger”, as well as paired male-female dances such as “yin-yang matched feet” and “yin-yang in harmony”. The formations most often used are “beating the four directions”, “two dragons playing with water” and “four fish contending”. The performers dance as they beat, with acrobatics and playful courtship movements between men and women, characterised by marked rhythm, an archaic and simple manner and a bold, magnificent style. At present yin-yang boards have developed from a ritual rain-praying activity performed in times of long drought into a unique form of dance performance combining performance, entertainment, physical exercise and festivity. Yin-yang boards are a fusion of folk belief, totem worship and other cultures; they carry the agrarian people’s awe of nature and their longing for a good life, and preserve the folk cultural memory of the Zou-Lu region.
Long plank yin, short plank yang
A long plank for yin and a short for yang are linked with bells and painted with the yin-yang fish, struck and rubbed to yield two distinct sounds.
Dragging, advancing, circling and paired steps
The form's characteristic paces are danced by equal numbers of men and women facing diagonally, the women once played by masked or painted men.
The rain-invoking formations
The named formations, from double ring and summoning rain to heaven-and-earth united, take their names from the rain prayer.
The procession formations
The marching mode accompanies the fetching and escorting of the gods, running the taiji, twin dragons and heavenly ladder patterns.
The square show
The main show takes place before the god shed, mixing flying kicks, spinning leaps and tiger pounces with paired courtship figures.
From one Song family to the whole village
Once passed down within the Song family of Houbaligou, the dance is now transmitted through schools, enthusiasts and the village training base.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
It takes the theories of yin-yang and the five phases and of the eight trigrams as its theoretical root, integrates music, dance and other cultural and artistic forms into one, and contains rich Chinese cultural content. It reflects the folk beliefs of spirit worship and sacrificial entertainment of the gods in the farming culture of southern Shandong, as well as the distinctive aesthetic pursuits of local people.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The yin-yang board dance is transmitted mainly in Houbaliugou Village of Zoucheng City, where the Song clan has lived and multiplied for generations, preserving and transmitting Yin-Shang nuo culture and dancing the yin-yang boards to reward heaven and pray for rain in times of drought. What was transmitted single-handedly by the Song family has been extended to transmission through education and through the community. Professional performers, students, dance enthusiasts and the villagers of the transmission base are all inheritors, so the living transmission of the item has been effectively realised. Its folkloric value, artistic value and distinctive aesthetic quality have become known to and accepted by the public, and it has become a local cultural brand combining performance, entertainment, physical exercise and festivity.
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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