Xianshi
01 · Historical Records
The Nine Lions, also called "nine lions shifting the ball", originated in the Ming dynasty. It is a folk performing art created by combining string-puppet lions with ground lion dance, and is also known as the "pull-string lion" or the "bouncing lion". As far as is known, by 2007 the Nine Lions had disappeared for more than forty years. Nearly all the small lion props handed down from earlier performances had been lost, the old artists who had taken part in those performances were already of advanced age, and the Nine Lions faced the danger of dying out.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
On every major festival Yongkang and Xianju hold a lion dance of their own distinctive kind, popularly called the "Nine Lions", hence the saying that when the festival comes, the nine lions leap. The string lion (Nine Lions) is a folk dance art produced by combining string-puppetry lions with ground lion dance; because the nine lions perform in the air, it is called the "string lion". It consists of a lion cage (lion frame), nine lions and one coloured ball. Thirty-eight thin control lines connect the lions and the ball, and the performance is manipulated by eleven performers standing behind the lion cage. During the performance the lions leap and shift about in the air, spirited and unrestrained; their ears, eyes, mouths and paws can all open, close and turn flexibly, so that they look vividly alive, and the feat of the "lion holding the ball in its mouth" is nothing short of astonishing. The Nine Lions is one of the most representative folk performing art forms of Yongkang City, Zhejiang Province; with its distinctive artistry, sense of participation, entertainment and festive joy, it has won the affection of the broad masses. Every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, many places in Yongkang hold this distinctive lion dance performance. In recent years the Yongkang "Nine Lions" 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 West Lake Expo Carnival and the silver award in the Ministry of Culture's "One Marvel of China" national folk art competition; it was also named one of the ten best folk art projects of the Eight Wu. The Xianju Nine Lions has a rich and varied repertory, including lions scrambling for the ball, a single lion playing with the ball, two lions shifting the ball, the embroidered ball opening, the pearl falling on the plate and the three-lion banquet; the style is bold and unrestrained and the workmanship exquisite and lifelike, and the props are painted with designs of dragons and phoenixes, pines and cranes for longevity, and the Eight Immortals crossing the sea, expressing the people's wish for timely weather and good harvests and displaying distinctive national character. The making and performance of the animal-shaped lanterns of the Nine Lions, and the Jiangnan customs embodied in them, provide important material for research into history and culture.
Lions scrambling for the ball and the three-lion banquet
The Xianju repertoire includes lions scrambling for the ball, one lion at play, two passing the ball, the embroidered ball opening, the pearl falling on the plate and the three-lion banquet.
Painted dragons, cranes and immortals
The Xianju props are painted with dragons and phoenixes, pines and cranes and the Eight Immortals, expressing prayers for timely weather and good harvests.
Animal lanterns and Jiangnan custom
The making and performance of the animal lanterns embody Jiangnan custom and display many traits of Wu-Yue and Jiangnan culture.
Lantern Festival and spring processions
On major festivals the two counties stage their singular lion dance, tied to lantern fairs and spring blessings, the lions performing aloft hence the name string lion.
Marionette and ground lion combined
Arsing in the Ming from the marriage of marionette and ground lion dance, the form is also called pull-string or bouncing lion.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The string lion (Nine Lions) is distributed mainly within the territory of Yongkang City and Xianju County, Zhejiang Province.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Ningde Huotongxianshi · Xianshi · Xianshi.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
As an important part of Chinese folk art, the Jiangnan life customs contained in the Nine Lions have significant research value; its exquisite making and performing techniques display many features of Wu-Yue and Jiangnan culture, and provide concrete, vivid material for folklore and art studies. In the face of the cultural demands of the new era, how to protect this folk culture better and pass it on is an important question.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Chen Xinfa 03-1202
- Hu Jinchao 03-1203
- Zhao Bolin 05-2535
- Hu Genji
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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